The Gene Expression science blog has an interesting post today: ♦ Biblical literalism or low IQ: which came first? It’s a meta analysis of existing data culled from various sources which indicates that people who hold onto literal biblical interpretations tend to have lower IQs, and people of certain denominations have lower educations. For example, [...]
READ MORE »Monthly archives for May, 2008
This week’s Religious Shenanigans.
A couple bits of news in religious ignorance which have caught my eye today. The first is just rediculous, but the second may have far-reaching negative effects on most American public school children. But first: ♦ Ford dealership uses bigoted radio ads to sell cars In a gorgeous display of perfect irony, this Ford dealership [...]
READ MORE »Chemically altered trust, and divine responsibility.
A really interesting, a little scary, story on io9 today: ♦ The “Trust Me” Drug That Makes You Take Social Risks Basically, there’s a drug available which can alter the way the brain perceives people and can chemically make you more trusting and willing to behave on that trust. Lee Randolph on Debunking Christianity discusses [...]
READ MORE »The problem of evil, discussed.
The Friendly Atheist, a few days back, posted this thought-provoking article: ♦ Why Does God Allow Suffering? The stream of comments below the article are really interesting to read and consider. I have to say, this whole concept (along with the absurdity of a slow-spreading revealed religion being the best method an omnipotent god could [...]
READ MORE »Security and logic switcharoony!
So, with bags in hand and lines of people and busy security areas, we all have to take our shoes off at airports because someone failed to try to blow up a plane using a non-working and implaussible shoe bomb. So, because a group of failed wannabe terrorists had thought about making a chemical bomb [...]
READ MORE »Profiting on security hypocrisy.
The Republican House Minority Leader was a bulldog for making sure telecom companies had immunity for illegally eavesdropping on American citizens–which the Congressman also supported. But when the tables get turned, that’s an excuse for a big pay day! ♦ Boehner Wants Protection From Illegal Wiretapping – But Only For Himself
READ MORE »“The odds are stacked against us.”
Cory Doctorow has a brief, interesting article in the Guardian Online regarding how we misunderstand the concept of large number odds and how it’s to our own disadvantage–both in gambling and crime and terrrism suspicion. ♦ The odds are stacked against us
READ MORE »“Olbermann: Bush interview unforgiveable”
I stand and applaud, with moist eyes, crying “Bravo!”
READ MORE »Writing update: summer promises.
Well, the semester is almost done–one final tonight (contemporary theories in cultural criticism…or something like that. I never have actually learned the name of the class), then begins the summer of self-directed…stuff! (Only one more year until I graduate with my MA in English (Creative Writing track). Assuming I pass my German literacy requirements, my [...]
READ MORE »Morality from religion?
Music starts getting annoying, but watch to the end as it’s not all examples–but gets to a very valid and significant point at the end.
READ MORE »“Genesis… Creation of Humans in Near Eastern Myths And The Paleolithic Era.”
We can see from the Bible that the Early Jews struggled with Polytheism which is supported by Archeology. The latest entry by Lee Randolph on Debunking Christianity: ♦ Genesis 1:26-1:27, Creation of Humans in Near Eastern Myths And The Paleolithic Era In this entry, like his previous one I blogged about: “Genesis… Is An Amalgam [...]
READ MORE »The eternal question of suffering.
I’m going to try to make this quick… BeliefNet has a short debate between a religious studies scholar and former Christian, and a bishop of the Church of England and theologian, regarding the question of suffering in the world: ♦ Is Our Pain God’s Problem? That link used above doesn’t look like it should be [...]
READ MORE »The need for proper sex education!
One of the benefits is to keep from being victimized by blatantly malicious and intentionally dishonest misinformation propaganda, like the kind profiles in this post: ♦ The Pill Kills OMG! It’s a reaction to an article on Reproductive Health Reality Check site about pro-life groups protesting contraceptive, using, among others, the tactic of lying about [...]
READ MORE »“Should we embrace moderate Christianity?”
…is the question Skepchick contributor “writerdd” asks in that same-titled article: ♦ Should we embrace moderate Christianity? Her point is less “embrace” than “befriend.” She wonders if the New Atheist movement is being too hard on the liberal, moderate Christians (which is the majority of self-professed “Christians”) who don’t believe in literal interpretations and evangelism. [...]
READ MORE »“In the name of security” update.
A couple of items regarding removal of basic liberty due to misguided security. I’ll keep it brief; this stuff is pretty self-explanatory: Warrantless search and seizure of your laptop at the border ♦ http://www.boingboing.net/2006/10/25/laptops-please-us-la.html Well, at least there’s struggle against it: ♦ http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/01/eff-and-security-exp.html and then there’s this advice on how to try to protect your [...]
READ MORE »New Creative Commons releases. The Intertubes are the win!
UPDATE: Azamien has brought it to my attention that I’m mistaken regarding Trent Reznor appreciating what Radiohead did. (You’ll understand in a moment.) It may have helped form what Trent would later do, (and possibly do it better), but Trent has stated that he thought Radiohead’s thing was a “bait-and-switch.” ♦ Trent Reznor: Radiohead’s ‘In [...]
READ MORE »Galactic catastrophe!
These pictures from the Bad Astronomer are…amazing! Properly awesome. ♦ When galaxies collide This is one of my favorites: These are pictures of galaxies colliding. Galaxies. GALAXIES! Not billiard balls, not smoke rings, not anything you can hold in your hand… things that contain BILLIONS of stars and hundreds of billions of planets! Zooming through [...]
READ MORE »“Genesis… Is An Amalgam of Near Eastern Creation Myths”
I’m greatly interested in religious history: its origins, its evolution, its influences from cultures and other religions. Few people realize that the religion they believe or the tome they hold dear has a sordid and complex history. For example, the way the Biblical cannon was created is a huge mess of political conniving. The four [...]
READ MORE »Moral naturalism.
Last month I commented on a conversation over at NewSojourn, “Where Does ‘Ought’ Come From?“, where he commits the fallacy of the false dilemma by saying that you either believe morality, ethics, “proper” civil behavior is dictated by a (the Christian) god, or else there is no such thing and any claim to believe in [...]
READ MORE »A frog rants about Ben Stein…and Kennedy?
Wasn’t going to say any more about Ben Stein’s Expelled movie, after my last post (which basically just lets Scientific American “talk”), but this is really very funny:
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