In Chapter 2 of The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins gives an argument for atheism. The argument is a chain of reasoning consisting of five inferences. In my previous post on this argument (8/4/08), I pointed out that the first inference in the chain is a non sequitur: 1. Any creative intelligence, of sufficient complexity to … An Argument for Atheism – Part 3

The UN is holding a Durban Review Conference concerning human rights in April 2009. Canada is already boycotting it, and a few other Western countries are also suggesting they might. Wrangling about Israeli-Palestinian matters seems to be at the heart of the controversy. Among secularists, there’s an extra concern that Muslim organizations have successfully pressured … Against human rights

If you’re ever in the mood for anti-religious humor, largely consisting of 6-minute antireligious rants, check out Pat Condell. The introduction says, “Hi, I’m Pat Condell. I don’t respect your beliefs and I don’t care if you’re offended. Cheers.” Interesting…

I got to see the movie Expelled last night. A campus Christian group brought it to a local movie theater, and was giving out free tickets. It was better done than I had expected. I’d seen some reviews that thought some of the attempts at humor were ham-handed, and the production amateurish at times. I … Expelled

Richard Purtill proposed the following definition: A miracle is an event (1) brought about by the power of God that is (2) a temporary (3) exception (4) to the ordinary course of nature (5) for the purpose of showing that God has acted in history. (“Defining Miracles” in In Defense of Miracles, IVP, 1997, p.72). … Purtill’s Definition of “Miracle” – Part 5

There are a number of philosophical and epistemological objections to miracles. The first philosophical critique of miracles that I will consider comes from Benedict Spinoza (1632-1677). Spinoza was given the Hebrew name “Baruch” at birth, but began using the equivalent Latin name “Benedict” after he was excommunicated from the Jewish community in Amsterdam in 1656, … Skeptical Approaches to Miracles – part 3

Sarah Palin is now the Republican vice presidential candidate. She apparently came out in support of teaching creationism alongside evolution in public school science classrooms during her campaign for the governorship of Alaska in 2006. It does not seem to have hurt her election prospects in 2006, and I doubt it will now.

In “Does It Matter Whether Theism is Reasonable” (a short Chapter in the book, The Existence of God, 1965, Cornell University Press), Wallace Matson points out the difficulty involved in trying to rationally justify being rational: Well, what can be said to someone who explicitly rejects reason? One might point out that very likely he … Faith and Reason – part 2

Serious weirdness, this one. Almost unintentionally subversive, in the way it blurs the distinction people make between fairy tales and Gospel Truth.

In creationist and intelligent design circles, there’s long been a conviction that in scientific institutions there’s a climate of persecution against “dissenters from Darwinism.” This is not entirely imaginary; after all, in science, we tend to think that especially religiously-inspired anti-evolutionary stances are a sign of professional incompetence. Lately, I’ve ben running into an occasional … Religious discrimination?