12/14/00 - Future of a Bush Presidency
What sorts of things might we expect from a Bush presidency? Specifically, I'll be
looking at some church/state separation issues like school vouchers and charitable
choice - what does Bush say about them and how do they impact separation?
11/01/00 - Souls & Life After Death
Is this life all there is? Is it true that when we die, that's it - no more us? Or
do we live on after death, continuing to experience things in new realms? Do we have
some sort of immaterial "soul" which is actually the origin of our minds
and consciousness now? Does this "soul" continue on after our deaths, migrating
to some sort of heaven or higher dimension?
10/25/00 - Atheism & Discrimination
Few people appear to realize that atheists face problems with discrimination. Many
people who demur from religion often live lives of separation from the mainstream,
as my experiences illustrate. As you will see, there are ways to react to the problem
of religious discrimination, subtle though it is.
10/18/00 - Christmas Without Christ
With all the efforts to "put Christ back into Christmas," we have ask:
does Christ belong there at all? Was Christ ever really there in the first place?
There is a strong case for the idea that Christmas is largely a pagan and secular
holiday with little, if anything, really to do with Christian theology in the first
place.
10/04/00 - Religious Land Use
Have you heard of the "Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act"
(RLUIPA)? Basically, the RLUIPA creates a huge loophole which enables any religious
institution to challenge and ultimately ignore local land use and zoning regulations.
Example of regulations which would be included here are parking and traffic mitigation
requirements, setback and emergency vehicle access requirements, tree ordinances,
drainage and flood protection requirements, and even noise limits.
09/28/00 - Alternative Medicines
What is the philosophy behind alternative medicines? Why do people believe and use
them? Are alternative treatments effective and scientific? Is it ethical to recommend
treatments which aren't tested?
09/21/00 - Who Do Voodoo?
Robert Park's new book Voodoo Science offers an illuminating examination of both
the nature of science and of popular psuedosciences. How is it that honest scientific
error can lead a researcher into what appears to be deliberate fraud?
09/14/00 - Historical Jesus
Did a Jesus really live? Most Christians and even non-Christians assume so, but there
is scholarship which suggests that, at the very least, this assumption shouldn't
be definite. Some, in fact, argue quite strongly not only is there no good evidence
of such a person, but that there are good reasons to regard the stories about Jesus
as myths.
09/07/00 - No Pray, No Play?
What is going on with these organized attempts to have "spontaneous" prayer
at football games? What are the real goals behind these efforts - what are people
trying to achieve and what message are they really sending?
08/30/00 - Raising a Child of Freethought
Parents may wonder how they will be able to raise their child such that they will
be more likely to end up thinking for themselves. Just how does one raise their child
to be a freethinker? Our guest columnist shares his experiences and perspectives
on how he raised his own son.
08/16/00 - Oracles of Reason
Ethan Allen is known as a hero of the American Revolution, but he was also a freethinker
and a deist. His book Reason: The Only Oracle of Man was harshly criticized
by religious leaders, but it expressed many important ideas.
08/09/00 - Reading the Constitution
The future of religious freedom depends upon how we interpret the Constitution. When
read narrowly, as conservative textualists tend to, then all freedom become much
narrower. When read broadly, however, greater freedom for more people is ensured.
08/01/00 - Why Does Religion Exist?
A look at some ways in which the existence and role of religion has been explained
by various people, including Marx, Freud, Durkheim, Eliade and others.
07/26/00 - Thoughts on Growing Up
How are religion and the process of maturing as a human being related? One father
talks about his experiences and suggests various relationships.
07/19/00 - Christianity and Evil
In what way does Christian doctrine suggest that the Christian god is personally
and continually responsible for the evil in the world?
07/06/00 - Southern Baptists &
Women
Recent decisions at the Southern Baptist Convention rejected women ministers and
pushed the organization farther to the right. Read not only about how this happened,
but about how even other Baptists aren't happy.
06/21/00 - Football Prayers
On June 19, 2000, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled with a 6-3 majority
that officially sanctioned, student-led prayers before football games at public
schools violate the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state. Is this
case of Santa Fe Independent
School District v. Doe a victory for religious liberty in America, or just
another sign that the legal system is hostile to public religiosity? It depends upon
who you are.
06/14/00 - Belief and Choice
Do people actually choose what they believe? Can they, through an act of will, just
choose to believe differently? Many - including many theists and Christians - seem
to think that this is the case. But I don't think that this is true. I argue that
the evidence better supports that beliefs are simply the consequence of what we know
or think we know.
06/07/00 - Historical Islam, Historical Muhammad
Historical Islam and Historical Muhammad - many assume that the early history of
Islam and Muhammad's life are known facts rather than mythological. Facts, however,
do not support this.
05/31/00 - Naturalism and Supernaturalism
Naturalism vs. Supernaturalism - atheists tend to assume naturalism and theists tend
to assume supernaturalism. Which perspective is most reasonable? Which is most useful?
