The New York Times posted a brief and generally positive article on the 26th about atheists in South Carolina. Lots of quotes from active members of the nonbelieving community, including Herb Silverman, president of the Secular Coalition for America.
Archive for April, 2009
NYTimes on Atheism
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Evolution and Human Nature
Monday, April 27th, 2009I’m still a tetch queasy about forwarding anything sponsored by the Templeton Foundation; still, “Percontations,” a new series of dialogues posted at Bloggingheads.tv, has been very interesting thus far. I think this is the second installment, featuring Robert Wright (The Moral Animal) talking with Joan Roughgarden (The Genial Gene) about “Evolving Explanations for Human Nature.”
Religion Clause
Sunday, April 26th, 2009(I’ll be out of town for a couple of days, and I might not be able to post everyday.) Meanwhile…if you think issues of church-state separation just pop up every once in a while, you should visit Religion Clause, a blog maintained by Howard M. Friedman, Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Toledo. (Go Mudhens! j/k)
Friedman posts multiple times a day–sometimes so often he makes PZ Myers look like a tree sloth by comparison. (Come to think of it, Myers does bear a passing resemblance to a tree sloth. I kid PZ Myers. I kid with love.)
Way to go Malawi!
Saturday, April 25th, 2009First I hear that Nigerians are planning a conference to combat witch-hunting, child abuse and Christian fundamentalism. Now Malawi is stepping up. I have no idea how many people this message will reach via my blog, but since I think it’s a worthy effort, I’m passing this along:
Witch-hunting is no laughing matter
Saturday, April 25th, 2009If, like mine, your first reaction in hearing about modern-day witch-hunting is to snicker–don’t. It’s just a bunch of superstitious silliness, right? Think again. Witch-hunting kills. It destroys lives. Read this chilling article from Johann Hari. Maybe we won’t snicker so much the next time we see that clip of Sarah Palin being blessed by self-proclaimed Nigerian witch-hunter Thomas Muthee. Muthee isn’t just some African blowhard conning a bunch of Alaskan yahoos. His actions have ruined peoples lives and reputations.
For some reason, witch-hunting seems all the rage in Africa lately. Thankfully, skeptical/secular Africans are working to change that.
It’s just the peas that he has on his fice…
Friday, April 24th, 2009If, as J.B.S. Haldane reportedly said, God has an inordinate fondness for beetles, then His Son has an inordinate fondness for making Polaroids of Himself out of cheese and grain products. A South Carolina woman is among the latest whack-jobs to see Jesus in a piece of toast. Oy. (Are you people telling me Christ never appears on a pork chop? How about a Kleenex or a piece of Charmin? Never???)
Podcast #51 – Bart Ehrman
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
We interview Bart Ehrman, Biblical scholar and author of the new book Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don’t Know About Them). Dr. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He has written 21 books and numerous articles, but he is best known for his nonfiction books on Biblical scholarship aimed at general audiences–books that reveal Christianity’s dirty little secret: that what scholars know about the problems with the Bible rarely makes it to the pulpit.
For more info about Dr. Ehrman and his work visit bartdehrman.com.
Hawking expected to recover
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009Physicist Stephen Hawking is expected to recover from a chest infection, his family reports. Hawking was admitted to a hospital in England yesterday. For regular updates on Prof. Hawking’s condition, visit his official website at http://www.hawking.org.uk.
Urban legends and Columbine
Monday, April 20th, 2009Today marks the 10th anniversary of the horrific mass-murder at Columbine High School. It was one of the most-reported events in recent memory, with hundreds of eyewitnesses and endless media saturation. And yet…much of what we think we know about Columbine is wrong. So claims author Dave Cullen in his new book, simply titled Columbine. It’s a fascinating case study in how urban legends are born, nurtured and perpetuated. (And in the face of misinformation like this, people still think we can know something that happened 2,000 years ago.) For more read this CNN report.
Getting all “historical-critical” on the Koran
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009Hot on the heels of our conversation with scholar Bart Ehrman on the historical-critical method of studying the Bible comes this commentary in the New York Times from journalist Nicholas D. Kristof, in which he points out the growing movement to apply objective scholarship to the Koran. Expect bombings and beheadings should this much-needed branch of academica pick up serious steam.
Tags: koran, nicholas d. kristof
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