merry chirstmas everyone you are getting photobombed!!

hmmmmmm.... suppose this could be funny no matter where you are coming from....because its house

this one really got me thinking

more funny

and a few more pictures

note: These are just some funny pictures, not trying to offend anybody here (if I can be christian and laugh at these then so can you). Also, Socialism.

Some mixed pictures

Meanwhile

some funnies

Group 2 (01)

Well, this is it...the last group post (tragic!). I am saddened, but all good things must end. Our last topic was Albert Camus.

It is befitting that our group should have another Frenchie. This has been our theme after all.

We discussed Camus's various philosophical thoughts in the limited time that we had to discuss and decided upon a factual question. I will post all the discussion questions.

The factual question:

Camus Factual:
Who wrote "Myth of Sisyphus?"
A Mark Twain
B Albert Camus
C Thomas Paine
D Emma Goldman

"B" Albert Camus

Discussion Questions (in the order of Tim, Lacey, Shannon, and Megan).

How is it that consciousness is what makes humanity victorious and how is the idea of human consciousness constructed within our society?

Discussion: Do you agree with the words of Camus when he says, "The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and his fate is no less absurd. But it is tragic only at the rare moments when it becomes conscious." Why or why not?

Do you think, as Camus claims, that "acknowledging the absurdity of the human condition is what saves us"? That by recognizing and confronting the setbacks we encounter, we can discover our own individual paths to contentment in life? Or are there too many external and uncontrollable factors acting against us that make true happiness unachievable?

Do you agree with Camus's point when he says Sisyphus finds happiness in knowing that "his rock is his thing?" Is knowing that our life or burdens are our own create a sense of happiness or is it too overwhelming?


So, that is it! I have personally enjoyed my group because we are the best. I would not have had this class any other way. Thanks for being awesome ladies!

And so now, I think that I should leave my personal philosophical reflection. I have many thoughts on philosophy especially concerning social philosophy. But beyond the social, that is our existence, I think that this is a nice way to sum up the absence of existence, which we must all face:

Remember, we can't always be. One day we will all be sand on a beach by the sea.

The "actual" mode of philosophical discourse....

Just kidding but on a more serious note....

A topic I would like to hear discussion on is the Occupy Wall Street Movement.
Do you think it has merit? What does it tell us about the overall level of happiness of society? Do we need wealth to be content? Is greed the only explanation for the growing income disparity? Would religion better substitute riots? Are we capable of being a harmonious society with such gaps in wealth? Can one enjoy life in American society without some wealth and hope for opportunity?

Sec. 17 Group 2 Presentation: Celebrities and Philosophy

Lady Gaga is the alter ego of singer/songwriter Stefani Germanotta. The biggest star of the 21^st Century, she has won 5 Grammy awards and has had number-one singles in songs such as “Poker Face” and “Just Dance”. Her perfect blend of pop and dance has captured the hearts of over 16 million Twitter followers. But what separates her from the other pop stars is her nutty fashion sense and her involvement in politics and belief.

It’s easy to say that Gaga became famous because of her meat dresses and her choice of transportation (i.e. an egg). Diversity owns the market, and she knows that. What truly sets her apart from the others is her use of garb as a political statement. She is promoting the individual and living up to the “be yourself” mantra. She is following in the footsteps of humanists such as Thomas Paine and Christine de Pisan.

Her spoken political message also has some philosophical offerings. She has been a proponent of the gay rights movement since the beginning of her career. Songs such as Born This Way tell the audience that it’s okay to be born with “life’s disabilities” and they should not “be a drag, just be a queen.” She is fighting against the social norm, just as doubter Nietzsche did.

Nietzsche Family Circus

Man's maturity: to have regained the seriousness that he had as a child at play.

