Paddy Power, a bookmaker in the UK which started only two months ago, has begun to offer bets on the existence of God and collected more than
£5,000 in bets. Currently, the odds stand at 4-1, spreading as far as 33-1 when the Large Hadron Collider malfunctioned. Citing the recent introduction of atheist advertising on London's buses, which mention that, "There probably is no God,"a spokesman for Paddy Power thinks that the increase in betting is the result of increased public discussion over the existence of God brought on by the advertisements.
The booking agent stands to lose more than
£50,000 if proof for the existence of God is found. Before anyone cashes in, however, scientists will have to verify the proof offered.
Betting on the existence of God is not new. In the 17th century, Blaise Pascal reasoned that one had nothing to lose, and everything to gain by having religious belief.
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The Huffington Post has more interesting information on Sarah Palin's involvement in a religious movement called The New Apostolic Reformation. An independent research team has recently found information about the organization and it's plans to implement a world wide Christian theocracy. As far fetched as it sounds, the organization's leader C. Peter Wagner was quoted as saying, "I decree that vast amounts of wealth will be released supernaturally, even from godless and pagan sources... The enemy's camp will be plundered... Resistance will be impossible. Jesus will put all things under His feet."
There's some interesting stuff in there, like information on an expedition to Mount Everest to rid it of a demonic spirit that is blocking prayers from getting to heaven.
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Over
twenty people participated in the first Minnesota Atheists Blood Drive on
Saturday, May 31st at Memorial Blood Centers in St. Paul's Midway. Memorial welcomed us with
a sign, balloons, a cake, and plenty of other snacks. After eating our dessert,
most of us trekked down University
Avenue to the Leaning Tower of Pizza to celebrate
our two-gallon deposit.
For
those who couldn't make it, you can get on our call list for the next round by
sending an e-mail with your name, telephone number, and the subject heading
"Blood Drive List" to giveback@mnatheists.org.
Thanks
to all those who participated, including the following people: Denise Crosby,
Bonnie Marsick, Jack Caravela, Bjorn Watland, Jeannette Sorenson, August
Berkshire, Michelle Losey, Mike Toft, Mike Parrott, Bess Vlaisavljevich, Fred
Roos, Trish Murtha, Cynthia Egli, Dan Feyma, David Hubmann, Doug Turbak, Norm
Barrett, and Tom Riddering.
Our next blood drive is October 25th from 10 AM to Noon at the same location as last time, Memorial Blood Centers building in Midway. We're looking for volunteers, so feel free to contact our charity committee at giveback@mnatheists.org if you can help out.
If you want to participate in Minnesota Atheists other community service programs, send your information to giveback@mnatheists.org to stay up to date on our latest opportunities.
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Minnesota Atheists member Grant Steves discusses issues surrounding the issue of teaching the Bible as literature in public schools. Teaching the Bible in public schools is not unconstitutional, however, there are concerns which should be raised about which text books should be used, who is writing those books, and why. Also important is how it is taught by a teacher. A teacher must control his or her inner preacher or inner atheist when presenting the Bible as literature. Despite the concerns, there are legitimate reasons for teaching the Bible as literature in schools. Much of other literature makes reference to symbolism within the Bible. Poems, songs, movies, even the news can use quotes which are contained within the Bible, and it can be important to understand the context in which phrases are used.
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