Life Without a Net
Archive for February 2009
Theists in Foxholes
I’ve been gnawing on a rather gristly thought for the last couple of days, and I think I’ve finally broken it down into something manageable. The Friendly Atheist posted a brief blog about an atheist who was attacked and stabbed by a knife wielding assailant. The man did not cry out to god, nor did he … Continue reading
The Evolution of Mind
One of the things that’s very tricky about trying to understand the human mind is that we cannot easily remove ourselves from our own perspective. We experience our own existence, and because of that, we often make unjustified assumptions about it. One of the goals of evolutionary psychologists is to explain elements of the human … Continue reading
The “Mystery” of Love
I mentioned in the post on kissing that love is very much like an addiction. Robert Palmer’s hit song “Addicted to Love” paints a vivid picture: Your lights are on, but you’re not home Your mind is not your own Your heart sweats, your body shakes Another kiss is what it takes You can’t sleep, … Continue reading
Let’s Talk about Breasts
I’m not normally big on popularity polls, but for once, I think they have a lot to tell us. I was recently browsing through a site devoted to female body image, and came up with some very interesting information. Before I get to the stats, I want to talk about popular conceptions of female beauty. … Continue reading
More Disturbing News From Abroad
I’m quoting an article written by Tom Verenna, a member of The Jesus Project. I’ve written more than I’d care to write about Jesus mythicism vs Jesus Historicity in the past few months, and I want to make the disclaimer that I’m not reposting this article in support of The Jesus Project specifically. As … Continue reading
Pope to Legislators: You must oppose abortion
The pope recently visited with Nacy Pelosi, and the statement he released shortly thereafter should be a wake up call to moderate theists everywhere. Though the statement was only two paragraphs long, it contained a very clear mandate to judges, jurists and lawmakers to either oppose abortion or be in opposition to official Catholic dictate. … Continue reading
C’mon Baby, Knock Me a Kiss!
When you pressed your little lips to mine, that was then i understood They taste like candy, brandy and wine, peaches, bananas and everything good I love jam and no film flam, scratch that off my list This ain’t no jam, the jam can scram Baby! c’mon and knock me a kiss These words are … Continue reading
The Morality of Hell
For perhaps the hundredth time over the past year or so, I’ve been asked by a new atheist how to get over the fear of hell. As anyone who’s ever been indoctrinated into Christianity understands, the fear of hell is a powerful emotion, and even all the logic in the world is sometimes insufficient to … Continue reading
From Unreasonable Faith: God’s Morality
In a fortuitous turn of events, Daniel Florien, author of Unreasonable Faith, has given me a really nice addendum to my recent pieces on morality. Here’s his list of the atrocities ordered or directly committed by God: God killed everyone except a few people in a global flood [estimated at 30 million] (Gen 6) Killed … Continue reading
Monkey Morality and the Problem of Human Morality
The New York Times and the Times Online have published stories on primates and the origins of morality. They mention several primate experiments in which monkeys and chimps display prosocial behaviors such as helping others when there is no reward, sharing with companions, consoling companions, and remembering and repaying debts. These results add to a … Continue reading
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