Calvin Mercer

We live in an age of rapid technological advancement. Never before has humankind wielded so much power over our own biology. Biohacking, the attempt at human enhancement of physical, cognitive, affective, moral, and spiritual traits, has become a global phenomenon. This textbook introduces religious and ethical implications of biohacking, artificial intelligence, and other technological changes, offering perspectives from monotheistic and karmic religions and applied ethics. These technological breakthroughs are transforming our societies and ourselves fundamentally via genetic modification, tissue engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics, the merging of computer technology with human biology, extended reality, brain stimulation, and nanotechnology. The book also considers the extreme possibilities of mind uploading, cryonics, and superintelligence. Chapters explore some of the political, economic, sociological, and psychological dimensions of these advances, withbibliographies for further study and questions for discussion. The technological future is here – and it is up to us to decide its moral and religious shape.

There Ought to be a Law-A Bright Day at the State Capitol is a fun, informational activity book for ages 6-9, about how bills become laws. The illustrated story takes Eliza and Martin on visit to the state legislature where their whole day turns into an exciting adventure learning how to make a law in their state. The story and activity book will have you on the edge of your seats.This book is great for kids in grades 2nd-5th .

There Ought to be a Law-A Bright Day at the State Capitol is a fun, informational picture story book for ages 6-9 about how bills become laws. The illustrated story takes Eliza and Martin on a visit to the state legislature. At the Capitol, in a playful, yet serious, way they create an anti-bullying bill, with a free ice cream amendment, and take it through the 12 steps required to become a law. Eliza and Martin learn all about the state Capitol and its workings, meeting interesting people along the way. The youth see the role government plays in their lives. The story helps Eliza and Martin think about and appreciate rules in their own home, school, and community. Grab your copy now and let the adventure begin

There Ought to be a Law-A Bright Day at the State Capitol is a fun, informational picture story book for ages 6-9 about how bills become laws. The illustrated story takes Eliza and Martin on a visit to the state legislature. At the Capitol, in a playful, yet serious, way they create an anti-bullying bill, with a free ice cream amendment, and take it through the 12 steps required to become a law. Eliza and Martin learn all about the state Capitol and its workings, meeting interesting people along the way. The youth see the role government plays in their lives. The story helps Eliza and Martin think about and appreciate rules in their own home, school, and community. Grab your copy now and let the adventure begin

As Dr. Mercer posits, the fundamentalist is fundamentally driven by anxiety layered over a fragile sense of self-identity constructed upon a system of beliefs that is both logically inconsistent and highly suspect in light of modern science. As a result, the fundamentalist completely rejects modernity while battling mightily in the arena of national politics and culture to bring about a world that aligns more closely with the fundamentalist worldview. Focusing on Christian fundamentalists, the author puts Christian fundamentalism in its historical and theological contexts. At the same time, Mercer calls upon cognitive theory to explain that the fundamentalist's life story is not particular to Christianity or any other religious belief system but that fundamentalist Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and those of all other faiths share a common psychological profile. Indeed, Mercer insists that if the Christian terminology were eliminated from contemporary fundamentalist Christian rhetoric, what would remain would be a framework that fundamentalists from other religions would find quite familiar and even comforting. In other words, the structure of the fundamentalist worldview, and the psychology beneath it, is pretty much the same across religions. It is a controversial thing to say about Christian fundamentalism, a thesis that has already proved contentious in the author's public appearances, and one that is sure to generate considerable attention and passionate debate as the U.S. populace continues to divide into opposing camps.