- The Tempter Returns
The Loft • October 31, 2008
I awoke from my sleep with a start.
It had been a long and wearisome day. I had turned in early, as the late autumn light waned from the sky, and it was now dark and deep outside my window. But now something had roused me, and I had the distinct feeling that I was not [...]
- We Are Myriad
The Observatory • October 29, 2008
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
—Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself"
Creationists who think themselves clever sometimes ask why, if evolution is true, we don't see bacteria re-evolving into multicellular organisms. But, as is often true of creationists, this taunt gets the situation completely backwards. Evolution is not a [...]
- In Praise of Massachusetts Liberals
The Rotunda • October 27, 2008
In the 2004 American presidential campaign, the label "Massachusetts liberal" was used as an epithet by Republican against the Democratic candidate John Kerry. In the argot of conservatives, the term signifies a candidate who is unacceptably far left, out of the mainstream of American politics - as indicated by their association with the prosperous, well-educated, [...]
- On the Morality of: Conservation
The Library • October 26, 2008
Today's post on morality concerns environmental conservation and sustainability. Human civilization has historically behaved (and many still do behave) as if the Earth was there to be conquered and natural resources were limitless. Environmental devastation is not solely the product of industrialized society; ancient cultures did the same thing, even those with tools no more [...]
- Skin Deep
The Garden • October 24, 2008
I've been reading this account of a disciplinary hearing against the odious John Freshwater, an Ohio science teacher who allegedly promoted religion in his class, repeatedly and illegally, even after being ordered by school administrators to stop. Among other things, Freshwater brazenly taught creationism in class - directing his students to Answers in Genesis and [...]
- Thoughts on the Soul-Making Theodicy
The Library • October 22, 2008
In "All Possible Worlds", I wrote about the various religious responses to the problem of evil. Today, I want to say some more words about one of the common theodicies, the "teaching" or "soul-making" theodicy, as it's defended in the Christian tradition. This theodicy holds that experiencing and resisting evil is the only way to [...]
- New on Ebon Musings: Spanish Translations
The Foyer • October 21, 2008
I'm very pleased to announce that reader David Cabrera has volunteered to translate some of the essays on Ebon Musings into Spanish. He's already completed work on five of them: the disclaimer and introduction, "Why Ebon Musings?", "Life of Wonder" and "All Possible Worlds". I've added links to the Spanish versions of these five from [...]
- In Which I Am Attacked by a U.S. Political Party
The Rotunda • October 20, 2008
This just keeps getting better and better.
Earlier this month, I wrote about the Senate campaign of Elizabeth Dole and how it was attempting to stir up anti-atheist bigotry to use against her Democratic challenger, Kay Hagan. Now, the national Republican Party has joined in, and once again, Daylight Atheism is a part of the controversy.
Shock! [...]
- Poetry Sunday: Away, Melancholy
The Foyer • October 19, 2008
Today's Poetry Sunday features the British poet Stevie Smith. The Literary Encyclopedia calls her "one of the most important female British poets of the twentieth-century, and the most original voice to emerge from the 1930s".
Stevie Smith was born in 1902 in Hull (her birth name was Florence Margaret Smith; she acquired the nickname "Stevie" [...]
- Open Thread: Battle Royale Edition
The Foyer • October 18, 2008
This comment was left on a different post by a visitor calling himself Ty:
I cannot imagine how you could believe that there is no savior in this world. I am 14, and strongly believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the whole world. I'm almost offended that you could think [...]
- Advice to an Atheist
The Garden • October 17, 2008
Before now, I've written two previous posts offering, and soliciting, advice for atheist readers who've found themselves in difficult situations. With today's post, I'm thinking I ought to make it a regular series.
I was contacted by a reader with the following dilemma:
As part of my job, I am often expected to attend and participate [...]
