On Acceptance and Love

michalduff: Guardian: Atheism and other non-religious beliefs to be added to religious educations classes in England.

'We're not trying to suggest that nobody should learn anything about religion: it is part of our culture and informs our art and our literature,' said Keith Porteous Wood of the National Secular Society, which has written to Education Secretary Charles Clarke calling for atheism to be included on the syllabus.

'But if you try to teach morality through "the Bible says" or the Ten Commandments, most children won't accept it as they don't believe the religious message. It would be much better if people learned morality by looking at current examples. It's philosophy that we really want to be teaching.'

And an excellent essay on acceptance of all walks of religion, love, and life by avahgdu:

I am from simple stock. I was born to people from the mountains, who still lived the lives of old time farmers as recently as the 70's. Half the family were Baptists, and the other half cherokee.

I probably do not have to tell you what the baptist church has to say about homosexuality. But most of you are likely to be unaware that in American Indian culture, a gay man in considered to be of 'two spirits' and highly blessed.

How could these two ideas be merged in one family, a huge family that spanned two counties? By the sayings of my Mother's Grandmother, a full blood cherokee who kept to her views while also embracing the baptist christian ideals of her husband's world.

Ideas like "I don't have to make them wrong, for me to be right."

....
( Read the rest... )
....

"A man who sets himself against his own house, inherits the wind. And the fool shall be led by the wise of heart."

Perhaps, for believing that everyone should live and let live, that people should be able to go to thier own God and still allow me to go unto mine, that we should be as different from the faithful who kill and destroy in the names of THEIR God as we can be...I am a fool.

But when I see two people who truly love one another, regardless of color of skin, or gender, or religious differences...and they want to celebrate that love and share it with the world. And I know that love is a sacred thing...I feel very wise of heart.

For a simple man from the hills, I think I have learned a lot.

Music, get yer music..

From chicken_hunter: Free Enterprise and Downloadable Music: Digital Whammy could be the next big thing.
The free music battle rages on with no end or solution in sight, until now.

Awhwatukee Foothills resident John-Scott Dixon said he believes he may have the answer- allow people to download music for free while paying the artists.

That's the foundation for his company, Digital Whammy.