You wouldn’t know it by the way people drive. You wouldn’t think it’s true when you’re ordering your Happy Meal. But apparently, critical thinking (or at least, a general frustration with organized religion, or perhaps maybe just an abject laziness) is on the rise in a America. Whichever way you slice it (critical thinking, frustration, or laziness), people are apparently trending away from religion. Heck, even if it’s the result of laziness, if religion is something you’re NOT doing on a given Sunday, you might well be living more truthfully than some of your neighbors!

Among others, the New York Times has a topological article on the Pew Study that is a somewhat interesting read. In my opinion, the chart below boils it down nicely (you can click it for a larger version).

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life’s report summary contains a link to the full report. There is also a media resource page that contains video walkthroughs of the report.

It sounds an awful lot like I’ve taken a fairly commonplace path over the past twenty-or-so years. Proof once again that there are no unique thoughts. I would share more personal thoughts on the subject matter, but frankly, I’m content to consider that out of that 8.8% increase in Unaffiliated persons, at least some of those have gone that way due to critical thinking. A guy can still have faith, right?

Just wanted to share. This post will obviously bore those of you on the atheist blogrolls and aggregators, so…er…sorry ’bout that! Well, that’s enough of the serious stuff for me, dammit. I think I’ll go browse through a Xpian webstore….

welcome, Christy from Positively Everything to the provocateurs section of the blogroll. Christy has been commenting from time to time here, more frequently lately, and quite frankly, if her blogger profile image is really her, she’s a hotty! but i also enjoy her writings, and she’s another one of those bloggers that’s been in my feeds for a while without my having managed to get her in my blogroll. sorry about that, Christy!

i’m happily married, by the way, and i know you are too, but feel free to allow me to test my commitment any time you’re in Sioux Falls, Christy. eesh.

