Beliefnet News

When I say temple, you think religious place of worship right?  When I say atheist, you think one that believes there is no God.  Stay with me now, when I say religion, don’t you think about the worship of God?  Before this blog becomes a full blown say what you are thinking game, let me get to my point and then you can decide what to think!

For thousands of years people of all religious backgrounds have built temples to God providing dwelling places for those of like beliefs to gather to worship and pray.  For writer and architecture patron, Alain De Botton, it is now time for atheists to start building temples of their own.

That’s right; Botton believes that religious people shouldn’t be the only ones with beautiful buildings. He thinks atheists should also have their own versions of cathedrals and churches.   With that thought in mind he has recently announced his plans to erect a network of temples for atheists around the UK. 

To get around the notion that he would be building temples to God for people who don’t believe in God, Botton has argued that a temple can be built to anything that’s positive and good; a temple to love, friendship, calm or perspective.

The Temple to Anything Positive and Good is the first proposed temple that will rise 150 feet over central London.  According to architect Tom Greenall, the concrete tower would be built slowly over a period of years with 1 centimeter for every million years of the earth’s existence.  A gold band of less than a millimeter would be inscribed in the interior of the tower one meter from the ground to represent the short extent of human life on earth.  Greenhall said that everything below the band is the future.

So what do you think?

“I stand ready to lead this party and to lead our nation.  My leadership will end the Obama era and begin a new era of American prosperity,” Romney said in his victory speech in Tampa Tuesday night.  Romney who won all 50 of Florida’s convention delegates is the only Republican candidate to have won two primaries (the first three went to three different winners).

 With 46% of the vote, Romney received more than Gingrich (32%) and Santorum (13%) combined, followed by Paul in last place with only 7%.  Most of Romney’s support seemed to hail from the southern and central part of the state with Gingrich’s from the north.  He also captured a higher percentage of support from female and Hispanic voters in Florida.

 Many credit his debate performance last week along with his negative ad campaign against opponent Gingrich for cinching this victory in the Sunshine State.  Romney’s campaign spent nearly $7 million on television ads leading in to the primary, while the Gingrich campaign spent about $1 million.  Conservatives have expressed concerns that these personal attacks could cause problems within the party.  Romney seems to feel that competition within the primary would not divide, but rather prepare the Republican Party for the national convention and unity in winning the presidency.

 As candidates head to the west for the Nevada caucus, it’s anything but unity between them.  Especially with Gingrich who despite his loss this week remains determined to fight and win the nomination as the conservative alternative to Romney.

17 year-old Samantha Garvey made national headlines when she was selected as an Intel Science Talent Search semi-finalist—one of 300 across the country vying for the top prize, a $100,000 science scholarship.  It was Garvey’s home life that tugged at the heartstrings of people all over the country.  She and her family, evicted from their home during the holidays, were living in a homeless shelter after her parents got behind on rent due to financial difficulties following a car accident.

Garvey, who did not make it to the finals, credited the contest and her work for motivating her to do better and pursue her passion. She believes it is what she has and will lead to better things. And better things have certainly started coming her way.  Garvey’s story has inspired an outpouring of support nationwide including a $50,000 AT&T college scholarship and an invitation to attend the State of the Union address from Representative Steve Israel. 

Recently, Garvey and her family received yet another surprise when Suffolk County officials presented them with the keys to their new home.  The 3 bedroom house, which was furnished with donations from Marriot, is located in Bay Shore, New York close to her high school.  According to DSS Commissioner Gregory Blass, Garvey’s parents will be required to pay 30% of their income in rent minus utilities and can stay in the house as long as they need to.

The folks at Pay it Forward Foundation are working hard to make a difference in the world.  Some think they are crazy; they prefer to be called visionaries.  And visionaries they are!  With over 1 million Pay It Forward bracelets distributed in 112 countries around the world they have a huge vision and that vision is catching on.

So what’s the PIF experience all about?  It’s simple. The PIF Foundation believes that the key to changing the world we live in starts with a small act of kindness and that is precisely what their Pay It Forward challenge is all about. You do a small act of kindness and when you do, you give the person you did it for a white PIF bracelet, prompting them to, you guessed it, pay it forward.

From universities and corporations to high schools and neighborhood parties; people all over the world are catching on and changing their communities with simple acts of kindness.

Watch this video to find out how you can start paying if forward in your community.