SOCIAL GROUP: Atheists, agnostics, free-thinkers, non-believers

[Jennifer3141]

A book rec seems apropos:

 

The Anatomy of Disgust

 

You and your book recs!!! If I click the link, am I going to find something more disgusting that my book??!?!

[nmoira]

You and your book recs!!! If I click the link, am I going to find something more disgusting that my book??!?!

 

It's an academic work. :)

[Clarkd]

Where do you buy curriculum? I want to buy some Saxon Math books. Amazon and HSBC don't have what I need. Do you go directly to the main publisher? All the big curric. Companies (e.g. Rainbow Resource) seem to be Christian.

[Guest inoubliable]

Here's something to ponder at Pepboys: moist smegma brownies with nuts. Eewww I can't believe I just typed that. Where's the gagging smiley???

 

Eaten on a public toilet.

 

I love you a-holes. I really do. :001_tt1: I'm so glad I was done with my Sonic sundae before I refreshed this thread.

[Guest inoubliable]

Covered in kernels.

 

 

Unfortunately, I was still drinking my cherry coke when I got this point. I have no idea how sticky my keyboard is going to forever be.

 

*wince*

 

And now THAT'S making me feel squidgy.

[Guest inoubliable]

Where do you buy curriculum? I want to buy some Saxon Math books. Amazon and HSBC don't have what I need. Do you go directly to the main publisher? All the big curric. Companies (e.g. Rainbow Resource) seem to be Christian.

 

I've found used copies of Saxon math books and new workbooks on Amazon. I don't think it's something that they ALWAYS have, though. DS8 used Saxon last year for part of it and I was able to order the text and the second of two workbooks, but had to wait three weeks for the first workbook to be available. If you don't need it immediately, I'd keep checking Amazon. They had the best prices when I was looking. I think you can go directly through the publisher, too.

I think you go through http://saxonhomeschool.hmhco.com/en/products/default.htm?level2Code=M0006

[Desert Rat]

I just bite the bullet and buy from Rainbow Resource. I have found a seller on eBay for Singapore math but when I got the package in the mail, the name of the company (not the user name) is Song of Solomon, soooooo.....

It's the same reason I shop at Walmart. I can't afford not to.

[Shawna in Texas]

 

 

Unfortunately, I was still drinking my cherry coke when I got this point. I have no idea how sticky my keyboard is going to forever be.

 

*wince*

 

And now THAT'S making me feel squidgy.

 

Urgh. I was okay with moist and smegma, then you had to go and say squidgy. :ack2:

[chiguirre]

I've always gotten good service from Rainbow Resource and they do carry a lot of secular books. I've never gotten any offensive mail or email from them, although I might have missed something since I don't always open their emails. Is there a secular hs curriculum company that carries a broad range of stuff?

[Desert Rat]

I've always gotten good service from Rainbow Resource and they do carry a lot of secular books. I've never gotten any offensive mail or email from them, although I might have missed something since I don't always open their emails. Is there a secular hs curriculum company that carries a broad range of stuff?

 

Not that I'm aware of. Anyone?

[Shawna in Texas]

I just bite the bullet and buy from Rainbow Resource. I have found a seller on eBay for Singapore math but when I got the package in the mail, the name of the company (not the user name) is Song of Solomon, soooooo.....

It's the same reason I shop at Walmart. I can't afford not to.

 

 

Song of Solomon is the best part of the Bible! Good times.

 

I think classicalhomeeducation.com is good. Not as large as RR by a long shot, but a nice option to have.

 

I do make one large RR order a year. I appreciate them because while I know their product descriptions and reviews are to aid Christians, they are helpful to me as well.

 

Mostly it's Amazon. On occasion HSBC and Book Depository. I do a big Royal Fireworks Press once a year, too. Maybe a few other odds and ends places, too.

[Audrey]

I get pretty much all of my stuff (that isn't Oak Meadow) from The Book Depository. They sell Saxon. They also sell SOTW and my favourite, Galore Park, who produce fantastic secular, British curricula for almost every subject. We love their Latin Prep series. Book Depository has free worldwide shipping and is very competitive with pricing, often beating Amazon ( :sneaky2: a corporate beast I loathe).

