Wow, that's real? I am again reminded that I don't live in America.

I'm not sure why the kids were standing around the flag pole holding hands and praying but they were. Some kids were making fun of them, and it was really odd to see. All of them standing around the flag pole like it was some kind of religous artifact.

I was taught that this was a possibility, but they pretty much left the issue of dinosaur fossils open

How can they do that? I mean, you're just left to draw your own conclusions? Or how to they explain the bible completely leaving them out? Mayhap they haven't found some scrolls in Qumran?

Listening to other opinions is one thing -- being taught them is another. I'm walking out of any class that requires me to be taught as if I'm a religion that I'm not.

Thing is, it was in the course description, so it's not like she wasn't warned before walking into the class. I had a similar situation in a life drawing class where a woman just couldn't make herself look at the nude models. She actually asked the instructor if he could put the models in swimsuits. I give him tons of credit for not laughing at her outright.

She was an art major and the class was required credit. I still wonder if she got out of taking it or switched majors.

A lot of people really don't live in a multi-cultural society. Where I grew up, we had one of a bunch of different things -- I was Baptist, Pam was Greek Orthodox, Patrick was Jehovah's Witness, Amrik was Seikh. Everyone else was Catholic.

And for America to be returned to our "Christian heritage."

Yeah, let's return to the religious convictions of our great founders like Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Paine.

it was in the course description, so it's not like she wasn't warned before walking into the class

Eh -- we get people who sign up for krav and don't like hitting things.

Then they leave.

I do wonder, but I don't bother judging too hard.

How can they do that? I mean, you're just left to draw your own conclusions?

We were taught that there are some things that we don't understand - that God works in mysterious ways and what-not.

All of them standing around the flag pole like it was some kind of religous artifact.

It's a tenet of the Mormon faith that the Constitution was divinely inspired.

Also, members are encouraged to make friends with non-members in an effort to bring them into the church. It's called fellowshipping, and the non-believers are supposed to be so inspired by the godly and enriching lives of their new friends that they'll ask how to be godly and enriched themselves. This is, of course, made easier if the member's family actually is godly and enriched, which a lot of times is not the case.

If people don't stop referring to Mr. Rogers in this sort of conversation, even in a "no, never him" peripheral sort of way, I'm going to post links to pictures of Pertwee in the shower.

Does that mean I shouldn't mention my friend who used to get freaked out by him when he would use the Lady Elaine Fairchilde voice to talk to her and others at the production studio?

It really isn't very hard to function in a society that consists of a lot of people who hold opinions you think are wrong.

It really isn't very hard to function in a society that consists of a lot of people who hold opinions you think are wrong.

I dunno - it gives me heartburn....