Is God Part of The Grand Design?

In "The Grand Design," by eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and U.S. physicist Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking asserts that a new series of theories makes a creator of the universe redundant, according to the Times newspaper which published extracts on Thursday.

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist," Hawking writes.

"It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

He refers to the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting a star other than our sun when discussing the possibility of a creator. "That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions -- the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass, far less remarkable, and far less compelling evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings,"

These simple elegant statements are opening my mind up wide. I'm getting more and more Atheist by the minute! Hahaha Okay not exactly. But I am more and more comfortable letting go of the idea of a father/God figure, so similar to the Mormon God I was raised with. And stated so simply, it is all so clear to me that there was no need for a God in the creation of the universe. I never bought the "created in 7 days/6000 year old universe" theory, and I never bought the premise that God zapped Adam & Eve into being like magic. I was always much more comfortable with the idea that God worked with the laws of science & nature to facilitate the creation of our world over time. But this was an unexamined premise that only lived vaguely in my mind. And when I do examine it more closely, things don't fit together quite right. If God existed before anything, out in the ether of space, floating in the darkness, and God created all the universe... well then we aren't on the same evolutionary path and we'll never progress to where God is now. And that just doesn't feel true to me. I don't know, but I feel the rightness of our continuing evolution and progression. There may or may not be a god in some form or another. I definitely don't think there is an old man, clothed in white robes, watching over us all, keeping a tally of our good and bad choices every second of every day. And while it feels like my beliefs have been unconsciously drifting this way for some time, bringing these thoughts into the light now, I definitely agree more and more that is is unlikely a supreme being set the creation of the universe in motion. What do you think?
-Flora

Liberty And Justice For All?

I originally planned to post a note about a 'Technology Sabbath'. I am strongly considering participating. It would be interesting to see how I respond to a day away from so much technology. I might get more work done in the garden. I might connect to people on a real level as opposed to electronically. Ideally the trend spreads and is observed by many. I feel like participating in large positive group events/movements, sends out a very powerful positive intention and energy. I like being a part of that. I guess because it feels empowering.

But after reading the latest news about Lieutenant Dan Choi, we all felt we should write something about his situation.
Lt. Choi was discharged from the military one year ago for coming out as being gay after serving honorably under Don't Ask Don't Tell for ten years. Yesterday he handcuffed himself to the fence in front of The White House in peaceful protest. Today he's being held under arrest with Jim Pietrangelo and until recently, 5 others as well. A good place to get quick updates on developments in the case is the getEQUAL facebook page. Their latest post says:

GetEQUAL Breaking!! Offered $100 fine, Dan & Jim plead NOT GUILTY and demand a jury trial. We do not plead guilty for equality. Trial set for April. More to come.

This morning over coffee, all three of us called both our US Senators and submitted our comments to the White House contact page We would urge you to voice your concerns over the treatment of Lt. Choi as well.
This is how we feel. We're appalled that the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy exists to begin with. How degrading and insulting to expect an entire arm of the organization to pretend to be something else and hide their reality from their peers, denying them the full self expression and equality of choice afforded everyone else in this country! We're appalled that people are being treated this way. Men and women who've served us and protected our country and our freedom, are being ostracized, dismissed and worse. That makes us wonder what century we're in. And to see Lt. Choi arrested & mistreated because he staged a peaceful protest on the sidewalk just makes us shake our heads! Why is this even an issue?! Why does this man have to handcuff himself to the fence and get attention and be noticed? Our country has had one group or another fighting for equality since it's birth! And equality always wins! Make no mistake, equality will win in this case too. Those who oppose equal rights for LGBT people are on the wrong side of history and soon, time will catch up with them. Just as it did for those against the lowly colonists first, then those against the slaves gaining equality, and those against the rights of women... That's how we feel.
So why did Lt. Choi handcuff himself to the fence one year after his discharge? If I were guessing, I would guess his answer might be something like this: Because people can only affect change when they know a problem exists. Well hello everyone, Dan Choi is asking for your attention for just a moment. He would like to tell you this is a problem. He would like his equal rights now please. Just like we've been proclaiming since Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence! Are we really a nation still refusing to recognize that hypocrisy? These discriminatory policies may not have been instituted by us, but as a nation, these policies stand in our name and reflect on us as a group. Since I'm a part of that group, I'd like these policies changed! Don't Ask Don't Tell is a specific example with a clear answer: Repeal. But it's not the only issue of equality the LGBT community faces. Issues like California's Proposition 8 abound all over the nation and these are more examples of things that need to change!
We hope you'll write to the white house about repealing DADT, as well as about fair treatment for Lt. Choi. We also hope you'll take a moment to call your representatives. It's so easy. This morning we called and said we were constituents of the senator etc, we heard of the Lt Choi arrest and didn't think this was just, also we wanted to urge the Senator to work toward repealing DADT immediately etc. It's a very quick phone call to a sweet-voiced young lady taking messages. To get the number to call your Senators, click here. To find a number for your US House Representative click here, enter your zip+4 in a box near the top left and you will get a link to your Representative. Mine had his contact numbers and addresses listed at the bottom of his page - I called the Washington DC office number. And I did all of it while I sipped my coffee. I don't think that's too much to do to further the cause of equality in a country which claims that as one of it's founding principles.

