I received this forward today.

That Little Penny In The Parking Lot
Remember this every time you pass that little penny in the parking lot.
I always thought that it was for good luck, but I love this version better.

I found a penny today
Laying on the ground.
But it's not just a penny,
This little coin I've found.

Found pennies come from heaven,
that's what my Grandpa told me.
He said Angels toss them down.
Oh, how I loved that story.

He said when an Angel misses you,
They toss a penny down;
Sometimes just to cheer you up,
To make a smile out of your frown.

So, don't pass by that penny
When you're feeling blue.
It may be a penny from heaven
That an Angel's tossed to you.

So now pass this on to people you care about
I just did.
An Angel is now watching over you.
Have A Great Day!

There was a time when I would think nothing of a Cute little story like this, but since George W Bush, I think differently... Now, I would never tell it to my "Little Ones" unless I told them, it was just pretend. Unfortunately, too many adults in America, believe in Angels and would retell this little fairy story, as though it were the honest to goodness, TRUTH. And because of that, we may still wind up with another George W Bush but this time Ole' Dubya will be wearing a SKIRT!  thinkingblue
Please scroll down to read a few statistics about RELIGION IN AMERICA.

Keep scrolling down:

The Religious and Other Beliefs of Americans 2005

That very large majorities of the American public believe in God, miracles, the survival of the
soul after death, heaven, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the Virgin birth will come as no
great surprise. What may be more surprising is that significant minorities believe in ghosts,
UFOs, witches, astrology, and in reincarnation – the belief that they were themselves
reincarnated from other people. Six in ten believe in hell and the devil.

These are some of the findings of The Harris Poll of 889 U.S. adults conducted online by
Harris Interactive® between November 15 and 22, 2005.

The survey also found that women are more likely than men to hold both Christian and
non-Christian beliefs. Republicans are more likely than Democrats and Independents to hold
Christian beliefs. The level of belief is generally highest among people without a college
education and lowest among those with postgraduate degrees.

The 82 percent of adults who believe in God include 86 percent of women and 93 percent of
Republicans but only 78 percent of men, 69 percent of those with postgraduate degrees, and
75 percent of political independents.

The 73 percent of adults who believe in miracles include 79 percent of women, 83 percent of
those with high school education or less and 76 percent of Republicans. Fewer (66%) men,
post graduates (50%) and Independents (65%) believe in miracles.

The 70 percent of those who believe in the survival of the soul after death include 74 percent
of women, 82 percent of Republicans but only 66 percent of men. Three-quarters (76%) of
those without a college degree share this belief but only 53 percent of those with postgraduate
degrees believe in this.

The 70 percent who believe in heaven includes 76 percent of women and 64 percent of men.
This falls to 60 percent of Independents and 49 percent among people with postgraduate
degrees.

Seven in ten (70%) believe that Jesus is God or the son of God. This belief is more prevalent
among women (75%) than men (64%), among those with less education (77%) than among post
graduates (48%) and among Republicans (82%) than Independents (62%).

On almost all the beliefs that are central to Christianity, there is a general pattern with:

Higher prevalence of belief among women than among men.
Higher prevalence of belief among people with no college education and lower prevalence of
belief among those with postgraduate education.

Other interesting findings include:


Six in ten adults believe in the devil (61%) and in hell (59%).
Forty percent of the public, including 46 percent of women and 33 percent of men believe in
ghosts.

One third (34%) believe in UFOs. More men (38%) than women (31%) hold this belief.
Just under three in ten (28%) adults believe in witches with slightly more men (30%) than women (27%) believing in them.

One quarter (25%) of adults believe in astrology including 30 percent of women and 19 percent of men.

One in five (21%) believe in reincarnation, the belief that they were once another person.
While many people are very clear on what they do or do not believe in, there is a significant
proportion (ranging from 10% to 25%), depending on the belief, that indicates that they are "not
sure" one way or another. For example, 10 percent say they are "not sure" if they believe in
God and 25 percent say they are "not sure" if they believe in reincarnation or UFOs.

NO WONDER WE WOUND UP WITH GEORGE W BUSH, AND MAY STILL HAVE TO ENDURE THE LIKES OF SARAH PALIN... thinkingblue

Blind Faith

Americans believe in religion -- but know little about it.

