Ryan Bell - Living Between Belief and Unbelief

Sometimes, people settle in to beliefs about the world, but most of the time, whether they admit it or not, their ideas are constantly evolving. During the past year, former pastor Ryan Bell has been examining his Christian worldview and exploring a world beyond belief, and he has learned a great deal about what it means to live in the space in-between belief and unbelief, certainty and doubt. What would it look like for each person to remain open to what the world has to teach?

For 19 years, Bell was a pastor, most recently the senior pastor of the Hollywood Seventh-day Adventist Church. In March 2013 he resigned due to theological and practical differences. As an adjunct professor he has taught subjects ranging from intercultural communication to bioethics. Currently he is a researcher, writer and speaker on the topic of religion and irreligion in America. In January, Ryan began a year-long journey exploring the limits of theism and the atheist landscape in the United States and blogs about that experience here at "Year Without God."

Bell received a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and a Doctor of Ministry in Missional Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena.

Recorded on November 16, 2014 at the Center For Inquiry in Los Angeles, California.
Interview:
http://youtu.be/zn_WJdD1VT0

Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey: “Peter, Paul and Mary: Fifty Years in Music and Life” (Diane Rehm Show)

In the 1960s, the group Peter, Paul and Mary brought folk music out of the coffeehouses and onto the airwaves. With their seamless three-part harmonies, they achieved the commercial success that paved the way for performers like Bob Dylan and John Denver. Their political lyrics struck a chord with the baby boom generation, as they gave voice to the struggle for civil rights, the women’s movement and efforts to end the war in Vietnam. They played together as a trio for nearly five decades, until the death of Mary Travers in 2009. A new book chronicles their time together in a series of photographs and written reflections. “Peter, Paul and Mary: 50 Years in Music and Life.”
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-12-24/peter_yarrow_and_noel_paul_stookey_peter_paul_and_mary_fifty_years_in_music_and_life_rebroadcast

Quiet Company - The Black Sheep and The Shepherd

Lyrics:

The river's wide, that I could not swim across it, 
So I convinced myself I'd walked up on the waves.  
The river's wide, that I could not swim across it, 
So I told everyone I'd walked up on the waves.

But I lied, and I knew I'd lied, 
but I did everything I did to soothe the family pride
 and I just don't think I can keep it up now. 
Because I've never heard Jesus speak to me 
(not in any way that I'd consider speaking) 
but I bowed my head just the same. 
Though, I did find some tears when they played that song, 
but for the four right chords I will play along,
 I have always been that way. It doesn't matter what the lyrics say.

Into safer arms we run, with a thorn in our side and the devil's inside. So who are we running from? 
Into stranger arms we run. Such a thorn in our side, when the devil's implied. Oh, what have we done?

So I tried and I tried to achieve belief. 
Maybe there is something wrong with me, but I've been feeling fine 
(In fact, often better than fine.)  
Though, now both my shoulders have started hurting from 
walking around under such a burden, to reconcile everything that we learn 
with everything that we were taught.  
But with all we know now, how can you say 
"Oh you've just got to take it all on faith" and 
"Don't think too much. 
Just hush and pray, exactly as we've always done."

Hey god! Now I've got a baby girl. 
What am I supposed to tell her about you? 
Because her life shouldn't have to be like mine. 
She shouldn't have to waste her time on waiting on you, 
because you never do come through.

Sometimes I can't believe the things those 
preachers have the nerve to say to me, 
but maybe the things that I'd have to say to them 
are really just as bad.  
Because the only times I ever thought of suicide, 
I was waiting on the lord to direct my life, 
saying "give me one word and I'll put down the knife
 and I'll never pick it up again."  
But luckily I held out long enough to see that 
everybody really makes their own destiny. 
It's a beautiful thing. It's just you and me, 
exactly where we belong, 

And there's nothing inherently wrong with us.

http://youtu.be/sEwGNGsHDoA

A 6-Year-Old Asked Neil deGrasse Tyson The Meaning Of Life. Here's His Response

During an event in Boston on Thursday, Neil deGrasse Tyson fielded an inquiry from "Jackson," a precocious 6-year-old, who asked a question that's occ... Read more
http://youtu.be/ZhGMOgkgabk

Religious Freedom Day 2015: Resolve To Protect True Freedom Of Conscience

Happy Religious Freedom Day! Today is Religious Freedom Day. As I mentioned in a recent post, this ... Read more

