On August 8, 1969, five people, including actress Sharon Tate, were murdered at a record producer’s house in Los Angeles. This was the second killing by Charles Manson’s “Family”; Manson wasn’t there but had ordered the killings. On the next night, with Manson in attendance, his gang murdered grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary. One of … Continue reading Forty-five years in jail is too long: Leslie Van Houten, the Manson murders, free will, and retributive justice

Chris Stedman, who works for the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard, is an interfaith activist well known for his coddling of faith, his passive-aggressive hatred of all things Gnu, and his patronizing essays on how atheists must behave.  His new book, coming out next year, has a title purloined from our own dialogue: The one good … Continue reading Chris Stedman stole our word

Although the word “faitheist,” of which I’m very fond, was coined in a contest on this website, I have no hopes that we can find neologisms to replace the words “spiritual” or “spirituality.”  They seem too ingrained in our discourse. But you know the problem: the words have a smell of religion about them—almost a … Continue reading We need a new word for “spirituality”

Are you one of those indigent freelance writers, scrabbling hard to earn a pittance? Sick of magazines and newspapers that pay you jack? Well, your troubles are over—at least if you’re willing to churn out accommodationist pap.  The John Templeton Foundation, through its credential-bending director of publications Rod Dreher, has announced that, if you’re willing … Continue reading Accommodationist or faitheist? Templeton will pay you big time!

It’s always a treat to read Greta Christina when she takes up atheism. This week she posts “An open letter to concerned believers”, addressing, in an oh-so-polite-and-unshrill way, those of the faithful who try to tell atheists how to be more politically effective. Although it’s aimed at believers, it applies equally well to concerned faitheists. … Continue reading Greta Christina on concern trolls

New Scientist has an interview with Francisco Ayala, the evolutionary geneticist who just won the Templeton Prize.  I think anybody familiar with this website could fill in the answers, which are straight-up NOMA-style faitheism.  For example: You won for arguing there is no contradiction between science and religion. Many disagree. They are two windows through … Continue reading Ayala interview

Karl Giberson, a professor at Eastern Nazarene College and Vice-President of the organization BioLogos, has written some of the lamest critiques of New Atheism I’ve ever read.  Perhaps the most embarrassing was an op-ed in USA Today called “Atheists, it’s time to play well with others,” in which he famously called criticizing religion a “profoundly … Continue reading Giberson apologizes for fibbing and stridency