[Laura Corin]

I get pretty much all of my stuff (that isn't Oak Meadow) from The Book Depository. They sell Saxon. They also sell SOTW and my favourite, Galore Park, who produce fantastic secular, British curricula for almost every subject. We love their Latin Prep series. Book Depository has free worldwide shipping and is very competitive with pricing, often beating Amazon ( :sneaky2: a corporate beast I loathe).

 

 

I'm sorry to have to tell you that BD is now an Amazon company.

 

Laura

[LaxMom]

 

 

But I want to know why. And then you'll dare me to read it. And then... will you be OK and I'll have to find someone to read it to lift the curse from me?

 

It seems to work like that. At least, that's what I think when I find myself with knowledge I don't want so I have to share it with someone else so I'm not alone in the knowledge... But, then, no. The curse is still there. Alas.

[nmoira]

I'm sorry to have to tell you that BD is now an Amazon company.

 

Laura

 

 

When Railsea was released I tried to order the UK edition from BD, but their only options were the US edition and a expensive slipcase special UK edition. I ended up ordering from Amazon and paying shipping. I just checked, and nothing has changed. This is new to me.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I'm pretending this is my biggest problem-

 

Help me find an area in Charleston SC that lacks churches.

 

The constant bell ringing over here is driving me nutso!

[Dana]

I just bite the bullet and buy from Rainbow Resource. I have found a seller on eBay for Singapore math but when I got the package in the mail, the name of the company (not the user name) is Song of Solomon, soooooo.....

It's the same reason I shop at Walmart. I can't afford not to.

 

For Singapore math, I just get it from singaporemath.com When I compared prices, it was about the same overall as Rainbow.

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm sorry to have to tell you that BD is now an Amazon company.

 

Laura

 

Huh. Did not know that.

[Mom-ninja.]

The constant bell ringing over here is driving me nutso!

 

I miss the hearing the church bells from when I lived in Europe. Dh does too. Loved the church bells. We also love the churches in Europe too. The buildings that is. So pretty.

[BrookValley.]

I suck it up an order from Rainbow Resource, too. I can't help it; that beastly catalog is really helpful. I will also admit a fondness for their Christmas catalog (though the cover last year was just...too weird).

[Izzy]

I order from RR too. The shipping seems to take forever. Or maybe Amazon has spoiled me. :p

[nmoira]

I order what I can from RR in a single, annual order. The shipping may be slow, but they offer a great service and no one can compare. Everything else I either order direct from the publisher or from Amazon (used if possible).

[Ipsey]

I thought this was interesting. I'm pondering it.

 

"Across the three studies presented here, distinct profiles of emotion processing emerged for individuals who self-identified with religion versus atheism. Specifically, compared to reli- giously identified individuals, atheists reported less intense positive emotions associated with a recalled love experience (Study 1), less sadness in immediate response to reading about a tragic news event (Study 2), and less vivid episodic memories of emotion-laden positive and negative events (Study 3). At the same time, atheists also reported greater general facility with respect to focusing on, identifying, and describing their own emotions (Study 3). Stated in reverse, religiously identified individuals reported more vivid, emotion-laden memories and more intense “online†emotional experiences, but they also reported greater global difficulty with respect to differentiating their emotions compared to atheists. Self-identified agnostic/no religion individuals appeared to be genuinely in between: Across studies, they were different from atheists, different from religious individuals, or different from neither."

 

Christopher T. Burris, Raluca Petrican.The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 21:183–197, 2011, p. 193

[Guest inoubliable]

Huh. Maybe I should check out RR, then. I've always used Amazon for 99.9% of what I order (even groceries, office supplies, clothes, kitchen stuff...) I'm starting to dislike the company and the pricing, though. Over the last year, I've had a few problems with third-party sellers that Amazon refused to help with and their pricing isn't always the lowest compared to local sources. For books, though, I end up going back over and over again since we only have a Books-a-Million here and it blows.

[Guest inoubliable]

I thought this was interesting. I'm pondering it.

