Living in the Post-Truth Era
Donald Trump sailed into the White House on an ocean of lies. His erstwhile political opponent, and then wishy-washy supporter, Sen. Ted Cruz called Trump a “pathological liar.” I take it that a liar becomes pathological when his lies are no longer conscious fabrications, but merely statements made with no regard to truth or falsity. … Living in the Post-Truth Era
Off Topic: President U-Can-Grab-Them-By-The-Pussy
59 million Americans voted for a racist, sexist, bully and IDIOT to be their President. It looks like 81% of Evangelicals voted to put a shit-head in charge of the most powerful military in the world, and to give him control over our potentially world-destroying nuclear weapons. I suppose it is no surprise that Evangelical … Off Topic: President U-Can-Grab-Them-By-The-Pussy
Pseudo random thoughts on AA and free will
There are some atheists who would like to see references to God or a higher power dropped from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) materials. I think it is clearly desirable for people to have recovery resources available to them that don’t mandate adherence to religious doctrines. But that’s not what I want to focus on. Instead, I … Pseudo random thoughts on AA and free will
How do you Spell “Hypocrite?” B-A-P-T-I-S-T
There was an excellent editorial in this morning’s Houston Chronicle concerning the still-growing sexual assault scandal at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. For anybody who does not follow college football, for decades the Baylor Bears were a laughingstock, a delicious cupcake for the real teams like UT, A & M, and Oklahoma, who would regularly … How do you Spell “Hypocrite?” B-A-P-T-I-S-T
How to Use the Argument From Evil
The problem of evil can be used in two different ways. It can be used offensively; that is, in an attempt to criticize and undermine theistic belief, to show that theism is false and that belief in God is unfounded. But it can also be used defensively, i.e., to show that atheism is epistemically warranted, … How to Use the Argument From Evil
Evangelicals and the Donald Dilemma
Apparently, the candidacy of Donald Trump is splitting evangelicals. Trump presents them with the ultimate dilemma: As president, Hillary Clinton and a Democratically-controlled Senate could change the Supreme Court in ways highly antithetical to evangelicals. Today’s Houston Chronicle quotes Robert Jeffress of the Dallas First Baptist Church as saying, “…in the end, the election is … Evangelicals and the Donald Dilemma
Was the Buddha Enlightened? (part 2)
A previous post (part 1) raised the question of whether or not there is good reason to think that the Buddha was enlightened. In that post, I mainly focused on the doctrine of karmic rebirth, pointing out that at least in early Buddhism, liberation from karmic rebirth is one of the things that the Buddha … Was the Buddha Enlightened? (part 2)
Party Before Country? Which Republican Senators Still Support Trump
In a normal election, you’d think that a video of a Presidential candidate talking about sexual assault would fatal for the candidate’s campaign. But this election cycle has been anything but normal. So, with Trump’s campaign in crisis, I thought it would be interesting to maintain a roll call of which Republican Senators have said … Party Before Country? Which Republican Senators Still Support Trump
Priests and Celibacy
Here is an interesting article sent to me by a former student. It is written by a psychologist who had a 30-year career counseling priests who had lapsed from their celibacy vows: http://www.vox.com/2016/4/7/11325336/priests-love-therapy I have never understood the celibacy requirement. Was Jesus celibate? We have zero evidence one way or another. It would seem highly … Priests and Celibacy
The Damnable Thing about Damnation
Do you ever read the reviews on Amazon Books? Many are a waste of time, but some are interesting. I noticed one that reviewed The End of Christianity, Prometheus Books, 2011, ed. John Loftus. The review was written by one “Alex C.” I assume that this is not Alex Comfort, author of The Joy of … The Damnable Thing about Damnation