Derek Dyson and I attended the University of Tulsa’s “Snuggs Lecture in Religion” last week to listen to Roger Scruton of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences speak on “God and the Scientists”. Unfortunately, what we heard should have been titled, “Stuff I Kind of Think We All Sort Of Agree On (with philosophy!)”. Continue reading
In my spare time I like to do some reading. As it happened, I stumbled upon a subject I found captivating as well as utterly astonishing. It read like a horror story straight from the front lines of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, or Iran; women, being taught to submit to their husbands for the love of God. Continue reading
I was recently sitting with friends discussing life and love, when invariably the subject of religion came up. This was not the usual “so, you don’t believe in god?” religion speak that I am so used to. No, in this room sat four educated adults each in their own stages of non-belief (or at least very liberal belief by most standards) where my atheism would neither be a shock nor a reason of concern for anyone present. Honestly, I doubt religion would have come up at all if it weren’t for the fact that we were listening to Christmas music in a room decked for the holidays. A discussion started on our love and/or disdain for these holiday jingles when someone jokingly said “well, Jesus is the reason for the season”. That phrase lingered in the back of my mind the rest of the night. Is Jesus really the reason for the season? In America Christmas is a large part of our culture. It drives our retail economy and gives most of us a chance to see our extended family at least once a year. It encourages giving and makes hot chocolate a romantic alternative to cheap beer on a blustery December night. Personally, these are the things that make me enjoy the holidays and I think that when it really comes down to it, it’s what rings true for most other Americans as well. But Jesus? Really? Continue reading
I wrote my senior paper in high school about the theory of evolution. I took interest in the subject because I fancied myself a Christian apologist, eager to meet the secular challenges to faith head on. I knew that I could do so and win, because to me God was real, the Bible was true, and every living thing was specifically designed by a creator. Evolution was “just a theory” and a bad one at that.
Some of you may only know of Douglas Adams from his popular “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” radio program and books (and feature film in 2005). What many people don’t know is Adams was also a tireless champion of endangered species, a lover of technology, and a self-described “radical atheist”. He has been quoted as saying, “Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?” Continue reading
While discussing different people’s deities of choice, I am always interested in the evidence. Even if it’s not hard evidence – what are the things that cause you to believe, and what do you believe about your god of choice? It is often incredibly striking how convenient the characteristics of modern deities are. Continue reading
I can read Moby Dick once and get the gist of the story. I can read it one hundred times and fully understand the words and phrases found between the first and the last page. But, if I wish to understand the full story of Moby Dick; its symbolic undercurrents and the thoughts of its author, would I not have to look deep into the life and times of Herman Melville? Would I not need to understand heroic and romantic novels of the 19th century? Would I not need to understand the makings of a fishing community and the men who worked within them? Would I not need to understand the role that sea creatures, fables and heroes play in the oceans of which these men draw their livelihood? Without such insight I could read Moby Dick one hundred times and never truly understand the context of which it was meant to be read. I could read it one-hundred times and never know the kind of man that it’s author was or even what thoughts he meant the story to invoke in the readers mind. I could read it one hundred times and never truly understand the story. Continue reading
There are no wars fought over the Big Bang,
And it will never give root to a suicide bomber.
It has never stifled women’s rights,
And it has never hated a homosexual. Continue reading
If you’re a freethinker and have ever been in a discussion about religion with someone, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered a conversational dead-end. It’s inevitable if you follow the logic-trail long enough. Continue reading
Dan Barker and I come from very similar backgrounds. We were both raised as evangelical protestants and were taught from an early age that the bible is god’s inerrant message to humanity. Like Barker, I’ve written and performed Christian music, planted churches (which is evangelical-speak for started), pastored congregations, taught bible studies, and led souls to salvation. Continue reading