More...

group 2 presentation ( celebrities and philosophy)

Paris Hilton is classified as an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. Like many others she is an example of the celebrity that rises to fame not because of their talent or work but because of their inherited wealth and because of their controversial lifestyles. Paris's fame can be accredited to her being the great great grand=daughter of Conrad Hilton ( founder of the hilton hotels). also for 2003 sex tape with at the time boyfriend Rick Salomon. She is also known for several minor film roles, modeling, reality shows, and her music album Paris. Paris's party hearty lifestyle resulted in several legal incidents causing her to serve a sentence in LA. After realizing how unimportant Paris Hilton is i thought to compare her to the philosophy of Albert Camus. I thought this philosophy was relevant because it speaks to humanity as a whole. Camus believed that if we acknowledge the absurdity of the human condition then we can be saved.I am obliged to agree. By taking our eyes off of these idols we call celebrities we will be able to focus on humanity as a whole.

Here are some comics that I thought were funny. Sorry if the second to last one is hard to read.

Next

On Wednesday we'll have any final report presentations anyone volunteers to do. Otherwise, I like Whitney's suggestion: everybody find and post something you find both funny (or at least interesting) and philosophically relevant, and we'll discuss.

On Thursday in H1 we'll do as many final report presentations as we can, so everybody be ready. Non-presenters' final essays are due Tuesday.

Final presenters in all sections: please bring me a brief summary sheet of your main points, and give us a factual and a discussion question pertaining to your topic.

Madalyn O'Hair had what view?
A. Christian
B. Buddhist
C. Muslim
D. Atheist

Answer: D

Section 1 Group 4 Asiyah, Allie, Hannah, Katie

 So the first sentence in our section this week really go me thinking. "atheist means communist" was said to be true during and post the cold war. Atheists at this time really made it a point to try and separate any religious affiliation with public requirements.
 For example, Madalyn O'Hair filed a suit against her sons school because they began each day reading a chapter in the bible. She played a huge part in making this a prominent issue where the court ruled in her favor and banned any type of bible reading as a requirement in a public school.
In this case the Atheist side opposed the religious side with no prominent Agnostic middle.
Taking this into account, it's interesting to think about the religious vs. nonreligious side and what form of structure they'd prefer.
In VERY general terms, (in case I offend anyone in this statement), many of the people with strict religious views are ignorant and selfish with the world that doesn't concern them directly. By looking at their selfish religious take often results in them being content with the belief that only people like themselves are safe. They can live with this theory with no weight on their conscience about the rest of the people on this planet, and won't even take into account that their view is actually a view of the minority.
Compare this to capitalism. There is strong evidence that proves that capitalism has been a main contributor to the horrible economic state our country is in. Capitalism is a nutshell is the economic  system in which investment in and ownership ofthe means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth ismade and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations, and in theory this provides jobs for the rest of the community
Now which group of people have the most support for a capitalistic society? Conservative Republicans, looking around at the "bible belt" we can see that a majority of people with strong religious views consider themselves both.

DQ. Once again I am not generalizing every religious person in this statement but if you look at the selfishness that equates to both sides can you draw the same parallels I did?

Question
Madalyn O'Hair had what view?
A. Christian
B. Buddhist
C. Muslim
D. Agnostic

Answer: D

For those interested in Frankl

http://www.viktorfrankl.org/e/logotherapy.html

Group 3 H1 Philosoraptors

Since my group seems to have stopped posting as a group I will take the helm. I am not sure what we talked about last week, as I had to miss class.

So with that said I will just right into the topic we are to talk about today: Viktor E. Frankl

Factual Question:

What was the name of the type of the therapy Frankl came up with?

A) logonostic

B) mogotherapy

C)logotherapy

D) psuedotherapy

Answer: C) logotherapy

Discussion Question:

Fankl's logotherapy which held that Freudian psychoanalysis was wrong to say that instinctual drivers are real while ideas of meaning are just a secondary rationalization. Due to his experience Frankl was led to believe that people need and want meaning more than anything else, and most of them freely acknowledge that when asked.

Do you feel that meaning is just a secondary rationalization caused by our initial drivers or do you feel that we as humans need meaning in life or than anything?

