Archive for July, 2010

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 Rocky’s back.

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National champion,Tierra crockrell, Norfolk Virginia july 30,2010

 

Still winning,GO TT

 

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The West End of the Olympic Peninsula is one of diverse cultures. Over the last 25 years, Forks has seen a new group of immigrants come to the area and shape the culture here. Individuals and families from Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador have been moving to the peninsula in search of opportunities for work and education. …

Latinos are a strong part of the community in Forks. There has been much intertwining of the American and Latino cultures, with many locals learning Spanish and the growth of English as a Second Language classes in the community. On Saturday nights, Spanish music groups play music until late in the evening with many people, Latino and non-Latino, dancing the night away. Celebrations for Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day happen almost every year.

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One of the distinguishing features of modernity has been the universal awakening of historical consciousness. An outcome of this revolutionary change in perspective that greatly enhances the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh’s message is the ability of people, given the chance, to recognize that the whole body of humanity’s sacred texts places the drama of salvation itself squarely in the context of history. Beneath the surface language of symbol and metaphor, religion, as the scriptures reveal it, operates not through the arbitrary dictates of magic but as a process of fulfilment unfolding in a physical world created by God for that purpose.

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Is Religion Special?

on The Opinionator from 1 hour ago

I appreciated this column. As an atheism-leaning agnostic who shared a wonderful relationship with a woman of extreme devotion to the Baha'i faith for many years, my comments ahead stem from my experiences.

I can understand why its tempting to view mere secular tolerance and religious commitment as different levels of commitment. I understand why you would claim that religion is more than simply a "viewpoint" and that secularism's imposition of neutrality can stifle the very core of what religious faith aims toward: its sense of GOOD beyond a balancing of worldly values.

After all, you see this multi-level approach in legal opinions, historical texts, ethics treatises, and it also has some intuitive appeal.

But I think that multi-level approach is wrong.

There is no "other level" that you inhabit when you believe in God; if you believe, God infuses everything. And there is no "other level" you inhabit when you care, love, ponder, and direct your mind to the greater good.

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In its truest form, devoid of dogmatic accretions, religion has imparted spiritual and moral verities that in no way contradict the discovered truths of science. There is no substantive basis to the contention that an intrinsic incompatibility exists between science and religion. The process of scientific discovery itself involves human faculties such as imagination and intuition, in addition to reason, and cannot be regarded simply as a set of well-defined procedures. The historic dichotomy between reason and faith is a false dichotomy. They are complementary faculties of human nature that both engage in the process of discovering and understanding reality; they are both tools that enable society to apprehend truth.

This perspective is reinforced by recent scientific developments that suggest strong epistemological convergence with various religious world-views. Modern physics and psychology, for example, cast considerable doubt on the notion that matter is the primary basis of reality, or that human consciousness is a simple derivative of neurochemical processes. The reductionism and determinism associated with Newtonian mechanics is now giving way to an understanding of physical phenomena in which the universe is regarded as an ever evolving, interconnected, and unified whole. The fact that physical laws permit complex biological configurations to emerge and evolve to the point of consciousness, suggests evidence of higher level organizational laws and even design. In short, there is nothing unscientific in the assumption that a Creative or Divine force is at work in the world.

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