Is Religion the Default Position?

University of Oxford researchers will spend nearly US$4 million to study why mankind embraces God. The grant to the Ian Ramsey Center for Science and Religion will bring anthropologists, theologians, philosophers and other academics together for three years to study whether belief in a divine being is a basic part of mankind's makeup.

"There are a lot of issues. What is it that is innate in human nature to believe in God, whether it is gods or something superhuman or supernatural?" said Roger Trigg, acting director of the center.

He said anthropological and philosophical research suggests that faith in God is a universal human impulse found in most cultures around the world, even though it has been waning in Britain and western Europe.

"One implication that comes from this is that religion is the default position, and atheism is perhaps more in need of explanation," he said.

The study will be funded by the John Templeton Foundation, a U.S.-based philanthropic organization that funds wide-ranging research into questions that deal with the laws of nature and issues of spirituality.

It's a Fat World...

If there's a sadder commentary on the state of American society, we can't think of it -- we've grown so fat we sink the boats of It's A Small World.

According to Miceage, the boats routinely bottom out under the weight of super-sized riders, bringing the popular ride to a grinding -- literally -- halt. That's increased the wear and tear on the fiberglass boats, which have been in use since the ride opened during the 1964 World's Fair, when Americans, on average, weighed 25 pounds less than we do today.

Other rides, including the drop in the Pirates of the Caribbean, face the same problem, Miceage says, but nowhere is it more of headache than It's a Small World.

The ride features several twists and bends where overloaded boats easily bog down, including the "S" bend through the Scandanavian room.

Employees -- Disney calls them "cast members" -- have been aware of the issue for some time now and so discretely leave empty seats in boats carrying heavy riders. But backups persist, and in some cases no one realzes there's a problem until boats stop emerging from the ride.

Disneyland is putting the ride in drydock for 10 months to make it ship-shape again. The boats will be replaced with more buoyant models, and the new flume will be one inch deeper. Work will begin in January.

Scores ill in Peru 'meteor crash'

Some 600 people in Peru have required treatment after an object from space - said to be a meteorite - plummeted to Earth in a remote area, officials say.

They say the object left a deep crater after crashing down over the weekend near the town of Carancas in the Andes.

People who have visited scene have been complaining of headaches, vomiting and nausea after inhaling gases.

A team of scientists is on its way to the site to collect samples and verify whether it was indeed a meteorite.

'Afraid'

"It [the object] is buried in the earth," local resident Heber Mamani told the BBC.

"That is why we are asking for an analysis because we are worried for our people. They are afraid. A bull is dead and some other animals are already sick," he said.

The incident began on Saturday night, when people near Carancas in the Puno region, some 1,300km (800 miles) south of Lima, reported seeing a fireball in the sky coming towards them.

The object then hit the ground, leaving a 30m (98ft) wide and 6m (20ft) deep crater.

The crater spewed what officials described as fetid, noxious gases.

The gases are believed to have affected the health of about 600 people who visited the site.

Most of the victims have been complaining of headaches, vomiting and nausea.

Honorio Campoblanco, one of Peru's leading geologists, called on the authorities to stop people going near the crash site.

But he discarded the possibility that the symptoms would have been caused by any form of radiation.

Hhhhmmmm, maybe it's time to start reading this again...?

Visual Statistics

This new series looks at contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so on. My hope is that images representing these quantities might have a different effect than the raw numbers alone, such as we find daily in articles and books. Statistics can feel abstract and anesthetizing, making it difficult to connect with and make meaning of 3.6 million SUV sales in one year, for example, or 2.3 million Americans in prison, or 426,000 cell phones retired every day. This project visually examines these vast and bizarre measures of our society, in large intricately detailed prints assembled from thousands of smaller photographs.

More.

New Zealand Makes International Headlines, again...

...and this time it has nothing to do with HRH Helen or smacking...

'Flaming debris' nearly hits jet
The pilots of a Chilean passenger jet reported seeing flaming debris fall past their aircraft as it approached the airport at Auckland, New Zealand.

Lan airline said the captain "made visual contact with incandescent fragments several kilometres away".

