The Boy Scouts' possible change in policy

According to this article, the Boy Scouts are considering changing their policy to allow gay youth in the organization-- "no youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone"-- but they'd still ban openly gay leaders. In other words, they're implying gay men are all pedophiles and can't be allowed around children. There's a great message to send gay youth.

Bless the beasts and the goldfish

A Florida woman claims that the markings she found on a Goldfish cracker (which in the photo appear to be blobs, but which she claims to be a cross with a circle around it, and a golden crown) are miraculous in origin. She's quoted as saying: “I believe that it’s a sign, a sign from God...He is still in our life every day, and he wants to show that to his people.” She now carries the cracker around with her in a jewelry box padded with gauze. I'm inclined to think she's the one who should be in a padded box, but hey, it's not just her. Her pastor agrees with her assessment: “I think it’s a sign...I think it points to, I would hesitate to call it a miracle, but I think it points to the miracle, which is Jesus Christ defeated death. And that’s what Easter is all about.”

I'd like to make fun of the absurdity here, but frankly, it'd be like shooting goldfish in a barrel. There is admittedly potential here for some golden comedy, but I'm afraid poking fun at her might be seen as carping a little too much...

Yes, I'm quite done now. Thank you.

When ritual DOESN'T make you feel good

Despite the study referenced in my last post, I'm guessing the people participating in this ritual did not have high levels of oxytocin, at least during the ritual itself. Having nails driven through your hands is a pretty horrifying way of "celebrating" Christ's crucifixion. This is definitely Extreme Religion:

Devotees in villages in the northern Philippines took part in a bloody annual ritual to mark Good Friday...The crucified devotees spent several minutes nailed to crosses in Pampanga province while thousands of tourists watched and took photos of the spectacle, which the church discourages. Earlier in the day, hooded male penitents trudged through the province's villages under the blazing sun while flagellating their bleeding backs with makeshift whips. Others carried wooden crosses to dramatize Christ's sacrifice.

The real reason people attend church?

An interesting article here indicates that "a majority of participants" release oxytocin (a hormone also released during orgasm and breastfeeding, incidentally) during rituals, religious or otherwise. This may help explain why people enjoy going to church on Sunday, and why churchgoers are "happier and healthier" in many surveys. Then again, one study doesn't really tell us much of anything and should probably be taken with several grains of salt.

"The final frontier"

My daughter and her girlfriend, demonstrating at the Supreme Court:

But it's bad for kids to allow gays to adopt...

Despite having nineteen kids and two grandchildren, the Duggars are apparently considering adopting yet more children. Michelle Duggar says, "We are praying about it, and we will see what God has in store. Love for children has been placed on our hearts."

I like this terse comment below the article: "Hoarding is a disorder." True, but I don't think fundamentalists see it that way. Apparently it's a wonderful thing for Quiverfull advocates to adopt, even if they have more children than most of us could possibly imagine coping with, but let a gay couple want to adopt a single child, and the child will supposedly be damaged somehow. Go figure. Personally, I suspect it's better for kids to be adopted by a loving couple (even-- gasp!-- a gay couple) that isn't already overwhelmed with a swarming mass of children.

North Dakota and "personhood"

According to this, North Dakota lawmakers passed a resolution declaring a fertilized egg to be a person. In November 2014, voters will determine whether or not they want this to become part of the state constitution. This is an admitted effort by lawmakers to shut down the state's only abortion clinic (in Fargo, the largest ND city).

But even if you're opposed to this measure, you can at least take comfort in the fact that it's a carefully drafted and well-researched resolution. Its sponsor, Senator Margaret Sitte, says,"There was no grandiose plan...It came from Wikipedia."

Wonder how lawmakers drafted laws and resolutions before Wikipedia came along?