Lawrence Wright on Scientology
Feb 9th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonSalvation? There’s an app for that
Feb 8th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIt lets you pick a commandment and tick off all your sins, keeping a running tally to bring into the confessional with you.… Read the rest
Harris and Pigliucci: On moral philosophy
Feb 8th, 2011 | By Peter BeattieSay what you will, Sam Harris knows how to stir a hive and send its inhabitants into a positive buzz. Some of them will turn this into an opportunity to get some intellectual exercise. Others may fly into a frenzy and sting at anything and everything, eventually disembowelling themselves intellectually in the process. Of the first, Brother Blackford (to co-opt a recently Coyned soubriquet) is a prime example: his ruminations are clearly valuable to the discussion. But where clarity is its own reward, the contributions of others need to be carefully disentangled from their ill-conceived targets, in order that everybody may see clearly where they went off course. Massimo Pigliucci has thankfully supplied us with such an opportunity—one is tempted … Read the rest
I don’t see how the argument even begins
Feb 8th, 2011 12:36 pm | By Ophelia BensonI’ve read an advance copy of Reasonable Atheism by Scott Aikin and Robert Talisse. It’s a good book. I have some disagreements though, and some things I don’t understand, or suspect I don’t understand, or both; I’ve been waiting to post about them, until closer to the pub date, but now that they’re posting about it, I figure it’s close enough.
One (highly reasonable) point they make is that atheists should argue well instead of badly. One example of arguing well, they say, is taking the Ontological Argument seriously.
… Read the restWe take the Ontological Argument as the litmus test for intellectual seriousness, both for atheists and religious believers alike. Anyone who takes the question of God’s existence seriously must grapple
Jesus gives birth control advice
Feb 8th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWhy bother when God can just impregnate at will?… Read the rest
Can we have a godless US president? Ever?
Feb 8th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonObama seems to claim a direct channel to the Almighty and to see himself as God’s representative on earth.… Read the rest
Dan Fincke on the A word
Feb 8th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIt is in the theist’s interest to convince people that atheism necessarily involves much more certitude than it does.… Read the rest
Aikin and Talisse on accommodationism and atheism
Feb 7th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonReligious believers have an inflated sense of the strength of the evidence in support of their view.… Read the rest
Novelty
Feb 7th, 2011 12:19 pm | By Ophelia BensonEric is arguing that we should accept the label “new atheism” and run with it. He sets out three items that define a new atheist:
(i) a belief in the harmfulness of religion, both in a political and an intellectual sense; (ii) a conviction that there is no evidence for belief in a god; (iii) a general agreement that (i) and (ii) mean that we must actively oppose religion.
I would insert a new (iii): a conviction or a sense that the widespread (at least in the US) expectation that one should believe in god as if (ii) were of no relevance whatsoever, is an offensive imposition.
That’s what is New in my New Atheism, at any rate. I’ve been … Read the rest
Al Mohler explains about new atheism
Feb 7th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe New Atheists intend to use the Dogma of Darwinism to malign belief in God and to marginalize Christians and Christian arguments. Srsly.… Read the rest
What David Kato’s murder can teach the world
Feb 7th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonLike racism and misogyny, homophobia is prejudice born of ignorance.… Read the rest
When will the AAAS stop pandering to superstition
Feb 7th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe AAAS is pandering to evangelical Christianity, and minority views in opposition to science are being presented as reasonable compromises.… Read the rest
Toronto: Fatah-Shaikh debate called off
Feb 7th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonShaikh challenged Fatah to a debate, calling on “the controversial author to publicly defend his moderate views.” sic!… Read the rest
Sex, secrecy and religion in Africa
Feb 6th, 2011 | By Leo Igwe“Secrecy,” says American fiction writer, Robert Heinlein, “is the beginning of tyranny”. But I think, secrecy is actually the abode of darkness, ignorance, prejudice and confusion. Because whatever is held in secret is like something held in the dark- it can be anything, it can become anything. It can become nothing.
In Africa, so much secrecy prevails in the area of human sexuality. Sexual expressions are preferably done in secret or discussed in hushed tones. There is hardly any open honest debate or dialogue on sexual issues going on anywhere on the continent. All questions about sexual matters appear to have been answered and such answers are taken to be correct- absolutely correct. Sexual rules are taken to be beaten … Read the rest
Indian court rules astrology is a science
Feb 6th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonFor reals.… Read the rest
Nick Cohen watches fans of Islamism on the run
Feb 6th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonDiplomats convince themselves they are “engaging” with repulsive movements because the national interest demands it.… Read the rest
Fight fiercely Anglicans, fight fight fight
Feb 6th, 2011 12:54 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe Anglican church is worried that it might “lose its place at the centre of public life” in the UK because of the gnu atheists.
Why should it have a place at the center (or centre if you must) of public life? It’s a church. It’s an institution devoted to “worship” of a “god.” Why would that entitle it to a place at the middle of public life?
Besides, some of that place it has pretty well officially nailed down, at least for the moment. It gets its bishops into the House of Lords, where it can meddle with legislation. It gets to lay down the law on Radio 4 most days. It gets to run a hell of a … Read the rest
Nick Cohen on Hobsbawm on Marx and Marxism
Feb 6th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonNo one killed as many communists as the communists did.… Read the rest
Anglican clergy told to “take on” the gnu atheism
Feb 6th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWe must must must not permit attempts to marginalize Christianity.… Read the rest
And then a stranger rode into town
Feb 5th, 2011 5:14 pm | By Ophelia BensonAs I mentioned in some comments on Strident and Combative, there’s this new Mystery Commenter who goes by “Hammill,” who has been making me increasingly suspicious. It’s an odd bird. It turned up only recently, as far as I can tell – the first times I know of were to comment on a few posts at Josh Rosenau’s, which were about – oh what do you know – me, and Jerry Coyne, and me again.
Gosh, what does that remind me of?
I’m being sarcastic. I know damn well what that reminds me of. I know damn well who else had a decidedly peculiar obsession with me and Jerry Coyne, often to the exclusion of anyone … Read the rest