"God Bless America!"

[Fishteacher73]

Overpopulation is caused by poverty. It is not the problem one heralded by Paul Erlich in 1968. The current worry is aging of the population, more people needing more care longer. That's caused by technological progress.

 

This is true in the 1st world countries. Unfortunatly most of the overpopulation problems are not in these countries. The third world (poverty as you mentioned) does not seem to have the same "problem". The huge religious opposition to condom use has a dual affect. Increased birth rate and increased transmission of HIV/AIDS. The average age in many African countries is as low is 14-16. (Zaire's population estimated in 2005 is 41% of the population under 14, and only 3% over 65.)

[motherengine]

I won't bother waiting. But I will live up to my side. I will provide some of the data I referred to:

 

Argyle and Beit-Hallahmi ("The Psychology of Religious Belief")- religion fosters greater authoritarianism, dogmatism, suggestability, dependance, inadequecy and anxiety.

 

C.D. Batson & W.L. Ventis ("The Religious Experience: A Social- Psychological Religion" Oxford University Press)- "the relationship between religious involvement and mental health is negative rather than positive."

 

J.E. Dittes (The Psychology of Religion" Addison Wesley)- religion is associated with a weak and constricted ego.

 

L.B. Brown ("The Psychology of Religious Belief")- confidence about religion correlates with conservatism, dogmatism and authoritarianism.

 

 

a list of people and opinions. hmmm, must be true.

[Queso]

whether it's your best friend, or thirty million people on their knees facing the same direction, this doesn't mean it's true.

[Stargazer]

You are probably a US citizen. Most other parts of the world do not have the same % of delisional Christians. It is more the US population than the whole human race.

 

Actually, here in Sweden we have a political party called the Christian Democrats, which is said to base its ideologies on christian ethics. They rarely if ever mention god, though (and no other politician would ever dream of doing it, either).

 

I think the main reason why so many are still member of the Church of Sweden is that up until recently you were born into it. I think most people are just lazy when it comes to cancel their memberships. We're not very religious at all, and very very few ever go to church regularly. We don't really have to put up with creationists in school (actually I did read about one substitute teacher who mentioned creationism as a valid alternative to mainstream science - he was fired from that gig pretty quickly I believe.)

[Queso]

this makes me dying to see the rest of the world.

[Fishteacher73]

Actually, here in Sweden we have a political party called the Christian Democrats, which is said to base its ideologies on christian ethics. They rarely if ever mention god, though (and no other politician would ever dream of doing it, either).

 

I think the main reason why so many are still member of the Church of Sweden is that up until recently you were born into it. I think most people are just lazy when it comes to cancel their memberships. We're not very religious at all, and very very few ever go to church regularly. We don't really have to put up with creationists in school (actually I did read about one substitute teacher who mentioned creationism as a valid alternative to mainstream science - he was fired from that gig pretty quickly I believe.)

 

 

What about Dubya? Oh, I see now, you said politiician... :)

 

I was an exchange student to Sweden in 90/91 (Saw the Gulf War in a very different light than my friends and family backl in the US) and I do not recall once going or being asked to go to church the whole 11 months I was there. Although I did befriend a group of pagans... that was really

[motherengine]

of course science is a superior tool when it comes to 'logical reasoning of verifyable data'. your redefining religion and then attacking it on those terms. religion is also an inferior system for treating cancer (though i am sure it has been used to give much hope to patients) so it is inferior to cemotherapy socially. science is a process and though useful at temporarily distracting one from fear of death it is a painfully bad comforting device (except for a handful of science junkies who seem to think they represent all of society). religion causing population growth and the plague huh? which is it, does religion cause population growth or keep it in check? and are you actually telling me that religion, not science, is responsible for the proliferation of nuclear weapons? come on man, what religious motives were behind hiroshima? shall i compile a list of atheist murderers and condem atheism? i guess marx is responsible for the brutal murder of buddist monks by a communist government working under the influence of his words. actually his manifesto

