The Complicated Relationship Of An Apostate To His Religious Friends And His Reilgious Past

August 20, 2009 By 2 Comments

In reply to this post from the other day and subsequent discussion in the comments section about the ways that religious belie can interfere with both reason and love, George writes, For the past year I have been trolling blogs and websites trying to wrap my brain around religion in general and evolution denial in [...]

Filed Under: Atheism, Atheistic Ethics, Ethics, Featured, Intellectual Vices, Intellectual Virtues, Love, Music, Music Videos, Religion, Secularism, Videos, Virtues, Why I Am Not A Christian Tagged With: , , , , , , 2 Comments

Love, Religious Style

August 18, 2009 By 9 Comments

Daniel M of Good Reason relays this poignant anecdote: I was on a long car trip with my very Mormon mother. Out of the blue, she said, “So you think it’s okay for gay people to get married, do you?” “Yeah,” I said. “I think it’ll be fine.” Mom said “What if your sons turned [...]

Filed Under: Homosexuality, LGBTQAA, Love, Religion, Why I Am Not A Christian Tagged With: 9 Comments

On Unjustifiably Leveraging One’s Credibility

August 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

WIC writes this reply to recent remarks I made to him.  I am only quoting here the portion I specifically address, to read his counter to me in its entirety, click here. The question then becomes whether or not Collins is truly ‘sloppy’ outside the lab in regards to religion. You, Harris, Myers, and other [...]

Filed Under: Authority, Epistemology, Featured, Francis Collins, Intellectual Vices, Intellectual Virtues, Philosophy, PZ Myers Tagged With: , , , , Leave a Comment

When Should A Scientist’s Faith Disqualify Him From Scientific Institutional Authority?

August 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

In reply to this post addressing previous objections that Wandering Internet Commentator made to me, WIC returns volley (sentences in italics are quotes he has taken from my previous post to him): I anticipated creationists figuring in your reply. The problem is, though, I’m not really sure they’re the best example of religion ‘polluting’ the [...]

Filed Under: Creationism, Ethics, Evolution, Featured, Francis Collins, New Atheism, Philosophy, PZ Myers, Religion and Science Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

More Thoughts On Scientists In The Public Square

August 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

My previous post today on religious scientists was based on a comment I first made on the blog He Lives in reply to a post there.  Below is a subsequent comment from that blog from “Wandering Internet Commenter” interspersed with my replies to him. Normative arguments are fun and all, but it never hurt to [...]

Filed Under: Atheism, Epistemic Justification, Epistemology, Ethics, Featured, Intellectual Vices, Intellectual Virtues, New Atheism, Philosophy, Religion and Science Tagged With: , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

How PZ Myers Differs From Rush Limbaugh

August 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Prometheus Unbound takes issue with PZ Myers: I certainly understand why people like PZ Myers’s style. It is easy and uncomplex, and impatient with nuance. It’s what makes Fox News so popular. And it may well draw a crowd of young people. Myers is ever on the ready to stir the shit. And he is [...]

Filed Under: Atheism, Cultural Secularism, Ethics, Faith, Featured, Intellectual Vices, Intellectual Virtues, Political Secularism, PZ Myers, Rationalism, Secularism Tagged With: Leave a Comment

What’s In A Name? On Redefining Belief In God Rather Than Rejecting It

August 17, 2009 By 2 Comments

VorJack summarizes Robert Jensen’s thesis that God is mystery itself, rather than a principle that hopes to explain them: Jensen is not saying that God is a mystery. Instead, he is saying that God is mystery itself. God is what we call all those things about the universe that we don’t or can’t understand. Let [...]

Filed Under: Atheism, Atheistic Ethics, Christianity, Featured, God, Religion, Religious Secularism, Secularism, Why I Am Not A Christian Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Dispelling The Myth That Nazism Was An Outgrowth Of Darwinian Atheism

August 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

In April of last year, Richard Dawkins wrote this letter (which should be read in full) to someone duped by the slander that Darwinian atheism led to Hitler’s ideals and goals: His horrible bidding was done by millions of ordinary German footsoldiers, and the great majority of them were Christians. Many were Lutheran, and many [...]

Filed Under: Atheism, Atheistic Ethics, Authoritarianism, Christianity, Ethics, History, My Theory of Morality's Rational Foundations and Nature, Politics, PZ Myers, Religion, Roman Catholic Church, Secularism Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Brad Pitt’s No Religion Platform

August 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Atheist Media Blog is all over this story.

Filed Under: Atheism, Bill Maher, Cultural Secularism, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Homosexuality, LGBTQAA, Political Secularism, Politics, Religion, Secularism, Separation of Church and State, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , Leave a Comment

In Defense Of Mocking And Embarrassing Religion

August 15, 2009 By 8 Comments

Unreasonable Faith just profiled this interesting looking documentary on a tour of debates between Christopher Hitchens and Doug Wilson. In the comments section to that post, Custador wrote the following about Christopher Hitchens: Generally I find his demeanor to be too confrontational to be productive. It’s like he’s trying to embarasse theists into seeing reason. [...]

Filed Under: Atheism, Atheistic Ethics, Christopher Hitchens, Faith, Featured, Rationalism, Religion, Secularism, Why I Am Not A Christian Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 Comments