The Danish publication of satirical cartoons of Muhammad generated a lot of heated discussion about the moral and political legitimacy of satirizing or mocking religion, but this issue has generated heated debate for a long time. Muslims weren't the first to seek censorship of images or words which offended them, and they won't be the last. Religions may change, but the basic arguments remain fairly constant and this allows us to more quickly respond when the issue arises again (and again).

Read Article: Is it Wrong to Mock Religious Beliefs, Institutions, Leaders?

It's commonly assumed that who you are as a person - your personal identity - is, well, all about you. You are you. There is, however, some reason to think that the 'you' is actually more about your relationships with people around you. No one grows up isolated from everyone else. Every step of our growth and development occurs in the context of an array of human relationships.

What's more, it's abundantly clear that we are intensely social animals. We evolved in small, close-knit social groups and much of our behavior makes more sense when socialization is taken into account. According to some recent research, the same brain regions involved with your sense of self are also involved with some aspects of socialization with others. Read More...

Many claim that skepticism and atheism should be separate because 'God' is not something that can be tested in a scientific, skeptical way. For some definitions of 'God' that may be true, but it's a violation of the fundamental and ethical foundations of skepticism to declare it about 'God' as an entire topic or concept.

Read Article: Does Scientific Skepticism Exclude Atheism Because God Cannot be Tested?

Carefully structured and clearly organized hierarchies of power appear to be very important not only to Christian Nationalists, but conservative and fundamentalist religious believers of all types. This concern extends along the entire spectrum of power relationships, including most especially the power relationships within the smallest, most fundamental social unity of society: the family. According to Christian Nationalists, the role of the woman requires her to be subordinate, obedient, and helpful while the man's role requires him to take charge, lead, and make the tough decisions.

 

Read Article: Submission & Obedience to Husbands