is no more responsible for abuse than is the bible. have you ever read the book you so loath, honestly i cannot recall reading anything in it about how the reader should torture and murder people in the name of god, be afraid of cats or burn witches. and yes hilter, the vengeful christ, was a great distorter of religious text. what does this tell us? that religion is behind all human evil or, more likley, that science and religion are two different things which can have negative results when combined in sick, aggressive, sociopathic and frightened minds. your insistance that religion is 'good for nothing' is about as scientific as saying television violence causes violent behavior. in other words, get over your hatred and maybe you will see the anthropalogical aspects of religion that show it as a fundamental part of social evolution. where you see only bad you are limited in your views and not 'freethinking' at all.

 

Empty claims, easy to make, but lets see you stand behind it. Where should we start the comparison and find which side FACT is on? Let's see which side offers unsupportable opinion and which has facts behind it. QUOTE]

 

lets just do that. as the attacker of religion how about you start with some facts instead of demanding them from others.

[Fishteacher73]

 

Empty claims, easy to make, but lets see you stand behind it. Where should we start the comparison and find which side FACT is on? Let's see which side offers unsupportable opinion and which has facts behind it.

 

lets just do that. as the attacker of religion how about you start with some facts instead of demanding them from others.

 

I think that FT has done a decent job at just that. Granted some of the sources listed had conclusions that were opinion, but many others had imperical data that support his POV. You demanded facts to support his claim, he has provided some, and asked you to do the same. It was FT who asked for refrences to your claims initially, I believe, and has provided such for his POV.

[bumab]

honestly i cannot recall reading anything in it about how the reader should torture and murder people in the name of god, be afraid of cats or burn witches.

 

Of course you are right, that's not in there. Misquotations, taking things out of context, or superficial interpritations are a common attack on religion. Try not to be to offended personally, it happens a lot!

 

Somehow, the ideal of rational thinking gets suspended when talking about issues we feel passionate about, replaced by volumes of personal opinions. It happens when religous folk attack science for talking about evolution, it seems to happen from scientists when talking about anything religious. Both sides are at fault, sadly. Here, you tend to get a one sided arguement simply by the people that this site attracts- the science folk. It's definatly not a good representation of the world as a whole- thank goodness. Religious intolerance is bad (the virulent type) no matter where you find it, scientists or non-scientists.

 

Getting back to the topic of the post, I think the big differences so passionatly noted by FT are present probably due to the disparate populations. We have some of the most brilliant scientific minds here, as well as a lot of non-scientific types. The gulf between them is very, very wide. Probably wider then most any other country. We have the highest educational system, yet also a lot of people who never attended high school. Given that, of course there are uneducated folk who are suspicious of the "intellectual elite," and intellectuals who are contemptuous of the uneducated folk.

 

It's not impossible to believe in God and science, despite what some say. In fact, I feel believing in science makes God all the more obvious, and visa versa. But it's not an easy state of mind to reach. At least if we could try to be a little less hostile towards the other camps, that might be something positive...

 

[stepping off soapbox... or pulpit if you'd like :) hahaha]

[Fishteacher73]

Of course you are right, that's not in there. Misquotations, taking things out of context, or superficial interpritations are a common attack on religion. Try not to be to offended personally, it happens a lot!

 

This is true, bumab...on both sides. I feel that it iis a bit more nefarious when done in the name of religion. Usually isolated points in religious texts are cited to illustrate inconstancies and therefore the invalidate it as "devine" text by atheists, non-bielvers, etc. The problem truly arises when the "faithful" do this. To remove a line of scripture from its context to support what ever specific dogma is on the agenda (Usually involving the condemnation of those that do not follow the literal inetrpration of the selected quote.) Many Christians will quote "eye for an eye" when it is convienent to allow for retribition, but "turn the other cheek" to escape consequences.

