The National Center for Science Education, the premier creationist-watching organization, has put up a new web site, Expelled Exposed. It criticizes Expelled, the creationist movie about to appear in theaters very soon. It’s worth a look, as Expelled seems to be getting good press in some conservative Christian circles. It’s bound to help the “Christians … Expelled Exposed

There’s a minor uproar going on among secularists about Illinois state representative Monique Davis scolding an atheist activist, saying What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous . . . it’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists! Certainly an obnoxious outburst. But I also have a sneaky suspicion … Davis controversy

Last year, a student told me that he could never accept evolution because that would destroy his faith, and without his faith, life would have no meaning. I think I remarked that that was interesting, and left it at that. I teach science, but I figure sorting out meaning-of-life issues is beyond my capabilities and … What do you mean by “meaning”?

I teach at a rather nice Missouri university, and Missouri, like many (most?) states in the US, gets quite a bit of conservative Christian pressure on state-supported science education. The feeling of being persecuted has deep roots in creationist movements. It’s partially true, for that matter. Within the scientific community, the small minority of creationist … Missouri and “academic freedom”

David Berlinski, the intelligent design proponent, is out with a new book, The Devil’s Delusion: Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions. Another hatchet job on Richard Dawkins & Co., by the looks of it. And the blurb for it online is not promising. Here are a couple of its bullet points: From this, and his past … Berlinski’s new book

Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders’ film, “Fitna” (Arabic for “strife” or “challenge”), has been released, first on LiveLeak (from which it has been removed) and now on YouTube (below). The film depicts unethical statements from the Koran and by Muslim leaders, as well as photographs of terrorist atrocities committed by radical Islamists. The government … Geert Wilders’ film “Fitna”

According to the Vatican, Islam has passed Catholicism as the world religion with the largest number of adherents. The issue, according to monsignor Vittorio Formenti, is that “it is true that while Muslim families, as is well known, continue to make a lot of children, Christian ones on the contrary tend to have fewer and … Islam surpasses Catholicism

While walking around my neighborhood, I noticed a large sign on the lawn of a minister’s house. It said “Power Lab,” with background iconography of an atom and a test tube. But it also said “Discovering Jesus’ Miraculous Power” and “Vacation Bible School.” I googled the lot when I got home. Apparently, you can buy … “Power Lab” Bible School

This is turning into the never ending series, but there are a couple of questions I thought were too interesting to bury in the comments. Sastra asks, “exactly how are you defining “metaphysics?” I’m not sure if you ever say, specifically. You seem to be taking it as the nature of “ultimate reality” — but … Nonmetaphysical Naturalism (follow-up)