Tragedy of the Commons

The newsletter is a little late this month; things have been busy here at the church. With the arrival of the Summer Solstice it's officially summer here in the Northern Hemisphere. Our celebration and regular religious services were very spiritually moving. I hope your Solstice was just as fun.

Even if you missed the Summer Solstice this year it's still a great time to get out and appreciate nature and the wonders of life and evolution. Find a few hours to spend in a quiet wooded glen or other local wilderness area. Life is coming into full bloom. Reconnecting with it and recognizing humanity's place as the caretakers of the biosphere can be very spiritual rewarding.

IN THE NEWS

EPA Issues Environmental Overview
Critics Describe Report As Overly Politicized

By Guy Gugliotta Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, June 24, 2003

The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday released its first statistical overview of the national environment, but the near absence of any discussion of global climate change or other sensitive matters caused advocacy groups to dismiss the report as a self-serving Bush administration political document.

see full story at

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24277-2003Jun23.html

EDITORS NOTE:

We cannot let mega-corporations and their "profits at any cost" motivations control our government. Each of us must do all in our power to avoid a "Tragedy of the Commons" scenario (see http://www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/esd/Earth/Commons.html ).

READERS WRITE IN

If you have a question feel free to email me at info ( at ) spiritual humanism.org
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Dear Sirs
May I bring to your attention that Islam is the religion of reason. It is also the religion of logic and science. It does not need updating as it is already up to date with scientific thought of today, and much of the Quoran is being confirmed by recent discoveries.

Regards Jake

REPLY

Islam is a revealed religion. It relies on the supernatural visions of a prophet. This is not compatible with the scientific method and therefore it is not a religion of science. The Quoran does not make logical arguments, it makes arguments of faith.

Science relies on the free exchange of ideas and the ability to challenge popularly held beliefs so that the truth may be discovered. Such challenges are generally forbidden in Islam.

The advances in our understanding of the universe are due to our use of the scientific method. It is the best way we have to discover the truth and what reality actually is.

The Quoran reveals nothing about electricity, the microbiological nature of disease, the basic laws of physics, or really anything else that helps us advance as a civilization. If we relied solely on the Quoran and rejected the scientific method we would still live in a dark age. Sterilization before medical procedures would be unheard of. Vaccines against diseases would be undiscovered. Anesthesia? Mass communications? Airplanes? These simply would not come in existence without the scientific method and the freedom to challenge contemporary beliefs.

The world is not a perfect place, but it is slowly getting better. It's a painstaking process that requires the life's work of billions of people. There is no magic answer from the sky for this. Its our job as intelligent creatures, as humans to make it better, to reduce suffering, and to embrace the truth.

CONCLUSION

Yes the Ordained Minister Clergy Packages are still available in our online store http://www.spiritualhumanism.org/shop.php We print The Ordination Certificates on acid free paper to give them extra long life, and Clergy Wallet ID Cards are a great item to have. Our book, The Officiant's Manual includes information on celebrating the Solstices as well as marriage laws for all 50 states, sample ceremonies, etc. The fees charged for these packs
are our only income and help defer the cost of the web site, advertising, PO Box, and incorporation fees.

RA Zorger
President, The Church of Spiritual Humanism
www.SpiritualHumanism.org

News
There is no god, church billboard proclaims
Thu, 01 Sep 2011
While the local Mid Ohio Atheists group thinks the billboard promotes their own message, some confused Christians have complained. The purpose of the billboard was to make people think more about their beliefs and promote the church's website.

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead, Time To Bring Home the Troops
Mon, 02 May 2011
He is gone and that’s a good thing. Now it is time for America to get our house in order. It is time to end the wars and occupation that Bin Laden provoked. His goal was to pull us in to conflict with all of the Muslim world so that they might unite under his banner to battle against us. In this he failed. We have prevailed and now it is time for us to move on to face even greater threats and challenges.

Happy Spring Equinox
Sun, 20 Mar 2011
The Spring Equinox is today March 20th 2011. Also known as the Vernal Equinox, the official start of spring occurs today at 7:21 pm Eastern Daylight Time. If you are interested in the spiritual aspects of the natural event take a look at my Spiritual Equinox 2011 celebration post.

Spring Equinox 2011
Mon, 14 Mar 2011
Each season has its own flavor, and atmosphere. The essential nature of spring is hope. Even though the whole of winter's bluster has not entirely faded, there is a change in the air. The days have slowly been growing longer to noticeable degree. There are no fruits in vegetables coming in for harvest but the crocus has sprouted and come into bloom.