The Duty of External Obedience
While I was doing research for “The Ordinary and Universal Magisterium“, I came across some amazing passages in the New Advent Catholic encyclopedia’s article on infallibility. Since it can be safely...
View ArticleWeekend Coffee: November 5
On my old site, I had regular link roundups for all the stories I saw that interested me, but that I didn’t have the time to write about at greater length. And I’ve had a lot of those stories this...
View ArticleThe Apologist’s Turnstile
As I’ve often mentioned, religion has a set of cognitive tricks – unconscious ideas, prejudices and habits of thought it tries to instill in believers – which shield their minds against contrary...
View ArticleThe Religious Demand for Obedience
My latest column has been posted on AlterNet, How Religion’s Demand for Obedience Keeps Us in the Dark Ages. It’s about the religious worldview that sees human existence as a strict hierarchy of...
View ArticleThe Radicalism of Obedience
As I mentioned in my last link roundup, I wanted to discuss in more detail the Pope’s latest Easter homily, in which he directly addresses the “disobedience” of priests who are calling for the...
View ArticleRehabilitating the Inquisition
These days, one of the blogs where I spend the most time commenting is Leah Libresco’s Unequally Yoked on Patheos. This isn’t just because its author has a unique and interesting perspective unlike any...
View ArticleHow Religion’s Demand for Obedience Keeps Us in the Dark Ages
This article was previously published on AlterNet. For the vast majority of human history, the only form of government was the few ruling over the many. As human societies became settled and...
View ArticlePiercing the Republican Epistemic Bubble
I’ve written some overarching thoughts about last week’s presidential election, but I wanted to dwell on one of its more fascinating aspects: the extent to which the Republican party was blindsided by...
View ArticleFrom the Mailbag: “I Don’t Argue With People”
Last year, when I wrote about the death of Savita Halappanavar from anti-choice theology, I pointed out that several Catholic bloggers seemed to think Catholic doctrine should have permitted her to be...
View ArticleSubmission Theology Is Abuse Theology
I’ve written a lot about the child-abuse coverup by the hierarchy of the Catholic church, but not because I believe Roman Catholicism is the only religion guilty of these crimes. Far from it! Any...
View ArticleBuilding Walls Against the World
When I wrote last month about France enacting same-sex marriage, it wasn’t even on my radar that two more U.S. states were about to do the same. But now, Rhode Island (which previously had civil...
View ArticlePensacola Christian College: The Republicans’ New Feeder School
I usually pay little attention to the State of the Union address, since it rarely amounts to anything more than political theater. I had it on in the background last week, but I only listened to some...
View ArticleRepost: The Apologist’s Turnstile
[Author's Note: I'm reposting some old favorites while I'm away on vacation this week. This post was originally from January 2012.] As I’ve often mentioned, religion has a set of cognitive tricks –...
View ArticleBook Review: Recovering Agency
(Note: This review was solicited and is written in accordance with this site’s policy for such reviews.) At the American Atheists convention in Salt Lake City this year, I toured the grounds of the...
View Article“Choose Faith in Spite of the Facts”
I usually don’t think it’s worth beating up on the purveyors of popular evangelical feel-goodism, for the same reason I don’t get in boxing matches with life-size Jell-O sculptures. But I had to make...
View ArticleIs Terrorism Courageous?
The religious fanatics who murdered twelve people at Charlie Hebdo‘s offices last week were tracked down by the French police after a two-day manhunt, ending in a shootout at a print shop in the town...
View ArticleErasing the Past, Denying the Future
In the eyes of the religious conservative movement, America’s best days are always in the past. They bemoan the modern era of activist government, heightened sensitivity, and moral complexity, and look...
View ArticleWeekend Coffee: July 5
• Iceland repeals its blasphemy law, which they apparently had until now? • Three cheers for California! The state legislature ends all non-medical exemptions for mandatory vaccination, despite...
View ArticleHow Donald Trump Won Over the Religious Right
So, it’s time we talked about Donald Trump. The improbable presidential candidate has been flying high since his speech at Liberty University, where he was warmly welcomed by president Jerry Falwell...
View ArticleHow the Right-Wing Scam Economy Created Donald Trump
The rise of Donald Trump has bewildered and dismayed pundits, especially conservative pundits. Many of them are treating it as a freakish fluke, a black-swan event that nobody could have predicted. But...
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