Also, if you believe we needing meaning in life more than anything, how do you find meaning in your own life?

Doubt in the New Millenium (Group 005, Section H01)

Our topic for this last post is constructed around doubt in our current society, or as Hecht calls it, "Doubt at the New Millennium." Although I myself am not a doubter - I am an inquirer, which is a significant difference - I found this particular section of the text inspiring. In the first few paragraphs there seems to be a call for a closer look at all religions. To some this may mean scrutinizing all religions and thus shunning the idea of faith, but for me it is applicable in the sense that I often find myself questioning (and confirming) why I hold certain beliefs.

I am a Christian. I'm just going to put it out there. I was raised in a Christian family but have at times asked myself the very questions that most people inquire of (all) religion. My experiences - and the feeling that I hold a "soul" within my physical body - lead me to believe in a God and an afterlife. Christianity, at least from my perspective (anyone may feel free to disagree with me), is arguably the most controversial and scrutinized religion in the world today. Hecht is good enough to include several Arab philosophers who call for a necessary closer look into the theologies of other religions, including Islam. Salman Rushdie said that the issues at stake involved Islam, even though the U.S. government was trying not to make it about Islam (this is what he said.) By making the events of 9/11 disconnected from the Muslim faith, Rushdie claimed that the U.S. was trying to preserve peace for Muslims. However, Rushdie advocated for a scrutinized examination of the religion - this was required if Muslim countries were to take on the principle in which the modern world is based.

Ibn Warraq has stated that the Koran needs to be studied "scientifically" and that Muslims should "look at their own religion in a critical way as well." I not only agree with this, but I also believe that this should apply to all religions. As a follower of Christianity, this statement has made me conscious that I am also free to approach my religion in a scientific - and not just religious - way.

Hecht then lists a roll-call of modern day atheists, many of whom are prominent in our entertainment industry. These include: George Carlin, Katherine Hepburn, Christopher Reeve, Jodie Foster, and John Lennon. It's true that we are now in an age of science and intellectual uncertainty. Hecht is right to say that the ancient methods of doubt are again alive today. But, in my opinion, it's also a new age for religion in the sense that followers of different faiths are looking more closely in their beliefs and values. For me, it means confirming my beliefs, reconstructing old ones, and sometimes throwing some values that I see out-dated and obsolete. A dedication for inquiry and free thought is necessary here. If that is what is called for, then I believe that (for the most part) that is the right thing.

Factual Question: Which one of these does Hecht not mention in there being doubt in?
A) Modern society
B) Modern art
C) Modern cosmology
D) Politics
E) Modern entertainment

(Answer: E.)

Discussion question: Do you think that doubt is an aspect of inquiry that everyone should have in order to be a free thinker?

suggestion

I would like to suggest that we start presentations wed and finish them mon. So by next wed (or the last class) we can take or final exam and be exempt from coming to class for 2 hours the next week. Again its just a suggestion but someone should agree with me!

Props to trinity for finding this awesome picture. Man that's a lot of blow, I wonder if he would be willing to share.
Communists are simply misunderstood. Seriously is this the face of evil?

(not sure what a teddy bear armed with a Kalashnikov has to do with Communism but I thought it to good to waste)

Well Karl Marx (finally a name I can spell) must be blushing, because today we talked about mine and his favorite subject, communism. The point that Hecht mainly focused on was how the Cold War affected religion in America. Such as how the United States motto was changed From E pluribus unum to In God We Trust and how under god was added to the Pledge of Allegiance. (They didn't accept my suggestion of under the capitalist pigs) These changes were made because Communism and Atheism were seen by the vast majority of Americans as inseparable. So in order to be the antithesis of our opponent the United States experienced a resurgence of religion. Enter our annoyingly abrasive protagonist; Madalyn Murray O'Hair. She is large responsible for separating Communism and Atheism in the minds of Americans. She also helped maintain the separation of church and states. She also appeared in an article in Playboy in 1965. [Who knew Playboy has articles? :)]

This brought us to our factual question:

Who is largely given credit for separating the Communism and Atheism in American minds?

