I wasn't offended by the joke either actually. It was too silly to be offensive. I simply realized that jokes of that nature were being allowed by the moderators and it got me thinking how much grief I'd probably catch if the shoe were on the other foot and I posted a joke about Christians. The president's disregard for the First Amendment is enough of a "Christian joke" for me. Has anyone ever challenged the Constitutionality of that "faith-based initiatives" crap?

Willby, I think it's tremendous that you and your son have had this discussion. Certainly the years around 15 are tough, and full of craziness, anger, frustration, and needing to find a direction in their lives. Your son does the green hair, "I'm pissed off with the world" thing as a sheild against what is obviously him --trying to find where he belongs. Keep talking. And listen; I mean really listen. I've learned, talking to my 17 year old, that it's not what she says, it's what she doesn't say that blows my mind. They're heavy into "shock value" at that age, and that's okay--it's normal. But, what they really need, and what I think you can provide, is to know they have a safe place to land; a place where they can say what they're thinking, and get minimal judging, lecturing, and anger. This is where you come in strong. Don't think for a second that, because you don't have a "college education" you're not perfect just as you are. You are his mother; and you care. So you do a bit of research for the kid--direct him to some positive teen website that he can invest some energy in, and maybe even, find what he's looking for. Is he artsy--paint, write, draw---any of that?? Is he into music? Help him find his talents and direct his anger toward something that will build him up, and not tear him down. So often, teenagers walk around lost, and put up their sheilds which get massively misread by adults. Don't let this happen. Trust that you have what it takes to support him in a world that is very quick to judge him based on his looks, and his behaviors. You've got one hell of an opportunity to get to know your son, and for him to really get to know you. Don't allow anything or anyone to make you feel like you're not smart enough or able to figure this out. I think you are; in fact, I'm sure you are. Jessica

First of all.... Punks with green hair who hate everything have been around since about 1979. When I was a punk with blue hair. Anyway. I will speak just for myself. I am completely un-spiritual. I don't think it's necessary to think about anything in spiritual terms, at least not for me. But I have given much thought in my life to my sense of personal responsibility and what it means to know that I am NOT living for the purpose of having some kind of reward after I'm dead. I must be responsible for my choices NOW and bear the consequences NOW without a sense of reward or punishment. I look for what's inherently right about a given choice. And I don't need some religion to tell me how to do that! I have often asked religious people WHY they believe what they believe and they almost always just say "Because God says so." They have NO CLUE what's inherently right or wrong about any given issue. They just point back to God and that's as far as they've considered it. It takes a lot more personal integrity, insight, empathy, and INTELLIGENCE to examine all sides of a question for yourself and arrive at the answer that's going to be ultimately positive for yourself and others who may be affected. This is the challenge of a life without religion. Now let me ask you... what is the REAL reason for this "hole" in your life? Are you looking for a community of people who may be like-minded in some way? You might want to look into a local Ethical Humanist congregation. You can search for a congregation at http://www.aeu.org/ For a lot of atheist people, it fills the same social needs that many people find at their church. Please comment however you wish. Let's chat....

OK seriously. How are the discussions with him going? Is he actually open to talking with Mom about this? He wasn't just going for shock value and defiance? Because, as Terri has pointed out, I think taking up a life of personal responsibility and ethical choices requires a greater commitment than just blindly following dogma or whatever somebody tells you.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051108/ap_on_re_us/evolution_debate Looks like they've gone and done it in Kansas. It doesn't surprise me. I drove the width of Kansas on September 12 and 13 back in 2001 and I couldn't find a single NPR station on the radio. Just shock-jock types taking calls about killing people in revenge. So what I'm wondering now is this. If "intelligent design" wants to force its way into the realm of science, will it be subjected to scientific scrutiny? Will it be tested and questioned and subject to debate? Because it certainly won't hold up. Evolution is one of the most intensely scrutinized and richly demonstrated theories in science. If intelligent design wants in to the science playground, its proponents better prepare to play by science's rules.