 

"Across the three studies presented here, distinct profiles of emotion processing emerged for individuals who self-identified with religion versus atheism. Specifically, compared to reli- giously identified individuals, atheists reported less intense positive emotions associated with a recalled love experience (Study 1), less sadness in immediate response to reading about a tragic news event (Study 2), and less vivid episodic memories of emotion-laden positive and negative events (Study 3). At the same time, atheists also reported greater general facility with respect to focusing on, identifying, and describing their own emotions (Study 3). Stated in reverse, religiously identified individuals reported more vivid, emotion-laden memories and more intense “online†emotional experiences, but they also reported greater global difficulty with respect to differentiating their emotions compared to atheists. Self-identified agnostic/no religion individuals appeared to be genuinely in between: Across studies, they were different from atheists, different from religious individuals, or different from neither."

 

Christopher T. Burris, Raluca Petrican.The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 21:183–197, 2011, p. 193

 

Interesting...

[Izzy]

I thought this was interesting. I'm pondering it.

 

"Across the three studies presented here, distinct profiles of emotion processing emerged for individuals who self-identified with religion versus atheism. Specifically, compared to reli- giously identified individuals, atheists reported less intense positive emotions associated with a recalled love experience (Study 1), less sadness in immediate response to reading about a tragic news event (Study 2), and less vivid episodic memories of emotion-laden positive and negative events (Study 3). At the same time, atheists also reported greater general facility with respect to focusing on, identifying, and describing their own emotions (Study 3). Stated in reverse, religiously identified individuals reported more vivid, emotion-laden memories and more intense “online†emotional experiences, but they also reported greater global difficulty with respect to differentiating their emotions compared to atheists. Self-identified agnostic/no religion individuals appeared to be genuinely in between: Across studies, they were different from atheists, different from religious individuals, or different from neither."

 

Christopher T. Burris, Raluca Petrican.The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 21:183–197, 2011, p. 193

 

Wow, that describes me perfectly. I'm a very rational person and stop to think about what I'm feeling before I display emotion. My emotions also aren't as deep as some other people. Instead of reacting, my mind immediately tries to figure out the steps to fix or help the problem. I'm the thinker and DH is the feeler of the family. :) That might explain why he has difficulty letting go of religion. He doesn't much believe it anymore but still uses it as a crutch. I can also spot BS from miles away, but at the same time I'm not cynical.

 

I wish we could do a poll inside this thread.

[Izzy]

I just read about this:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/science/project-seeks-to-build-map-of-human-brain.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&

 

It made me think of the study llpsey posted. I hope they get the funding they need.

[Jennifer3141]

I do too, Izzy. I'm worried that the party who wants to toss all science out of public schools and replace it with prayer will somehow kill this.

[TeacherZee]

 

 

THAT'S why I got it!!! A couple of my more radical feminist friends had read it so I thought, "M'kay. I'll give it a whirl."

 

And that your Honor, is how I found out I'll forever be a Second Wave feminist.

 

It's called, Wetlands. I had to go on amazon and search my least favorite word to find it again. Trust me. The description of the book - which WILL make you nauseaous enough - does not do the book justice. It's worse. A million times worse.

 

It's the only time in my life I've actually actually just thrown a book away. I tossed it literally in with the cat litter and some junk mail with my name on it. I was afraid if I recycled it, that some poor soul would pull it out of the bin just to take a look.

 

I once bet a group of women even younger than myself that I'd pay $100 to anyone who could finish the book without throwing up. No one took me up on it.

 

And I've never looked at public toilet seats the same way again. I have to be in danger of something exploding before I'll use a public restroom.

 

 

Okay I'm late to the party, but it is shown as often being bought with Fifty Shades, which made me laugh

[Jennifer3141]

 

Okay I'm late to the party, but it is shown as often being bought with Fifty Shades, which made me laugh

 

 

Appropriate. Both books make me want to puke. One for being gross and one for being so badly written that I wanted to gouge my own eyes out.

[Guest inoubliable]

 

Okay I'm late to the party, but it is shown as often being bought with Fifty Shades, which made me laugh

 

 

LOL. I've not read Fifty Shades but I know what's in it. I take that back - I read select passages to my mother after she bought it at Target and didn't realize what it was. We had a "Dramatic Readings by KK" in my living room. I had no idea a person's face could make so many shades of...red. Awful writing. Awful awful awful.

