Sunday School

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Support for Christian prayer in U.S. public schools varies widely by state.

American Atheists denounces final approval of bible-infused Texas reading list.

‘Trump wears thin after a while’: Evangelicals bail on lame-duck president.

Thousands of proud men gather in central Washington for heterosexual activities.

Trump will present the World Cup trophy. It could be very awkward.

World of Woo: The Wellness Industry.

Environment: New AI agent tallies a gadget’s emissions in the time it takes to brew tea.

A biohacker gives birth.

Even when facts are agreed upon, interpretations are wildly different.

Putin’s reign may not survive the impending fall of Crimea.

Three million years after Lucy walked upright in Africa, the inside story of another landmark journey.

Measles has spent the last year fighting Utah while the Flu is summering in Texas.

How humanism became the new driver of futurism.

How AI can enable public surveillance.

Consciousness is what matter can do when life has organized it into a sufficiently integrated, self-monitoring, world-modelling system. Arguments for more awe and wonder are fine but they fail when they allow “mystery”  to start doing the work that evidence has not done. We cannot turn a complex human being into a category and then pretend the category is science when it is just phrenology wearing a modern lab coat.

Sunday Book Club: A God-Shaped Nation: Five Hundred Years of Religion in America.

Some photographs taken last week. 15 great images of the Universe.

While you are waiting for the kettle to boil……

Coffee Break Videos:  “Ultimate Proof of God” gets debunked. Penn Jillette’s criticism of Organized Religion. AI and the Future of Society.

 

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Have a great week !

[Strega]

Thanks, Reg 🙂

[jakelafort]

The thou shalt that any educated and intelligent human ought to have the capability of composing and living. Does not have to be same for all but contain the seeds of critical thinking.

Thou shalt think once, twice and thrice when a popular movement becomes an ideology and towing the party line is derigeur and questioning its assumptions is derided.

Beliefs indoctrinated by authority, culturally subsumed and at penalty of death for apostasy are always lies on lies.

Beliefs through prophecy which are maintained as the ultimate interpretation of mythology and foundation of religion that purport to see through the morass of beliefs and the inability of the creator to have its intentions known are suspect. And by suspect i mean BS.

Ideologies genesis of which is centuries old hatred, racism and persecution supported by inventing new constructs which give pretext to enemies of hated group, incorporating propaganda intended to demonize the despised group & utilizing centuries old libels, singling out that one group and requiring it to abide by higher standards and having an unhealthy fixation which seeps into the zeitgeist and causes real harms of a monumental nature to be ignored while excusing other groups from any scrutiny and demonizing an entire civilization as inherently evil and ascribing that evil as an innate condition cast onto all future individuals of that group, while maintaining anti-racism as a core tenet are despicable and anathema.

Loud mouth and cocksure bluster of charismatic individuals who ask you to blindly follow their path? Are you that stupid?

……..

Don’t tell me people are intelligent who fall into these “traps” when everything in life is caveat emptor.

[jakelafort]

Enco,

We essentially agree regarding the uncertainty in Islam and its future.

The path leading to destruction or diminution in power and influence of Islam does not necessarily have to take same as Christianity.

The future of lefty, progressive woke bs and its political power are a big factor. Obviously that disgusting red/green alliance is enabling Islam by preventing criticism and by encouraging immigration of disaffected Muslims.

Predictably that has already begun to have a pendulum exit stage right effect. That will tend to limit immigration and lead to deportation and ultimately demonization of individual Muslims and Islam as a political institution.

The internet is unquestionably a major player in the transmission of beliefs and debunking beliefs. The future of AI will likely play a role also.

Small point but the renaissance came first. Reformation next and finally enlightenment. Although as i am typing i remember that antecedents to Martin Luther and his 95 theses in 1519 or 1517 or thereabouts in Jan Huss and Wycliff are earlier and i cant remember how much earlier…

[jakelafort]

* I should indicate that a parallel to the counter-reformation is quite possible if imams and Islamists see the hand writing on the wall. They will demonize Jews even more and ascribe the apostasy and movement against Islam as being demonic and zionist and take measures to prevent further flight.

[TheEncogitationer]

Jake:

You were right about the Renaissance coming before the Reformation. They did kind of run parallel on the historic timeline, though.

[TheEncogitationer]

SimonPaynton:

I couldn’t respond on your message, so I’ll have to do it here:

TradWives/TradMoms and TradHusbands/TradDads hold their children and other parents in contempt if they support this:

MAHA (and Marxist) moms are outfitting their babies in ‘healthier’ wool diapers — that don’t need to be washed for a month
By Karen Fischer
Published June 18, 2026, 7:10 a.m. ET
https://nypost.com/2026/06/18/health/moms-are-outfitting-their-babies-in-healthier-wool-diapers/

[TheEncogitationer]

SimonPaynton:

And they’re going to all this expense and trouble over a single study of 66 infants from China (home of the human pin cushion and accupuncture disinformation) alleging a connection between plasticizers in disposable diapers and DNA damage.

Obviously, Trads also have a contempt for scientific method and causal connections.

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

The idea having a trad wife is abhorrent to me. There is nothing empowering or endearing about such a relationship. The Stepford Wives was a horror movie.

[TheEncogitationer]

Reg:

The Trad part will disappear when they discover that the urine in wool and cotton diapers consists of more than “salt and water,” is more odiferous, and doesn’t just drip-dry away. And Trad Life is more than Laura Ingalls gambolling down the prairie hill with her doggie Bandit with a happy ending. As the diaper prices in the story show, it takes rich people to live poor:

[TheEncogitationer]

Environment: New AI agent tallies a gadget’s emissions in the time it takes to brew tea.

Great idea, as long AI is not the one in control of the gadgets or the decision to use them. Human control freaks are bad enough without being given SkyNet Terminator capabilities:

Air Conditioning? It’s Illegal!
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/06/air-conditioning-its-illegal.php

[PopeBeanie]

Separation of Church and State, even as a meaning-distilled colloquialism not explicitly mentioned in the US Constitution, has entered a new phase of religious, cultural evolution in USA. Behind the scenes, Trump’s “I dunno who that is” Project 2025, is likely celebrating. So must some of 6-3 SCOTUS. I predict time will soon enable some of these forces to feel open and honest enough to stand up and brag about their accomplishment, and righteousness.

There’s no way Trump, by himself, could have planned this out so well.

Maybe after November some of them will proudly “come out”, and get more positive coverage from our evolving media landscape?

[jakelafort]

Pope wrote “Separation of Church and State, even as a meaning-distilled colloquialism not explicitly mentioned in the US Constitution…”

Maybe i am not fully appreciating what you are attempting to convey. I disagree with the characterization of separation of church and state as meaning-distilled colloquialism not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.

True, the words separation of church and state are not written there. Mainly attributed to Jefferson in his reading of the first amendment although there were prior references. It is literally impossible to draft a constitution that utilizes language that is on point in adjudicating constitutionality. It is patently obvious that the first amendment is a wall of separation between the two entities.

If congress can make no law respecting an establishment of religion nor can it make any law prohibiting free exercise (which is precisely what would happen without a wall of separation) then it is more than a penumbra or vague implication. Pretty fucking obvious especially with the backdrop of history and the contemporary scene the drafters knew.

If that is too crazy ya gotta let me know…or not.

[jakelafort]

Never mind Pope. After reading your line again i think you are indicating that the meaning has been watered down so that ambiguity is read into it rather than questioning its plain meaning and efficacy.

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