Week In The News: French Fall Out, Immigration Reform On Deck, Oscar Nomination Surprises (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Waves of fallout and follow-on from the Charlie Hebdo attack this week. Al Qaeda claims credit. Belgians say they busted up another big terror plot in a hail of gunfire. The French crack down on free speech that supports terror. Arrests all over. Europe is gripped. In Washington, the Republican Congress takes on the White House on immigration and Wall Street regulation. An alleged planned terror attack on the US Capitol building is foiled. Travel to Cuba is freed up. Mitt Romney makes a buzz. The pope on free speech. This hour On Point: our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines. /Tom Ashbrook
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2015/01/16/french-immigration-reform-oscar-nominations-congress

Friday News Roundup – Domestic (Diane Rehm Show)

President Obama continues to roll out policy recommendations ahead of his State of the Union address next Tuesday. The latest: expanded family leave for federal workers. The Secret Service forces four of its most senior officials to leave their posts. Republican lawmakers look for a way to block the president’s immigration actions without putting security funding at risk in the process. Early moves by Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush spur other possible G.O.P. contenders into action. And House Speaker John Boehner says domestic surveillance helped catch a Capitol Hill bombing suspect from Ohio. Guest host Susan Page and her guests discuss the week’s top national stories.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015-01-16/friday_news_roundup_domestic

Friday News Roundup – International (Diane Rehm Show)

Yemen’s Al-Qaida formally claims responsibility for the deadly assault on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Belgian police kill two suspected Islamist militants and Europe remains on high-alert. New satellite images and reports of a large-scale massacre by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria. President Obama relaxes rules on travel to Cuba. Talks on Iran’s nuclear program resume and U.S. lawmakers push for more sanctions. And millions greet Pope Francis in the Philippines. A panel of journalists joins guest host Susan Page for analysis of the week’s top international news stories.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015-01-16/friday_news_roundup_international

45 Examples of Muslim Outrage About Charlie Hebdo Attack That Fox News Missed

It's not fair of the network to say that Muslims have been quiet over the tragedy...  Read more

Imagine What it Would be Like With No Dental Care? That is the Disastrous Reality for Tens Of Millions of Americans

Witnessing the human degradation that occurs with dental decay is heartbreaking.
...  Read more

A diagram that never ceases to blow my mind

Read more

How Orwell's 'Animal Farm' Led A Radical Muslim To Moderation

"I began to join the dots and think, 'My God, if these guys that I'm here with ever came to power, they would be the Islamist equivalent of Animal Farm," Nawaz says.
Read more

Right Wingers Crave Religious War And Hate Obama For Denying Them

The Young Turks' Cenk Uygur let war mongers Bill O'Reilly and Lindsey Graham have it for the recent flame throwing following the terrorist attack in P...  Read more

The State Of The Ocean: 'On The Verge Of A Major Extinction Event'

Well, this is some upsetting news. I had some idea this was happening (my niece is a marine biologist and she's been telling me for years we're overfi... Read more

Russell Brand: Does Fox News Terrorize Us?

Russell Brand is one of my favorite activists, and he's always willing to say out loud the things no other media type will say. Like calling Pirro a "...  Read more

More Than Half Of Public School Students Now Live In Poverty

This should pretty much answer any questions you might have as to why the politicians are bleeding the public schools dry of resources: For the first...  Read more

Republicans End Retreat Split On Key Issues — Except That Obama Is Bad

HERSHEY, Pa. — Newly invigorated congressional Republicans ended their joint House-Senate retreat in this chocolate town divided on how to handle pres... Read more

Princeton Study: U.S. No Longer An Actual Democracy

Asking "[w]ho really rules?" researchers Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page argue that over the past few decades America's political system has slowly transformed from a democracy into an oligarchy, where wealthy elites wield most power.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/princeton-experts-say-us-no-longer-democracy

With Republican Obstruction, A Last Resort For Fixing Our Roads And Bridges

President Obama will propose measures to encourage the flow of private investment in the face of Congressional inaction.The ... Read more

If You Want To Understand What’s Happened To The Supreme Court, You Need To Listen To Rand Paul

Rand Paul may be the herald of a new age of judicial activism.The post If You Want To Understand What's Happened To The ... Read more

Poll: Voters Want Pretty Much The Opposite Of What Congress Is Doing

A majority of U.S. voters think the government should be advancing policies that promote the growth of renewable energy, ... Read more

New Congress Begins Anti-Environment Attack With ‘No More National Parks’ Bill

The bill, introduced Tuesday, would amend the 1906 Antiquities Act to effectively block the President from designating any new ... Read more

Schools Are Expanding Their Free Lunch Programs To Include Dinner, Too

''When kids are hungry, they don't pay attention." The post Schools Are Expanding Their Free Lunch Programs To Include Dinner, ... Read more

Republican Women Revolt Over Extreme Anti-Choice GOP Bill

They're concerned it will alienate female voters.The post Republican Women Revolt Over Extreme Anti-Choice GOP Bill appeared ... Read more

Fox News to earn $1.50 per subscriber

That dollar figure, higher than just about every other cable channel besides ESPN and TNT, demonstrates Fox's power in the American television universe. Ten years ago the channel, a favorite among conservatives, was making just 25 cents per subscriber. It can now command six times as much.
Read more

Republicans Want Democrats to Kill Santa...

