Another Reason to Love the U.S.

It is always so easy to deflate the wild claims of those who fear the United States is on some path to totalitarianism or theocracy; just point to all the examples of insane governing around the world and it is hard not to appreciate how lucky we are to be Americans.
According to Strategypage, Indonesia has a new law that requires their citizens to declare their religion, and it has to be one that is on their list:

The Indonesian parliament passed a law that requires every citizen to declare what their religion is. However, only six religions are recognized (Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism). Many Indonesians still practice traditional (pagan) religions, and others following modern religions not "officially recognized" fear persecution.

Read the whole thing (and don't be surprised if you wind up spending several hours at Dunnigan's great blog, it is addictive.

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Beyond Belief!

If you're not religious you'll love watching these scientists debate over religion; if you are religious, challenge yourself and your beliefs (are you secure in them?) and watch them, if for no other reason than to learn about the future of life extension, to see some amazing photographs of the universe and to hear a couple religious scientists defend the role religion plays in science.

If you need your interest piqued before just jumping into the videos, here is a NYTimes article on the conference.

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