 

While I do feel that using bits and pieces out of context is not particularly wise, it seems to be much more detrimental when done in the name of faith, as opposed to against it.

[bumab]

This is true, bumab...on both sides. I feel that it iis a bit more nefarious when done in the name of religion. Usually isolated points in religious texts are cited to illustrate inconstancies and therefore the invalidate it as "devine" text by atheists, non-bielvers, etc. The problem truly arises when the "faithful" do this. To remove a line of scripture from its context to support what ever specific dogma is on the agenda (Usually involving the condemnation of those that do not follow the literal inetrpration of the selected quote.) Many Christians will quote "eye for an eye" when it is convienent to allow for retribition, but "turn the other cheek" to escape consequences.

 

While I do feel that using bits and pieces out of context is not particularly wise, it seems to be much more detrimental when done in the name of faith, as opposed to against it.

 

I agree... I had actually typed "religion and science," but for the purposes of clarity, took out science (since obviously, I was defending one side at the time). Perhaps that was not fair. Thanks for calling me on it.

 

I also agree that misinterpritation of religious texts often results in worse things then misinterpritations of science, because the passions involved are usually larger. But I would also say the potential in relgious texts, as an ideal, is far greater from a moral standpoint, and if implicated, the world would be a better place. (i know i'll catch it with that!) Reading the texts in context, understanding the situation in which they were written, and applying the intellect towards understanding the implications- that's needed in religion more then anything right now....

 

so yeah, i agree with your rebuttal. :)

[Freethinker]

a list of people and opinions. hmmm, must be true.

I guess for someone that fails to grasp the concept of factual support this may seem the case. To those used to researching information, they would recognize the author, publication name and capsule posted. Let's take one randomly and find out if this is just some random person's personal opinion, as you want to claim. Or if this is a peer reviewed valid resource for the specific field of endevor.

 

W.L. Ventis ("The Religious Experience: A Social- Psychological Religion" Oxford University Press)

 

http://www.wm.edu/psyc/ventis.htm

 

Name: William Larry Ventis

 

Education:

 

B.S., University of Tennessee, June, 1964

M.A., University of Tennessee, December, 1966

Ph.D., University of Tennessee, August, 1970

Professional Certification: Licensed as a Clinical Psychologist in the State of Virginia, 1974 to present. License No. 0107000642.

 

Positions Held:

 

Graduate Assistant, University of Tennessee, September, 1964 to May, 1965.

Clinical Psychology Trainee, V.A. Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, June, 1965 to September, 1965.

Clinical Psychology Trainee, V.A. Hospital, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, June, 1966 to September, 1966.

Clinical Psychology Trainee, V.A. Hospital, Houston, Texas, June, 1967 to August, 1967.

Clinical Internship, V.A. Hospital, Palo Alto, California, October, 1967 to September, 1968.

Research Assistant to Dr. Robert G. Wahler, University of Tennessee, September, 1968 to June, 1969.

Assistant Professor, College of William and Mary, September, 1969 to 1975. Half-time position in Center for Psychological Services.

Associate Professor, 1975 to 1985. Half-time position in Center for Psychological Services.

Professor, 1985 to present. Full-time in Psychology Department since 1987.

Part time private practice through Psychological Associates of Williamsburg since 1979.

 

Teaching Interests and Specializations:

 

Behavior Modification

Abnormal Psychology

Psychology of Religion

Psychotherapy Research

Introductory Psychology

Developmental Psychology

 

Thesis and Dissertation Titles:

M.S., Behavioral Effects of Olfactory Bulbectomy on Albino Rats.

Ph.D., A Comparison of Modes of Maternal Reinforcement for Infant Vocal Behavior During the First Year of Life.