[Jennifer3141]

 

LOL. I've not read Fifty Shades but I know what's in it. I take that back - I read select passages to my mother after she bought it at Target and didn't realize what it was. We had a "Dramatic Readings by KK" in my living room. I had no idea a person's face could make so many shades of...red. Awful writing. Awful awful awful.

 

 

 

I've read all three! I wear that like a demented badge of honor.

 

She may be the only author who actually gets WORSE the more she writes.

 

The one good thing that came out of it is that I used to text my DH passages while he worked during slow and odd hours. In our 15 years together, I've never been able to make him break a stride while getting my texts and I have TRIED, babies!

 

That book did it. He had to leave a lab before getting results and go someplace private to bust out laughing.

 

15 years...

 

I'd like that moron and the other other moron picked up and left on a raft in the middle of the ocean. :laugh:

[Audrey]

 

 

I'm sorry to have to tell you that BD is now an Amazon company.

 

Laura

 

Thanks, that's a bit disappointing, but good to know.

I must have missed the change-over. I still seem to be getting better service than Amazon, and better selection. Amazon.ca is such a pain as nothing is ever really in stock. I will likely keep ordering from BD.

[delaney]

Is anyone out there emotionally controlled? I don't allow myself to cry very much. I think the last time i cried was like 3 1/2 years ago when I had an all out brawl with my mom and before that...2005? I think when I had a miscarriage. I hate crying and avoid it at all costs. Is it just me? I remember when my friend's house burned down everyone sat around crying and I was like WTF? Let's get the show on the road people. Life is waiting and no one died so all will be fine.

[Izzy]

Is anyone out there emotionally controlled? I don't allow myself to cry very much. I think the last time i cried was like 3 1/2 years ago when I had an all out brawl with my mom and before that...2005? I think when I had a miscarriage. I hate crying and avoid it at all costs. Is it just me? I remember when my friend's house burned down everyone sat around crying and I was like WTF? Let's get the show on the road people. Life is waiting and no one died so all will be fine.

 

 

I am. I simply do not cry except when pregnant and then it's over the dumbest things. That's when I know I'm pregnant! To me, crying is like praying. It shows you care or gives you a moment to think about yourself and sometimes makes you feel better. But it doesn't solve the problem. :D

[delaney]

That's how I feel. Like when someone dies the hurt should be for the family left behind from the loss. I don't get crying over "you" missing the person. That is selfish. Especially if you claim christianity. Being in a better place and all that jive should not be sad, right?

[Guest inoubliable]

Is anyone out there emotionally controlled? I don't allow myself to cry very much. I think the last time i cried was like 3 1/2 years ago when I had an all out brawl with my mom and before that...2005? I think when I had a miscarriage. I hate crying and avoid it at all costs. Is it just me? I remember when my friend's house burned down everyone sat around crying and I was like WTF? Let's get the show on the road people. Life is waiting and no one died so all will be fine.

 

 

I'm the same - to a degree. There are some emotions that seem..."useless", to me, at times. The house fire you mention. I'd be the same way. "Get off your asses, people. There's stuff to do here!". AFTERwards I'm sure I'd feel awful for someone's loss. (And so you know that I'm not a total monster, I will bawl at certain scenes in Hotel Rwanda.) I don't seem to hold back with emotions like happiness, though. For some reason, laughing and smiling doesn't seem "useless" to me. I can wash dishes through laughing. I can savor a moment while hugging someone. Hmm. This is hard to explain. I guess I compartmentalize some emotions? I save them for when I feel like it's a good time to have them.

[Guest inoubliable]

That's how I feel. Like when someone dies the hurt should be for the family left behind from the loss. I don't get crying over "you" missing the person. That is selfish. Especially if you claim christianity. Being in a better place and all that jive should not be sad, right?

