- Breaking News: Catholic Church Not Above the Law
The Rotunda • June 30, 2010
In the past two months, the Catholic pedophilia scandal has largely dropped out of the headlines. But it was still simmering, and it looks poised to erupt into public consciousness again after this raid by police in Belgium:
The declaration to the police set off four raids in which the authorities seized hundreds of case files [...]
- For Your Reading Pleasure
The Foyer • June 28, 2010
The 56th edition of the Humanist Symposium has been posted at Somewhat Abnormal.
- On Being Judgmental
The Garden • June 28, 2010
It's been a few weeks since any Serious Person told us atheists to shut up, so we're overdue. Well, Chris Mooney doesn't disappoint, writing a gushing post on a recent "science/faith dialogue" held by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science and funded by the Templeton Foundation. As you'd expect from anything underwritten by [...]
- Photo Sunday: Dolphin Watching
The Foyer • June 27, 2010
A special video edition of Photo Sunday!
Last month on our honeymoon, my wife and I went on a whale-watching tour in St. Lucia. We only saw one whale - at a distance, and he didn't let us get close enough for me to take any good pictures - but the dolphins were another story.
We encountered [...]
- The Case for a Creator: Spiritual Wisdom
The Observatory • June 26, 2010
The Case for a Creator, Closing Thoughts
After spending over a year on this project, we've come to the end of The Case for a Creator. Before bringing this series to a close, I have some closing thoughts on the overall message and tactics of the book.
First: Although Lee Strobel tries to pass Case off as [...]
- Prophets of Disaster
The Rotunda • June 25, 2010
As you've probably heard, last week a 60-foot-high Jesus statue in Ohio, nicknamed "Touchdown Jesus", was completely destroyed in a fire after being struck by lightning. An adjacent amphitheater, part of the same evangelical church, was also burned and suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.
The church has already vowed to rebuild the statue, [...]
- Thoughts on the Occasion of My Marriage
The Garden • June 23, 2010
If you're a regular reader, you probably know that I got married last month. Until now, I haven't said much about the event itself on Daylight Atheism. But now that I'm back from my honeymoon (slightly sunburned, but happy!) and I've had some time to reflect, I wanted to put into words some of my [...]
- Do Near-Death Experiences Prove the Soul Exists?
The Observatory • June 21, 2010
"A qualitative and quantitative study of the incidence, features, and aetiology of near death experiences in cardiac arrest survivors." Resuscitation 48 (2001): 149-156.
In my most recent post on Case for a Creator, I mentioned that Lee Strobel referenced a February 2001 paper which allegedly provided proof that people had conscious experiences during the time that [...]
- Photo Sunday: St. Lucia Sunset
The Foyer • June 20, 2010
I haven't put up any pictures in a while, so here's a new one. It's from my honeymoon last month - we stayed at a resort on the west coast of the island of St. Lucia, a developing but beautiful country with some (in my humble opinion) of the world's most gorgeous scenery, including a [...]
- Simo Says
The Rotunda • June 18, 2010
By Sarah Braasch
In loving memory of my baby brother, Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 – 02/02/10)
The other night I fled for my life. I fled a brawl in Paris. No, I didn't get entangled in a drunken bar fight. Again. Actually, I was in an elementary school.
Ni Putes Ni Soumises (NPNS – Neither Whores [...]
- Reengineering Human Nature: Violence
The Loft • June 16, 2010
The Problem: Many religions, including Christianity, teach that unjustified anger and violence are sins that risk the offender's eternal soul. The Ten Commandments order people not to murder - usually a crime committed in the throes of anger - while Jesus says that even a momentary outburst of anger can lead to damnation: "But I [...]
- Open Thread: Forums
The Foyer • June 15, 2010
On the sidebar of this site, I have listings of atheist blogs and podcasts that I like and recommend. The one thing I don't have a good list of, however, is atheist web forums. I used to post on IIDB, but no longer, and I haven't been a regular on any bulletin boards in a [...]
- Book Review: The Atheist's Creed
The Library • June 14, 2010
(Editor's Note: This review was solicited and is written in accordance with this site's policy for such reviews.)
Summary: A scholarly survey of the atheism of dead white guys.
Much like Christopher Hitchens' The Portable Atheist, Dr. Michael Palmer's The Atheist's Creed is intended as an anthology of atheist thought from historical to modern times. Beginning with [...]
- New Deconversion Stories on Ebon Musings
The Foyer • June 13, 2010
I know that I haven't updated Ebon Musings very often these past few months, but now that all my wedding-related activities are over and done with, I hope to change that. I have several topics in mind that I intend to write new essays about, probably later this year. In the meantime, as a promissory [...]
- Reengineering Human Nature: Lust
The Loft • June 11, 2010
The Problem: According to the commandments of the major religions, God expects humans to have only a single lifelong romantic partner and to remain sexually faithful to them: "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14).
Yet, as any given week of tabloid headlines will tell you, humans aren't naturally wired for monogamy. Even after we're [...]
- Reengineering Human Nature
The Loft • June 10, 2010
"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."
—Galatians 5:17
"In order to cure most of the ills of human life, I require not that man should have the wings of the eagle, [...]
- The Case for a Creator: TV Sets and Tennis Shoes
The Observatory • June 9, 2010
The Case for a Creator, Chapter 10
I was going to wrap up my review of chapter 10 with my previous post, but looking back over my notes, I see that Moreland and Strobel made a few more claims I wanted to address. Mostly, these consist of assertions that there's evidence for the ability of the [...]
- The Bible's Failed Covenant
The Library • June 7, 2010
In the entire Old Testament, there are no verses more significant than the ones in which Yahweh establishes his covenant with the Jewish people. He pledges to make the Israelites his chosen, to show special favor to them above all other nations and races, and to grant them a peaceful and prosperous home in the [...]
- The Catholic Church Asks Me for Money
The Rotunda • June 4, 2010
One of the downsides of giving money to charity is that some of the groups I give to resell their donors' names and addresses. As a result, I get an amazing quantity of mail, most from groups I've never heard of, begging for money. It comes from an incredible range of organizations - symphonies, museums, [...]
- Vote for Daylight Atheism for the 3QD 2010 Science Prize
The Foyer • June 2, 2010
You may remember that last year, I won the 2009 science writing prize awarded by 3 Quarks Daily. Well, the 2010 contest is now open, and once again I'm in the running. Best of all, this year the celebrity judge is Richard Dawkins, which would make it especially sweet to win a repeat victory. Readers, [...]
- Why Atheists Should Do Jury Duty
The Rotunda • June 1, 2010
I've never served on a jury, although I've had at least two jury duty notices sent to former addresses after I no longer lived in the area. But I'm certain the courts will catch up with me sooner or later, and truth be told, I'm actually looking forward to it. I know that being on [...]
