- Popular Delusions VI: Homeopathy
The Observatory • June 30, 2007
Before the advent of evidence-based medicine, a huge variety of quack nostrums and dubious cures flourished. Many of these have faded away with time - and in cases like radioactive water, this was almost certainly for the best. However, some superstitious treatments that predate scientific medicine are still being used today. One of the most [...]
- Lightbringers
The Garden • June 28, 2007
In the World in Shadow series, I have written about some of the terrible natural evils that afflict humans. My primary purpose in writing this series is to illustrate the strength of the atheist's argument from evil, that the existence of vast amounts of undeserved and random suffering disproves the existence of a powerful, benevolent [...]
- Theocracy Watch XI: A Dark Day for Separation
The Rotunda • June 26, 2007
I'm sorry to report some bad news for allies of church-state separation everywhere. Back in February, I wrote about a momentous case before the U.S. Supreme Court, in which the Freedom from Religion Foundation argued that George W. Bush should not have the right to unilaterally use money appropriated by Congress to fund religious organizations. [...]
- A Threefold Anniversary
The Foyer • June 25, 2007
When I look back on my life, it seems sometimes that significant events tend to cluster around certain dates. This is almost certainly a product of the law of large numbers and the selective memory of the mind, as opposed to some cosmic kismet, but we can still recognize and commemorate these dates for what [...]
- On Magic(k)
The Observatory • June 25, 2007
Throughout history, groups such as the Puritans have railed against what they see as the overly elaborate and ostentatious ceremony and ritual surrounding religious events. But despite the fulminations of religious reformers, ceremony and ritual are not superfluous add-ons to faith, but very much at the core of it. Belief in the supernatural is usually [...]
- Why I Am Not a Libertarian
The Library • June 23, 2007
I: The Dilemma of the Commons
I don't usually post purely political essays on Daylight Atheism, as opposed to posts that touch on religion in some way. But the new series beginning with this post is personally important to me, and deserves an exception.
Though I only have anecdotal evidence, it's my experience that the majority of [...]
- Futile Good Will
The Loft • June 21, 2007
In the recent post "Atheist Charity", I quoted one example of a charge often laid against atheists: that we have not done nearly enough to help the needy among humanity, as opposed to religious groups that build hospitals, run soup kitchens, and so on.
I have a counterclaim: in terms of actual good done, rather than [...]
- Not Knowing the Enemy
The Rotunda • June 20, 2007
The Christian site Crosswalk.com has published an article by Tony Beam, director of the "Christian Worldview Center" at North Greenville College in South Carolina. Reporting on a talk given by ex-Watergate felon and current prison minister Charles Colson, Beam discusses what in his eyes are the two greatest threats facing Christians today: fundamentalist Islamic radicals [...]
- Christian Terrorism
The Rotunda • June 19, 2007
On July 29, 1994, a religious fundamentalist named Paul Hill attacked a Pensacola, Florida family planning center, murdering abortion provider Dr. John Britton and his bodyguard James Barrett with a single blast from a pump-action shotgun. With numerous eyewitnesses, Hill surrendered peacefully and confessed to his crime at the scene. Hill was charged with two [...]
- Ancient Atheism
The Library • June 17, 2007
In my last post, I wrote about the explosive growth of atheism in recent decades. As the menace of the religious right has become increasingly clear, atheists have been increasingly driven to speak out in response and have become more visible. Viewing this trend, some commentators have erroneously concluded that atheism is a modern movement. [...]
- What Is Christianity Good For?
The Rotunda • June 15, 2007
What is Christianity good for?
I ask this question in all seriousness, not as an insult. I genuinely want to know. Eternal life in Heaven is usually held out as the greatest benefit of becoming a Christian, but that reward is said to be in the next life and is impossible for us to verify. Does [...]
- The Veil Is Dehumanizing
The Loft • June 13, 2007
I've written before about religion's harm to women, but today I'd like to focus on a more specific example, the face-covering veils and shrouds that are often imposed on women in fundamentalist sects of Islam. These garments oppress women and are an affront to human dignity. By design, they are dehumanizing and degrading, and remain [...]
- The Doctrine of Double Effect
The Library • June 11, 2007
In my recent post on euthanasia, a thought experiment was mentioned which I'd like to address at greater length:
In one dilemma, you are standing by a railroad track when you notice that a trolley, with no one aboard, is heading for a group of five people. They will all be killed if the trolley continues [...]
- An Exercise in Perspective
The Observatory • June 9, 2007
If you're not familiar with the HubbleSite, you should be. The official website of the Hubble Space Telescope is rich with scientific background, news releases and announcements of new discoveries, and of course, jaw-dropping imagery of the cosmos, taken by one of humanity's most justifiably famous scientific instruments.
One of Hubble's newest images has left [...]
- Open Thread: The Problem of Evil
The Foyer • June 9, 2007
I'm creating a thread to address this comment by Mollie:
I've only been familiar with your site for a few days, so I'm not sure if this is the right place to discuss what I'm about to say. If not, please direct me to a more appropriate place.
My husband thinks it's a bad idea to debate [...]
- Be Hot or Cold
The Rotunda • June 7, 2007
As atheists continue to make inroads into the media and our message becomes more widely noticed, we are attracting attention from all quarters. Some of the responses consist of delighted praise and relief that rationalists and freethinkers are finally making our voices heard. Some responses consist of the furious but ineffectual sputterings of religious fundamentalists. [...]
- Book Update
The Foyer • June 6, 2007
I've finished the third chapter of my book, which deals with the argument from evil and draws on my Ebon Musings essay "All Possible Worlds". As before, any regular commenter who's interested in reading the chapter and offering feedback is welcome to do so. E-mail me or leave a comment if interested.
I'd like to stress [...]
- Aspiring to Slavery
The Garden • June 5, 2007
Last month, I wrote about slavery and the Bible's embarrassing (though historically understandable, if we assume there was no divine revelation behind it) endorsement of that vile practice. Today, slavery is widely recognized as the evil it is, and though it still exists in some forms, it lingers only in the shadows, not in the [...]
- Poetry Sunday: Gathering at the River
The Foyer • June 3, 2007
For Daylight Atheism's second installment of Poetry Sunday, I'd like to reprint a beautiful composition by the distinguished Philip Appleman, who's written a rich vein of atheist and freethought poetry in his career. Many religious traditions imagine that when we die, our souls stand before a river that is the gateway to the next life. [...]
- How Did the Apostles Die?
The Library • June 1, 2007
"Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who [...]