 

 

Yes! OF COURSE, I miss my grandparents. I think it's sad that most of my children didn't get to meet a few of them. But I didn't cry about them being gone. One of my grandfathers died when I was five. We were incredibly close and my parents decided that I shouldn't go to the burial - only the wake and funeral. Why? Because some dipshit psychologist agreed with my parents that I was flawed somehow since I hadn't yet cried. He'd had two massive heart attacks and a stroke - within a week. He was never going to come home from the hospital. I knew that. Why would I have been sad for him when he'd finally been released from all that pain?? At my grandmother's funeral, I was the only one there not sobbing incessantly. I was so happy for her, actually. She had been in so much pain, and honestly she checked out months beforehand. Some family members accused me of all sorts of hurtful things since it was noticeable that I wasn't crying.

[Izzy]

 

 

I'm the same - to a degree. There are some emotions that seem..."useless", to me, at times. The house fire you mention. I'd be the same way. "Get off your asses, people. There's stuff to do here!". AFTERwards I'm sure I'd feel awful for someone's loss. (And so you know that I'm not a total monster, I will bawl at certain scenes in Hotel Rwanda.) I don't seem to hold back with emotions like happiness, though. For some reason, laughing and smiling doesn't seem "useless" to me. I can wash dishes through laughing. I can savor a moment while hugging someone. Hmm. This is hard to explain. I guess I compartmentalize some emotions? I save them for when I feel like it's a good time to have them.

 

Laughing is a whole different story for me. I LOVE to laugh. I married DH because he was so dang funny. We are that family of 6 in Walmart running each other over with carts and laughing hysterically. Pranks are a daily occurrence around here. :D

[Izzy]

 

 

Yes! OF COURSE, I miss my grandparents. I think it's sad that most of my children didn't get to meet a few of them. But I didn't cry about them being gone. One of my grandfathers died when I was five. We were incredibly close and my parents decided that I shouldn't go to the burial - only the wake and funeral. Why? Because some dipshit psychologist agreed with my parents that I was flawed somehow since I hadn't yet cried. He'd had two massive heart attacks and a stroke - within a week. He was never going to come home from the hospital. I knew that. Why would I have been sad for him when he'd finally been released from all that pain?? At my grandmother's funeral, I was the only one there not sobbing incessantly. I was so happy for her, actually. She had been in so much pain, and honestly she checked out months beforehand. Some family members accused me of all sorts of hurtful things since it was noticeable that I wasn't crying.

 

This is what upsets me about people saying someone didn't react appropriately to a death. I don't think there is one way to react. My boyfriend died when I was 19. It was the most horrible pain I've ever been through in my life. I sobbed all day and night. I ended up totaling my car because I probably shouldn't have been driving. But I did not cry at his funeral. All of his friends were there and we hung out after the funeral. It made me feel close to him. I guess if you only saw me that day you'd think I wasn't mourning but I was.

[Ipsey]

I definitely laugh. And I definitely cry.

If someone's house burned down, I'd probably expect them to cry, or not be surprised if they did. I'd probably cry.

Then, I'd say, "All right, let's get to work." And then I'd probably cry from time to time about it. But. . . I'd keep working.

I haven't cried in years, but this past week after being so sick with the flu and being down and being stressed, I had a whole day of bawling. Now, I'm ok. :)

I'm definitely over-sensitive about some things, too. I cried reading Casey at the Bat as a kid. Sheesh, of all the characters who don't deserve tears!

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm weird. Sometimes I can control it and sometimes I can't. Just 2 weeks ago at the doctor's office with my oldest, I started crying when I was explaining his symptoms. I felt like an idiot. When I had the meeting with the educational psychologist who diagnosed ds with dyslexia, I cried. Again, felt like an idiot. When my mom called and said my dad was in the hospital having emergency surgery, I couldn't have get the words out of my mouth to tell dh what was happening. I was crying too hard.

 

I lose my temper with my kids, my dad, and my mom often and my anger comes boiling out.

 

Yet, anger with anyone else? I can keep it under control. Scary health issues with anyone other than my dad and kids and I don't break down.

 

It seems my kids and my parents are the people involved when I can't seem to keep it together.

