No Religion: Overall 15%, Chinese 53%, mixed ethnic 23%

source:

Overall, 15 per cent of the British population reported having no religion although variation by ethnicity was marked. Just over half of all Chinese people (53 per cent), and just under one quarter of people from Mixed ethnic backgrounds (23 per cent), stated they had no religion. Asian, Black African and White Irish people were least likely to have no religious affiliation. Around 1 in 200 Pakistanis and Bangladeshis reported having no religion.

Sources:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=460

Social Trends 2006 ( Social Trends No. 36) http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_social/Social_Trends36/Social_Trends_36.pdf

Susan Blackmore - Morals

What is the probability that the idea of God or gods are just the product of the human imagination?

source: British Humanist Association (BHA) private Forum

see Poll right.

Charter for Compassion

source: http://archives.subscribermail.com/msg/cf2599f17ee44202bb93f53c33025f7a.htm

HASSNERS.org highlights

HASSNERS.org comments

Robert Wright is the Secular & Scientific voice of compassion - 'The Evolution of Compassion'.


Its not as warm and fuzzy as the average compassion talk! Compassion and the Golden Rule is built into human nature. Even before Homo Sapiens, feelings of love, compassion and sympathy were in the gene pool. The biological explanation of the origin of these feelings is Kin Selection (wiki). 


At 2'06" Robert Wright defines Kin Selection:- 

'the basic idea of kin selection is that if an animal feels compassion towards a close relative and this compassion leads to help the relative, then in the end the compassion actually ends up in helping the genes underlying the compassion itself. So from a biologists point of view, compassion is actually the genes way of helping itself.'

Kin Selection only operates on relatives. Reciprocal Altruism is the idea (3'15") that:- 

'compassion leads you to do good things for people who will then return the favour.'

You end up extending compassion to friends and allies; but giving less compassion to people you don't know or who are in the news. Reciprocal Altruism gives an appreciation of The Golden Rule.


Hunter gatherer societies, that have not been exposed to any religion or ethical philosophies, still believe that 'one good turn deserves another' and that 'bad deeds should be punished'.


Prisoners get excluded from The Golden Rule. Exclusions to Golden Rule eg Palestinian conflict (economic blockades and missiles) (7'11") cause some of the worlds problems. The fact that The Golden Rule is somehow built into us does not mean that this will bring us Universal Love or save the world from our problems.


Game Theory (7'52"), zero sum and non zero sum games. Zero sum are games such as tennis where the points of the winners and losses add up to zero. In doubles tennis you and your partner are playing a non zero sum game so when you win or lose points the sum of points does NOT add up to zero. Other examples of non zero sum games: trading between buyers and sellers, fighting a war with allies. With non zero sum games, the Golden Rule and compassion work best and this has been the case since the Stone Age.



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What are HASSNERS doing to spread information about the real origins of Xmas?

source: London Atheist Meetup email 1 November 2009

HASSNERS.org highlights

Sue M at London Atheist Meetup group said today ' 
Only 54 days to Xmas - now is the time for a massive effort to spread information about the real origins of Xmas to people we meet, adults and children, on forums and message boards, letters in the press, calls to radio chat lines and internet networks etc.

Suggest better alternatives to 'The birth of baby Jesus' - the hackneyed religious promotional myth put on every year in schools instead of the more interesting and revealing reality of its origins in human history - pre-Christian star stories based on the astrological myths and legends and ancient sun-god's born of virgins.

Now is the time to ensure that atheists and others are clued-up to spread information now showing on 'Atheist Nation' about the real origins of the Christian 'Christmas' mythology

Barbara Smoker's Foreword to 'Our Pagan Christmas' by R.J. Condon that brings the rituals from ancient civilisations up to modern times. (?NSS publication)

'Did Christians Steal Christmas?' by John Stovold

'The Atheist's Guide to Christmas ' by Ariane Sherine

--
This message was sent by Sue M  from The London Atheists Meetup Group.
To learn more about Sue M, visit his/her member profile



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Daniel Dennett - Atheist Clergy, parody of theologians, reverse engineering religion, evolution of god meme

source: http://www.atheistmedia.com/2009/10/evolution-of-confusion-by-dan-dennett.html

HASSNERS.org highlights

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Pathology of Religion: Dennett interviews closet non-believing clergy (6 between ages 35-72). At seminaries young clergy learn critical analysis of the bible, introduces deepities (31 mins), belief in concept of god v belief in god,

5 minutes with Jonathan Miller

source:

HASSNERS.org highlights

HASSNERS.org comments

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