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Skeptic Summary #169

Courts and God, Gonzalez and tenure, teens and sex, 'Mooner and revenge, evolution and otherwise, acreage and the Moon and more!

Court debates ‘God’ on money and Pledge - We trust that it’s an interesting discussion.

Gonzalez’ tenure (or lack thereof) - Yet another self-sacrificing lamb for the liars for Christ.

Teen pregnancy up — first time in 15 years - Amazingly, teens do things even when told not to.

Editor’s Choice: Getting even with HalfMooner - This includes what has to be the least wise comment on SFN ever!

From the Archives: My argument against evolution - ’Nuff said.

LunarLand.com - Earth’s Most Recognized Celestial Real Estate Agency.

Holiday shopping getting you down? Same ol’ things to choose from? Why not consider a gift that really is out of this world?

Limited time only! We are proud to be able to offer the Northwest portion of the Sea of Tranquility near the Crater Arago! The Sea of Tranquility is the spot where man first set foot on the Moon. The ultimate Lunar location is now available. Learn more about this exclusive Lunar location.

And for you doubters out there:

The UN Outer Space Treaty of 1967 stipulated that no government could own extraterrestrial property. However, it neglected to mention individuals and corporations. Therefore, under laws dating back from early US settlers, it is possible to stake a claim for land that has been surveyed and register it with the US Government Office of Claim Registries. In 1980, that is exactly what Dennis Hope did for land on the Moon as he established the Lunar Embassy to parcel and sell documented acres. The Lunar Embassy was obligated to inform the General Assembly of the United Nations, the US Government, and the Russian Government in writing of the claim and legal intent to sell extraterrestrial properties. These governing bodies had several years in which to contest the claim and they never did. This allowed Mr. Hope to take the next step and copyright his work with the US Copyright Registry Office and begin selling actual deeds for the land on the Moon. Probably the biggest support of Mr. Hope’s claim has been in the form of actual Lunar land owners such as two former US presidents, NASA employees and many well known celebrities.

Plus, the mineral rights come with any lunar land purchased!

Hey, I just bought an acre of moon!

Sunday: Chat went mostly un-moderated and is lacking the log to prove it. Our chat moderator, Dr. Mabuse, had to leave early, but I (Kil) was there and I can tell you, in all honesty, that a chat did happen and what is more, it was fun! We had folks in from both Skepticality and the SFN, which is not unusual because it’s a joint Skepticality and SFN chat.

Wednesday: Chat went mostly un-moderated and is lacking the log to prove it. And even though our chat moderator, Ricky, was tied up with school work, I was there and I can tell you, in all honesty, that chat did happen and what is more, it was fun! We had folks in from both Skepticality and the SFN, which is not unusual because it’s a joint Skepticality and SFN chat.

Come chat with us.

tramba
Egypt
Shirlay
amarvarma2005
AgainstSnouts
prudencemadness
tomsurey
ToshiOzzy

(Not a member? Become one today!)

Are Aliens Among Us?

The Mail gets it right, with one point missing

What’s New by Bob Park

Got some skeptic news items? Send them to us, and we’ll think about adding them.

How to Read the Bible: a Guide to Scripture, Then and Now, by James L. Kugel.



“So, how to read the Bible? Kugel proposes two different ways. First, he shows us the Bible as it was read by the ‘ancient interpreters,’ writers who lived in the period a couple of hundred years before and after the birth of Jesus, even as the Bible itself was being codified. Their way of reading the Bible — their assumption of its inerrancy, their belief that scripture teaches moral lessons, and their faith in divine authorship — is the way many of us still read it today. Second, Kugel leads us through the Bible as it’s understood by modern scholars, who for the past 150 years have used archaeology, linguistics, history, anthropology and all the other tools of science to excavate the truth about the Good Book. Kugel seems to have begun How to Read the Bible with the notion of giving equal weight to his two methods, but he soon sidelines the ancient interpreters and focuses on the exceedingly provocative modern scholarship. Though Kugel surely did not intend this, in its own way, his book proves as devastating to the godly cause as any of the pro-atheism books that have been dominating the best-seller lists in recent months.”

— David Plotz, New York Times

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