Karen Armstrong is a prolific author on topics in comparative religion. She is a former nun and liberal Christian who has a gift for writing that is both scholarly and readable. I admire her book A History of God, a genuine tour-de-force that traces the history of monotheism, showing how the concept of God has … Is Religious Violence a Myth?

I am angry. Very angry. We know that Islamic fanatics are mad dogs whose very humanity has been consumed by their devotion to a rabid religion. We have seen them massacre whole communities of innocent people for no reason other than religious bigotry. We have seen them kidnap hundreds of girls and young women then … Terrorist Outrage in Paris

A recent post on the problem of evil (PoE) drew over 250 comments, a new record, I think. The comments were lively, but went in various directions, making it hard to follow a clear thread of argument after a while. Here I would like maybe to help focus discussion by offering my synopsis of the … Strategies for the Problem of Evil

This response is based on the summary by Joel Steinmetz of an article by John Haldane: http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/calhoun/socratic/Steinmetz-Problem_of_Intentionality.pdf It is not based on the not the original article by Haldane, so my remarks here must be regarded as provisional and informal. Still, I would like to address a few points. Haldane’s argument, as presented here, is … Is Intentionality a Cardinal Problem for Physicalism?

I have been having a very interesting discussion with a Christian correspondent who calls himself “Veritas.” Discussions of this sort all too often generate far more heat than light, so let me first note that in our interactions the contributions by Veritas have been consistently intelligent, courteous, and candid. The focus of our conversation has … The Amalekites and Options for Apologists

This post springs from an interesting discussion I had with Scott Scheule in the comments section of an earlier post. The issues there are important enough to deserve a deeper look. Quoting the Bible against believers is one of the hoariest weapons in the freethinker’s war chest. It has been done many times, never more … Biblical Genocide and Village Atheists

Texas is great. Sure, the weather is hot, and you might have to dodge some tornadoes, and you had better like Tex-Mex and chicken fried steak (actually, I do). But it is never boring. The fundamentalists keep it interesting. The State Board of Indoctrination, er, Education, which is dominated by fundamentalists, wants to make sure … Getting back to the “Fundamentals” in Texas Education