Catholicism is interesting in the way it can be such a big tent. Protestants go their separate ways when they disagree, which I guess gives them some clarity at the expense of unity. But especially the way Catholics respond to science in so many different ways is fascinating. There are plenty of Catholic conservatives who … Catholicism and science

Religious studies professor Ira Chernus has an interesting article, “Is Religion a Threat to Democracy?,” in which he says: In itself, faith in politics poses no great danger to democracy as long as the debates are really about policies — and religious values are translated into political values, articulated in ways that can be rationally … Moral certitude in politics

I recently noticed, on the new books stand in a Borders bookstore, a small book called The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality. By French philosopher André Comte-Sponville, it looked like a user-friendly popular book designed to cash in on the improbable success of some recent atheist books. Indeed, I picked it up to browse, expecting … The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality

I’m in Chicago at the moment, and in the Chicago Tribune, I noticed a story about a 14-year old Illinois atheist fighting a “Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act.” It seems to treat nonbelief as a curiosity rather than as a menace, though there’s the “lawsuit-happy infidel being a nuisance for the community” media stereotype … “Teen atheist” newspaper story

Just in case anyone is interested and can come, I’ll be speaking in Grand Rapids, Michigan, next Wednesday, January 9. For more information, see the CFI Michigan website. It’ll be based on Science and Nonbelief. It’s also the Secular Web‘s Book of the Month at the moment.

I recently finished Mark Lilla’s intellectual history of the separation of politics and political theology in Christendom, The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics and the Modern West. Interesting book, very illuminating in some respects. Still, I find myself ambivalent about it, overall. I thought I might write a short review to express why, but it seems … The Stillborn God

After complaints from religious villagers for forty years, Reeves, Louisiana’s telephone prefix has been changed from 666 to 749. I added a smartass comment on the story that “In other news, Satan has announced that the Antichrist is now going by the number 749,” but a much better response comes from Daniel Rutter on the … Reeves, Louisiana ditches 666 prefix

I thought for a moment I was reading The Onion, but this story is from what at least sometimes purports to be a real newspaper, the UK’s Daily Mail: The Pope has ordered his bishops to set up exorcism squads to tackle the rise of Satanism. Vatican chiefs are concerned at what they see as … Pope forming exorcist squads to wage war on Satan

There is a slightly irritating genre of religious writing in which a faithful person takes a superficial look at some infidel literature and emerges loudly proclaiming that the experience strengthened their faith. Michael Coren’s “Their Disbelief Is My Strength,” for example. Indeed, a particularly smug and clueless example. There’s nothing wrong with the basic idea. … “It only strengthens my faith”