A. Karl Marx

B.Walter Kaufman

C. Margarete Susman

D. Madalyn Murray O'hair

And our discussion question was:

Is it necessary to be controversial (i.e. crass, obnoxious, rude, etc) in order to get your point across?

No I don't think that it is necessary to be controversial to get your point across. Does it sometimes help? Yes, it does but it can also weaken your argument or your point. Because if you are offending your audience by being crass or obnoxious they are not going to be very receptive of your thoughts and points of view. When someone calls you a moron that doesn't make you want to listen to them. That makes you want to punch them in the face.

Group 1, Section 1

Our group discussed Secular Nations. We mainly focused on holidays, asking religious or not and what we felt others thought/acted upon.  The memory of details is a little bleary, but I do know it obviously, it was hard to steer away from holidays as Thanksgiving loomed. (The holiday break is also why what we did talk about is so hard to remember). We also discussed whether or not we thought secular nations are a stronger power in uniting people or religion, but I'll save that for our discussion.

Factual:
Q1: Which was the first nation to encourage dissent and ensure the right to doubt?
A: Soviet Russia
B: France
C: United States


Q2: Who believed that religion was bad but it was unnecessary to attack religion because once wage slavery was gone, religion would disappear?
A. Foucalt
B. Lenin
C. Marx
D. Stalin

Discussion Question:
Do you think secular or nonsecular ties create a stronger unity in a society?

Camus Group 2 (16)

Here we go ladies and gents. We have arrived at our favorite time of the semester (yet the most hectic.) This is the last post, so make it a good one.

Our topic this week was the serious doubter Albert Camus. His views on life seem rather conflicted and grim. In his "scorn of the gods" he tells the story of a man pushing a boulder up a mountain, over and over, with no progress. This metaphor represents the image of humanity in a world without god. We compared this metaphor to our lives and even though there is may be times full of pain, stress,despair, boredom, ect. we seek to find the good in life. Regardless, if we are living for an afterlife of some sorts I don't believe that this is any way to look at things. If this is the case we might as well end up moping around all day because eventually we all are going to die. Being that our group is full of "free thinkers" most of us our on the same page about not living for an afterlife, we all can agree that we still seek the good in life, and continue to keep on living.

I don't think we always have to make sense of our situation, but it's sometimes you just don't need that. I have my passions to live for; camping, sports,music, family, comedy. I don't need a template for happiness or fulfillment (or much less think there is one.) This absurdity can be replaced by things that we find joy in.

The detachment from the absurd can be replaced by things we find value in:

What are some of these things for you?

What are some of qualities, values, ethics that give meaning to your life?

What is your reaction to Camus' metaphor of the man pushing the stone up the mountain?

We also briefly discussed the role socioeconomic factors have on an individuals religious views. (As stated in class 88 percent of African Americans believe in God, with absolute certainty.)

A few minutes of the group discussion were spent bashing the Bush presidents. Like it or not. We pointed at the quote from Bush Sr.

" atheists should not be considered citizens or patriots".

Gee wiz. Do we still have that around in this day and age. And from the leader of our country?!?

For a country that prides itself on the word "freedom" , don't forget the FIRST amendment Mr. Bush.

Feel free to discuss anything else talked about in class.

See you all Wednesday!

Group #4 - Section 017

Factual: In the Cold War era, if you were a publicly known atheist in America you were known as what?
A) Communist
B) Satanist
C) Political Leader
D) Hero

Answer: A


Discussion: One of America's main focuses in the Cold War was setting ourselves aside from communists in the sense that we believe in god. Do you believe this had anything to do with the real issues of the Cold War?

