Here is an interesting article sent to me by a former student. It is written by a psychologist who had a 30-year career counseling priests who had lapsed from their celibacy vows: http://www.vox.com/2016/4/7/11325336/priests-love-therapy I have never understood the celibacy requirement. Was Jesus celibate? We have zero evidence one way or another. It would seem highly … Priests and Celibacy

Do you ever read the reviews on Amazon Books? Many are a waste of time, but some are interesting. I noticed one that reviewed The End of Christianity, Prometheus Books, 2011, ed. John Loftus. The review was written by one “Alex C.” I assume that this is not Alex Comfort, author of The Joy of … The Damnable Thing about Damnation

PhilosophyOfReligion.org has posted a series of short essays on the question of what the philosophy of religion have to offer for today’s university. My response has recently been posted: http://philosophyofreligion.org/ Your name Your email Subject Your message (optional)

Gratuitous evil is evil that God would not permit. In Alvin Plantinga’s terms, God would not actualize such evils either strongly (i.e. by directly creating them) or weakly (i.e. by allowing free creatures to commit them). A gratuitous evil is one that God would have no morally sufficient reason for actualizing (strongly or weakly). God … Gratuitous Evils: What are the Chances?

The following are recent statements by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and the explanations of those statements by his staff. [Note: Yes, this is satire. I am explicitly noting this since the Trump candidacy is proving Poe’s law that reality can become so bizarre that it is indistinguishable from satire.]  Trump: Yeah, shoot crooked Hillary. … OK, so That’s What he Really Means

As an entrepreneur, a heroin pusher has a big advantage. His customers become addicts; they cannot do without the product he sells. Pushers have no problem with getting repeat customers. Heroin addiction is a terrible national problem, but it is far from the most widespread addiction. According to an article in today’s Houston Chronicle, “The … Are we Addicted?

In honor of the apotheosis of idiocy that was the nomination of Donald Trump, I am reposting this review from five years ago. It is even more relevant now. Mike Judge is one of the most incisive commentators on the dumbing down of American culture.  He created the cartoon characters Beavis and Butthead, two dimwitted … Repost: Review of Idiot America by Charles P. Pierce

In his very enjoyable PBS series and the accompanying book, The Brain: The Story of You, neuroscientist David Eagleman writes about the famous “trolley dilemma.” Here is the scenario: A runaway trolley is barreling down the tracks towards a group of four workers. You see that they will all be killed unless you pull a … Changing Ethics by Changing Brains

The Trump team was quick to deny the Melania Trump’s latest speech was plagiarized. They noted that “four score and seven years ago” is a common way of saying “eighty seven.” Eighty seven is just a common number they observed, nothing special about it. Further, Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort noted that the phrase “dedicated … Melania Trump Speaks Again; Trump Team Denies Plagiarism