- Maintaining the Mystery
The Loft • October 15, 2008
In last year's post "The Default", I quoted this astonishing concession from theist Andrew Sullivan:
I have lived with the voice of Jesus read to me, read by me, and spoken all around me my entire life - and I heard it that day. If I had been born before Jesus' birth, would I have realized [...]
- On Atheist Janitors: Followup
The Garden • October 14, 2008
Around this time last year, I wrote a post titled "On Atheist Janitors", addressing an e-mail from reader Serban Tanasa that asked whether atheism has something to offer to people on the lower rungs of the economic ladder. The other day he wrote back to me with a follow-up post addressing some of the issues [...]
- Yes to Equality, Yes to Marriage: No on Proposition 8
The Rotunda • October 13, 2008
I woke up this weekend to the extremely welcome news that the State of Connecticut has legalized gay marriage, joining Massachusetts and California as the only three U.S. states with full marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples. Although seven other states have civil unions or domestic partnership laws, as did Connecticut before this ruling, [...]
- From the Mailbag
The Foyer • October 12, 2008
Although I get my share of kook mail, I'd much rather share the truly inspiring e-mails I receive - the ones that remind me why I write and give me the motivation to keep at it. I welcome the reminder that, beyond the political battles and debates that accompany every nascent reform movement, there are [...]
- On Faith Healing Delusions
The Observatory • October 10, 2008
In April, I wrote about religious exemptions from child abuse laws, and today I want to revisit the topic.
I bring this up because, a few weeks ago, I was walking by a Christian Science church and decided to take some of the free literature they had in a box out front. The literature turned out [...]
- Lessons from Niagara
The Rotunda • October 8, 2008
In last month's post on the contributions of freethinkers, I outlined the life of the pioneering civil-rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois. Today, I want to focus on one aspect of Du Bois' life, one that still holds resonance for atheists and others continuing the fight for full equality for all people.
In July 1905, Du Bois [...]
- In Which I Am Attacked By a U.S. Senator
The Rotunda • October 7, 2008
No, I'm not kidding.
In August, you may recall, I wrote a post titled "Why I'm Donating to Kay Hagan". This post concerned the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina, where Democratic candidate Kay Hagan is running against the Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole. The focus of my post was a press release from the Dole campaign [...]
- Book Review: The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality
The Library • October 6, 2008
(Editor's Note: The following review was solicited and is written in accordance with this site's policy for such reviews.)
Summary: A quiet, thoughtful, non-polemical book. At times Comte-Sponville comes close to conceding more than he should, but his positive evocation of atheism is a much-needed effort and may be appealing to theists grappling with the first [...]
- Season's Warning: The Bowery Mission
The Rotunda • October 5, 2008
The other day, I got this piece of mail soliciting donations for a "Thanksgiving meal ticket" for New York City's homeless, from an organization calling itself the Bowery Mission:
I skimmed the letter, which looked like a run-of-the-mill charity solicitation. (I normally give to America's Second Harvest for this sort of thing.) I was about to [...]
- Left Behind and Selective Literalism
The Loft • October 3, 2008
In "The Rapture and the Fig Tree", I wrote about how end-times believers are always looking to reconstruct the past, seeking to force-fit the present into a framework of scripture written to apply to events in long-gone times. Given that many of these verses apply to people and places that no longer exist, a major [...]
- Theocracy Watch XIV: Religious Right Lawbreakers
The Rotunda • October 2, 2008
As reported by Americans United, thirty-three religious right churches endorsed Republican politicians from the pulpit on Sunday. This event was planned and orchestrated by the Alliance Defense Fund, a religious right legal group, which hopes to use it as a test case to have laws against church politicking declared unconstitutional.
Let's emphasize at the outset something [...]
- Extinguishing the Fear of Hell
The Garden • October 1, 2008
The other week, I received an excellent suggestion from a Daylight Atheism commenter via e-mail. He suggested I write a post on the following topic: How can a former believer overcome the vestigial fear of Hell?
I suspect this is a common problem. Many religions go to great effort to inculcate in their followers an instinctive [...]
