Mike Pence on Gay Rights vs. Religious Freedom
From the site ProCon: http://borngay.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001365 Mike Pence, JD, United States House Representative (R-IN), made the following comments during a Nov. 7, 2007 House floor speech opposing passage of “The Employment Non-Discrimination Act”: “Let me be clear that I am not condoning discrimination against people for any reason whatsoever. I believe in civility and decency in … Mike Pence on Gay Rights vs. Religious Freedom
Is It Completely Unfair for Dawkins to Equate “Faith” with “Blind Trust”?
While going through some old files, I discovered this passage at the end of a book review. The book being reviewed was Dawkins’ God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life by Alister McGrath. The reviewer was Paul Pardi, a philosopher at Seattle Pacific University. Here is what Pardi wrote: “I also have one technical … Is It Completely Unfair for Dawkins to Equate “Faith” with “Blind Trust”?
Sins of Omission: What the Bible does not Say
The Bible was written in ancient times by many authors. Over a thousand years separated the earliest from the most recent writings. Naturally, the Bible reflects the cultural and intellectual milieus of the times and places of its composition. Unless one is theologically committed to the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy, it should not be embarrassing … Sins of Omission: What the Bible does not Say
Christianity without Belief in the Resurrection?
BBC News has a story describing an interesting survey. Several particular results stand out: Half of the respondents reported that they do not believe that the Resurrection happened. But of these, many also identified as Christians. About one-fourth of respondents who identified as Christians reported that they do not believe that the Resurrection occurred. So … Christianity without Belief in the Resurrection?
Soulless
Things have been a bit slow here at SO the past couple of weeks with Jeff and others spending time bashing Donald Trump (an entirely worthwhile enterprise), so I will try to enliven things a bit. Although the notion plays no part in neuroscience, cognitive science, cognitive psychology, or any other of the sciences of … Soulless
Trumping Enlightenment Values
David Brooks is one of the few conservative pundits that I can read without nausea. He actually knows something and respects those Enlightenment ideals of free and open inquiry. Here is what he has to say about Enlightenment Values: As I see it, the lasting ideals of the Enlightenment are these: Trump especially offends against … Trumping Enlightenment Values
The Harm of Junk “Studies”
As a cat lover, this article from Huffington Post caught my eye: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cats-mental-illness-toxoplasma_us_58adc06ae4b03d80af714072? The “study” debunked here is just one example of many, many such junk “studies” that come out all the time. This junk science does enormous harm. There are all sorts of ax-grinders that sit in waiting for some purportedly scientific “study” to confirm their … The Harm of Junk “Studies”
More Dangerous Silliness from the Religious Right
I just got this in a message from the Center for Inquiry about measures before the Florida Legislature: “Legislation that would grant special privileges to religious beliefs in public schools has been introduced by Florida Rep. Kimberly Daniels (D-Jacksonville), and Sen. Dennis Baxely (R-Ocala). The sponsors of the “Florida Student and School Personnel Religious Liberties … More Dangerous Silliness from the Religious Right
A Qualified Defense of Contempt
I was pleasantly surprised to see an op/ed by a professional philosopher in Sunday’s (1/29) Houston Chronicle. Karen Stohr’s essay “Our new age of contempt is on full display,” was first published in the New York Times. Stohr is an associate professor of philosophy at Georgetown and a senior research scholar at Georgetown’s Kennedy Center … A Qualified Defense of Contempt
If Jesus had been a Republican…
It seems like a good time to re-post and update this. If Jesus had been a Republican… He would have said: “Render unto Caesar. And if thou catchest an illegal immigrant, render him also, yea, limb from limb.” “Blessed are the rich, who are the ones who REALLY inherit the earth.” “Love thy neighbor, unless … If Jesus had been a Republican…