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She Was Ahead of Her Time

December 13, 2018 By Bert Bigelow

The title above is a shortened version of a longer description often applied to the remarkable woman who is the subject of this article: The Woman Who Was Ahead of the Women Who Were Ahead of Their Time. Most people who have read about the Women’s Suffrage Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries have heard the names Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I doubt if many have ever heard the name Matilda Joslyn Gage. But… Read more

Poll Finds Atheism Is No Longer a Political Taboo

December 11, 2018 By Jonathan MS Pearce

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This is from the American Atheist Association: (Washington, D.C., December 11, 2018) – Although the U.S. Constitution prohibits religious tests for public office, one of the greatest taboos in American politics has been for a candidate to be an atheist. A new poll conducted by Lake Research Partners for the American Humanist Association and the Center for Freethought Equality found that “being non-religious or atheist need not be considered an impediment to a candidate’s electoral success.” The results of the poll… Read more

A Reminder: The Pharaoh and Hardening of Hearts

December 11, 2018 By Jonathan MS Pearce

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This came up in conversation the other day, so let me just remind you of the terminal problems for the Exodus story faced by those who defend the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart… I know I only ran this recently, but some Christians have short memories. The Exodus is a story that is hugely important to Christians (and Jews), as can be seen by some comments by Christians on the previous articles in this series. I want to continue my claims… Read more

Returning to Debunking the Nativity: A Christmas Round-Up

December 10, 2018 By Jonathan MS Pearce

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I have, at different Christmases, run some series debunking the historical claims within the Bible (specifically the Gospels of Matthew and Luke) to show them as wanting, running alongside my book The Nativity: A Critical Examination (UK here). This, in true Christmas misery-inducing skepticism, has included critically analysing Boney M. So I thought I would provide you with a go-to contents-style guide to Christmas skepticism. Go get involved. Debunking the Nativity: The Gospel Sources Debunking the Nativity: The Virgin Birth Debunking the Nativity: The Mistranslation… Read more

What Does Free Even Mean?

December 9, 2018 By Jonathan MS Pearce

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The “free” in free will is often called into question, and for good reason. Thinkers like Daniel Dennett have often said that (libertarian) free will needs determinism in order to make any sense, and I would certainly agree with this. One blog commenter questioned the other day as to what free really means in this context. What is it that the agent is free of? If one is to be free of one’s own nature, then there is little sense… Read more

Are Churches Dying?

December 9, 2018 By Bert Bigelow

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In an article in Atlantic magazine[i], author Jonathan Merritt notes that between 6,000 and 10,000 churches “die” each year. His comment suggests that churches are living entities, but what he really means is that they go out of business, because churches are businesses in every sense. They consist of a physical facility with employees, they have a budget that defines income and operating expenses, and they pay taxes…whoops, no they don’t. That is one big difference between a secular business… Read more

Update on What God or the Universe Has in Store for Me

December 7, 2018 By Jonathan MS Pearce

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It’s the universe, silly. The last time that I spoke to you, I told you that I’ve been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Since then, I have had a further appointment and today even had a second MRI scan. It turns out that, from the last appointment, I was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis or PPMS. I am, rather unfortunately, in the 15% of people who are diagnosed with the less good version of multiple sclerosis. Usually, if you are diagnosed… Read more

Nonreligious Representation on TV and Radio

December 7, 2018 By Jonathan MS Pearce

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I think, certainly in Britain, that the assumption of non-religiosity is very much taken for granted. We Brits are generally non-religious, perhaps largely apathetic, and many of those old-school CofE types are nominally religious at best, or keep their faith very close to their chests. Oh, we don’t talk about politics or religion! This has meant that our national broadcast television and radio stations and shows have been relatively devoid of religious programming. We have the show on Sunday called Songs of Praise. As… Read more

How to Tackle Climate Change

December 5, 2018 By Jonathan MS Pearce

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Climate change is on the agenda, and for good reason. Here is occasional contributor Ed Atkinson on creating an effective proposal to deal with the challenges ahead: The photo introducing this blog need not alarm you too much because I originally found it on the Daily Mail website. Yes, sea level rise is a serious concern as our Climate changes over the next decades, but levels as high as shown here would be much further into the future. Impacts in… Read more

Hospitals and Prayer

December 4, 2018 By Jonathan MS Pearce

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If prayer worked, there wouldn’t be hospitals. Or medicine. Or science, really. They’d be too overworked and busy for this shit in the UK… Stay in touch! Like A Tippling Philosopher on Facebook: A Tippling Philosopher Read more