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The following are some resources you may find entertaining and useful in
your own question for truth and balance:
(You can also suggest a site
here.)
Science & Truth-Driven Thinking
www.skeptic.com Skeptic Magazine
web site (and Skeptics Society), mission is to serve as an educational tool for
those seeking clarification and viewpoints on those controversial ideas and
claims. Be sure to subscribe to their excellent, FREE e-newsletter.
http://www.randi.org
James Randi Educational Foundation, promotes critical thinking by reaching out to the
public and media with reliable information about paranormal and supernatural
ideas so widespread in our society today.
www.factcheck.org -
FactCheck.Org is a nonpartisan,
nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of
deception and confusion in U.S. politics. The Annenberg Political Fact Check is
a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of
Pennsylvania.
http://skepticcorner.com/ is a Skeptics' resource site by Roderick Mcleod,
new in March of 2008.
DeSmogBlog is a link to a new forum for discussion of
environmental and climate issues. It is hosted
by the Skeptic Society.
Another related blog that summarizes the Skeptic Society's "Environmental Wars"
debate, is
The
Commons.
www.differhonestly.com is a great place where Christians, Muslims,
believers, non-believers, pantheists, deists, and people of just about any
religious worldview can come together to discuss religious
differences in a safe and intellectually honest fashion.
How Thinking Goes Wrong
Michael Shermer's Article subtitled : "Twenty-five
Fallacies That Lead Us to Believe Weird Things". Michael Shermer
publishes Skeptic Magazine (link below).
http://www.stats.org
Since its founding in 1994, the non-profit, non-partisan
Statistical Assessment Service (STATS) has become a much-valued
resource on the use and abuse of science and statistics in the media.
http://www.talkorigins.org -
is a Usenet newsgroup devoted to the discussion and
debate of biological
and physical origins. Most discussions in the newsgroup center on the
creation/evolution controversy, but other topics of discussion include
the origin of life, geology, biology, catastrophism, cosmology and
theology.
www.snopes.com A fascinating journey
into "urban legends" – defined as “a term that embraces not only urban legends
but also common fallacies, misinformation, old wives' tales, strange news
stories, rumors, celebrity gossip, and similar items.” Spend some time here in
search of truth.
www.csicop.org - The Committee for
the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, a group that
publishes the Skeptical Inquirer. Group founded in 1976 by James
Randi, Pautl Kurtz, Carl Sagan, and Martin Gardner among others. Also see their
Mass Hysteria article at
http://www.csicop.org/si/2000-05/delusions.html
www.breakthechain.org -
A Break the Chain: Stop Junk E-Mail and Misinformation.
http://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/measureyourattitudes.html -
Take the Implicit Association Tests at Harvard.
The tests are called the Implicit Association Tests, and you may participate in
the research, or simply take one of the demonstration exams by following the
link below (you get real results). Test your degree of preference for a wide
variety of things from race to weight.
We have an obligation NOT to seek out only information
sources that throw us what we want to hear, but to open our minds to new
information and to other points of view. To that end, here are some additional
suggestions that while not necessarily "truth driven", may provide some balance
and food for thought:
| Right for Lefties |
Left for Righties |
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Expelled--the
web site of the pro "Intelligent Design" film by Ben Stein:
http://www.expelledthemovie.com/home.php.
Also see articles by David Klinghoffer--a Fellow of
the Discovery
Institute, such as this one in National Review:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=Mjg1NDg2ZDM5YTMwMGFiZGNhNTU5M2MwOTQ2NGE1Mjc=. |
The other side of the Expelled film:
http://www.expelledexposed.com/, a web site maintained by the
National Center for Science Education (with Eugenie Scott). Also see two
article two articles in the e-Skeptic publication of April 17th, at
http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/08-04-17.html. Also see:
http://www.jewcy.com/post/intelligent_design_creationism_immoral_fraud
A letter from Richard Dawkins
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James Patrick Holding argues
against Doherty's
mythical Jesus assertions at
http://www.tektonics.org/doherty/dohertyhub.html
or
http://www.inplainsite.org/html/jesus_savior_fraud.html -
"Jesus Christ - Unique Savior or Average Fraud" by Kyle Butt, M.A. and
Bert Thompson, Ph.D. WAS THE CHRIST STORY
STOLEN from Greek mythology. This site explains why the Christ
story is unique and true.