05/24/00 - Catholic Doctrines & Your Health
Does your community hospital provide services like abortion, birth control counseling,
or even emergency contraception after rape? Will your hospital honor the wishes of
yourself or your spouse to have recussitation efforts stopped or life support withdrawn?
Find out how the doctrines of the Catholic Church are being imposed on unsuspecting
patients and hospital employees - with government funding!
05/16/00 - Occam's Razor
Occam's Razor - Who was 'Occam' and what is his razor all about? It's about not making
explanations any more complicated than they need to be. Find out why...
05/10/00 - Holy Foreskin!
Read about some of the interesting relics which were popular among Christians during
the Middle Ages - including Jesus' foreskin! Actually, there were about of dozen
of Jesus' foreskins distributed around Europe, with different churches fighting over
who had the genuine article. But why?
05/03/00 - Russell, Religion and
Science
Back in 1940, Bertrand Russell's appointment as professor at City College in New
York City raised a firestorm of protest. Religious leaders rallied people against
the idea that an atheist who questioned tradition and religion should teach in that
city. Find out about Thom Weidlich's fantastic book on the topic, Appointment
Denied, and how Russell's experiences are still echoed today by others.
04/26/00 - God is Dead
When Nietzsche wrote that "God is dead," he wasn't talking about the death
of a literal god, but instead the death of a shared cultural belief
in a god which had long dominated European culture and history. Read why...
04/19/00 - Miracles and Chrisitan
History
There is a paradox in Christianity - it relies upon historical records for it validity,
but that reliance does not allow the acceptance of miracle stories. Read about how
this paradox comes about...
04/12/00 - Varieties of Religious Belief
What is the difference between monotheism and monolatry? Between pantheism and panentheism?
How about between animism and shamanism? Or theism and deism? What the heck is henotheism?
For that matter, what is and is not a religion?
04/05/00 - Flag Burning and Power Politics
The Constitutional amendment to allow Congress to prohibit the "physical desecration"
of the flag has failed once again in the Senate. But a common thread unites that
effort with attempts stop same-sex marriage, post the Ten Commandments in public
schools, and display religious symbols on public grounds. They all represent an imposition
of a particular social Order where some cultural groups dominate and others are relegated
to outsider status.
03/30/00 - Evolution, Creationism and Evidence
What are the various sorts of direct and indirect evidence for evolution? Does creationism
have any supporting evidence? Detailed exploration of the science behind evolution
and biology!
03/22/00 - Timelines of Religious History
Comparative timelines of religious history: chronologies of events, people and places
presented in a cross-indexed, comparative manner.
03/15/00 - Science, Evolution and Creationism
What is science? What is a "scientific theory?" Is creationism science?
Is evolution science? Read the answers to these questions and more in the second
part of a series of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on evolution, creationism,
and science.
03/08/00 - Evolution and Creationism
What is evolution? What is creationism? How do creationists sell their ideas? Read
the answers to these questions and more in the first part of a series of FAQs (Frequently
Asked Questions) on evolution, creationism, and science.
03/01/00 - Religious Liberty
Understanding religious liberty and religious freedom in America requires understanding
the varying and often contradictory court decisions which have been made in this
area. So, this site will begin presenting summaries and expalantions of major Supreme
Court decisions dealing with religion and religious freedom.
02/23/00 - Old Testament Laws
It is important to realize just how awful some of the Old Testament laws really are,
and thus that the Bible - as it stands - is not an adequate moral guide for today.
02/16/00 - Karl Marx & Religion
Karl Marx, founder of modern communism, developed one of the most famous and influential
crtiques of religion. Many people misunderstand it, but his philosophy is not hard
to understand.
02/09/00 - Ancient Skepticisms
Skepticism and Critique of both religion and theism are sometimes thought to be relatively
recent developments. But this is not true - they occurred long ago in a wide variety
of cultures.
02/02/00 - Technology and Religion, Technology as Religion
Some think that technology and religion are ultimately incompatible. But it can be
argued that promoting technology is often caused by religious impulses.
01/26/00 - Assault on Reason 4:
Therapeutic Culture
There are a number of common threads uniting repressed memories, multiple
personality disorder, codependency and more in the 'therapeutic culture.'
01/19/00 - Assault on Reason 3:
Codependency
Codependency is yet another "disease" which has little basis in
science but a lot of basis in culture. Promoting it is ultimately an assault on reason
because it is not genuinely medical in nature but instead stems from social, cultural
and very human problems.
01/12/00 - Assault on Reason 2:
Repressed Memories
Time to look at some more specific instances of irrationality stemming from
the "theraputic culture": memories of alien abductions, memories of satanic
ritual abuse and multiple personality disorder.
01/05/00 - Assault on Reason
Although this site primarily deals with critiques of religion, it is irrationalism
which is the primary foe - religion is simply an expression of this. It is not, however,
the only expression. Read about some other popular irrationalisms which affect society.
More Features...