The National Center for Science Education has made a large number of new videos available on YouTube, most approximately one minute long. They include, among others, Lawrence Lerner addressing the relationship of religion and science. Those who teach on religion and science, as well as science educators more generally, may find them particularly useful. Read more

“My faith is strong, but my beliefs are fluid.” — Sherry Peyton, “Staying in the Comfort Zone” at the blog A Feather Adrift Read more

Today has been designated “Blasphemy Day”, as many if not indeed all readers will be aware. The last time I addressed the issue of blasphemy, I pointed to Judges 6:25-32. The passage suggests that a true God can defend himself and needs no human defenders: “If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” This time, I’ll note that the 1 Kings 18:27 presents Elijah as mocking (perhaps blaspheming?) Ba’al, suggesting that Ba’al... Read more

These things may only be there for legal reasons, but they are still worth highlighting. The “General Disclaimer” page on Conservapedia includes the following: Nothing here has necessarily been reviewed or checked by anyone with expertise to ensure that it is accurate or reliable. USERS RELY ON INFORMATION HERE ENTIRELY AT THEIR OWN RISK… Nothing on this site can be deemed to be professional advice in any field. See an appropriate professional, such as an attorney or physician, if you... Read more

I missed a piece in the Indianapolis Star a couple of days ago, until a friend pointed it out to me today. Russ Pulliam’s article, “Taking Darwin On Faith”, manages to muddle and confuse at least two issues. He quotes Richard Holdeman, who emphasizes that there is a problem in treating certain theological extrapolations from evolutionary biology as though they are the inevitable consequence of accepting evolution, which is probably a fair point. But I suspect that Holdeman would be... Read more

As someone who is interested in the various ways that religion and sci-fi can intersect, I was particularly delighted to read Steve Cook’s piece that recently appeared on the Society of Biblical Literature web site. It is about the use of Planet of the Apes to teach students about archaeology and the Bible. There’s also another interesting article that is about interpreting the Book of Revelation as something other than science fiction… Read more

The thirteenth proposition in Walton’s book is that “the difference between origin accounts in science and scripture is metaphysical in nature. I am not certain that this is the best way of expressing Walton’s key point, which is that the Bible affirms purpose or teleology rather than a specific process. Science consciously eliminates teleology from consideration and examines natural processes. Walton therefore appears to be correct to highlight the circular character of the argument that, because science does not find... Read more

Doug Chaplin tagged me with a meme a while back, and for a while I’ve been suffering from meme immunity, but the illness seems to be passing. Or maybe my beliefs just aren’t random enough…No, that’s definitely not it. Anyway, here are ten random things I believe: 1) I believe music is a symbol of transcendence, pointing us to the way in which complexity produces things that are not simply the sum of their parts.2) I believe that science is... Read more

I’ve just become aware that there is a manuscript in the holdings of the Bodleian Library, catalogued as a “Syriac” manuscript (MS. Syr. f. 2), which is in fact in Mandaic. If you click through, you can see some images that the Bodleian has shared. Click through to see the images. There are notes on the scroll in French which may suggest that the text relates to the Mandaean holiday of Paruanaiia, celebrated during the 5 intercalary days that allow... Read more