Professional Associations:

 

American Psychological Association

Southeastern Psychological Association

Sigma Xi

Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy

American Psychological Association Division 36

American Psychological Association Division 25

American Psychology-Law Society

 

Grants and Awards:

"Juror Stress." Co-author with Thomas Hafemeister of the National Center for State Courts, of a two year grant from the State Justice Institute ($160, 000) to study juror stress and methods for dealing with it. Interval of funding was October 1, 1994 to October 1, 1996. Grant activities include data collection from multiple juries at six sites throughout the country, conducting two meetings of an advisory council, and the production of a bench book with guidelines for judges on minimizing juror stress.

 

Faculty Research Leave: Awarded December 1993 for study of "Juror Stress" in Fall, 1994 and Spring, 1995 (Amount equals 80 per cent of annual salary).

 

"Heart Rate as a Predictor of Stress Vulnerability." Grant from Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC 20307 ($7,500). Co-principal investigator with Herbert Friedman and Glenn Shean. Interval of funding from August 1, 1990 to October 1, 1990.

 

Recipient of a grant from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D. C. 20307, ($60,000) for the purpose of studying, "Stress of Exposure to Dead Bodies". Co-Principal Investigator with Herb Friedman and Glenn Shean. Interval of funding is from May 17, 1989 to May 16, 1990.

 

"Age at Marriage and Time to First Birth: A Longitudinal Study of Parental Attitudes and Children's Personality": I was co-author, along with Virgil McKenna, the principle investigator, and Kelly Shaver, of a three-year research contract with the National Institute of Child Health and Development Center for Population Research. This contract was funded in June, 1974 ($123,000) and ended September 30, 1978. I was primarily responsible for designing and implementing the behavioral observation portion of the contract. Contract No. N01-HD-42844.

 

"Volunteer Youth Research: A Behavior Modification Treatment and Research Program for Juvenile Delinquents": I designed this program for the Portsmouth, Virginia Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, and it was funded in October, 1974 ($70,000) by Pilot City Funds from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. The project had a staff of three counselors, a full-time secretary, and half-time research assistant and involved a brief hierarchy of behavior modification techniques which was administered to thirty volunteer delinquents from the Portsmouth probation rolls over a nine-month interval. Matched delinquent and non-delinquent control groups were also included. National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, Grant No. 73-DF-030014.

 

Faculty Semester Research Leave, Fall semester, 1978. Leave was requested to work on a book manuscript jointly with C. Daniel Batson of the University of Kansas. The manuscript was titled The Religious Experience: A Social Psychological Perspective and was published in 1982.

 

Faculty Summer Research Grant, Summer semester, 1983. Grant was requested to gather data on "Involuntary Smiling and Laughing during Hypnosis." The work was presented in a paper at the Fourth International Humor Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel, June 15, 1984.

 

Faculty Semester Research Leave, Fall semester, 1986. Leave requested to do research on "Effects of Humor in Systematic Desensitization." A preliminary summary was presented at the Sixth International Humor Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, March 30 - April 2, 1987.

 

The Graduates' Award 1986. An annual award given by the Virginia Consortium for Professional Psychology graduating class "in recognition for outstanding contributions to the VCPP program."

Professional Organizations:

 

Member, Board of Directors of Workshop Library on World Humor, 1980 to present.

Program Committee, Third International Humor Conference, Washington, D.C., 1982.

National Advisory Committee, Sixth International Humor Conference, Phoenix, AZ, 1987.

 

Books:

Batson, C. D. & Ventis, W. L. (1982). The religious experience: A social-psychological perspective. New York: Oxford University Press.

 

Batson, C. D., Schoenrade, P., & Ventis, W. L. (1993). Religion and The Individual. New York: Oxford University Press.

Publications:

 

Ventis, W. L. (1995). The relationships between religion and mental health. Journal of Social Issues, 51(2), 33-48.

 

McCarroll, J., Ursano, R., Fullerton, C., Oates, G., Ventis, L., Friedman, H., Shean, G., and Wright, K. (1995). Gruesomeness, Emotional Attachment, and Personal Threat: Dimensions of the Anticipated Stress of Body Recovery. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 8(2), 343-349.

