Shuttle Atlantis, proof of our intelligent achievement

The launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis today reminds me of what I believe in - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0ltvXVJ5u4&feature=player_embedded# !!

I believe in each individual's potential to achieve all that he or she can achieve! A potential to produce innovative technological advancements that improve our lives, make scientific discoveries, create great works of art.... or be an inspiring teacher, parent, leader!

For those sort of individuals to thrive, we all have to work in earnest to ensure that they have an environment that encourages learning and rational thought, research, open dialog, tolerance, and freedom of expression!

Tolerating the intolerant

I am getting more and more frustrated with the politically correct idea of religious tolerance of various faith based organizations. And yet, those organizations themselves are intolerant. Example, the Catholic Church, in another one of their hypocrisies, is against providing healthcare benefits to it's gay employees, because of their opposition to gay marriage. The Catholic church is also against divorce, but is allowing divorced and then remarried people health care benefits. Hmmm... http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2009/11/catholic_charities_gays_and_dcs_poor.html

This article mainly points out however how the Washington DC City Council enacted a law that prohibits discrimination against gay marriage. Because of this, the Catholic Charities will close down and not offer help to anyone, because they take tax money and that would force them to uphold this law. Meaning, they won't be charitable to anyone, if they have to be charitable to gays!

The author of this article is placing some of the blame on the city council for enacting this law, and thus forcing the Catholic Charities to shut down and consequently having less providers of this service.

This is what I don't get! Discrimination against gay people by anyone is wrong. PERIOD!!! Compromising with the church only would support their continued intolerance and hypocrisy! The Church is WRONG and IMMORAL for doing that and it should not be condoned with compromises by the government!

The final straw

The incident that finally put me over the edge, I think was the recent execution of a young man in Iran, Ehsan, for "enmity against god", or in other words for being an Atheist. Let me say this again, a young student in Iran was executed by hanging for enmity against god!!! http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/16753

Imagine your son or daughter being imprisoned, tried, sentenced to death, and executed for expressing his or her thoughts against a supernatural, made up entity! Not for killing anyone, or doing anything remotely against the "normal" social rules!

I used to think that it was a sign of tolerance to accept others' religious views and not argue for my side, the rational, atheist side. But I no longer think that. Tolerance for religious views means tolerance for ignorance. It is an excuse for allowing of what happened to Ehsan to perhaps happen to others.

So here and now I want to go on record - all religions, whether Christianity, Islam, Judaism, lead to intolerance, breed violence and terrorism, suppress rational thought and are the basis for irrational thoughts and behavior, and unless obliterated, will perverse society with it's influence.