Poor God is on the Skids *

Aug 11th, 2009 | Filed by

Defenders of the faith insist that the authors of ‘aggressive secularism’ focus maliciously on the bad parts.… Read the rest



How To Tweak a Graph *

Aug 11th, 2009 | Filed by

Keep on differentiating until you find a curve that matches your needs.… Read the rest



Hamas Pushes ‘Virtue Campaign’ in Gaza *

Aug 11th, 2009 | Filed by

Which of course translates to bullying women.… Read the rest



A Toothless Argument *

Aug 11th, 2009 | Filed by

Loonies still oppose fluoridation of water, so teeth continue to decay. Ice cream, Mandrake? Children’s ice cream?… Read the rest



Reading Karen Armstrong

Aug 11th, 2009 10:30 am | By

Another comment from Eric.

Based on the linked interview, it seems pretty clear that Karen Armstrong never really left the convent. The mind has mountains, frightful, sheer, no man fathomed, as Hopkins said.

It also has walls. Take her claim that “The golden rule is that you treat everyone with absolute respect and you don’t exclude any creature, even a mosquito, from your radius of concern.” You have to have put up a wall somewhere to be able to say this. These are just empty words, and they reveal something about her use of language. Laurie Taylor says that he noticed “how carefully Karen constructs her sentences, her care with words, her capacity to alight on a perfect phrase with … Read the rest



Where is the Muslim Anger Over Darfur? *

Aug 10th, 2009 | Filed by

Some commentators in Muslim-majority countries are questioning their leaders’ support for Bashir.… Read the rest



Sarah Palin’s Way With the Truth *

Aug 10th, 2009 | Filed by

Says ‘Obama’s “death panel”’ will decide whether her ‘baby with Down Syndrome’ is ‘worthy of health care.’… Read the rest



American Psychological Association Submits *

Aug 10th, 2009 | Filed by

APA says ‘religious faith and psychology do not have to be seen as being opposed to each other.’… Read the rest



Asma Jahangir Urges Repeal of Blasphemy Laws *

Aug 10th, 2009 | Filed by

NGOs cited the Gojra incident: the local administration allowed organised groups to kill Christians.… Read the rest



Theology should be poetry

Aug 9th, 2009 6:04 pm | By

I was doing some research for an article earlier and found an interview of Karen Armstrong from a few years ago.

“I’m off to America tomorrow. I have a little book on the Buddha coming out in paperback, so I’m going to a literary festival to talk about it. Which is a nice rest from Islamic fundamentalism.” Was she regarded as an expert on Islam in the States? “Well, it has turned out a bit like that. I was supposed to be flying to America to take up a post at Harvard on September 12 in 2001 and was actually packing when the terrible news came through. So, when I got to Harvard I never even had a chance to

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Ben Goldacre on How Myths Are Made *

Aug 9th, 2009 | Filed by

A web of systematic and self-reinforcing distortion, resulting in the creation of a myth.… Read the rest



Rise in Violence Against Women in Afghanistan *

Aug 9th, 2009 | Filed by

Women are victims of ‘honour’ killings, trafficking, early and forced marriages and domestic violence.… Read the rest



George Scialabba Seminar at Crooked Timber *

Aug 9th, 2009 | Filed by

One has to be impressed with Scialabba’s uncanny ability to inhabit the books and writers he reviews.… Read the rest



Dan Jones Replies to Karen Armstrong *

Aug 9th, 2009 | Filed by

If you take out the doctrine, aren’t you left with rational secular discourse?… Read the rest



Does God Hate Women? *

Aug 9th, 2009 | Filed by

Read extracts, check out the reviews, get some wisdom from Madeleine Bunting.… Read the rest



Bush Went to War to Thwart Gog and Magog *

Aug 8th, 2009 | Filed by

So he told Chirac in 2003 at least. Sans blague.… Read the rest



Iowa Governor ‘Disturbed’ That Atheists Exist *

Aug 8th, 2009 | Filed by

‘Can understand why other Iowans were also disturbed.’ Indeed; it is very disturbing.… Read the rest



Des Moines Offended That Atheists Exist *

Aug 8th, 2009 | Filed by

Ads said ‘Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.’ They were taken down after three days.… Read the rest



Tampa ‘Town Hall Meeting’ Turns Ugly *

Aug 7th, 2009 | Filed by

Idiots shouting ‘tyranny’ tried to silence The Enemy.… Read the rest



Norm Allen on the Nigerian Nightmare *

Aug 7th, 2009 | Filed by

George Ongere of the Center for Inquiry/Kenya says the violence will not deter humanists in Kenya.… Read the rest