- The Age of Wonder
The Observatory • November 30, 2008
If you search the internet, it's not hard to find New Agers and others who think that the dawning of the age of reason was a mistake. They envision a more "holistic" approach, one that properly pays heed to the mystery and complexity of existence, and castigate science for being cold, unfeeling, heartless in its [...]
- On the Mumbai Terror Attacks
The Rotunda • November 28, 2008
I had planned to post on a different topic today, but my attention has been riveted - as I'm sure everyone's has - by the horrific events still unfolding in Mumbai. A well-organized and ruthless group of several dozen heavily armed terrorists has slipped into the city, attacking lightly guarded civilian targets with assault rifles [...]
- Teaching the Controversy
The Observatory • November 26, 2008
When two groups of experts disagree about a controversial subject that intersects the public school curriculum students should learn about both perspectives.
In such cases teachers should not teach as true only one competing view, just the Republican or Democratic view of the New Deal in a history class, for example. Instead, teachers should describe [...]
- The Decline of the Catholic Church
The Rotunda • November 24, 2008
In this past August's post "On Desecration", concerning the infamous PZ Myers wafer affair, I mocked the ignorance of a group calling itself the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy:
We find the actions of University of Minnesota (Morris) Professor Paul Myers reprehensible, inexcusable, and unconstitutional.
At the time, I didn't think this was anything other than the raving [...]
- Poetry Sunday: The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
The Foyer • November 23, 2008
Most connoisseurs of poetry have heard of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a collection of poems originally written in Persian and attributed to the eleventh-century poet and polymath after whom it is named. The various translations of the Rubaiyat have given the English language some of its most enduring verses and images (most notably "a [...]
- Open Thread: Shameless Self-Promotion Day
The Foyer • November 22, 2008
Since I've just wrapped up my series on blogging, it seemed appropriate to do this. This is an open thread purely for the purposes of self-promotion.
If you keep a blog or other site that you want us to know about, then now's the time! Feel free to leave a comment below telling us about [...]
- On Blogging II
The Loft • November 21, 2008
Growing a Community
Yesterday's post offered advice to potential writers about starting a weblog of your own. This post addresses the next question: once your site is established, how do you get noticed and build up a readership?
Be a good citizen of the blogosphere. To make yourself known, it's essential to participate in the blogosphere at [...]
- On Blogging I
The Loft • November 20, 2008
Starting Your Site
Several bloggers I follow regularly, including Atheist Revolution, A Load of Bright, and Greta Christina, have written posts about blogging in the past several months. Since October was my best month to date, I thought it was about time for me to follow suit. Here follows a two-post series with my personal opinions [...]
- Down to Earth
The Garden • November 19, 2008
I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon, and letting the world roll on as it liked, than to occupy the most splendid post, which any human power can give.
—Thomas Jefferson, letter to Alexander Donald, 7 February 1788
What [...]
- On Analogies, and the Uses Thereof
The Library • November 17, 2008
In essays such as "Three In One", I've scorned the Christian doctrine of the Trinity:
If a claim is labeled beyond our ability to understand, then how are we supposed to tell if it is true? What assurance do theists have that the Trinity is a true fact about the world that is genuinely beyond our [...]
- A Clarification on the Theist's Guide
The Foyer • November 15, 2008
I feel as though I need to clarify something.
In my Ebon Musings essay, "The Theist's Guide to Converting Atheists", I wrote that I would link to any theist who was willing to post a list of things they would accept as proof that atheism is true. That offer has been open since I first posted [...]
- To Bigotry No Sanction
The Rotunda • November 14, 2008
In August 1790, Warden Moses Seixas of the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, wrote an address to the recently elected President George Washington. Jewish congregations were still an unusual phenomenon in America at the time, and Newport's was the new nation's largest. Seixas' letter expressed his congregation's gratitude to President Washington, and to America [...]
- Jealous Gods
The Loft • November 12, 2008
For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous god.
—Exodus 34:14
Many verses in the Bible, such as the one above, state unequivocally that Yahweh is a jealous and vengeful lawgiver. They warn of how he loathes idols, and graphically describe the dreadful punishments he will inflict on [...]
- Jesus Never Laughed
The Garden • November 10, 2008
In The Case for Christ, evangelical psychologist (and demon-believer) Dr. Gary Collins rendered this appraisal of the mental health of Jesus:
"We don't see psychological difficulties in Jesus. He spoke clearly, powerfully and eloquently. He was brilliant and had absolutely amazing insights into human nature. He was loving but didn't let his compassion immobilize him; he [...]
- Some More Election Thoughts
The Rotunda • November 8, 2008
My earlier post, "Election Special 2008", didn't fully do justice to all the things I wanted to say about this election. I decided it would be better split into two parts, and here's the second part.
First, the historic: A nation built by slaves, that fought a bloody civil war over emancipation, and that has grappled [...]
- Faith Comes First
The Loft • November 7, 2008
A few months ago, a theist contacted me by e-mail to claim that her church, the Mormons, had fulfilled many of the criteria set forth in my essay "The Theist's Guide to Converting Atheists". There was one criterion she thought was unfair of me to list - evidence of miraculous occurrences brought about through prayer:
This [...]
- Election Special 2008: The World Is Changing
The Rotunda • November 5, 2008
The votes have been cast, the balloons have come down, the champagne has popped and the confetti has been thrown, and we're officially on the other side of the 2008 elections. Atheists and progressives have much to chew over in these results, and here are some preliminary thoughts of mine. In this post I'll address [...]
- Open Thread: Election Predictions
The Foyer • November 3, 2008
As the world's eyes turn to America and tomorrow's election, I just have to join in. This is an open thread for election predictions, rumors, speculation, results reporting, and whatever else you can think of. Once the polls have closed and the results are all in, I hope to write a longer post, most likely [...]
- Popular Delusions XI: Satanic Ritual Abuse
The Observatory • November 2, 2008
One of the surest marks of a pseudoscience is that it stays forever the same, never altering its claims, even as the world changes around it and revolutions in our knowledge come and go. While science evolves over time, with theories becoming refined to more closely track the truth, popular delusions stay the same through [...]
