Membership and Religiosity

Last updated on: May 15, 2015 at 12:12 pm By James F. McGrath

This New Yorker cartoon is a great response to the discussions of the recently-published Pew survey data which everyone is talking about. Surveys are interesting, but often we have seen surveys about an election (for instance) suggest one thing, only for the actual result to be very different. People identify themselves in multiple and various ways. There are people who consider themselves “spiritual but not religious,” and people who are religious but would not consider themselves spiritual. There are people who attend... Read more

The Very Condition of Humanity is to be Wrong about God

Last updated on: May 15, 2015 at 10:43 am By James F. McGrath

When Rachel Held Evans shared these words on Facebook, I was immediately struck by how well they encapsulated a crucial point, and thoughts they should become a meme. Here’s the context: It’s hard for me to admit when I’m wrong. It’s partly my personality, partly good-old-fashioned sinful pride, partly just what it means to be human. But I’ve been thinking today it’s also got something to do with this lingering sense that God punishes us for being wrong. Growing up,... Read more

Amos Updated

Last updated on: May 15, 2015 at 8:56 am By James F. McGrath

Samantha Field shared some wonderful updatings of the message of Amos. One sample follows below. Click through to read more. Amos 9 : 11-15 When I end all of this, I will restore the communities destroyed by urban programs and gentrification I will repair the decayed walls of those who live in assisted housing. I will build it as it should have always been So that the poor, marginalized, and oppressed can be given what was stolen Stolen by slave... Read more

Proceed With Extreme Caution

Last updated on: May 15, 2015 at 7:08 am By James F. McGrath

This cartoon from Evolving Perspectives is inspired by the trigger warnings that some universities have been including in connection with classic literature and art. But it also highlights the reason for exposing students to literature in the first place. Sometimes we quiz and test in the interest of getting them to actually do the reading. And unfortunately that conveys to them that what matters is being able to recall facts and details about the reading. But the aim of reading isn’t memorizing plot... Read more

Jesus: Out Of This World

Last updated on: May 14, 2015 at 4:08 pm By James F. McGrath

This cartoon by Spike Davis seems perfect for Ascension Day. It raises lots of interesting questions, related to topics such as inclusiveness and revelation, and not only about the meaning of the story in Acts depicting Jesus ascending into the sky, headed in the direction of what we today think of not as “heaven” but as “outer space.” In the past, to mark the occasion of Ascension Day, I’ve made connections between the ascension of Jesus and Iron Man, shared... Read more

Uncertainty is Uncomfortable

Last updated on: May 14, 2015 at 6:42 am By James F. McGrath

On a related note, Roger Olson had the following to say in a post on “The Problem of Irrational, Unteachable Christians”: Anti-intellectual obscurantism is a persistent problem among Christians. The ideal of the “holy fool” endures among us…People who appeal to belief against logic, who revel in irrationality, are unteachable. Nothing anyone says to them about their belief can cause them to ponder, to reflect, to think again—which is what being teachable means. People who appeal to belief against logic, who... Read more

Universal Grade Change Form

Last updated on: May 13, 2015 at 1:34 pm By James F. McGrath

Eva Kor Commencement Speech

Last updated on: May 13, 2015 at 11:18 am By James F. McGrath

Eva Kor was the speaker, and an honorary degree recipient, at this year’s Butler University Spring commencement. Above is the speech that she gave. Her story, and her thoughts about forgiveness, are very powerful. If you are inclined to try to spot me from the distance, here is the video of the entire ceremony: Read more

Self-Defeating Religion

Last updated on: May 13, 2015 at 8:54 am By James F. McGrath

Hemant Mehta drew attention to the fact that what some conservative religious people in the United States today want – namely to obliterate the separation between church and state – is arguably the most self-defeating course of action they could pursue. In Europe, countries where Christianity is the national religion have seen Christianity decline significantly. Baptists, in adopting their historic stance that church and state should be separate, thought that state support for a religion ultimately does it more harm, as people become... Read more

Proportional Time and False Dichotomies

Last updated on: May 13, 2015 at 6:25 am By James F. McGrath

Hemant Mehta shared the above as well information about a Kickstarter campain for the comic strip series it is from. Some years ago I explored a different approach to “proportional time” for evolution and young-earth creationism. I would point out, however, that not all religion is committed to the false “teach both sides” dichotomy. Unfortunately, on the other hand, some atheists are just as committed to the false dichotomy as their religious fundamentalist counterparts, being concerned to dismiss religion as... Read more