Beingism: Rational Means to Emotional Ends, for the Benefit of All.

ScienceDaily (Sep. 30, 2009) -- In a first-of its-kind study, epidemiologists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that, on average, guns did not protect those who possessed them from being shot in an assault. The study estimated that people with a gun were 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an assault than those not possessing a gun.

The study was released online this month in the American Journal of Public Health, in advance of print publication in November 2009.

“This study helps resolve the long-standing debate about whether guns are protective or perilous,” notes study author Charles C. Branas, PhD, Associate Professor of Epidemiology. “Will possessing a firearm always safeguard against harm or will it promote a false sense of security?”

Continue Reading at ScienceDaily (Sep. 30, 2009)

Sacbee.com -- At Camp Quest, campers may not believe in God, but they do have faith in their community.

On Sunday evening, 49 children from across the western United States arrived at the camp nestled in the hills outside Nevada City. It is one of five summer camps in the country for the children of atheists and other nonbelievers.

In a campground in Malakoff Diggins State Historical Park, the campers have many of the traditional summer experiences. They practice archery in the meadow, participate in team competitions and gather around the campfire at night to sing.

Their activities, however, have a decidedly secular twist.

Campers play games that encourage critical thinking such as one called Evolution and another where they are asked to prove something invisible doesn't exist.

Before meals, they learn about freethinking heroes such as Margaret Sanger and Isaac Asimov. Many of their camps songs promote rational thought such as their version of this children's classic:

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

You're a ball of gas that's very far

32 light years in the sky

10 parsecs which is really high...

Here, it's all about celebrating their belief in not believing. ... Read more

From RacismAgainstIndians.org, Paggy McIntosh -- I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group

Through work to bring materials from women's studies into the rest of the curriculum, I have often noticed men's unwillingness to grant that they are overprivileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged. They may say they will work to improve women's status, in the society, the university, or the curriculum, but they can't or won't support the idea of lessening men's. Denials that amount to taboos surround the subject of advantages that men gain from women's disadvantages. These denials protect male privilege from being fully acknowledged, lessened, or ended. ... Read more

The Equality Trust -- Everybody agrees that education is important and that education benefits societies as well as individuals. People with more education earn more, pay more taxes, are more productive, and happier. Well educated people contribute more to society; they're also more likely to volunteer and to vote. Although good school systems make a difference, the biggest influence on educational attainment is family background, so disadvantaged children do less well at school and miss out on the benefits of education

In an international analysis published in Lancet, and an analysis of the 50 US states published in Social Science and Medicine, we have shown that scores in maths and reading are related to inequality. In addition, the percentage of kids dropping out of high school in each of the 50 states of the USA is, as the graph below shows, also linked to inequality.

Click Image to enlarge ... Read more

AMERICAN ATHEISTS, INC. -- An Atheist civil rights and advocacy group today hailed the findings of a national survey indicated that more Americans have "no religion."

According to the latest American Religion Identification Survey, fifteen percent of those asked told researchers they had no religious belief, a rise from 14.2 percent measured in 2001, and up from 8.2 percent found in 1990. The report was released Monday by the The Program on Public Values at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. Over 54,000 persons were surveyed.

"Non-belief is alive and thriving in America," said Dr. Ed Buckner, President of American Atheists. "The findings show that sectarian religion is clearly in decline, and that people are no longer afraid to admit that they embrace a secular philosophy."

Buckner noted that organized religion plays a diminished role in the lives of many people. "Thirty percent of engaged couples said they did not want a religious wedding ceremony," noted Buckner. Twelve percent said they believed in some vague 'higher power," but not the personal or sectarian God of Christianity or Islam. ... Read more

The conference will explore the tension between religion and secularity in the United States, which is long-standing, widespread, and increasingly intense. This is evident in contemporary debates over such issues as evolution and intelligent design which challenge the traditional absence of religious discourse from education, in the increasing importance of religious priorities in political decision-making, in governmental reliance on spiritual or faith-based philanthropy, and on the role of faith-based communities in lobbying for legislation or bringing out the vote to elect candidates. Given the increasing number of calls we are hearing for lowering the “wall of separation” erected between church and state by our Constitution, the question at hand is whether we are experiencing a major shift in the role of religion in political decision making and in our lives. ... Read more

kansascity.com -- One of the challenges of raising children without God is how to deal with holiday traditions involving religion. It’s always a delicate balance of manners and respect. The goal is to teach my girls that though they do not believe, many do.

Thanksgiving always presents the first test of philosophical strength in our family. This year it was the prayer circle. We were standing in a close-knit circle, holding hands with dear family members, awaiting dinner. It was the first time my daughters, ages 7 and 8, were participating. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving my husband and I asked ourselves: What should we tell them about prayer? We decided to tell them the truth. ... Read more