- Popular Delusions IV: Hauntings
The Observatory • October 31, 2006
John Knott, the owner of Quadrille, a fabric and wall coverings company based in Manhattan, expected surprises when he bought a weekend home in the country, an 1839 Greek Revival house in Kinderhook in Columbia County, N.Y. Inconveniences were bound to crop up — a leaky roof, problematic plumbing, boiler issues. But he was not [...]
- The Tempter
The Loft • October 29, 2006
It was on a wintry night last year, a night not unlike this one, that I met the Tempter for the first time. It happened during that season when the mood of the world begins to turn, when summer is a distant memory and the rustling sheaves of autumn are starting to give way to [...]
- Some Sad News
The Foyer • October 28, 2006
I'm sorry to report the death of Philip Paulson. Paulson was an outspoken atheist and humanist and a Vietnam veteran, author of the essay "I Was an Atheist in a Foxhole", which I have long linked to from Ebon Musings. He was also the chief litigant in a multi-year and still ongoing legal fight to [...]
- Daylight Atheism: The Book?
The Foyer • October 27, 2006
To my readers,
A remarkable thing has happened recently. In the past few weeks, I've received, by my count, no fewer than four independent (as far as I know) e-mails asking me if I intend to seek publication of my writings in a format beyond this website. I have responded to these inquiries individually, but thought [...]
- Book Review: The End of Faith/Letter to a Christian Nation
The Library • October 25, 2006
The End of Faith
Summary: An incendiary polemic against unjustified belief. Many strong points, strongly made - but what on earth is that endorsement of psychic powers doing in there?
With the 2004 publication of his book The End of Faith, Sam Harris has probably become one of the best-known and most influential atheists in public discourse [...]
- The New Atheists Fight Back
The Rotunda • October 24, 2006
Wired has recently published a long article, titled Battle of the New Atheism, about the inroads made by prominent atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett and the attacks they have launched against faith. The article does not treat their views inaccurately or with malice, but nevertheless the author, Gary Wolf, seems [...]
- Tipping the Scales
The Garden • October 23, 2006
"The book (The End of Faith) has spent nearly 20 weeks on bestseller lists... Presale orders of 'Letter to a Christian Nation' earned the book a spot among Amazon.com's top 10 a month before its Sept. 19 publication. It debuted at No. 7 on the bestsellers' list and is now in its sixth printing with [...]
- Tax the Churches
The Rotunda • October 21, 2006
In the United States of America today, churches and religious groups are treated with enormous sensitivity and deference by politicians and the media, a deference they have not earned. Far too often, the government and society in general bends over backwards to accommodate and encourage religious beliefs even when there is no rational reason why [...]
- CAP Alert Reviews II
The Rotunda • October 19, 2006
It's been far too long since I first examined the lunacy that is the CAP Alert site. Interestingly, the site seems to have fallen on hard financial times: it is plastered with ads, and virtually every page contains text begging for donations. Their recent reviews show that the majority of movies released in the past [...]
- What Christians Care About
The Rotunda • October 17, 2006
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me [...]
- The Atheist Crew
The Garden • October 15, 2006
"Should Franks be elected in November, one would have to conclude that he will hold true to his out of touch 'atheist' belief system and ignore the laws and Constitution of Texas."
—Mary Alice Robbins, "GOP Raises Religion in Court Race, Calling Democrat an Atheist." Law.com, 9 October 2006.
In Paradise Lost, published in 1667, John Milton [...]
- Today's Crimes Tomorrow
The Loft • October 13, 2006
In every age, there have been moral visionaries - great thinkers such as Robert Ingersoll or Tom Paine, who had the courage to stand against the majority and oppose widely accepted moral wrongs. Their courageous and steadfast opposition to then-prevalent practices such as monarchy, slavery, racism and sexism earned them great hatred and enmity during [...]
- Little-Known Bible Verses IV: The Age of Accountability
The Library • October 11, 2006
What happens to children who die before they are old enough to reasonably understand and accept the Bible's doctrine of salvation? This vexing theological question was not always so vexing. The renowned theologians of antiquity answered it quite simply: they were cast out of God's presence to suffer the eternal torture of Hell's flames. Here [...]
- Infectious Memes
The Observatory • October 9, 2006
Hi! I am a .signature virus. Copy me into your .signature to join in!
—seen on Usenet
And these words which I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them thoroughly to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, [...]
- A Brief Hiatus
The Foyer • October 5, 2006
I'm going away for Columbus Day weekend and will likely be without Internet access during that time, so I won't be able to respond to comments or e-mails. I'll be back Monday, at which time I should have some great new essays. In the meantime, feel free to peruse the latest post, "An Atheist Dinner [...]
- An Atheist Dinner Benediction
The Garden • October 5, 2006
Back in April, the post "Out of Respect" inspired a discussion about what an atheist host could say at a meal as substitute for a prayer. This is, I think, an important question, and one worthy of an answer. I have written before about the importance of spirituality, even to a nonbeliever. Just because we [...]
- Bending the World Around Yourself
The Rotunda • October 3, 2006
In light of all the momentous events currently taking place around the world, this next story might seem somewhat trivial in the grand scheme of things. But it illustrates some important points that are of more general application, and more importantly to me, it concerns my own alma mater, Binghamton University, of which I am [...]
- This Is Not America
The Rotunda • October 1, 2006
I am ashamed of my country today. Earlier this week, both houses of the U.S. Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006, an act that future generations will surely list alongside the Alien and Sedition Acts as one of the most heinous and unconstitutional laws ever enacted by a democratically elected government. Both in [...]
