Skepticism ought to be about critical thinking. But it often ends up being something else, which is illustrated nicely in the latest cartoon by David Hayward: It is a bit like the point made in Richard Beck’s recent blog post about scapegoating. Going against the flow, once looked down upon, is now highly appreciated in certain circles – so much so, that those who value skepticism may assume that they are being appropriately skeptical when they are not, or may... Read more
Today’s Non Sequitur, via The Panda’s Thumb Read more
Some people do in just about every category imaginable. But in only two categories in a recent survey (and those categories overlap to a degree that continues to bewilder me) did a majority think that professors are unfriendly towards religion. Can you guess which ones before checking the chart below (which was shared by Jerry Coyne on his blog)? Any thoughts on the data presented above? I wonder whether the results would be similar if a poll were done... Read more
HT Jim West (Jason Colavito and Michael Heiser have some more serious thoughts on some less serious “authorities” than the above cartoon with respect to ancient aliens) Read more
HT Joel Watts and also Lori Baron in Facebook For another humorous Star Wars take on Father’s Day, click here! Read more
The news has been making the rounds that bones have been found which some think might have belonged to John the Baptist. This is a story which first appeared in 2010, but which has been revived by the carbon dating of the knuckle bone to the first century. The site Skeptic reports on the matter in a way that seems to me level-headed. But the most detailed and fair assessment, complete with suggestions about what sorts of data might be... Read more
via Ema Brown on Facebook. There have been a lot of legitimate criticisms of churches which try to be relevant in a manner that ends up sounding off target, out of touch, offensive, gimmicky, or something worse. But sometimes people make a genuine effort to cross generational divides or those of musical preference, and it is to be appreciated – even if the result makes us chuckle. Read more
Wing Nut Daily recently featured a brand new article about a very old hoax, centered on the claim that chariot wheels have been found in the Red Sea. That anyone could see the photos of relatively new and shiny metal wheels and not be skeptical astonishes me. That anyone could simply take the word of a sensationalist news source that these objects are solid gold (and hence not covered by coral) and that no one has found and removed them... Read more
Mike Kok will be hosting the next Biblical Studies Carnival, and he is ready for your submissions whenever you are. Click through and suggest posts! Read more
While one might or might not see fit to dispute Richard Carrier’s specific conclusions in his recent post, “The Dying Messiah Redux,” I think that the most important thing to note is the approach to history that it illustrates. Carrier argues that, because certain views expressed in Jewish literature from several centuries after the rise of Christianity would not have been invented by Jews in that period, or indeed once Christianity became widespread, they must predate the rise of Christianity.... Read more
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