-Flora

Resource Consumption

Reading some of the comments on the recent recycling post made us think more about consuming resources and our habits as a society.

It scares me a little the way we consume resources and generate waste. ... Science is telling us we’re facing dwindling resources, especially if we continue to consume at the rate we are. Not a pretty picture it paints of the future...

Currently the United States makes up approximately 4.5% of the world population but consumes nearly a quarter of all energy resources. And China with their 1.3 billion people make up almost 20% of the worlds population. China puts a half million new cars on the road every day. They want the consumer lifestyle of cars and toys and things. So now lets do some very rough math. If China consumes at the rate we Americans seem to think is acceptable, this will require we use 110% of the worlds resources to maintain that. It's pretty staggering when you think about it. Now consider this. India wants the live that same consumer lifestyle as their country progresses too! Why not? And their population is around 1.15 billion or another 16%. Very roughly, that is a need of near 200% of the worlds resources! Now I know that with politics and budget spending the way it is these days, we might think consuming 200% is a viable option. But let me remind you we're not talking about paper money and deficits here, we're talking about real, physical, finite resources. When they're gone, they're gone - there's no option for us to just go into debt. And because we're happy to go on doing what we've always done and we refuse to see what gasoline engines are doing to our environment, we're killing the planet. Plain and simple. And at the very least we're facing the gas lines of the 70's all over again. I don't want a hybrid, I want a solar/wind powered car! Or one that runs on saltwater! Develop an engine that runs on saltwater! That would be awesome. It's time to stop thinking like we did 100 years ago. We know so many things we had no idea of 100 years ago and it's time to take those things into consideration and pull our heads out of the sand!
-Flora

Barb Davis White is Confusing Me

So for the full obnoxious story you will have to go here but the gist of it is this: A Minnesota legislative committee met this week to discuss the legalization of same-sex marriage ('bout time, good for them). And Barb Davis White, a Tea Party activist and Republican candidate for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District (does anyone else wonder how you can belong to one party, albeit a pretend one, and be running on another parties ticket?) took the opportunity to open her mouth against equality.

Apparently she feels the gay-rights movement has used momentum from the civil rights movement to further their own cause. Her exact words were "Rosa Parks did not move to the front of the bus to support sodomy." She points out that aside from skin color, there is no difference between a black person and a white person, but there's a tremendous difference between a man and a woman. Hmmm... okay we agree. But tell us again what bearing this has on what constitutes marriage? I mean, according to this woman, man and woman are different. And this is... the good kind of marriage right? And different races of people are the same. But this is the good kind too? But over here, my two guy friends who are same-same... that's wrong? Now I'm confused Barb! Can someone give me an actual logical reason against marriage for everyone?

- Flora

Premarital Test Drives

This weekend I had coffee with some family and it was a really great time - lemme tell you my uncle can make a mean pot of coffee! Said uncle and I talked a lot about his ex-wife, how he felt in his marriage, how he feels now, premarital sex... It's interesting to hear the previous generation voice more progressive ideas than we're used to from them. When it comes to sex, his beliefs seem to be as liberal as mine.

My uncle's first wife was emotionally abused by her father. As well, she witnessed the physical/sexual abuse he subjected her sisters to. So in his words, sex represented everything that was awful to her. I can completely understand this because I was in the same position for a lot of years after being raped at 13. I've been lucky enough to recover but I know some don't. So her desire to avoid sex (among other things I'm sure) drove a wedge between them and ruined their marriage. I'm sure he wouldn't change things now, after raising two amazing children in the process. And now he's met and married a woman who he's extremely compatible and happy with.

But in the present moment, without thirty years of history holding someone to a choice, don't you think we would be glad to know, before taking vows, that our partner isn't on the same page? While I don't think outright promiscuity is the answer, I do think having sex before getting married is important, to establish compatibility. Unfortunately, even with friendship, shared interests and even physical attraction, the actual act of sex can sometimes fall flat between two people. Or sex-drives won't match up and someone wants it much more often than their partner. The problem is this: as with many circumstances, when the sex is good, it's only 10% of what's good, but when it's bad, it's 90% of what's bad. I hear this comment about a lot of things and I think it's because when something is going well, it is just a single component in a fulfilling life. But when it's going badly, that single component detracts from every other area. Anyone who's been in an unhappy or unsuccessful marriage knows just how much it can effect every other part of life.