Reviewed by Susan Jacoby
RELIGIOUS LITERACY

What Every American Needs to Know -- and Doesn't

By Stephen Prothero

The United States is the most religious nation in the developed world, if religiosity is
measured by belief in all things supernatural -- from God and the Virgin Birth to the humbler
workings of angels and demons. Americans are also the most religiously ignorant people in
the Western world. Fewer than half of us can identify Genesis as the first book of the Bible,
and only one third know that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

These are just two of the depressing statistics in Stephen Prothero's provocative and timely
Religious Literacy. The author of American Jesus (2003) and the chair of the religion
department at Boston University, Prothero sees America's religious illiteracy as even more
dangerous than general cultural illiteracy "because religion is the most volatile constituent of
culture, because religion has been, in addition to one of the greatest forces for good in world
history, one of the greatest forces for evil."

In this book, the author combines a lively history of the rise and fall of American religious
literacy with a set of proposed remedies based on his hope that "the Fall into religious
ignorance is reversible." He also includes a useful multicultural glossary of religious
definitions and allusions, in which religious illiterates can find the prodigal son, the promised
land, the Quakers and the Koran.

The condition Prothero describes in Religious Literacy is unquestionably one manifestation of
a more general decline in the public's cultural and civic knowledge. According to polls
conducted by the National Constitution Center, only one third of Americans can name even one
of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. Is it any more startling that only one third
can identify the preacher of the Sermon on the Mount?

A 2005 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that nearly two-thirds of
Americans endorse the simultaneous teaching of creationism and evolution in public schools.
How can citizens know what creationism means, or make an informed decision about whether
it belongs in classrooms, if fewer than half can identify Genesis? No doubt the same
proportion of Americans think that Thomas Edison said, "Let there be light."

Approximately 75 percent of adults, according to polls cited by Prothero, mistakenly believe
the Bible teaches that "God helps those who help themselves." More than 10 percent think
that Noah's wife was Joan of Arc. Only half can name even one of the four Gospels, and -- a
finding that will surprise many -- evangelical Christians are only slightly more knowledgeable
than their non-evangelical counterparts.

It is less surprising but more dangerous, given America's role in the world, that the public knows even less about Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism and Hinduism than it does about Christianity and Judaism. As Prothero notes, President Bush repeatedly declared that "Islam is peace" in the months after 9/11, while the prophet Muhammad was called a "terrorist" by the Rev. Jerry Falwell. "Who was right?" Prothero asks. "Unfortunately, Americans had no way to judge."

Click here to read more:
Susan Jacoby is the author of "Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism."

Positive Psychology Can Be Dangerous!
April 27th, 2008

Positive Psychology is very popular in American academia today.

Positive psychologists believe we can all be happy or happier by being more positive.

They suggest we substitute more positive judgments for negative ones, spend time on gratitude lists and journal good things that happen in our lives.

They believe the more time we spend focusing on positives over negatives, the happier we will be.

They preach the Gospel of Learned Optimism, that we can learn to be more optimistic in our assessments of life and be happier.

The Positive Psychology Happiness Formula is :
Positive Judgments => Produce Happiness
Negative Judgments => Mean Misery
Therefore More Positive Judgments Mean More Happiness

While there is some truth to this statement (it is a variant of the First Law of Happiness - Our
Focus Determines Our Feelings) they overlook a number of key points.

The first is optimism can cause us to overlook or ignore important danger signals and warning
signs that help us to thrive and survive. We are told we just need to be more positive, to see
more benefits fewer threats. This can be dangerous.

The Happiness Habit model is different. Habitually happy people assess reality very accurately and take decisive and often very creative action. Once they are confident they have made good decisions, they put the full force of positive expectations behind their drive to excel and do well.

They know the dangers of excessive optimism and react accordingly.

More importantly, Habitually Happy people don’t ignore misery.
They know misery has some meaning.

Misery is meant to make us move and take action - it is a signal something needs to change
or is changing.

It often means we need to change what we are doing, how we think about it or both. Or perhaps
our world is changing and we need to change to adapt and adjust, like it or not.

Stuffing, ignoring or replacing negative signals with learned optimism is not the universal
route to happiness and spiritual success.

When our gut, our heart, soul and being are screaming something is wrong, we cannot simply
try to pretend everything is fine.

We need to look at those negative feelings, understand what they tell us and act accordingly.
Are the perceived threats real or merely effects of past conditioning, environment and
experience? Can we turn those negatives into positives?

Assess reality accurately. Explore and appreciate what negative feelings are trying to tell you.

Make decisive, effective decisions. Put the full force of positive expectations behind all your
actions. Use a drive to excel and do well to propel you to happiness and success. Try to enjoy
each and every moment. Be Happy!

See HappinessHabit.com for more information about happiness and spiritual success.

Copyright 1999-2008 by Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved. Reprints. Comment on this posting below.

THERE HAS GOT TO BE SOME CHANGES MADE!

MORE FORWARDS HERE: