By and large, I’d prefer it if more people did not hold supernatural beliefs—or at least, if they did not hold politically potent supernatural beliefs. (While I’m at it, I’d also like world peace, for my knees to suddenly not show the effects of my age on the basketball court, and so on and so … Does it matter how people reject religion?

Fazıl Say, a Turkish pianist of international renown, apparently has a twitter habit and a tendency to say what he thinks. And since in a couple of tweets he has expressed atheism and engaged in some light mockery of Islam, he is now under investigation by the office of the Public Prosecutor, under suspicion of … Turkish pianist under investigation for atheism

Here’s a religious rationale for some degree of secularism, as expressed by famous creationist Harun Yahya: “Muslim writer and intellectual, Harun Yahya, believes that “secularism is the safeguard of Islam.” Instead, he says, of the hypocrisy of women with very little religion, dressed in long black robes, or men in white robes and long beards, … Religious reason for secularism

I don’t know if secularism was ever as much a consensus position as we sometimes think. But I do think it’s weaker today. Consider some recent examples of conservative religious pushback against even rather mild secularist political positions. First, the United States. Take a look, if you can, at “In Defense of Religious Freedom A … Pressure on secularism

On my own blog, I have begun examining eight alleged Messianic prophecies, presented by Peter Stoner in his book Science Speaks. I have reached a conclusion about the first of the prophecies and will share that here. For supporting arguments and details, you can read the posts at my blog.http://crossexamination.blogspot.com/ According to Peter Stoner, Micah … Messianic Prophecy – Update

Chris Mooney has an interesting post, citing recent research by Gordon Gauchat that shows a noticeable decline in trust in science among political conservatives in the United States, over the past few decades. There isn’t much that I know of in this sort of research that would help me estimate what the contribution of conservative … Conservative anti-science

I’ve been looking at some social psychology research concerning the so-called “Millennial” generation, in their twenties today. (I figure it doesn’t hurt to know more about my students.) Often, the research finds that the Millennials are an obnoxious, shallow, and stupid bunch. (OK, that’s my take on it. But basically, reading the survey results, my … More secular (and obnoxious, and stupid) Millennials

Well, I’m back from my trip to Norway and Sweden, and when you add this to my previous trip to Denmark, I can now pretend to be an expert on all things Scandinavian. Still, I did have a chance to ask locals (humanities and social science types, mostly) about whether the Scandinavian reputation for secularity … Secular Scandinavia

Above is a Turkish news photo I include completely without any sort of context. Out of curiosity, how do readers interpret something like this? An illustration of Muslim women’s docility? An image of Muslim women remaining devout and yet claiming a place in the public sphere? That it’s annoying that people behave like religious sheep … Turkish news photo Muslim women

The Brain and the Meaning of Life, by Paul Thagard (one of my favorite philosophers of science), is worth a look. It’s intended for a more popular audience, so it doesn’t have citations in the text or detailed arguments for his positions that could convince critics. It’s a book that is, however, nicely expressive of … The Brain and the Meaning of Life