Here’s the latest and probably final update about the meeting of AAR religion bloggers and SBL bibliobloggers at this year’s annual meeting in Atlanta, for dinner and/or drinks. It is scheduled for the evening of Sunday, November 22nd, at 5pm. The event will be held at Meehan’s Public House, which is located at 200 Peachtree St NE. They have reserved their Dublin room for the event. It starts at 5pm, but it is perfectly acceptable to arrive later if you can’t make it... Read more
I just saw the news that Indiana governor Mike Pence has begun turning away refugees. It would be shameful under any circumstances, but Pence pretends to be a defender of Christian values, which makes it all the more disgusting. The above image came my way via Facebook. Unfortunately, Facebook isn’t letting me post links to my blog there at the moment. If readers who are on Facebook could try sharing links to some recent posts, to see if it works... Read more
Yesterday I came across quotes from Roslyn and Bob Cargill, and I thought they deserved to be shared with a wider audience. First here’s Roslyn: Why is it when it comes to helping refugees in need, treating others as we would want to be treated, and loving our neighbors, conservative Christians scream out, “Yeah, but it only takes one. It only takes one nut job to blow us all away, so we got to keep out ALL refugees.” And yet, when... Read more
This thought from Waleed Aly was shared by J. K. Doyle: Terrorism is, above all, a test of character for the community that suffers at the hands of terrorism. The very worst people in the world have come to take away our humanity. What are we going to do about it? The community that keeps its values in the face of hate and fear wins. What do they win? They win the war, the contest of wills, they win the... Read more
There have been nuns who have been mystics. But that’s not what this is about. It has been common for religious freethinkers of various types to be labeled atheists by their religious opponents, and then claimed as such by atheists as well. But in many instances, these individuals are spiritual and may not sit comfortably in the “atheists” category. I’ve mentioned this before in relation to the labeling of mystics as “atheists” in Hume’s dialogues. It is interesting to see that Diana... Read more
For those interested in Judaism, Mandaeism, Late Antiquity, ancient magic, Aramaic, and any number of other topics, there are two sessions at AAR this year that you ought not to miss. One is the Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity session, about which I’ll include details further below. But the other is a session which will feature some actual magic bowls on display. I’m concerned that some might miss this rather unique opportunity, and so I thought I should highlight it... Read more
John Loftus summarized a list provided by Sean Carroll of six arguments that are used by science denialists: The six arguments used by science denialists aim to:1) Cast doubt on science.2) Question the motives and integrity of scientists.3) Magnify disagreements between scientists, especially to cite gadflies as authorities.4) Exaggerate the potential harm coming from science.5) Appeal to the need and value of personal freedom.6) Object that accepting science repudiates some key point of philosophy. These are a slightly different version of... Read more
When I picked Gibney’s for the Bloggers’ gathering, I didn’t notice an important detail: they are closed on Sundays! And so let’s move the event to Meehan’s Public House, at 200 Peachtree Street, just 3 minutes’ walk from the Convention Center. I am going to see if they have a back room available for us, and if so will ask if we can use it for the event, rather than just make the main dining area and bar more crowded. And... Read more
Daniel McClellan made the cartoon above, and I wanted to make sure more people see it. He makes the same points that are made in multiple other places around the web, but less succinctly. For instance, Mark Jurgensmeyer writes: ISIS has not been doing well these days. On the day before the attacks the strategic town of Sinjar has been retaken by Kurdish and Yazidi forces, cutting off the ISIS supply line between their main town in Syria, Rakka, and... Read more
I am happy to have the chance to participate in the Patheos Book Club about Danielle Shroyer’s book Where Jesus Prayed: Illuminating the Lord’s Prayer in the Holy Land. I was eager to participate, since I’ve been to the Holy Land multiple times, and will be leading a group of students traveling there again next summer, and so I was interested to see what she had to say. In essence, the book is a set of reflections, focused on particular... Read more
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