or
http://meaning-of-life.info/?source=world - Seems reasonable
answers to tough questions about BELIEF IN JESUS
CHRIST/GOD, though I'm open to recommendations for this spot.
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Tom Harpur
- author of The Pagan Christ: Recovering the
Lost Light - book reviews and information about Tom's
claim that Jesus was a mythical creation,
never literal or historical.
or
Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth - Site
by Greg Kane. Was Christ unique in being born of a virgin, baptized,
rising on the third day? Of course not. Lots of Gods before Christ had
that history. A pretty solid command of ancient religions, and solid
overview of the cultural settings and common mythologies woven through
our god stories (clearly a site with an opinion and conclusion about the
divinity of Christ).
or
Earl Doherty
wrote The Jesus Puzzle: Did Christianity Begin with a Mythical
Christ? Read reviews and information here at
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/earl_doherty/
or two fascinating sites:
http://debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com/
and
http://www.control-z.com/pgs/why_no_longer.html
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Lee Strobel wrote
The Case For Christ. His web
site is at
http://www.leestrobel.com/ |
Earl Doherty wrote
Challenging The Verdict: A Cross-Examination of
Lee Strobel’s The Case For Christ. This is the web site
outlining
many of the arguments. |
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Global Warming. Clearly there can't be
many doubters left--wait! News flash! 3/8/2007--or can there be
doubters? NOT ME any longer, but this is interesting:
http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/G/great_global_warming_swindle/index.html
is one of the links to Channel 4's "The Great Global Warming
Swindle." Google that title on your own for a variety of articles
written on this sure-to-be controversial documentary.
http://www.cei.org/pages/ait_response.cfm
is the Competitive Enterprise Institute's refutation of Al Gore's movie.
Interesting book, PPT, downloadable for free.
Or try...
http://www.worldclimatereport.com/
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~rmckitri/research/trc.html - this is
the site of Stephen McIntyre
(see his latest comments at his site), the man who is challenging the IPCC's 2001
report on global warming with regard to their now-famous "hockey stick"
chart, showing flat temperatures over the last 1000 years, followed by a
dramatic upswing since 1900. His assertions are being published in a
major science journal, and made the cover of the Wall Street Journal
on Valentine's Day, 2005. |
Global Warming.
An
inconvenient truth! Al Gore's documentary and web site.
http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/page.cfm?tagID=306 = Environmental
Defense's "Fight Global Warming" site. General consensus statements seem
accurate - Global Warming exists and is likely cause by human activity.
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=121 -
is Michael Mann's web site refuting the claims of Mr. McIntyre regarding
global warming (opposite
link). I find interesting that while Mr. McIntyre gains international
audiences among scientists for his criticisms, that Mann is publishing
his technical refutations under the title "Dummies Guide to the Latest
'Hockey Stick' Controversy. You be the judge!
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http://www.answersingenesis.org - the official web site of
Creation
magazine - seeks to refute much of the science communities claims about
evolution |
http://www.talkorigins.org -
is a Usenet newsgroup devoted to the discussion and debate of biological
and physical origins. Most discussions in the newsgroup center on the
creation/evolution controversy, but other topics of discussion include
the origin of life, geology, biology, catastrophism, cosmology and
theology. Of particular interest to me was FABNAQ (Frequently asked but
never answered questions) located at
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/fabnaq.html |
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http://www.davekopel.com/Terror/Fiftysix-Deceits-in-Fahrenheit-911.htm -
Dave Kopel's web site refuting Michael Moore's extensive factual errors
in
Farenheight 911. Mr. Kopel appeared in
Farenhype 911.