Tyler Wilson 5-17 Questions

1. What does the "agnostic " belief mean? explain

2. What book discussed hidden messages in its texts? It was written by Charon.

Group 2 (01)

the topic for discussion this time was Americana. This was the first time that our group did not have perfect attendance (tragic!), but we managed. Most of the discussion centered around the Harlem renaissance, Mark Twain, and how large of a douchebag Edison was...the answer is very large. He was the original douchebag really. But we also discussed other things that are American.

This is American right?

Anywho, we decided on a factual question and we decided to just post all of the discussion questions.

The factual question:

T/F - All of the names associated with Americana (Edison, Harrison, Johnson, Goldman, Sanger, and Twain) were firm defenders of Christianity and belief.

False

Discussion questions (in the order of Tim, Shannon, and Lacey):

How were African Americans in Harlem encouraged to become more creative and how has this changed Black culture within American culture?

Which Americana writer do you think had the most lasting impact? Which had the most controversial statements or arguments? (And why).

Hubert Harrison said, "Entre nous, I doubt whether I will ever be anything but an honest Agnostic because I prefer, as I once told you, to go to the grave with my eyes open." What is your stance on agnosticism? Do you think that agnostics tend to be more open or was Harrison's statement more of a contradiction?

I think that I have this American thing now. Mexican Food! That's American right?

New Intro to Philosophy text?

I'm considering a new text to replace Passion for Wisdom in this course in the future. I'd welcome your feedback. Specifically, check out A Little History of Philosophy here and let me know what you think.

Wittgenstein Group1 Section16

Factual: "The background conditions are, among other things, that a person be fully aware of what his words mean and intend them to make a ________."

A: Statement

Discussion: Wittgenstein believed that we could not express in words was nonsense. Why?

Zach Pigg - group 4-17 questions - November 28, 2011

Factual: In the Cold War era, if you were a publicly known atheist in America you were known as what?
A) Communist
B) Satanist
C) Political Leader
D) Hero

Answer: A


Discussion: One of America's main focuses in the Cold War was setting ourselves aside from communists in the sense that we believe in god. Do you believe this had anything to do with the real issues of the Cold War?

3(16) Frankl

Factual: What psychoscientific study did Frankl come up with?

A: logotherapy

Discussion: Do you think Frankl's comforting speech in which he attempted to keep everyone from suicide when he said "That even if you accept nothing more from life life still expects things from you".

Group 2 (17)

Last week, we discussed Americana. After covering some main points from the assigned reading, we deviated onto a conversation of the ultra-rich church factions and how their money dulls their message with lavishness and a lack of purpose.

Factual: What does Thomas Edison actually believe in?

A. An oversoul

B. Atheist

C. Christian

D. Nature (Supreme Intelligence)

Discussion: What has caused the loss/growth of spirituality in the church?

Garrison B. 3-17 Victor Frankl and the Meaning of the Holocaust

Factual Question: True/False Renowned psychotherapist Victor Frankl, who experienced the horrors of the Nazi death camps, expressed the importance of meaning, saying that people want meaning more than anything else and that therapy must help people find meaning.

Answer: True

Discussion Question: If God is omniscient, infallible, and all-powerful, why would such a god permit such a horrible event? The Nazis are obviously not justified in their actions, but what about God? Does this suggest a God more comparable to the Creator God of Gnosticism, or the absence of God?

5(16) New Atheism

Happy late Thanksgiving, guys!

Sorry I was late posting again. Walking Dead came on...

Anywho. Tomorrow we have the New Atheists, then we're done with Doubt! So, two questions are:

Factual: Were women included as doubters with the New Atheist movement? True/False. A. True

Discussion: Do you believe humanity could continue if it were proven that God did not exist?

Also, will someone remind me in class tomorrow what last week's questions were? I think I forgot to write them down and there has been a massive amount of food consumed between last Wednesday and today. Anyone who remembers, remind me? Or make something up. I won't know the difference.

Group 2 (Americana, Camus)

Hey there folks! Last week, which seems like ages ago, we had the topic in H's book 'Americana'. Although I don't really remember what we talked about, I hope some of you weren't half asleep that day and can. Til then, I've got this as a factual:

What nickname was Hubert Harrison deemed in the 1920s?

