Search Results for: faitheist

Nick Kristof osculates religion again, but do the faithful really give more to charity?

Let’s face it, you’re not going to lose any readers if you praise religion in The New York Times, as Nicholas Kristof has done this morning. If you criticize religion you lose both readers and popularity, but osculating faith? Well, believers and faitheists will love you, and most nonbelievers will just say “meh.” And believe me, … Continue reading Nick Kristof osculates religion again, but do the faithful really give more to charity?

Reflections on the tenth anniversary of The God Delusion

Over at The Friendly Atheist, Hemant Mehta has been collecting quotes from atheists about the significance of Richard Dawkins’s book The God Delusion, which was published ten years ago today. Hemant says this about the book, “. . . you could argue that The God Delusion has created more atheists than any other book in history… … Continue reading Reflections on the tenth anniversary of The God Delusion

New York Times column by atheist touts real miracles produced by incipient saints

We’ve already met Dr. Jacalyn Duffin, a hematologist at Queen’s University in Ontario, when, on NPR, she gave credence to “miracles” supposedly caused by a postmortem Mother Teresa. Duffin, an atheist, has studied the Vatican’s methods for ruling out naturalistic causes of the cures used to validate sainthood (it takes two such miracles), and she agrees with … Continue reading New York Times column by atheist touts real miracles produced by incipient saints

Gary Gutting discovers the obvious: religion can cause violence

“We may find it hard to believe that religious beliefs could motivate murders and insist that extreme violence is always due to mental instability or political fanaticism. But the logic (and the history) of religions tells against this view.”  –Gary Gutting, having an epiphany The Stone, the New York Times‘s philosophy column, is remarkably undistinguished, … Continue reading Gary Gutting discovers the obvious: religion can cause violence

Can we please abandon the word “spiritual”?

I’m busy with my children’s book, and will be for a few days, because writing it is HARD. In fact, it’s about harder than any 1500 words I’ve ever written. I don’t have children, and know only that you shouldn’t condescend to them in books, and that the books should appeal to parents as well … Continue reading Can we please abandon the word “spiritual”?

An accommodationist recommends five accommodationist books

Q: Why are accommodationist historians of science like Reza Aslan? A: The historians say the Galileo episode had nothing to do with Catholicism, while Aslan says that ISIS has nothing to do with Islam. And this is by way of introducing a new Five Books piece in which a religionist recommends books on science and religion. As you … Continue reading An accommodationist recommends five accommodationist books

Forty-five years in jail is too long: Leslie Van Houten, the Manson murders, free will, and retributive justice

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

Steve Pinker reviews Faith versus Fact

In the latest issue of Current Biology, Steve Pinker has written a longish review (2 pages) of Faith versus Fact, and it’s free online (pdf at the link).  His review is called “The untenability of faitheism,” a title I like a lot. You can read it for yourself, but I’ll give two brief excerpts. The first … Continue reading Steve Pinker reviews Faith versus Fact

Brother Tayler’s Sunday Secular Sermon in Salon

Jeffrey Tayler continues his anti-theism in today’s Salon, and for him there’s no Geneva Convention in the war on faith. His piece, “They really want a theocracy: the GOP candidates who want to make you bow to their Lord,” is pretty much a reprise of his excellent talk at the Atheist Alliance of America a week … Continue reading Brother Tayler’s Sunday Secular Sermon in Salon