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Jesus Wants You to Starve the Poor

From Good Christian Michelle Bachmann: And Jesus spake unto them saying, “Blessed are the rich, for they shall dine sumptuously. Verily, tiramisu and foie gras are their just rewards, for wealth is ever the product of godly diligence. But woe unto the poor! Bitterness shall be their meat and sorrow their drink, for, yea, the Jesus Wants You to Starve the Poor

Randal Rauser Replies

His post: Do naturalists have more to lose? If not, why are they crucifying Thomas Nagel?  In order to prevent this from becoming a back-and-forth mess, I’ve replied in the comments there. He’s a good guy, so I don’t mind sending him more traffic. If you’re interested, the discussion can continue there.

MOVING THE SEMANTIC GOALPOSTS – theological sleight-of-hand with words

From my book Believing Bullshit. Moving the goalposts The expression “moving the goalposts” refers to a certain disreputable strategy in an argument. Suppose I claim Fred has never been to Brazil. It’s pointed out to me that Fred went to Brazil on his honeymoon. My claim has been shown to be false, but rather than MOVING THE SEMANTIC GOALPOSTS – theological sleight-of-hand with words

Patheos is Great. The Ads Suck

I have greatly enjoyed posting and commenting on Patheos. The look is great and the organization of posts and comments is first-rate. However, I am finding the ads increasingly intrusive. It always irritates me when I am trying to read a page and the ad is jumping around trying to get my attention. I’ve gotten Patheos is Great. The Ads Suck

How do you Solve a Problem like Fundamentalism?

This is an insightful and accurate description of the pernicious effects of fundamentalism on, well, everything. http://churchandstate.org.uk/2013/02/christian-fundamentalists-are-driving-our-country-into-the-dark-ages/ I particularly like the last paragraph which is an antidote to the overly-optimistic bromides you often hear about how education, particularly science education, is the cure for the current plague of anti-intellectualism and fundamentalism. Baloney. Trying to stem How do you Solve a Problem like Fundamentalism?

Event June 8th UK: Can Science Solve Every Mystery?

Centre for Inquiry UK and Conway Hall present Can science solve every mystery? A scientist, a philosopher and a Christian discuss. Peter Atkins, David Papineau, Peter S. Williams Can science answer every question? Should scientists show a little humility and acknowledge there are questions that only religion can answer? Are science and religion “non-overlapping magisteria”, Event June 8th UK: Can Science Solve Every Mystery?

Dualism is Unhealthy

No, seriously. (LINK) “The fact that the simple priming procedures used in the studies had an immediate impact on health-related attitudes and behavior suggests that these procedures may eventually have profound implications for real-life problems. Interventions that reduce dualistic beliefs through priming could be one way to help promote healthier — or less self-damaging — Dualism is Unhealthy