A; Black Socrates

Huge historical figures in America like Paine and Edison were underlying doubters--what really stood out to me in this reading was Edison's interview in the NY Times, stating that he does not believe in a 'god', per say, yet rather in a 'Supreme Intelligence', and stressed the importance of the consciousness of the human mind over the soul.

I agree with Edison's belief on this subject, despite its persevering boldness in our world today. I think there should be more of it, still, and that in order to grasp the soul (if there is one), then we should first find the true capabilities of our craniums and go from there. Whatcha thank about it?

Alrighty, on Wednesday we would've had Camus. Camus!- The author of the classic 'The Stranger', which is incredible and an author whom I had no idea was a philosopher as well. Woo! Anyway.. Camus amplified world-consciousness on a vital scale, brushing against absurdity in the social realm. This consciousness was linked with 'acknowledging the absurdity of the human condition'--which 'is what saves us'. (460). This realization of the absurdity in life brings us no anxiety in wondering about an angry god that created us, our lives just are. I love this, but I'm wondering how the world would be if we all thought in this manner. Happiness? Chaos? I don't necessarily think we should all approach life in Camus' style, but instead approach it as originally as we can. No set boundaries on religion, no closed doors in our mental lives, just perceive the world how it is, and sort of laugh at its misfortunes.

My factual question was: What essay did Camus write that represented the image of humanity itself in a godless world?

A: "Myth of Sisyphus"

group 2 project (reality celebrities and philosophy)

Kim Kardashian and the Cynic summary

Kim Kardashian is well known in the media, especially now with her recent stunt of faking a marriage. (why she would do this who knows.... oh wait money) With all the hooplah surrounding this individual i asked myself where she came from, she seemed to just appear out of nowhere. A little research yielded that Kim is the daughter of OJ simpsons attorney, she was also apart of Paris Hiltons party posse (enough said there), lastly what really sent her over the top was a certain "home video" she made with singer/actor Ray J that leaked on the internet. And as a result of all that birthed a clothing line, commercials, magazine covers, and reality show(s). Therefore i felt with all this nonsense surrounding her, that I would conduct my presentation on Ms. Kim. Particularly i will compare her lifestyle with that of the Cynics (a bit of a stretch, but venture with me). Cynics were said to live like dogs, they lacked shame and didnt care for the opinions of others. "Cynics felt that the way people lived in civilized society was full of falsehood, emotional discomfort, and pointless striving. Yet honesty, ease, and repose were available to anyone who merely stopped lying, role-playing, and striving" (Hecht). Comparing this philosophy to Kim is like night and day, with all of the antics behind Kim (and all other b-list reality stars) it's clear that she has a thirst for fame, a desire for public acceptance. A cynic would say that such actions to gain fame are pointless and will not yield happiness. additionally cynics would disagree with any attempt for fame by anyone especially if it didn't better society and privileging the universe. The superficial lifestyle of Kim would also be a target of criticism, marrying a little known basketball player only to divorce and rake in money from the publicity, is deception at its peak. All this just boost ratings and pushes negative messages out to society. I'm not saying we should all be like Diogenes and "do our business in the street", but what i am saying is that we should take some of the cynics philosophy into consideration. Let's stop the psuedo reality, the superficial lifestyles, and worry less about public acceptance and more about the betterment of society. If there is a lesson that Kim K teaches, it's that fame can leave as swiftly as it arrived, therefore use it to push a positive message instead of selfish personal gain.