and of course, i say that, because i’m certain that an 1800-mile trip to Sioux Falls is incredibly high on anyone’s her list of things to do, lol….

~~~

also, belatedly, and as an apology for the oversight and the apparently-genetic misogyny, please allow me to recommend Positively Everything for the award below. you’re an excellent blogger, Christy. i’m not kidding at all when i say that having you in my feeds mostly-daily is a joy and a privilege.

hee-hee. actually, i am bogged by the weather today. it started at at 34° with a light rain (atop the 1ft+ snow) with no wind, and has dropped already to 25° with a 20-mph wind driving a mix of freezing rain, sleet (yes, they’re different. click the links if you’re interested) and snow against the northwest side of the house.

tangible, incontrovertible proof that if there is a “God”, he is an unapologetic son-of-a-bitch who has absolutely no regard for the fact that a household of agnostic atheists in South Dakota are trying to sell their damn house.

that having been said, i’ll continue on with stuff i meant to do yesterday, which means, add shit to my blogroll. well, not shit per se, except in the context of “these bloggers are da shit, yo!” and of course they are, because i said so. lest you forget, i am the an Uber-Dorky Nerd God, so, uh….fear me!

and i swear, i did not rig my answers to that quiz. uh-uh. really!

anyway, before i wax completely pointless, there is a new category in the blogroll called heathens. these are strictly atheist/agnostic links that didn’t fit the provocateurs or snarkatorium categories. it’s a general container for fellow bloggers who don’t have a specific agenda, and who happen to be atheist or agnostic. most of today’s additions to the blogroll are in this category. don’t take offense at the appellation, friends. i’m just a smartass. because that’s where “god” put my brains.

as before, in no particular order. i’ve just not had great success tweaking the CSS in this theme so i can have normal-looking unordered lists.

1. Drinking Liberally in New Milford ~ the blog author liked this post of mine so much that he reposted it and blogrolled me while we had a discussion over there, so i’m returning the favor. if i’m ever in New Milford, i fully expect a beer. actually, the guy’s a progressive liberal activist, and i appreciate what he’s doing. i wish we had more like him, especially out here.
2. My Saturday Evening Post ~ a friend through FranIam made a nice comment on this post this morning so i went and spent some time on his blog and liked it. a real-world guy who appears to be totally respectable. welcome!
3. Sans God ~ the author probably doesn’t know it yet, but reading his blog for a few short days, was part of what prompted me to write this. apparently, people who feel what i feel about religions and such are real people, too. whodathunkit.
4. Deep Thoughts ~ the author of this blog runs the Atheist Blogroll, and has a wonderful, well-written form. i’ve greatly enjoyed perusing his past posts and look forward to learning more from him.

and sadly, that’s it for now. i have a couple of large print orders to run today, so i’m off to be responsible!

….Ecstatically Linkified.

over the weekend, two of my blogging buddies—friends, i dare say—awarded/inflicted upon me the following award:

great, no pressure, guys!

but serious thank-yous go out to the two who bestowed this honor upon me: Tengrain at Mock, Paper, Scissors, and PissedInNY (aka gmb) at I Can’t Believe It’s Not A Democracy. along with the thank-yous, please accept my heart-felt condolences for a. not having anything better to do on a Sunday, and b. being within my sphere of influence. i hope i am not contagious….in a bad way. it is also worthy of note that it’s Tengrain’s fault that i pulled this blog together from three previous incarnations, separated it from what is now perpetual dawnne, and continue to avoid other responsibilities by posting here.

ah, well, as little as i believe i deserve such an award, it is now my duty to pass it along….presumably to ten individuals whom i feel are “worthy”. quite frankly, i think my taste in bloggers is exceedingly better than my taste in former girlfriends. the problem with this, and why i didn’t post this until this morning, was finding bloggers that hadn’t already been tagged with this! which by no means the following list is “second rate”. it means that it would appear that a lot of us who enjoy each other’s company really enjoy each other’s company! but hopefully some of the blogs below that i enjoy will be found to be just as enjoyable by you!

in no particular order, but in an ordered list, because the style for unordered lists in this theme is a little goofy inside posts:

1. Stringer ~ down-under snarkery and observations excellently flavored with a unique wit.
2. One Pissed Off Veteran ~ partly because I’m one, too; mostly because he does it better than i do, and absolutely because he’s worth it. hopefully he’ll see this when he returns from his cruise, the lucky bastard.
3. Media Needle ~ i may well not be the first to tag the influential former resident of Sestakestan with this, but not only did i not see his blog on any other lists, but i really, really appreciate his sense of humor and insight.
4. Bathos for the Misanthropic ~ completely politically incorrect (which is a euphemism for “honest”), remarkably funny, candid, and bitingly sarcastic…and those are just the good qualities. i absolutely love reading this blog. he’s gotten me out of a bad mood on several occasions.
5. The Great Endarkenment ~ insightful and acerbic commentary on the world we live in and life in general. prescient, i think is the word.
6. The Zen Cabin ~ very well-formed writings that provide a clear, considered perspective on politics and society, tempered with a sense of humor that belies a rather charming inner angst.
7. Bay of Fundie ~ a newer acquaintance, but long-time blogger, who does a wonderful job of keeping the radical right at bay. i’ve very much enjoyed adding him to my daily read.
8. Current Jam ~ another recent find with an eclectic wit, or at least an eclectically expressed sense of humor. something like that. CJ is much more than just a small-town girl living in a lonely world, and certainly much more than just jelly.
9. Hysterical Raisins ~ there are some folks in our crowd whose photoshop skills are phenomenal. i don’t think nonnie9999 is as recognized as could be. you are hereby required to blogroll this blog, put it in your feeds, and laugh your ass off in delight at the humor, and cry your eyes out at the technical expertise.
10. last but not least, i present to you, Blind Orange Julius. this former South Dakotan somehow slipped through my blogroll after i moved to this domain and i’m sad to say i missed it (largely because he’s in my feeds). and speaking of photoshop skills, the man’s a whizz. he’s in the middle of a (physical) move right now, but i know you’ll enjoy reading and viewing his past posts while he’s getting situated. it is highly recommended that you do not read his blog while drinking a beverage that you don’t want on your monitor and keyboard.

wow, i guess coming up with ten wasn’t so hard. that’s also probably because i don’t link to crappy places that i wouldn’t read myself!

now….link, feed, enjoy!