If I am not mistaken, this year has three Friday the 13ths, which is of course the worst day to walk under a ladder while a black cat crosses your path.Superstition, like religion, is made up. Somewhere down the line, someone thought up the ideas that now so many horribly misled people believe to be true. Salt over the shoulder, not the right, but the left. Don’t step on cracks, and whatever you do don’t say “Nothing can go wrong,” because then it will go wrong. Then there’s Astrology, palm reading, and of course, breaking a mirror.What exactly is the difference between religion and superstition anyway? I have equated religion with mythology all the time (because they are in fact the same), but today I’d like to discuss why one might think Zeus is ridiculous, but crossing your fingers actually does something supernatural.As an aside, when my daughter was younger I used to make up superstitions, convince her using non-logic, and then admit that I made them up. I’d say the most absurd things, like “if you don’t kick a pile of the last snow of the season, you won’t have a good summer”, and she would believe it, and we’d go out and kick the snow, and then I told her I made it up. She felt silly, but then she tried it on her friends, who promptly complied, with fervor. She was amazed at the power of superstition — a lesson which stuck with her.

Enough reading about Darwin. Write about Darwin. Just start typing.Ready? Go.PS, I’m on Alan Colmes’ radio show Thursday night at 11:00pm EST debating Ray Comfort about Darwin. Hopefully we’ll talk about bananas.

Another person who will be attending the convention is John Lombard, and I am very eager to hear what he has to say. He was involved with the first organization in Beijing that promoted Critical Thinking.As most know, Atheism is nearly mandated (there… better?) in China, as it was in the USSR. People often compare us to communists for that reason (a nod to American Communists, who are also atheists, but do not support forced atheism). Here’s the rub — when given even the slightest bit of religious freedom, the people of China will cling to any mythology onto which they can grasp their hands. They were not trained in critical thinking, but merely to follow orders. This makes them very open to Voodoo or ancient mythologies, and Christianity (same thing) when it is presented to them.Atheism needs to be the result of critical thinking (in fact, it is an inevitable result), not an order from a higher power (government). One can draw clear and scary parallels between China and America, where critical thinking is simply not enough of a priority in the school system.

Enjoy this tasty video from Richard Dawkins. Did I mention he’s coming to the convention and that the coupon code “nogodblog” gives you a 5% discount on registration? Did I mention we expect to sell out? Just being thorough.

Berkeley set to allow cremains within cityCarolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff WriterMonday, February 9, 2009(02-08) 17:36 PST — For the first time in a century, Berkeley residents might soon be able to spend the afterlife within the city limits.The City Council is poised this month to amend a 1910 law banning human burials and interments within city boundaries. If it passes, the change will allow small columbaria at churches and other locales, where families can store the ashes of their departed loved ones for eternity….The plan faced some initial opposition on the Planning Commission because it allowed only religious groups to build columbaria.But the plan going before the City Council for final approval allows all groups, not just religious ones, to open columbaria. Graveyards will still be prohibited. Planning Commissioner Patty Dacey was among those who voted against the original proposal, based on its favored treatment of religious groups.

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