Somewhat related to my issues with the type of prayer mentioned last week:

In other words, individuals who are said to have an internal locus of control believe that they control their own destiny and that they make things happen, while those with an external locus of control believe that their successes, failures and other events in their lives are caused by luck or fate, and that circumstances are beyond their control.

There are advantages and disadvantages with both, but secular psychology generally considers an internal locus of control the healthier position of the two. Those with an internal locus of control tend to take more responsibility for their behaviour, while those with an external locus of control tend to be more anxious about the world around them.

Read the rest here.

Miscellany from today’s Humanist Network News:

Is Humanism a Religion?

Humanism, at least in any of the groups that I have joined — The Humanist Association of Canada (HAC) and the Society of Ontario Freethinkers (SOFREE) — does not require any oath or initiation ritual outside of filling in a contact information form and a check. If that qualifies humanism as a religion then I also belong to the Church of the Credit Union, The Holy Order of the Curling Club and The Divine Path of Too Many Credit Cards.

Oooh. The Divine Path of Too Many Credit Cards *snort*. That one is entirely too familiar — though not currently, and I plan to never rejoin that one again.

First:
Via the Progressive Blogger Network, I found The Mindful Mission. I haven’t had time to delve into much of his writing just yet, but if his bio and reading list are a hint, I will soon add him to the daily reading list.

Next:
From Mindful Mission, I found this post. Wow…just, wow.

“christians” taught me…

to fear what is different
to attack what you fear
to validate deeply held cultural values while critiquing surface “values”
to live with the hypocrisy of it
to deny the hypocrisy of it
to have an allergy to honesty
to resent this list because the shoe fits
to label as “liberal” anything contrary or critical of Christians, especially when it’s deserved
to downplay any and all legitimate criticism
to wrap our cookies in barbed wire and then excuse it by saying “the Gospel is offensive”

That’s only the beginning. Man, it reminds me of church from while I was growing up. Take a look at the rest.