• OPEN DISCUSSION - For the first 30 minutes of the Thursday night forums we will have informal open discussion. This will allow for late arrivals, food & drink ordering, and new attendees to become acclimated.
• ANNOUNCEMENTS - Any events, news, or other items that you feel are of interest to the group can be announced at the start of Free Inquiry Forum.

TOPICS for Thursday (4/14/05) & Monday (4/18/05):

1. What was your reaction to the Pope's death and the media coverage that followed? President Bush ordered flags to be flown at half mast in order to honor Pope John Paul II. Some argue that it is inappropriate for the American flag to be lowered as a salute to a foreign religious leader. Do you think the flag should have been lowered to honor the Pope? What do you think about arguments made that the Pope is not worth mourning over due to Church transgressions that include the Crusades, the condemning of Galileo, the Spanish Inquisition, the opposition to birth control, support for pedophile priests, and others? U.S. opinion polls indicate that a majority of Americans want a more progressive Pope. However, many believe the new Pope will not be more progressive and could actually be more conservative than John Paul. Do you think the new Pope will be more conservative or progressive? And what impact will either outcome have?
2. Earth Day has become an international focus on our planet, and how best to protect and preserve it.  Most recognize it from April 22, 1970, when initiated by Sen. Gaylord Nelson.  Others, including the UN, say March 21, 1970, the Vernal Equinox, when a similar celebration was launched by San Francisco activist John McConnell, a follower of economist Henry George. Whatever its parentage, it symbolizes the growing importance of ecology and environmentalism around the world. Despite traditional dualism by mainstream Christians, who renounce Earth's importance in favor of their spiritual world, and despite Christian Rapturists who believe that approaching End times make Earthly concerns meaningless, a few Christian evangelicals today support Earth's cause. What important issues face our planet today, and what can be done about them? Is population growth the most serious threat, and, if so, what can be done about it? Is our government doing enough on behalf of the Earth, or should  more be done?
3. An eight-year study of 12,000 teens suggests that those who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are more likely to take chances with other kinds of sex that increase the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. This study seems to help explain earlier findings that teens who pledged abstinence are just as likely to have STDs as their peers. What is your reaction to this study? Do you think this is sufficient evidence to conclude that abstinence-only programs are ineffective if not more dangerous?
4. OPEN DISCUSSION.

Quote of the week: "...the Roman Catholic Church has been responsible for the retarding of human development on a colossal scale." [Christopher Hitchens - Source]

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