I think i have found an explanation for the fraud and gullibility. In this youtube video at Stanford Business School about discovering liars, the presenter talks about "in group" and "out group". Its' at about the 10th minute. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oywoZQ5_zd8&list=P...

Churches haven't yet figured out how to deal with a science-based culture like we have today. Respectfully, I think some Churches do a pretty good job of embracing science based information. The ones that do so have given up their dogmatic past and expect that what we know about the world changes. ...

my understanding is that the idea of "exceptionalism" is/was much more pervasive in the United States than other modern countries. Particularly in the mid to late 1800's.

Modern Italy (formed in the Mid 1800's) definitely did not think of itself that way. And perhaps never has!

And an inquisition, too!

Wow, it too the Catholics over 1000 years to get to that point. The Momon's did it in less than 40! Very advanced!

The more I read, the more incredulous I become. But the 'Mountain Meadows Massacre' is sickening beyond belief ain't that the truth? What I also found sad was the ends that are executed to cover the truth (not just about the massacre). The border on the pathetic (publishing a critique of a book you...

the boy scouts?! I had no idea! That explains so, so much about scouting and their policies regarding homosexuality.

frankly, i found the section about the archaeology the most damning of the entire book. It sort of "proves the point" that he was making up the entire thing as he went along. There was no way for him to understand the science as we do today and the idea that he might get caught was beyond ...

wow! I hope you get a lot from the experience!

i think it was howard zinn where i read about that concept. The poor whites in the US southern states were taught to fear/oppress the slaves as someone who would damage them economically.

The polish of the earlier chapters has disappeared and the book is just meandering around now, tossing out junk left and right. yep. And I didn't think there was much polish in the earlier chapters! But it's possible there wasn't a better way to organize this. The name of the chapter is more weirdn...