I guess science I treat pretty casually too- if someone is having a conversation about it (such as some creationist hit-piece) I present the facts to them in a reasoned and logical way. I’m guessing as a result most of them don’t bring up the topic around me, but little I can do about that.

Typing. (I can afford no other level of involvement, since I’m doing nothing but treading water for the foreseeable future.)

For the past eight years, I’ve worked on promoting and investigating ‘philosophy for children’, the international program that is more recently being tested for gains in IQ and behavioral improvements.

Now I write for the overarching body for education, with a philosophy and ethics course, having co-written the model for the compulsory program which introduces students to skepticism. I help train teachers in both non-profit and education department courses in how to deliver such programs. I use skeptical material in my materials, based upon an awards project but using it in non-science classes, to demonstrate cross-curricular application.

My dissertation and future research is on anomalistic beliefs in the younger years. Ascertaining to what part influence of the media plays in this is a part of my research.

Never heard of me, huh? ;)

I think Sam Harris is right, and wrong. He’s right that moderate religious groups give cover to fundamentalists. He’s wrong to say that they do it by honoring their holy books. They do it by failing to oppose exremists.

I agree with this 100%. And, thankfully, some Christian authors and churches are starting to oppose extremists. I’m working on a post about this very topic, and I must say I’m relieved to see it happening. Alas the media does not give these people enough exposure. Which leads to…

BTW, I didn’t say “mainstream media,” I just said “media.” The things I mentioned happen on blogs and the internet and in ‘zines and many places that I would not consider MSM. That said, your 3 points are completely valid and I agree with them. At least in the US, mainstream media has turned largely into what I call “infotainment” and whatever is the most sensational, outlandish, and ridiculous gets air time, even when it is not representative of reality.

besides, nothing helped the yearning. my greatest peace came when i stopped looking, and embraced a random, “pointless” universe, and went back to the core of how i saw things, through science and mathematics, jettisoning the spiritual in any of its forms. because of the practices of some people who called themselves atheists, i am not comfortable calling myself that. i refer to myself as a materialist, as that about places me correctly.

as for moderate religions, i think they should be just ignored, and people should be encouraged to ignore them. i mean, they oughtn’t be “saved” and their people oughtn’t be “saved”, nor should anyone try. if people want to know about mathematics or science or statistics, fine, teach them. IMO, questions of religion and the sort oughtn’t be dealt with. trying to do so achieves nothing. people don’t even look at their macroeconomy objectively, and they can’t be saved from the consequences of their decisions. if this or some other country makes decisions based upon ideology or reading tea leaves, they are responsible adults, they are choosing their future that way. eventually, a bad choice will be made, and i’ll suffer from it, my kids will suffer from it. you can point it out, but as soon as they bring up these values, they’ve stopped listening.