Ayn Rand on Human Nature
Scientific American Eric Michael Johnson October 5, 2012“Every political philosophy has to begin with a theory of human nature,” wrote Harvard evolutionary biologist Richard Lewontin in his book Biology as Ideology. Thomas Hobbes, for example, believed that humans in a “state of nature,” or what today we would call hunter-gatherer…
Mexican authorities detain leader of religious sect that opposes secular education
– Authorities in western Mexico have detained a leader of a religious sect that opposes secular education on charges related to the destruction of public schools in July in the community of Nueva Jerusalen, or “New Jerusalem.”
Swami Prakashanand Saraswati flees US to escape molestation charge – Indian Express
AgenciesPosted online: Wed Sep 26 2012 Houston : An 83-year-old wheel-chair bound Indian spiritual guru, a fugitive after being convicted of groping two young girls, may have sneaked clandestinely into India, a US court has been told.US Marshals, still looking for him, suspect that Prakashanand Saraswati, known to his devotees as…
Deepak’s Dangerous Dogmas
Deepak’s Dangerous Dogmas eSkeptic Phil Mole June 6, 2012 Through much of history, religious faith was a strong component of medical practice. Diseases were often thought to result from blockages in the body’s ?ow of vital forces, or from possession by malevolent spirits. Eventually, scienti?c medicine far surpassed efforts of…
Reverend Sun Myung Moon dead at 92
He was a self-proclaimed messiah and friend of the powerful September 2, 2012 GAPYEONG, South Korea (AP) – The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the self-proclaimed messiah who turned his Unification Church into a worldwide religious movement and befriended North Korean leaders as well as U.S. presidents, has died, church officials…
Amish guilty of hate crimes in Ohio hair attacks
San Francisco ChronicleThomas J. Sheeran September 20, 2012 CLEVELAND (AP) — The leader of an Amish breakaway group and his followers were convicted Thursday of hate crimes in beard- and hair-cutting attacks against members of their own faith following a dispute over religious differences.A federal jury found Samuel Mullet Sr.…
Wanted Hindu guru escaped to India, officials say
By Eric Dexheimer Austin Statesman Two days after a Hays County jury convicted Prakashanand Saraswati of 20 counts of indecency with a child for groping two teenagers who lived at the Hindu ashram he’d founded, newly filed court documents say his followers met in a devotee’s home a mile up…
Special Event: Sharing Experiences to Assist Others
Throughout the day there will be specific discussion sessions where there will be opportunity given (if you wish) to share parts of your story, to assist others in similar situations such as former members who are more recently out of their groups, and those with loved ones, such as adult…
Does transcendental meditation to help veterans with PTSD?
By Steve Vogel This story has been updated. Seeking new ways to treat post-traumatic stress, the Department of Veteran Affairs is studying the use of transcendental meditation to help returning veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. “The reality is not all individuals we see are treatable by the techniques we use,” said…