Facebook comments

How can someone ACTUALLY post this on Facebook, and not understand the fallacy of his/her own words???

It's ridiculous that these religions don't get along. No matter what our faith, be it religious, spiritual or atheist, we are all from the same God. Every religion is semi correct and some what wrong, but every religion boils down to one message. Love God, Love yourself, and Love eachother.

Do you even KNOW what "atheist" means?????

Or how about this person? I surely want some of what they're smoking. Unless they're smoking just "love of God"... in that case, I want none of it.

It's really not what you believe or what's your position in life...it's all about who you're with.....i was taught to belive in one God.....The Father of Jesus and to become one with them....It has been confirmed and revealed to me miraclou...sly....there is a God in my presence through prayer and suffering......it's all about the sacrifice of the thing and the wrath of God in order to recognize that there is a God in power.....so i stand in power with"God the Father and annointed with the Spirit of Jesus"....where everything is alright and if goes wrong it turns out more than right.......Amen!...Behold...." God the Father of Jesus.....since i've become one with them i live life amazingly!! whereby we cry....Amen!

Sam Harris quote

Hey anyone,

I just heard an amazing quote from Sam Harris, author of "The End of Faith". He was discussing the afterlife and stated:

"I think, therefore, that this concept of the afterlife, really functions as a substitute for wisdom. For really absorbing our predicament. Which is that - everyone is going to die, there are circumstances that are catastrophically unfair, evil sometimes wins, and injustice sometimes wins. The only justice we're going to find in this world is the justice we make, and I think we have an ethical responsibility to absorb this really down to the soles of our feet. This notion of afterlife and the "happy talk" about how it's all going to work out and how it's all part of God's plan is a way of shirking that [responsibility]."

Such a great quote! It is the reason why, when I saw a person on Facebook engaging in MEANINGFUL and INTELLIGENT debate on someone's erroneous Facebook post regarding birth control increases and abortion increases over the past 60 years, I immediately could tell he was a skeptic/scientific mind, so I invited him to join our Regina CFI group. He accepted.

Please, anyone/everyone, be on the lookout for other such people. We can use them in our group. They can help us all usher in a new era of reason and rationality in our world.

Thank you.

Brand preference and loyalty a direct substitute for religion?

An article from the Winter 2010/2011 Canadian Business Magazine:

Shopping Religiously

A new study suggests that brand reliance is a direct substitute for religion.

Marketers looking for a new wayof connecting with consumers might want to consider the place of God in their brand strategies. According to the paper "Brands: The Opiate of the Non-religious masses?" published in the journal Market Research, consumers who are very religious are less likely to express a preference for a particular name brand, while more secular consumers demonstrate much higher levels of brand consciousness.

The idea that there is a connection between consumer rands and religious iconography is not new - whatis the Star of David if not the original Nike Swoosh? But according to the study's lead authoer Roh Shachar, what is interesting is that consumer brands actually serve as direct substitutes for religion, providing feelings of self-worth and well-being.

The unanswered question is whether a strong religious preference in a region might actually block the expansion of strong consumer brands. Shachar says that is where his research is going next; in the meantime, he suggests that retailers looking to promote unbranded products might consider using cues to remind shoppers of their religious beliefs (such as playing "religious-like" music), while national brands might want to avoid overtly religious signs and symbols.

- Andrew Potter, Canadian Business