Around the world, more and more people seem to be finding Gods, each more hateful and bloody than the next.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Logical Path from Religious Beliefs to Evil Deeds 
Oct 2nd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Religion can change the definition of good.… Read the rest
Karen Armstrong Blames Dawkins for Islamism
Oct 2nd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
But Koranic fundamentalists are capable of coming up with their own follies without outside prompting.… Read the rest
Mitchell Cohen on the ‘New’ Atheism
Oct 2nd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Parts of the left apologize for Islamism as an earlier generation found ways to apologize for Stalinism. … Read the rest
Legacy of the Little Rock Nine
Oct 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Eisenhower sent paratroopers to enforce the Supreme Court decision against popular resistance.… Read the rest
Nigel Warburton on Doctors’ Consciences
Oct 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Idea that doctors could refuse treatments because of their cultural preferences is very worrying.… Read the rest
Stephen Law on Happiness
Oct 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Is happiness just about feeling good, or is there more to it? Is feeling good always what motivates us?… Read the rest
Dawkins on Atheism in America
Oct 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘I would like to see people encouraged to rejoice in the world in which they find themselves.’… Read the rest
Theo Hobson Pitches Another Fit
Oct 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Atheists are militant and arrogant and everybody hates’em, they are they are they are.… Read the rest
Ian Buruma Points out the Obvious
Oct 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Religion is sometimes a force for good; other times it’s not; communism can work the same way; etc.… Read the rest
A bit too non-linear
Oct 1st, 2007 11:54 am | By Ophelia BensonDid Ian Buruma write this in ten minutes, or what? It’s all over the place.
It has become fashionable in certain smart circles to regard atheism as a sign of superior education, of highly evolved civilization, of enlightenment. Recent bestsellers by Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and others suggest that religious faith is a sign of backwardness…
Oh get over it for Christ’s sake. Is there no end to the market for people complaining about this overwhelming flood of atheist books that add up to all of five which is as a grain of sand to a beach compared to the flood of theist bestsellers? There certainly doesn’t seem to be. Is this the top item in The Lazy Editor’s Handbook… Read the rest
Skip the plebiscite
Oct 1st, 2007 9:21 am | By Ophelia BensonFunny what a hard time people have getting this.
… Read the restOddly, some of the people commenting on the UCU decision on the Engage website have expressed disappointment that the boycott proposal has been defeated through legal means rather than by a popular union ballot. This is a puzzling response. The Jim Crow laws in the United States were overturned in the 1950s and 1960s through Supreme Court decisions and civil rights legislation, rather than by popular referendums in southern American states. The civil rights movement did not attempt to argue with segregationists to give up their misguided commitment to discriminatory practices. It invoked legal authority in order to compel them to respect the human rights of African Americans. In a
Shalom Lappin on the End of the Boycott
Sep 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
In a liberal democracy the rights of minorities against racist exclusion are ensured by legal guarantee. … Read the rest
UCU Told Boycott Would be Illegal
Sep 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Sue Blackwell said decision is ‘outrageous and an attack on academic freedom.’… Read the rest
Floods Demolish Crops in Ghana and Togo
Sep 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
For those of us used to buying our food in supermarkets, it is hard to imagine the scale of the problem.… Read the rest
Malalai Joya Refuses to Be Silent
Sep 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Women walk for miles to see her. She is their hope for a better future.… Read the rest
Tablighi Jamaat Plans London Madrasa
Sep 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘We can’t change Allah to suit us. Islamically, this worldly glamour is not what we are supposed to be.’… Read the rest
Shiv Malik on Brick Lane and ‘Brick Lane’
Sep 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Self-appointed community leaders threatened to burn the novel because it did not present a ‘positive image.’… Read the rest
What is it Like to be a Member of Hizb ut-Tahrir?
Sep 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It means thinking Sharia law should be imposed over the entire world by force.… Read the rest
How ‘Non-violent’ is Hizb ut Tahrir?
Sep 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Global leader called for the destruction of Hindus in Kashmir, Russians in Chechnya, Jews in Israel.… Read the rest