 

Hafemeister, T. L., & Ventis, W. L. (1994). Juror Stress: Sources and Implications. Trial, 30(10), 68-72.

 

McCarroll, J. E., Ursano, R. J., Ventis, W. L., Fullerton, C. S., Oates, G. L., Friedman, H., Shean, G. D., & Wright, K. M. (1993). Anticipation of handling the dead- Effects of gender and experience. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 32 (4), 466-468.

 

Hafemeister, T. L. & Ventis, W. L. (1992). Juror stress: What burden have we placed on our juries? State Court Journal, 16(4), 35-46.

 

Ventis, W. L. & Ventis, D. (1989). Guidelines for the use of humor in therapy with children. In McGhee, P. E. (Ed.) Humor and children's development: A guide to practical applications. Haworth Press: New York.

 

Ventis, W. L. & Ventis, D. G. (1988). Guidelines for using humor in therapy with children and adolescents. In McGee, P. (Ed.) Humor and children's development: A guide to practical applications. Pittsburgh, PA.: Hayworth Press.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1987). Humor and laughter in behavior therapy. In Fry, W. & Salaweh, W. (Eds.), Handbook of humor and psychotherapy (pp. 149-170). Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Exchange, Inc.

 

Batson, C. D. & Ventis, W. L. (1985). Misconception of Quest: A reply to Hood and Morris. Review of Religious Research, 26(4), 398-407.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1981). "Humor in Behavior Therapy." Mindess, H. & Turek, J. (Eds.). The Study of Humor (Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Humor). Los Angeles: Antioch University. Paper was published in the Proceedings as the representative paper in the "Psychological Studies" section.

 

Chambers, J. L. & Ventis, W. L. (1975). "Need Associations of Male Prisoners: A Multidimensional Assessment of Murray Needs." Journal of Personality Assessment, 39(5), 486-496.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1973). "Case History: The Use of Laughter as an Alternative Response in Systematic Desensitization." Behavior Therapy, 4(1), 120-122.

 

Non Standard Publications:

 

National Public Radio. Interviewed on the topic of Juror Stress by Neill Conan

 

Dunn, J. R. (1998). Humor Therapy for Fear: An Interview With W. Larry Ventis, Ph. D. Humor and Health Journal, 7(3), 1-8.

 

Paper Presentations:

 

Ventis, W. L. & Gill, J. (1998, June). Relationships between humor and reactance. Paper presented at the meeting of the International Society for Humor Studies, Bergen, Norway.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1998, June). Slaughterhouse-Five: ?Shadowboxing the apocalypse?. In E. Safer (Chair), Symposium on Kurt Vonnegut?s Slaughterhouse-Five. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the International Society for Humor Studies, Bergen, Norway.

 

Ventis, W. L., Casey, P., Milkewicz, N., & Gill, J. (1998, March). The experience of jury panel members: No trial but tribulations. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the American Psychology-Law Society, Redondo Beach, CA.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1997, July). Humor, hardiness, and ways of coping. Paper presented at the International Society for Humor Studies Conference, Edmond, Oklahoma.

 

Ventis, W. L. & Hafemeister, T. (1997, April). Sources of juror stress in two related murder trials. Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Conference, Washington, D. C.

 

Ventis, W. L. & Hafemeister, T. (1996, March). Juror stress and sex differences in two related murder trials. In T. Hafemeister (Chair), Sources of juror stress and strategies for managing it. Symposium conducted at the Biennial Conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, Hilton Head, South Carolina.

 

Gable, S., Hafemeister, T., & Ventis, W. L. (1996, March). The prevalence of juror stress: Judges' perceptions. In T. Hafemeister (Chair), Sources of juror stress and strategies for managing it. Symposium conducted at the Biennial Conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, Hilton Head, South Carolina.

