Enduring Beauty

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  “Beauty is the quality which makes to endure. In a house that I know, I have noticed a block of spermaceti lying about closets and mantel-pieces, for twenty years together, simply because the tallow-man gave it the form of a rabbit; and, I suppose, it may continue to be lugged about unchanged for a century. Let an artist scrawl a few lines or figures on the back of a letter, and that scrap of paper is rescued from danger, is put in portfolio, is framed and glazed, and, in proportion to the beauty of the lines drawn, will be kept for centuries. Burns writes a copy of verses, and sends them to a newspaper, and the human race take charge of them that they shall not perish.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson. (1803–1882).   Essays and English Traits.

How To Be A Good Atheist

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"Atheists Aren't Bad People; They Just Have a Bad Reputation"
By Patrick Smith
October 15, 2007

Many people cringe when they hear the word, "atheist." Atheists are assumed to be all-around bad people, and are sometimes even confused for devil worshipers. That is simply not the case. Free thinkers tend to be educated people who are very ethical in work and they tend to take morality very seriously, yet they are among the most discriminated-against belief group in existence. For those atheists who need some guidance in being a good person, along with anyone else who may wish to use this how-to, I offer you “How To Be A Good Atheist.”

Read the rest here (in case you were wondering) . . .

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