Life Without a Net
Religion
Can Liberal Theism and Atheism Get Along?
Many believers have never spent time talking honestly and openly with an atheist. Especially here in the Bible Belt. One of the most common observations I’ve made since becoming an “open atheist” is that lots of believers honestly have no idea what I believe and what I do not believe. Misconceptions abound. (I’ve been asked … Continue reading
Debate: Hitchens vs. Al Sharpton
If you want to skip the introductions and such, the actual debate starts at around 5:45. It doesn’t have any explosions, car chases, or aliens blowing up cities, but for the time you would spend watching yet another Hollywood blockbuster, you could learn from one of the best debaters of our time. Possibly of all … Continue reading
Religious “shared reality” hinders acceptance of scientific reality.
One of the difficulties in discussing religion is that it is not a single phenomenon. It is a belief system, a social structure, a moral paradigm, a set of rituals and practices, and a sense of identity. Typically, when a critic of religion advances a hypothesis about something that religion “causes,” he is shouted down … Continue reading
Church vs. Evolution and Homosexuality: Nothing New Under the Sun
There’s nothing new about the struggle over gay marriage and evolution. Fortunately, there will also be nothing new about the resolution to either struggle. History has told us everything we need to know about how this will play out in the end. Both of these issues represent a continual pattern in which religious dogma … Continue reading
Anger at God: The Scientific Facts
Anger at God is a difficult phenomenon to quantify. There are several limiting factors, including dogmatic stigma against admitting anger, which has been prevalent among theists in past research. Additionally, there are definition issues when atheists and agnostics feel anger. Can we discuss anger about God in the same study as anger at God? Finally, there … Continue reading
Muslims and Jews Agree: Let’s Abuse Animals
It’s a very bizarre example of how religious belief perpetuates and promotes evil in the name of good. Jewish and Muslim representatives have put away their differences long enough to petition the Dutch government to continue allowing them to abuse animals as part of religious rituals. “We are against any form of stunning because it’s … Continue reading
Mitt Romney is a Coward.
Mitt Romney displayed deplorable morals on his recent appearance on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight show. Morgan pointedly asked: ”Do you personally think homosexuality is a sin?” Romney responded with this: ”Nice try… It’s a valid question and my answer is nice try.” Well that answer just isn’t good enough. If it’s a valid question, answer … Continue reading
Pope’s Pedophilia Advisor is a Pedophile. Big Surprise.
Father Riccardo Seppia, a 51-year-old parish priest in the village of Sastri Ponente, near Genoa, is a trusted advisor to Pope Benedict on the subject of pedophilia. Turns out, he knows of what he speaks. Investigators say that in tapped mobile-phone conversations, Seppia asked a Moroccan drug dealer to arrange sexual encounters with young and … Continue reading
Armed Forces to Christians: Bigotry Won’t Get You Out.
Proving yet again what it means to be a “good loving Christian,” an un-named sergeant asked U.S. Defense secretary Robert Gates if there will be an option to leave the military over consciencious objection to the existence of gays. “Sir, we joined the Marine Corps because the Marine Corps has a set of standards and … Continue reading
Are Evolution and Intelligent Design Compatible?
Many “agnostics” suggest that elements of Intelligent Design are compatible with Evolution. Why isn’t it possible that there’s both a god who created life AND evolution via natural selection? This question represents a misunderstanding of evolution. Evolution is dependent on *non-intelligent* selection. That’s literally the whole point. All the predictions made by evolutionary theory rely … Continue reading
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