In my teens and twenties, partly in reaction to being raped and partly because I think a lot of young insecure women go this route, I gave myself away to more than a few guys. Some I wish I could take back. But do I wish I had been able or chosen to wait till marriage? Absolutely not. I would rather know ahead of time that we have at least one less obstacle to overcome. Marriage isn't easy under the best circumstances.

So what do you think? I know that living in my town, a lot of people disagree with my opinion.

-Flora

Ignorance Isn't Bliss for The Rest Of Us

A friend of ours posted this link today on facebook and the article really got us talking about ignorance and the frustrating behavior we sometimes deal with today. The editorial is humorous and well written but a little bit sad because it's so very true.
Why is it more and more common to encounter people who have never learned to debate like an adult but choose to settle arguments like most pre-schoolers? We're sorry, but the "I know you are but what am I" style of arguing is just not appealing, and it will never persuade us.
Columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. originally wrote a piece which "mentioned Henry Johnson, who was awarded the French Croix de Guerre in World War I for single-handedly fighting off a company of Germans ... who threatened to overrun his post."
A reader named Ken Thompson commented "Hate to tell you that blacks were not allowed into combat intell (sic) 1947, that fact. World War II ended in 1945. So all that feel good, one black man killing two dozen Nazi, is just that, PC bull."
At this point, Pitts's assistant responds to the reader with factual information to back up the claim, he argues further. Clearly the guy has a problem with recognizing this African American soldier and his contribution in WWI, we may even go so far as to say he's racist. His final argument is "It is what it is, you don't believe either ... " Really?! That's the best you can do? To tell me that I really don't believe what I'm saying? Wow. Well I'm sorry for you because clearly you're functioning in life with a shortage of intelligence and that's got to be difficult.
The problem is that this head-in-the-sand attitude is more and more common! People refuse to see the truth presented to them. We love what Pitts says in his column:

"...increasingly, we are a people estranged from critical thinking, divorced from logic, alienated from even objective truth. We admit no ideas that do not confirm us, hear no voices that do not echo us, sift out all information that does not validate what we wish to believe."

To Ken Thompson - Learn the difference between fact and opinion. A fact is what happened. An opinion is what you think of it. You can care as little as you want about Henry Johnson. That doesn't change what he did. Ignorance may be bliss for you, but it's annoying as hell to the rest of us.

-Flora

Controversy Lite - Olympic Gold

Because it's Monday morning and we're all a little tired after the weekend, the topic is: Figure Skating!

Yevgeny Plushenko won the Silver medal in men's figure skating at this years Olympics and then said of Evan Lysacek, the gold medal winner, that he wasn't "a true champion" because he didn't include a quadruple jump in his routine. The quad is comprised of any jump where the skater rotates 4+ times before landing the jump. Understandably, Plushenko feels that expectations should grow as skill levels increase, otherwise the sport isn't progressing. Plushenko performed a routine that wasn't missing any elements, incorporated his best skills and didn't include any flaws that he felt would exclude him from winning the gold medal. Then further, Lysacek gave a performance that, while a great performance, was simply missing key elements Plushenko felt should have been included to warrant the gold. Plushenko made the statement that reducing the importance of the quad jumps inclusion made the sport comparable to ice-dancing.
When this situation developed, Shaun White had just discussed a similar topic regarding his own February 17 medal run in snowboarding. He pointed out that if he had done the same routine that earned him a gold medal in 2006, he probably wouldn't have even qualified for the finals this year. Your competitors get better and you have to rise to the occasion.
Many people feel the same way. Yahoo! sports writer Elvis Stojko says "Sorry, Evan Lysacek. You’re a great skater and all. But that wasn’t Olympic champion material."
So did Lysacek deserve the gold medal? Or was Plushenko's shock justified?

-Flora

Welcome to Coffee and Controversy!

Our intention is to create a forum where people can step into the world of full self expression! We'll be here each day drinking coffee & chatting... and sometimes blogging our stimulating conversations. We welcome your comments, no matter what your opinion, but we hope everyone will be respectful of others opinions as well. Our articles aren't for the faint of heart, and probably shouldn't be shared with your children. We might say things you don't agree with but we invite you to open your hearts and minds and just try these ideas on for a minute, see how they feel. We want this to be a place where people can expand their opinions and belief systems and be open-minded and respectful of the beliefs of others. Be sure to check back daily as we'll be posting new stuff all the time. You can look forward to topics such as gay rights/marriage, global warming, our president & other leaders, marijuana v alcohol, affairs, divorce/custody, prostitution/stripping/pornography, autism and immunizations... We're here to shed light, give information and create powerful solutions in everyday life wherever we can! We'll also have coffee picks, an advice column, and eventually even some contests and prizes!
-Merriweather