Jen from BlagHag.com posed a really good question today on her blog: “If you knew God was real, would you actually worship him?” It’s an interesting question, though not exactly a fair one. A fair question would be, “Is there anything that could convince you (a) (G)od was real?” I could unequivocally answer that with [...]
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The Iron Chariots Wiki is a fantastic collection of knowledge, info, facts, resources that serve as a “counter-apologetics.” According to the site: Iron Chariots is intended to provide information on apologetics and counter-apologetics. We’ll be collecting common arguments and providing responses, information and resources to help counter the glut of misinformation and poor arguments which masquerade as “evidence” [...]
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This is amusing: Earlier today I posted a short blog called “Getting Your Attention” in which I mention John Loftus’ observation that it looks like only believers are really interested in converting people and not any omnipotent or omniscient deity, and a quip from another on what would convince him God exists… I just discover [...]
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I’d been aware of Buddhism as seperable as a philosophy and a religion since I started researching religions as a teen, but at that time it didn’t really matter to me. Skip forward about fifteen or so years, and during my long deconversion from Christianity I took a long, hard look at Buddhism as a [...]
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Atheists experience transcendent wonder and awe at the magnificence of the universe and the fact that we’re part of it. We just don’t think these experiences have anything to do with God, the soul, or any sort of immaterial entities or forces. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it [...]
READ MORE »I’m going to keep this short, because I want to mainly present this potentially interesting documentary in the works: “Skipping Sunday School“: I’m amused and annoyed by the old and ridiculous canard of Pascal’s Wager used at the end of the clip. Spoken by the guy who throughly didn’t believe that a person could be good without the indoctrination [...]
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I’ve wanted a Jeep since I was 17. One of the other guys who was on Boy Scout camp staff with me had one. If I recall, it was a circa 1970s era Army Jeep and it was frakkin cool! I fell in love with it. . Certainly, my car desires have shifted around. I’ve wanted [...]
READ MORE »And why is today, just more than half done, and beset by a major setback, such a good day? I was able to take a 2-hour lunch which allowed me to spend a little time browsing at Barnes and Noble, pick up a paperback, and eat leisurely while reading. That’s it. That right there is [...]
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“Can science provide a morality to change the world? NO.” This is from a recent blog post by biologist and outspoken atheist, PZ Myers in the posting: A priest, a scientist, and a Communist discuss morality. It’s a really interesting post about a talk he spoke at (with the aforementioned priest and Communist) on the [...]
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Greta Christina has been putting out these Atheist Memes of the Day that are really good and thoughtful, like this one: Today’s Atheist Meme of the Day, from my Facebook page. Pass this on; or don’t; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy! Atheism is not a belief system. [...]
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First, a little story: I’ve been a huge fan of SF author Steven Brust since circa 1988 when Taltos came out. (I didn’t know at the time that was not the first in the “Vlad Taltos” series, but it worked out OK.) After becoming a fan, I discovered Brust was a self-described Trotskyist. Being in [...]
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Over the couple frigid weeks I’ve seen more than a few comments on the Intertubes mocking “global warming” because of the unusually cold weather. A few on Facebook, some on Twitter, a few blogs, and even a Web comic I follow made a snarky global warming mock. If the mockery is meant as an ironic [...]
READ MORE »An article I recently read: “Pastors will test Matthew Shepard Act by ‘inciting hate crimes’” Personally, I’m not sure how I feel about “hate crime” legislation. It feels too much like “thought crime”. Case1: Al is beaten to death by a couple of thugs. Case 2: Ben is beaten to death by a couple of [...]
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My new short story has been published! I’m, oh, just a little excited. The story, “The End of the Beginning,” is in the latest edition of M-BRANE SF magazine, issue number 10. You have a few quick, easy, and inexpensive methods of getting it: Visit this URL: http://mbranesf2.blogspot.com and on the right-hand side you’ll find [...]
READ MORE »(New post on my writing/scholarship focused blog, The GrogMonkey, about my participating in NaNoWriMo in November: “NaNoWriMo, again. Maybe. Perhaps?“)
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The Tyranny of the Majority: If you ever found yourself in a vastly outnumbered minority, and the majority voted that you had to give up something as necessary to your life as water and air, would you comply? When it comes down to it, does anyone really believe it makes sense to accept the authority [...]
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A few days ago, Rebecca over at Skepchicks posted a post featuring some videos of songs from They Might Be Giant’s new album: Here Comes Science. It’s a kid’s album (that can be thoroughly enjoyed by adults!) extolling the many and varied benefits of science. The first YouTube video she posted is for the album’s [...]
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We got the Beatles Rock Band game last night and played it for a couple of hours; here’re my initial reactions: I’m underwhelmed. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s a very well-made game. It’s beautiful to look at and they made some improvements over Rock Band 2, including vocal pitch selector and melody or harmony [...]
READ MORE »Ugh! What a nagging headache. I’ve been off caffeine for 36 hours now. Not that I was a big caffeine drinker in the first place — I would have an energy drink, like a diet NoFear or a SoBe Energy (Lean) in the morning, and sometimes a can of diet Coke in the afternoon, and [...]
READ MORE »First an annoying introduction; feel free to skip to the next heading: I, unlike pretty much every other English grad student I know/have known, am not an English teacher. Not for high school, nor did I teach undergrads while earning my English MA. Chances are pretty certain, though, that when I go for my PhD [...]
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