Promoting Science and Critical Thinking
Hemant Mehta has written a recent posting in which he describes in precise detail how words can be lifted out of context and then re-purposed as a weapon. It is a fascinating read, and to tempt you into reading it all let me give you a summary. Last January Sam Harris interviewed his friend and … Read more
In some respects, almost every religious belief is weird. We simply don’t notice because it has blended into the background and become part of the culture, so we don’t perceive the weirdness. Take for example what is perhaps the most popular belief on the planet – Catholicism. At its core you have a ritual called … Read more
If you ask people to list other words that they associate with the word “Christian” then those that embrace some variation of Christianity might suggest terms such as “Love”, “Compassion”, “Tolerance”, etc… However, ask those that are not inside the bubble and you will at times find a rather different list that includes terms such … Read more
Filter out the con men such as Jim Bakker and you are still left with the vast majority of weirdness. This is because the con men are leveraging the existence of such ideas, they are not the root cause. When faced with absurd religiously inspired claims, then there are two things that you can be … Read more
Since I create this top 3 list each and every week you might perhaps wonder if I ever struggle to actually find three bits of religious weirdness for the past week. In short … er no, just no, I’m simply spoiled for choice. As an example, apart from the three I’ve opted for this week, … Read more
I’ve come across a rather nice answer to a letter written within The Star, a paper that is part of the Canadian Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. The question submitted was as follows … How is one to conduct themselves at a funeral when one doesn’t practice the religion? I am a 55-year-old atheist. I know many … Read more
