News items from the past week include the "gender gap" in Christian voters (why do devout women not vote in larger numbers for the GOP?), police efforts to hide the sexual abuse in the Catholic church, more on the collusion between Christian leaders and Nazis in Germany, the problems making a religious icon out of the flag, and more.

Popes of the 19th Century
Here is a list of all of the popes who reigned during the nineteenth century. The first number is which pope they were. This is followed by their chosen name, the starting and ending dates of their reigns, and finally the number of years they were pope. Follow the links to read short biographies of each pope and learn about what they did, what they believed, and what impact they had on the course of the Roman Catholic Church.

Moral Nihilism
One primary understanding of nihilism which existed even within early Russian Nihilism and has continued down through today is the idea that moral norms, but especially traditional morality, cannot be justified by any rational or scientific standards. As a consequence, they have no 'reality' - they do not exist anywhere except in the minds of people and hence do not really 'exist' at all.

Argument from Ignorance: Why Parapsychology is Pseudoscience
In genuine science, no one argues that a lack of alternative explanations is by itself a sufficient reason to consider their theories correct and accurate. In pseudoscience, such arguments are made all of the time. In logic, this is commonly referred to as an argument from ignorance: something is claimed to be true merely because it hasn't been proven false and/or no alternatives have been proven true.

Christian Gender Gap
Curious contradiction for women

Who Helped Hide the Sexual Abuse?
Police helped the church...

Church to Picket Own Camp
Too funny...

Can Gay Rights and Gay Marriage Be Stopped?
Not likely, but people will try

Lessons of Nazi Germany for Christianity
What should we learn?

Flag Desecration and Flag Fetishism
When America becomes a religion

The Secular World of Harry Potter
Where is the religion?

 

Book Reviews:

1) Same-Sex Marriage and the Constitution
The debate over gay marriage is one of the most significant and important social issues facing America today. If gays are denied the right to marry, then homosexual relationships will remain in a second-class status as compared to heterosexual relationships. If gays are afforded the same right to marry as others, then America's promises of liberty and equality will be expanded to include another group. What does the Constitution tell us about how this issue should be decided?

2) Pope Benedict XVI: A Biography of Joseph Ratzinger
As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he was an exceptionally divisive and controversial figure in the Catholic Church. As Pope Benedict XVI, he is supposed to be a living symbol of the unity of not just all Catholics, but all Christians in the world. Can he make a credible transition from defender of orthodoxy to pastor of the entire church? That will be perhaps the most serious challenge of Benedict's papacy.

3) Zen at War
When one thinks of 'holy wars,' wars waged with the approval of religion, Western religions like Christianity and Islam come to mind. This is often contrasted with Eastern religions which appear more peaceful. Buddhism, and especially Zen Buddhism, are thought of as systems focused on the personal development of peace and harmony with the universe. Most don't realize the extent of Zen Buddhism's complicity with the Japanese war machine and the horrors it unleashed on Southeast Asia.