From Bookforum‘s Omnivore blog, this link collection looks at the role of religion in a post-secular world. The articles linked to here pose a tension between religious freedom and social freedom, which are often at odds (especially in the United States). A post-secular world society Sep 23 20143:00PM A new issue of the Journal for … Read more
In this episode of Larry King Live, Gus Holwerda (film maker) Dr. Lawrence Krauss (American theoretical physicist) – who created the film The Unbelievers – were joined by Michael Beckwith (American new thought minister & author), Christian actor David A. R. White, and Jay Bakker (pastor, speaker and author). Nothing new here – but it’s … Read more
From Bookforum‘s Omnivore blog comes this interesting assortment of links on all things atheism and faith. One of the highlights is a Julian Baggini review (in The Guardian) of Atheists: The Origin of the Species by Nick Spencer. Another interesting link is from Steven Douglas Smith (University of San Diego School of Law), Is God … Read more
William G Dever is the author of Did God Have a Wife?: Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel (2005), as well as, more recently, The Lives of Ordinary People in Ancient Israel: When Archaeology and the Bible Intersect (2012). In the Old Testament, the goddesses Asherah is quite possibly linked to the “Queen of … Read more
From Bookforum‘s Omnivore blog, once again, another cool collection of links, this time exploring the terrain between science, pseudo-science, and parapsychology (among other things). Between science and pseudo-science Mar 14 20149:00AM Jacob Glazier (Glazier): A Phenomenological Evolution of Parapsychology’s Philosophy of Science. William Eamon (NMSU): Astrology and Society. James Lindgren (Northwestern): Who Believes that Astrology … Read more
You’ve most likely watched the movie at some point. I recently also read the book. Both experiences are similarly soul-hitting, thought-provoking and existentially disturbing. Enlightenment through self-destruction? Freedom through loss? Power through lack of control? Immortality through suicide? If you don’t experience some major cognitive dissonance after watching the movie or reading the book, then … Read more
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’re probably familiar with the various documentaries, debates and lectures Richard Dawkins has delivered over the years. Sure, his fame of late has to do with the religion/atheism and creationism/evolution controversies, but he’s a much more important thinker than that. Dawkins is such a prolific thinker … Read more
So the Kony campaign about which I reported recently has been making the news everywhere, first because of its viral popularity, and then because of questions of sincerity, possible embezzlement on the part of its executives, questions of a hoax, impracticality, sweeping generalizations of a more complex problem, the evangelical Christian fundamentalism of its spokesman, … Read more
You may remember that recently Bill Maher had a rare moment of comedic genius when he decided to un-baptize Mitt Romney’s dead father-in-law. Well, the news about these posthumous baptisms have continued over the past few weeks, especially as it was discovered that Anne Frank (who’s upset about people reading her diary, by the way) has … Read more