 

Hafemeister, T., Ventis, W. L., & Gable, S. (1996). Sources of juror stress and strategies for managing it. In T. Hafemeister (Chair), Sources of juror stress and strategies for managing it. Symposium conducted at the Biennial Conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, Hilton Head, South Carolina.

 

Maxwell, H. and Ventis, L. (1995). "A Comparison of Clients in Religious and Secular Inpatient Treatment." Paper presented at the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS), April 22, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

 

Ventis, L. (1995). "Relationships of Personality Disorders to Early Maladaptive Schemas". Paper presented at the meeting of Southeastern Psychological Association, March 24, Savannah, GA.

 

Hafemeister, T., & Ventis, W. L. (1994, March). Juror Stress. Paper presented at the American Psychology and the Law Society Biennial Meeting, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

 

Waller, M. & Ventis, W. L. (1993, September). Sense of Humor and Laterality of Brain Function. Paper presented at the Fourteenth International Humor Conference, Brussels, Belgium.

 

Ventis, W. L., Adams, B. L., & McCullough, S. (1993, March). Who Will Show Reactance to Paradoxical Techniques?. Paper presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association meeting, Atlanta, GA.

 

Ventis, W. L., Adams, B. L., & McCullough, S. (1993, April). Passive Aggressive Personality Disorder: Developmental Influences and Prominent Personality Attributes. Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association meeting, Crystal City, VA.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1992, March). Religion and Mental Health. Paper presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association meeting, Knoxville, TN.

 

McClintock, K. & Ventis, W. L. (1992, March). Developmental Influences on Passive Aggressive Personality Pattern. Paper presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association meeting, Knoxville, TN.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1992, July). Relationships Between Humor and Mental Health. Paper presented at the Twelfth International Humor Conference, Paris, France.

 

Higbee, G. L., & Ventis, W. L. (1992, July). Children's Favorite Jokes and Their Relevance to Intrapsychic and Intrafamilial Conflict in Therapy. Paper presented at the Twelfth International Humor Conference, Paris, France.

 

Ventis, W. L., Friedman, H., & Shean, G. (1991, October). Heart rate as an indicator of stress vulnerability. Paper presented at the Conference of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Washington, D.C.

 

Ventis, W. L. Shean, G. & Friedman, H. (1990, October). A study of stress responses among Graves Registration Personnel. Paper presented at the Conference of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, New Orleans, LA.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1989, April). Getting laughs without jokes. Paper presented at the Seventh International Humor Conference, Laie, HI. Published in conference proceedings.

 

Gerald, R. & Ventis, W. L. (1989, August). The impact of religious values on therapist's judgements of clients. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Convention, New Orleans, LA.

 

Ventis, L. Higbee, G., & Murdock, S (1988, May). Therapeutic use of humor in systematic desensitization. Paper presented at the Fourth Conference on Psychology and Health, San Antonio, TX.

 

Fuhr, S. & Ventis, W. L. (1988). Perry's positions and religion as a means end, or quest: Cognitive complexity and religious orientation. Paper presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association Convention, Atlanta, GA, March 31-April 2, 1988.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1987). Effects of humor in systematic desensitization. Paper presented at the Sixth International Humor Conference, Phoenix, AZ, April 2-5, 1987.

 

Eldridge, M. R. & Ventis, W. L. (1986). Parental childrearing practices and assertiveness in college students. Paper presented at the Southeastern Psychological Convention, Kissammee, FL, March 26-29, 1986.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1985). The relationship between self-monitoring ability and hypnotic susceptibility. Paper presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association Convention, Atlanta, GA, March 26-29, 1985.

 

Laws, C. & Ventis, W. L. (1985). Moral reasoning, perceived parental child rearing. Practices, and sex role development. Paper presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association Convention, Atlanta, GA, March 26-29, 1985.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1984). Involuntary Smiling and Laughing During Hypnosis. Paper presented at the Fourth International Humor Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel, June 15, 1984.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1982). On Being Insane in Sane Places. Paper presented at the Third International Humor Conference, Washington, D.C., August 28, 1982.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1982). A Naturalistic Observation Study of Humor in Therapy. Paper presented at the Third International Humor Conference, Washington, D.C., August 27, 1982.