Thom Hartmann says Democrats need to be careful not to fall into Jude Wanniski's 2 Santas trap when it comes to Social Security disability.
http://youtu.be/64Uir8y6p_8

"Letter to a Free Country" by Ed Buckner (with Q&A)

The science deniers who seek to spread doubt about evolution, climate change and vaccines are not alone in the spreading of bogus information. A new breed of history deniers is rewriting the American story to fit their religion's agenda. Revisionists like former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee seek to reframe the Framers as good Christians seeking to create the newly United States of Jesus. So are we a Christian Nation since the U.S. is predominantly Christian? Are we then a female nation since we are 52.4% female? Does Christianity make the U.S. great?

Secular activists Ed Buckner and Jim Underdown will provide lively criticism on the revisionist arguments people - including the Supreme Court - use to evade the 1st Amendment to the Constitution.

Dr. Buckner is a longtime secular activist, former president of American Atheists, and past executive director of the Council for Secular Humanism. He's written a number of books, including Fundamentals of Extremism: The Christian Right in America, and In Freedom We Trust: An Atheist Guide to Religous Liberty. Underdown is executive director of the Center for Inquiry-Los Angeles and the founder of the Independent Investigations Group.

Both are planning a new book on this subject soon.
http://youtu.be/gDwxDxL2yqE

What Secular Humanism Means To Me

The official defining statement of World Humanism is...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/01/15/1357928/-What-Secular-Humanism-Means-To-Me

John Oliver - European far right

http://youtu.be/NFEeS2OXpoI

The Pope says you can't insult religion

Where would we be if religion had never been challenged?

Researchers Call New Obamacare Results ‘Remarkable’

The newest data should make even the grouchiest capitalists feel warm and fuzzy toward Obamacare. Read more

US Maternal Death Rate Climbs; Female Deaths Rise In GOP Counties

They claim their fanaticism is 'pro-life,' but Republican laws result in death, not life. Read more

Redditors Share Their Heart-Wrenching Experiences Growing Up In Poverty

You don't realize how great your life is until you've read a few of these. Read more

Author Of Best-Selling Christian Book About His Time In Heaven Says He Made It Up

You may have seen this book in airports and bookstores, it sold a massive amount of copies, but the "boy who came back" now ... Read more

Wyoming GOP Bill Allows Christians To Treat Gay People (and lots of other people) Like Crap While Hiding Behind Their Bibles

Conservatives in Wyoming are poised to pass a bill that would allow Christians to treat anybody they hate like sh*t all while ... Read more

Drug researchers hide thousands of negative studies. A new campaign is trying to change that.

Imagine making a decision about whether or not to buy a new home based on seeing only half the property. The real estate agent invites you in to look ...  Read more

Obama calls for cities to build government-run high-speed internet

* President Barack Obama is visiting Cedar Falls, IA, today to make the case for local governments building their own broadband networks. * 19 st...  Read more

Here's what it looks like when a lab-grown muscle flexes

Duke University researchers have grown a contracting human muscle in a lab and captured it on video. The muscle acts like one found inside the body w...  Read more

The basic truth about internet access that Obama knows and cable companies want to hide

"...The American cities that are delivering best-in-the-world speeds at bargain prices are precisely the cities that aren't relying on Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, Time-Warner, etc. to run their infrastructure." ...  Read more

11 myths about homelessness in America

Myth #1: Homeless people are lazy and don't want to work. About 44 percent of homeless people around the country did some paid work during the previou...  Read more

a waterfall in Iceland

Read more

White House Weighs In On House GOP's New Social Security Ploy

The White House has weighed in publicly for the first time on a House Republican move that could precipitate a fight over Social Security in the next ... Read more

RNC Censures Dave Agema Over Anti-Gay, Racist Comments

The Republican National Committee's executive committee voted on Wednesday to censure Michigan national committeeman Dave Agema over racist and anti-g... Read more

GOP Rep Bashes GOP 'Overreach' Against Obama On Immigration

Hershey, Pa. — A Republican congressman is criticizing his party for overreaching with its new legislation to thwart President Barack Obama's deportat... Read more

GOP Guv Is Demanding His State Expand Medicaid Under O-Care

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead (R) has become a forceful advocate for Medicaid expansion, using his State of the State address on Wednesday to demand Wyoming'... Read more

