Daylight Atheism » Awe and Wonder

The Language of God: A Final Word

Ebonmuse — Sun, 08 May 2011 14:13:42 +0000

The Language of God, Closing Thoughts

By B.J. Marshall

Collins' final word comprises two points: that there is joy and peace in God's creation, and that the war between science and spirit should end. In this post, I'll discuss these two points. I'll conclude by giving a final word of my own as my journey of blogging through a book closes.

Collins' first point fits perfectly well whether one ... [visit site to read more]

Weekend Link Miscellany

Ebonmuse — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 00:06:06 +0000

I've got a couple of links this weekend, some atheism-related, some not:

• Lost a digital camera lately? It made me smile to find out about I Found Your Camera, a website helping to reunite lost cameras with their owners.

• After the terrible and entirely preventable deaths of three people during a "sweat lodge" ceremony last year, the New Age community in Sedona is ... [visit site to read more]

Thursday Transcendence

Ebonmuse — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:26:24 +0000

I'll post another update tomorrow, but in the meantime, I came across two videos that were too wonderful not to share:

• First, this montage of stunning moments from the documentary series Planet Earth, with music by the band Sigur Ros;

• and then, this video: a recording of Carl Sagan ... [visit site to read more]

The Language of God: Joy and Wishful Thinking

Ebonmuse — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:57:03 +0000

The Language of God, Chapter 2

By B.J. Marshall

Collins continues on his theme of the universal search for the divine with an argument from emotions. He cites his beloved C.S. Lewis, who describes this in his book Surprised by Joy. Lewis relates how this search, this intense longing, is triggered by moments of joy, which he describes as "an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than ... [visit site to read more]

Under Green Leaves

Ebonmuse — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:52:56 +0000

In an old essay on Ebon Musings, "Finding Beauty in the Mundane", I wrote in a contemplative mood:

Have you ever considered the trees? Though their kind of life is far grander, slower and more patient than ours, they are each individuals, as different as human beings are. They add beauty to the world, give peace in their dappled shade, freshen the air and enrich the earth, and turn even the most hard-edged ... [visit site to read more]

Surprise Me With A Fact

RitchieAdmin — Wed, 26 May 2010 23:21:25 +0000

By Richard Hollis (aka Ritchie)

I thought I'd do a something a little different in this post.

Sometimes, when I read a science book explaining something new, I get a feeling when a piece of fascinating trivia just 'clicks' into place. I'm not sure I can better describe it, though I'm sure I'm not doing a good job of it. Like a minor epiphany where something previously unknown or unclear suddenly comes into sharp focus.

So I thought I'd throw the ball out there and ask everyone ... [visit site to read more]

The Dimension of Divinity

Ebonmuse — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:01:31 +0000

I just finished reading The Happiness Hypothesis, a book by Jonathan Haidt, who's a professor in the new science of "positive psychology" at the University of Virginia. Most of the book is a straightforward distillation of scientific research on what truly brings happiness and contentment in life, illustrated with quotes and references to famous philosophers and sages of the past who taught similar lessons. There's nothing to object to about this - I think it's a laudable thing for ... [visit site to read more]

Cathedrals

Ebonmuse — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:36:57 +0000

You may have heard that, after an exasperating series of setbacks and delays, the massive particle accelerator called the Large Hadron Collider is finally up and running. Even in preliminary tests, it's set records for the most powerful particle collisions ever recorded in a lab - and when it's reactivated later this year, it's expected to set new ones.

Recently, I was struck by visit site to read more]

A Sense of Kinship

Ebonmuse — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:51:26 +0000

This past summer, I was visiting the New York Botanical Gardens when serendipity struck: this beautiful little creature alighted on a stone railing around the edge of a pool, staying just long enough for me to snap this shot:

I think, though I'm not an expert, that this is a blue dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis. ... [visit site to read more]

Weekly Link Roundup

Ebonmuse — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:11:29 +0000

I've got plenty of goodies in the bag for this post. Frankly, more has been happening lately than I can write about - but that's okay, because there are lots of other fantastic atheist bloggers who've said it all!

• First, there's this outrageous story out of Washington, D.C., where the Catholic church ... [visit site to read more]

A Dialogue with Quixote, Part VII

Ebonmuse — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:11:09 +0000

Hello Quixote,

Considering your last letter to me was some time ago, I apologize for the lateness of my reply. To tell the truth, this was the hardest one for me to write. It's not that I couldn't think of anything to say. Much the opposite: If I had said everything I wanted to say, this post would have been too long! Cutting it down to a reasonable length was more of a struggle than writing it. I've ... [visit site to read more]

Poetry Sunday: Tor House

Ebonmuse — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:44:03 +0000

This month's Poetry Sunday features another poem by Robinson Jeffers, an American poet of the early twentieth century. Born 1887 in Pennsylvania, Jeffers was the son of a Presbyterian minister who taught his son Latin and Greek. Nevertheless, Jeffers did not follow in his father's footsteps. Rather than theology, he became enthralled at a young age with the natural world, and became an avid outdoorsman and follower of scientific discoveries in biology, astronomy, and other areas.

Jeffers ... [visit site to read more]