 

Ventis, W. L., Batson, C. D., & Burke, D. (1982). Religious Orientation and Self-Actualization: A Psychometric Study. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Convention, Washington, D.C., August 24, 1982.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1982). The Effect of Reading Level on Response to Moral Education. Paper presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 24-27, 1982.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1979). Humor in Behavior Therapy. Paper presented at the Second International Humor Conference, Los Angelos, California, August 23-26, 1979.

 

Ventis, W. L., McKenna, B., and Null C. (1979). Effects of Family Composition Variables on Contingent Responses in Family Interaction, or, Mom Always Liked You Best. Paper presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 28-31, 1979.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1977). Volunteer Youth Research: Behavioral and Cognitive Effects of a Community Treatment Program for Delinquents. Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Convention, Boston, Massachusetts, April, 1977.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1977). Behavior Observation of Family Interactions. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Convention, San Francisco, California, August 26-30, 1977.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1976). Moral Development in Delinquent and Non-Delinquent Males and Its Enhancement. Paper presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 18-21, 1976.

 

Chambers, J. L. and Ventis, W. L. (1974). Need Associations of Male Prisoners: An Alternative to a Unidimensional Measure of Murray Needs. Paper presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association Convention, Hollywood, Florida, May 2, 1974.

 

Ventis, W. L. (1971). Modes of Maternal Reinforcement for Infant Vocalization. Paper presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Convention, New York, NY, March 1971.

 

Other:

 

Ventis, W. L. "Evaluation of the Moral Education Program in the Chesapeake Boys' Home", Virginia Department of Justice and Crime Prevention. Submitted, November, 1979.

 

McKenna, V., Ventis, W. L., & Null, C. "Age at Marriage and Child Spacing: A Longitudinal Study of Parental Attitudes and Children's Personality," National Institute for Child Health and Development, Office of Population Research, September, 1979.

 

Ventis, W. L. "Volunteer Youth Research: A Program Evaluation", completed August, 1976.

[motherengine]

my god freethinker you just wrote an epic account of the credentials of someone. still a random person and credentials do not give someone a pipeline to absolute truth.

[motherengine]

meditation, biofeedback and yoga are positive things directly related to religion. i would include medicine but this has roots in both. i suppose i could site the religious mentality of the abolishists and the bogus science of inequality used to justify slavery as well. but honestly i think that if one puts down their books and goes out into the world the positive aspects of religion are self evident. call me wacky but to say something is evil and has no redeeming features seems like biased and questionable reasoning to me.

[motherengine]

Show us ANYTHING that religion has EVER done that was neither Secular based (i.e. not a contradiction to that religion's written tenets) nor could be done better withoout the religion involved. Show us an example of ANYTHING in which religion has a more positive outcome than non-religion.

 

comforting those afraid of death and experiencing loss.

[motherengine]

And of course religion justifies more bad than atheism does. Atheism cannot support anything, as it is a lack of belief, not a belief itself.

 

i distinctly remember jeffrey dahmer talking about his justification of murder as a direct result of his non-belief [more specificaly the theory of evolution as it related to the worth of life in a moral sense).

[motherengine]

I think that FT has done a decent job at just that. Granted some of the sources listed had conclusions that were opinion, but many others had imperical data that support his POV. You demanded facts to support his claim, he has provided some, and asked you to do the same. It was FT who asked for refrences to your claims initially, I believe, and has provided such for his POV.

 

what imperical data? and why should i read a bunch of books in order to challenge a prejudicial viewpoint? i am not asking anyone to read the bible or the rig veda. all i am doing is trying to get freethinker to show some of the 'integrity' he demands from others.