Neb. Guv Condemns School Board Member's Blog Calling Obama A 'Half-Breed'

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) on Tuesday condemned the conservative blog of a Republican state Board of Education member over its description of Pre... Read more

JP Morgan ‘Under Assault’ By Unpatriotic Regulators, CEO Says

Despite leading JP Morgan Chase through numerous scandals that exemplify the need for tighter banking regulation, Jamie Dimon ... Read more

Study Reveals Scary New Facts About Sea Level Rise

"It's a larger problem than we initially thought," lead writer Eric Morrow said. The post Study Reveals Scary New Facts About ... Read more

The Key To Closing The Income Gap Is An Idea Almost Nobody Is Talking About

A look at the new recommendations for combating "a toxic combination of too little growth and rising inequality" in ... Read more

The Religious Right: Stronger Than Ever Before - Eddie Tabash

Eddie Tabash, chair of the Board of Directors of all of CFI and a prominent constitutional lawyer, will bring us up to date on the latest and most successful efforts of the religious right to abolish the separation of church and state and to usher in a theocracy.

Tabash also chairs the First Amendment Task Force of the Council for Secular Humanism, serves as chair of the National League Committee for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and is known for his work directed at protecting full legal equality for everyone regardless of perspective on matters of religion.

Tabash is also one of the most well-known atheist spokespersons and debaters in the country.

http://youtu.be/UC2oAFGkgYM

Most Americans feel they are falling behind

Forget getting ahead. Most Americans say their income isn't even keeping up with the cost of living.
Read more

Elon Musk gives $10M to fight killer robots

Musk, the founder of both Telsa Motors (TSLA) and SpaceX, has long expressed concern about the threat he fears smart machines and computers could pose to human civilization. In remarks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology last fall he called AI "our biggest existential threat," and said that with advances humans are "summoning the demon."
Read more

Hitchens v D'Souza part 3

http://youtu.be/rYr5VOcAb20

An Inspiring Entrepreneur and His Plan to End Hunger

When Ellen heard about Mason Wartman's pizza shop in Philadelphia, she was amazed. Mason has created a system that has helped feed thousands of hungry mouths. Check out his inspiring story.
http://youtu.be/ymDlygdpddQ

How Republicans Hope to Use State Successes to Push Federal Abortion Restrictions

The House will vote on the 20-week abortion ban next week.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/health-care/how-republicans-hope-to-use-state-successes-to-push-federal-abortion-restrictions-20150114

Atheist or Agnostic — and Does it Matter?

"Many people tell me they wouldn’t mind if I were an agnostic, but that I shouldn’t be so arrogant as to be an atheist..."
http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2015/01/14/atheist-or-agnostic-and-does-it-matter/35823

Senator Elizabeth Warren on the Keystone XL Pipeline

Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources markup of Keystone XL pipeline legislation, on January 8, 2015.
http://youtu.be/4k_4vWVzNWM

Six Years Later, A New Push To Shutter Guantanamo

Guantanamo has been the prison that would not close. Cages and orange jump suits thrown into service right after 9.11. Shackles and legal limbo for hundreds – including so-called “forever prisoners” – at the US naval base on the eastern tip of Cuba. Candidate Obama promised to shut Guantanamo down. As president, he’s failed. But now, there’s a big push on again. Prisoners being flown out in the dead of night. Broomed off to Uruguay and Kazakhstan. A push to nearly empty the camp, then bring the hard core to the US mainland. This hour On Point: the push to finally wrap up Guantanamo. / Tom Ashbrook
Interview:
https://onpoint.wbur.org/2015/01/07/guantanamo-bay-closing-senate-gop-prisoners

The GOP Plan For Obamacare (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

The new Republican Congress, all sworn in now and ready to roll. First up on the GOP target list: Obamacare. The Affordable Care Act. The first major bill of the 114th Congress would cut the number of Americans employers would be required to cover. House vote scheduled for tomorrow. That’s a tweak. The bigger GOP rallying cry has been repeal. And then there’s a court push to gut the funding side of Obamacare. What changes are really plausible? Politically possible? And what would they mean for you? This hour On Point: Obamacare, and the GOP plan of attack. / Tom Ashbrook
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2015/01/07/obamacare-gop-new-congress-repeal-and-replace

Sierra Club sues for impact study of Enbridge pipeline in Michigan

"...“This pipeline was built in 1963, which is more than 60 years ago. There has never been any environmental study done by any agency, federal or state, on any portion of the line,” said Marvin Roberson of the Sierra Club. “We ought to know whether the thing is structurally sound. We ought to know what the potential effects of a leak are...”
http://michiganradio.org/post/sierra-club-sues-impact-study-enbridge-pipeline