[LucyStoner]

We buy most of our stuff used from here or the homeschool classifieds or from the publishers for stuff like MCT. For the stuff I order through the homeschool resource center we use, I give them the cheapest websites possible for each item so I can stretch my $400/yr a bit more. I have a total distaste for Amazon and their culture so I tend to avoid them when I can. Which is really too bad because I live in Amazon land and they have Amazon Fresh here.

[nmoira]

We buy most of our stuff used from here or the homeschool classifieds or from the publishers for stuff like MCT. For the stuff I order through the homeschool resource center we use, I give them the cheapest websites possible for each item so I can stretch my $400/yr a bit more. I have a total distaste for Amazon and their culture so I tend to avoid them when I can. Which is really too bad because I live in Amazon land and they have Amazon Fresh here.

 

 

We purchase a lot of "real" books from Powell's, and I'd love to be able to get more. However, they've never courted homeschoolers and only have a piddly little homeschooling section.

[TeacherZee]

I tend to cry when I get stressed. That seems to be my body's response to stress. It is SOOOOO embarrassing. A grown woman crying in the opticians (an hour away) because her contacts haven't been delivered. I'm glad I wasn't sectioned :glare: My boss know to just ignore the tears and hand me a tissue any more. It is just stress. So embarassing.

[LucyStoner]

We purchase a lot of "real" books from Powell's, and I'd love to be able to get more. However, they've never courted homeschoolers and only have a piddly little homeschooling section.

 

Yeah, none of the local landmark indie bookstores I am aware of seem to court us homeschoolers. I would love it if they did.

[Desert Rat]

 

For Singapore math, I just get it from singaporemath.com When I compared prices, it was about the same overall as Rainbow.

 

I used to, also. But this seller on ebay has the books for a couple bucks cheaper and free shipping. Cheapest always wins. :)

[tex-bex]

I just wanted to say "Hi!" I've been lurking here for a while, but felt compelled to actually register today. Secular, non-religious homeschooler here, smack dab in the middle of Texas, so you could say I'm a bit of an outsider. We have found a great inclusive playgroup, though, and we love it! The Dallas area isn't quite as conservative as maybe the rest of the state is. Though, I was born and raised north of San Francisco, so most places seem conservative to me. :D

 

Anyway, you can probably count me as about 10-15 of the thread views, ha!

 

I look forward to chatting with you all!

[Jennifer3141]

I live and die with Amazon. Could not live without them in our rural area. Or I could, but I'd be spending about 50 times more in gas. And I'd have to go be around people more. <shudder>

I buy from amazon, abe's books, and RR. Math comes directly from Critical Thinking.

 

Ahhh, emotion...

 

I show sarcasm much more easier than any other emotion. And I often don't get grieved like other people do. People die. It's what they do. You miss them of course but often times, they were old and/or sick and it was time. I ALWAYS cry putting an animal down but that doesn't mean I wouldn't hesitate to do it.

 

My parents have a hard time with this. My father has stage 3 colon cancer. He's in remission but it WILL be back. Probably 3-7 years. But my father is 79. And aside from being crippled with arthritis and crazy as all get out, he's had a good run. I look at DH's friend with ALS and then look at my Dad and think, "You lucky %$#!%!" Yep, you're going to die. So are we all. Deal. My parents would prefer the drama. IMO, death is something we should never be dramatic about. What the heck? No matter how much you tantrum, it's going to happen. Deal. :laugh:

[Guest inoubliable]

I just wanted to say "Hi!" I've been lurking here for a while, but felt compelled to actually register today. Secular, non-religious homeschooler here, smack dab in the middle of Texas, so you could say I'm a bit of an outsider. We have found a great inclusive playgroup, though, and we love it! The Dallas area isn't quite as conservative as maybe the rest of the state is. Though, I was born and raised north of San Francisco, so most places seem conservative to me. :D

 

Anyway, you can probably count me as about 10-15 of the thread views, ha!

 

I look forward to chatting with you all!

 

 

Welcome, welcome! (It was the book recommendations from last night that drew you in, wasn't it? :smilielol5: ) I'm starting to really like the sound of Dallas. Texas gives me the heeby geebees on its own but Dallas sounds like a really nice place!