News items from the past week include problems atheists have with dating, the continued contempt of Jews exhibited in evangelical circles, problems with polygraph testing, Christian critiques of science, and the price others pay for conscience clauses.

Propaganda, Crusades, and Religious Wars
Crusading could be a passionate endeavor for medieval Christians, but the importance of passionate, religious zeal should not cause us to overlook the fact that the Crusades were also a massive, complex undertaking that wouldn't have been possible without a lot of careful, detailed planning.

Justice, Mercy, and Motivation
Human beings make decisions based in part on their emotions and in part on their reason. Most people regard the use of reason very highly and treat reasoned decisions as preferable to those based on emotion, but at the same time emotion tends to be a much stronger motivator than reason.

Crisis in Islam
Islam is experiencing a crisis of credibility and authority that stems directly from the nature of Islam itself. This makes it difficult to come up with solutions of any sort because few Muslims will be willing to alter the structure of their religion.

Polygraph Testing
Lies of Lie Detectors

Science is a Sham
That's what some seem to think

Kinder, Gentler Contempt of Jews
Analysis of evangelical attitudes

Atheism and Dating
It's not easy for nonbelievers

Costs of Conscience Clauses
They harm us all

Retribution, Crime, and Punishment
Developing American attitudes

Violence and Low Self-Esteem
There is a connection

 

User Polls:

1) Should Doctors Refuse to Treat Malpractice Lawyers?
A lot of doctors are concerned about rising insurance premiums and they would like to see limits on the amounts that can be awarded in malpractice lawsuits. As a consequence, some doctors would like to refuse to treat malpractice lawyers and politicians who agree with them. Is that fair or does it violate basic medical ethics?

2) Why Should Capital Punishment Exist?
Defenders of capital punishment have offered many different arguments for why it should continue to be used: it deters crime, it's the only way to deal with certain crimes, it's a just punishment for evil, etc. Which, if any, of the arguments on behalf of the death penalty do you agree with?

3) Do Religious Disputes Cause More Hatred?
George Washington wrote that 'Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause.' Do you agree with this assessment?