I see that Taner has already had a crack at at Charlotte Allen’s particularly inane and virulent diatribe against atheists, but I think it deserves a bit more comment. Actually, “deserves” is not the right word, because that implies that her effusions possess respectable intellectual content, worthy of reasoned riposte. They do not. Her remarks … Allen’s Fatuous Screed

Charlotte Allen of the right-wing Manhattan Institute has an op-ed in today’s Los Angeles Times, “Atheists: No God, no reason, just whining.” (Thanks to Eddie Tabash for the heads-up.) It’s not much worthy of attention except for its airing of some common stereotypes about nonbelief the wave of “new atheism” seems to have activated. Allen … “Whining atheist” stereotype

Take a look at the most recent cartoon by Ted Rall, comparing people getting together based on nonbelief in God to “non-fans of golf com[ing] together around their common non-interest.” (I don’t know how relevant it is to the cartoon, but Rall believes in some sort of God, though he is not conventionally religious.) Rall … Why atheist activism?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbrfz1DIq9Q There’s a fuss going on in places like RichardDawkins.net (excellent site for nonbelief-relevant news!) about this statement on BBC radio by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, that “atheists are not fully human.” I’m not sure I agree with the fuss. In the context of his religious beliefs, O’Connor’s statements are reasonable. Most theists, liberals as … Not fully human?

I recently got a question, asking me what book I would recommend to read up on arguments for the social and personal benefits of religion. I had to admit, I don’t know of any single book that fits the description, but it would be mildly surprising if some such book didn’t exist. There is a … Book on benefits of religion?

Nicholas Covington asked me to review his new book, Atheism and Naturalism. So I’ll give it a mention. It seems interesting enough. Most of the material is based on the sort of exchanges familiar from debates on various Internet venues concerning atheism and the Christian version of theism. There’s also some wandering over familiar territory … Atheism and Naturalism

It’s commonplace to note that secularism and secularity are not the same worldwide. Secular politics and secular society means somewhat different things in France and the UK, never mind India or Turkey or the USA. Still, there are commonalities, and I think social scientists who speak of secularizing trends in the modern world draw a … When secularism collapses

I often rant on science and religion here, and one subset of science and religion issues I have a special interest in is how such matters play out in an Islamic context. If you happen to have an interest in science and religion in Islam, I highly recommend Salman Hameed’s Irtiqa blog. Hameed is an … Irtiqa

One of the both frustrating and rewarding things about teaching physics is how much I have to work against the grain of everyday common sense thinking. The obvious example is how almost everybody, unless they’re corrupted by having physics beat into their head for years on end, has an Aristotelian conception of force, inertia, and … Blobs of substance

Stanley Fish reviewed Terry Eagleton’s atheist-bashing book in the New York Times this week. I read the review, and emailed a friend that “it seems to be about a book talking nonsense about science, written by somebody clueless about science, reviewed by someone equally clueless about science.” I was going to leave it at that, … Taibbi on Fish and Eagleton