New Zealand and Australian media suggested the debris was from a Russian satellite expected to enter the atmosphere later in the day.

But the US space agency Nasa said it was more likely to have been meteors.

'40 second margin'

The Lan Airbus A340 had just entered New Zealand airspace as it approached Auckland's airport when the debris shot by.

The pilots reported the near-miss to air traffic controllers, reportedly saying the noise of the debris breaking the sound barrier could be heard above the roar of his aircraft's engines.

The New Zealand Herald newspaper calculated the debris missed the jet by a margin of 40 seconds.

The plane landed safely and continued to its final destination in Sydney, Australia, a short while later.

Initial media reports in New Zealand said the debris was thought to be the remains of a Russian satellite.

New Zealand air traffic control officials had been warned by Russian authorities that a spacecraft was due to fall into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday.

But the debris was spotted by the pilots 12 hours earlier than the time advised by the Russians.

An orbital debris expert at Nasa told Associated Press news agency that he had checked with the Russians and that their vessel - a spacecraft resupplying the International Space Station - had fired its re-entry rockets 12 hours after the Chileans reported the near miss.

The Nasa expert, Nicholas Johnson, said no other space junk was expected to be re-entering atmosphere at that time so the pilots probably saw a meteor.

An End-Times Novel I Might Enjoy...

Mark Hogan has it all. The job. The family. A position on the board at church. All he’s missing is a boat. Not just any boat—a 2008 Bayliner 192.

When Reverend Daniel Glory announces that the Rapture is taking place on October 17 at 5:51am, Hogan realizes his boat–buying days are numbered. So he does what any man in his situation would do—he borrows a load of money from the mob.

Not that there’s any risk involved: After all, when the Rapture comes, Hogan will be long gone. The mob will never find him.

But when Jesus fails to come back on schedule, Mark Hogan finds the mob is in no mood to discuss the finer points of end–times theology...

Raw Juice

Ok, possibly I need professional help. Tell us something we don't already know, you say. But I do have a reason for starting a new blog:

I've decided to start putting some of my work in progress up online for everyone to look at, and hopefully, give there three cents worth in the comments section.

So what bought me to this desire to showcase my work in progress?

My latest gift voucher designs.

You see my latest gift voucher designs are a departure from the usual designs I produce for gift vouchers. There seems to be this unwritten rule with Christian culture: If it's a bookmark or a gift voucher it has to be flowers or landscape images.

I've gone for a more retro/stylistic approach, and I'm not sure they will get past the approval process.

But seeing as I like them, and I feel the need to stroke my ego, rather than let them be vetoed before they ever see the light of day, I'm posting them online for the whole world to see.

They everyone will gasp in wonder at my creative mojo.

Alternatively, everyone might think they're crap and laugh at me. Life is all about taking risks.

So, hey, go take a look would ya!

Reality vs Stereotype

A carnival in Düsseldorf is known for poking fun at stereotypes and taboos: This picture shows figures of armed Mullahs with signs saying "reality" and "stereotype"

Full story.

Left Behind Games leaves behind money...

According to Next-Gen, Left Behind Games posted a $4.1 million loss for its fiscal third quarter. This was on top of a last year's loss of $934,000. It really doesn't mean much given their first product, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, just debuted at the end of the last calendar year.

Troy Lyndon, CEO of Left Behind Games, says the company will be profitable within the year, "We are expanding our sales channels beyond major retailers to include more Christian bookstores, ministry sponsorships, church outreaches, Christian conferences, LAN center licensing, viral online and Internet sales, music concerts and trial versions. We look forward to a very prosperous year."

Left Behind Games is already fixing previous mistakes by using Big Huge Games' (Rise of Nations) RTS engine and some of their staff to make a better sequel - it's not like the next game could be worse.

Biker Bree

Bree's first bike ride.

Sex God, Out Now.

I've started reading Velvet Elvis, and I'm enjoying it. I think I can safely say I'd enjoy Sex God as well, but that will have to wait.

For all you other Rob Bell groupies out there, Sex God is in stores today. Buy one from Manna, go on, manna is good for you...

Hope in the Darkness

Coffee Table Books are normally over priced and pretentious. Used by people to make a statement about who they are to who ever they have allowed to visit their abode.