Next

M 28/T 29 H 454-494. Wittgenstein, Camus, Viktor Frankl & the meaning of the holocaust, Cold War & postmodern culture, New Atheists

W 30/Th 1 Final report presentations begin

Group 4 Section 16

Well, It's Friday and I'm stuffed. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. On to classwork now. We had Freud as our topic and besides talking about his crazy cocaine habits, we also talked about his views on religion. According to Hecht, Freud who's views are very close to Schopenhauer's, considered religion to be infantile and hoped that humanity would mature out of them. Freud also seems to come of as arrogant much like Schopenhauer did. However Freud does make some interesting points. Freud suggests that religion is an error but a willful error.
Our factual question was:
The Future of an Illusion was loosely based on who's dialogue?
A. Plato's
B. Schopenhauer's
C. Kant's
D. Confucius
and our discussion question was:
Do you think that fear of community rebuke has anything to do with people not rejecting religion?

Questions for Group 3 Section H01- Jonathan Driver

Factual Question:

He said "I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings"?

A)Hobbes

B)Freud

C)Einstein

D)Darrow

Answer: C) Einstein

Discussion Question

According Hecht quotes Clarence Darrow "The fear of God is not the beginning of wisdom" and then remarks that it is "the death of wisdom"

Now I know how a few will respond to this, so go for it, but lets be creative and sincere about our responses. So how do you feel about this statement and why do you feel that way?

Next: Happy Thanksgiving!

No class Wednesday. We'll plan to finish JMH on Monday and begin presentations next  Wednesday (30th). Happy Secular Gratitude day!

Group 005, Section H01

Our topic today was on Bertrand Russell. He was one of the 20th Century's "great" philosophical doubters. When he was 18, he read John Stuart Mill's "Autobiography," which led him to questions about the validity of religion and God. Russell said that there could be no God through the existence of the natural laws and that the idea of God is "quite unworthy of free men." His wife, Black Russell, was also a prominent doubter in her age.

Factual question: What caused Bertrand Russell to doubt his belief in God?

A) The question, "What caused God?"
B) Insufficient physical proof to the existence of God.
C) The hypocrisy that Christians display toward their own religion.
D) He simply did not believe in the Bible.

(Answer: A.)

Discussion question: Russell said that many believers - such as Immanuel Kant - disposed of the intellectual arguments in favor of God and instead only chose to believe in the moral arguments for God. Are moral arguments enough to believe in a religion, or is more needed?

Evolution and Einstein 3-17

In class we discussed evolution, Einstein and the Scopes monkey trial a bit. reminder that we do not have class Wednesday! Have a Happy Thanksgiving guys!

Factual Question: True/False The Scopes "Monkey Trial" was the court case involving John Scopes and the Tennessee Government stemming from Scopes's teaching of evolution in the classroom.

Answer: True

Einstein states "I believes in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exsists, not in a god who concerns himself with fates and actions of huma beings" why do you think this is a wise or unwise answer to his quesioned faith? does this give you a differnt outlook on your own beliefs?

Group 1, Section 1

Here we are at another double post this time on Feuerbach and Atomism & Anthropology. Our discussion was limited to due our small group (only Devin and me) so we bounced from the topic to our own personal beliefs. It's nice to have someone in the group who feels so strongly about a subject because it forces me to explore their ideas as well as my own. Anyway, we discussed with Dr. Oliver about the idea that "we are God" and interestingly enough an elephant's connection to a dog (read about it here.) Another interesting thing: if you consider animals rather than humans, you probably would have to re-access everything we know about philosophy. Anyway, back to topic, here's our factual:

Q: What book did Ludwig Feuerbach write?
A: The Essence of Christianity
B: The Essence of Atheism
C: Christianity's Essence
D: Essence (the popular magazine)

Discussion:
What are your opinions/thoughts about Feuerbach's idea that there is no God- what we call divine is coming from us?

 And on to Atomism & Anthropology:

Q: Who wrote the On the Origins of a Species?
A: Robert Chambers
B: Epicurus
C: Desmond and Grant
D: Darwin
Discussion:
In Doubt, it is said that at one time in history, "there were attempts to take on the idea of evolution even among the religious." What do you think of this? Is it feasible? 

 My thoughts for these discussions are located in the comments as well as my questions for tomorrow.