Contains a 4-page .pdf file detailing "Fifty-nine Deceits in Fahrenheit
9/11." If you saw one, you owe it to yourself to see the other. |
http://www.fahrenheit911.com/ - Michael Moore's movie about the Bush Administration. If you saw this, see the link above to
Farenhype 911.
If you saw one, you owe it to yourself to see the other. |
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http://www.globalwarming.org
- a biased, pro-industry slant on global warming
evidence.
http://www.iceagenow.com
- scientist who believes that global warming
is a myth of sorts, and that a sudden ice age is emminent. |
http://www.undoit.org/what_is_gb_myth.cfm - Environmental Defense web site
with great Q&A format document that puts forth facts about
global warming
from the Environmental Defense perspective. Minutes from
"Uncertain Science...Uncertain World", a global warming
talk given to the
FreeThought
Association by Henry Pollack, Ph.D., Department of Geological Sciences,
University of Michigan. |
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www.brook.edu The Brookings Institution, one of Washington's oldest
think tanks, is an independent, nonpartisan organization devoted to research,
analysis, and public education with an emphasis on economics, foreign policy,
governance, and metropolitan policy. |
www.adbusters.org From the publishers
of Adbusters magazine a group concerned about “the
erosion of our physical and cultural environments by commercial forces” |
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www.cato.org The Cato Institute,
seeks to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration
of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual
liberty, free markets and peace. Toward that goal, the Institute strives to
achieve greater involvement of the intelligent, concerned lay public in
questions of policy and the proper role of government. |
www.secularhumanism.org
Council for
Secular Humanism, defending secularism, the separation of church and state,
and rational, ethical alternatives to religious morality, together with
promoting a naturalistic world-view and humanistic values. |
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www.nationalreview.com
The National
Review, Conservative magazine (published and on-line). |
www.salon.com - wide selection of news
and commentary from Salon Magazine |
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http://www.dineshdsouza.com -
Official site for Dinesh D'Souza,
author of What's So Great About America. This book is a
highly unique "outsiders" perspective of American culture and inherent
value. D'Souza is an American who happened to be born in India. He
brilliantly articulates the fundamental cultural issues behind the
alleged global hatred of the U.S., then proceeds to argue why we may not
be as horrible as we often convince ourselves to be. Read this and
compare it to Noam Chomsky's book. |
http://www.chomsky.info - official site of
Noam Chomsky, Author of Hegemony or Survival: America's
Quest for Global Dominance. If you think the U.S. is perfect, read
this. It's a well documented and powerfully argued case that we are far
from perfect. In fact, you'll probably finish the book depressed and
enlightened. A perfect juxtaposition against Dinesh D'Souza's view of
the U.S.'s strengths and weaknesses. Read both and see who you think has
a better argument. |
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http://www.family.org - the official site of Dr. James Dobson's
Focus on the Family organization. |
http://www.centerforinquiry.net - "The purpose of the
Center for
Inquiry is to promote and defend reason, science, and freedom of inquiry
in all areas of human endeavor" - essentially a secular humanist
organization(?) |
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www.clubforgrowth.org -
Club For Growth
is a 527 headed by economist Stephen Moore |
www.moveon.org - political commentary
on wide range of issues MoveOn.Org |
Miscellaneous Links
http://www.dhmo.org
a great site detailing everything you ever wanted to know about the
Dihydrogen
monoxide ruse.
http://www.insolitology.com/rationally/culttest.htm
- test to determine how strongly a group resembles a cult
http://www.ex-cult.org/ –
Cult
avoidance resource
www.fair.org Media watchdog group
working, “To invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity
in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public
interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints.”
http://www.junkscience.com - “all the
junk that’s fit to debunk” – junk science compendium (right leaning)
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