Hope In The Darkness is an over priced coffee table book. But rather than make a statement about who you are, it makes you think about who they are.

Donald Miller (author, Blue Like Jazz) puts it quite well:
Though Jeremy’s remarkable eye for beauty and Jena’s equally descriptive words, Hope In The Dark allows us to visit the people of Africa, realise their strength, imagine ourselves in their struggles and wrestle with the realities of this world.

$39.99 is a little steep for me, but I have the advantage of having already flicked through a copy - they just arrived at our warehouse today, but if you're looking for something not only to grace your coffee table, but also remain deep in your thoughts, pop into Manna and order yourself a copy.

New Blog Alert!

There's a new blog in town, and no, it's not one of mine. The creative mojo coming out of this new blog totally blows me away however, so go and check it out. Further more, blogline it or bookmark it.

Honorary knighthood for U2's Bono

U2 frontman Bono is being awarded an honorary knighthood by the Queen, the British Embassy in Dublin has said. The singer, whose real name is Paul Hewson, has been given the honour for "his services to the music industry and for his humanitarian work," it said.

Prime Minister Tony Blair congratulated him, telling the singer in a letter: "You have tirelessly used your voice to speak up for Africa."

The 46-year-old will receive the honour in Dublin early in the new year. British ambassador David Reddaway will conduct the ceremony. The embassy said the agreement of the Irish government was sought and granted for the Dublin-born singer to be honoured.

A statement on the band's website said the singer, who has lobbied Western leaders to increase aid to developing countries and cancel Third World debt, was "very flattered" to receive the award. It added that he hoped it opened doors for his campaigning work against extreme poverty in Africa.

SOURCE | BBC

Self confessed Blogger addict

Ok, I admit I'm a bit of an addict when it comes to blogging. I have so many great ideas for blogs, and at last count had started, or at least reserved the name for, 29 different blogs.

Of course, being in full time employment and being a husband to a beautiful wife and a father to three awesome girls, I don't really have time for 29 blogs.

The solution? Streamlining. I'm gonna cut down my blogs to four. That's right, from 29 to four.

On-screen is going to stay my main blog, it's where I do my DVD reviews along with some other pop-culture news and stuff. Ourpositionhereishopeless has changed to flames-of-war and will remain an occasional diary of my miniature war gaming exploits. The parachute music blog will remain, but will become dormant sometime in February.

Everything else, including post it jesus and little zombies will be merged into my faith.

Also gone is the format, and cool design ability with the swap to a blogger2 template. This had to be done so I can effectively keep control of the content through labels.

I don't really like my inability to add graphics to the new blogger2 templates, but I'll just have to live with it for my faith. On-screen and flames-or-war will remain as blogger templates without the ease of use of labels - design is far more important for them, in my eyes.

So expect a few posts over the Christmas period as I re-post some of my favorite stuff from my old blogs to my faith.

UPDATE | Thanks to a quick google search I found this blog that shows how to add an image for your header. Sweet.

UPDATE 2 | Of course once you know how to add a graphic as the header, adding the site meter counter is a piece of cake...

UPDATE 3 | Decided to do a photoshop header and tweek the html to get rid of the border around the header and left align it. I'm starting to like the new blogger.

Just in time for Christmas...

Product Features:
The best-selling book is now an at-home experience like no other

Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen has sold over 3 million copies and has been on the New York Times and Publisher’s Weekly Best Seller list

The game enables players to step beyond the one-on-one nature of the book and feel, touch and live Joel’s 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential

For 2 or more players, ages 16 years and up

3Hx10.5Wx10.5D"

Oh man, now I KNOW what to buy Frank for Christmas... hehehehe

I'm speechless, but this guy on Amazon says all that needs to be said:

I am still holding out hope that this is all some elaborate hoax. Apparently the "Gospel of Wealth" is still alive and well in the United States. I very much appreciate Pastor Osteen's expectant faith that God will change one's life. But that change is promised to be manifested in the heart and soul of the person not in one's socio-economic class. Perhaps it would have been more efficient to merely come out with "Your Best Life Now the Monopoly Version!"

Simple and to the point