I value open-mindedness over most other things. When I was going through my deconversion and having frequent religious discussions with my family, I often felt that they weren't being open-minded. I know that it's hard (perhaps impossible) to judge how open-minded someone else is being, so I hesitate to even pass that kind of judgment.… Continue reading Never Going Back
Category: Religion
Winning Isn’t Everything: Evolution Rewards Altruism
Ran across an interesting video today that discusses a new study from Michigan State University which found that being selfish is not advantageous from an evolutionary perspective. Sometimes evolution-deniers claim that if evolution were true, then compassion is a weakness. We would be better off if we were completely selfish -- if we swindled others… Continue reading Winning Isn’t Everything: Evolution Rewards Altruism
6 Types of Atheists
This article's been out for a week or so, but I hadn't seen it until today. Two researchers at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have just published a study they've compiled from a survey of 59 atheists and agnostics. I recommend reading the article (it's not long), especially because it has a slide show… Continue reading 6 Types of Atheists
Discussion: What Did Jesus Teach?
This post is not going to be in the standard format. Instead of laying out what I think about a particular issue and then possibly getting into a discussion afterward, I really just want to ask a series of questions that I hope readers will answer in the comment section. My background with Christianity is… Continue reading Discussion: What Did Jesus Teach?
How Convincing Are Miracles?
I like the above image, because it's so absurd. Not that the miracle itself is absurd, but that someone could see such a thing and still dismiss it. A while back, we had a discussion on this blog about the effectiveness of miracles. Not the "oh, my aunt has a friend that knows someone who… Continue reading How Convincing Are Miracles?
The Historicity of Jesus
On a recent blog post, conversation turned toward the reliability of the New Testament, and more specifically, how much evidence we have for whether or not Jesus ever existed. Instead of continuing the discussion there (since it had already broken the 500th comment mark and this would have taken the conversation in a different direction),… Continue reading The Historicity of Jesus
Quiz Show!
If You Were Eternal, How Would You Know?
That may seem like a bizarre question, but it's one I've thought about for a while. In the Bible, the Christian god claims to have always existed. Have you ever thought through what that would be like? If you've spent much time around young children -- say the 3 to 4 year old range --… Continue reading If You Were Eternal, How Would You Know?
Is God a Good Father?
In my last post, discussion turned to the question of whether or not we need God. One of my regular contributors, William, posted the following comment, and I felt it deserved its own post: I am just having problems understanding whether humans “need” a god. Do humans “need” a father? it may be beneficial if… Continue reading Is God a Good Father?
Miracles in Moore, OK
By now, everyone knows about the devastating tornado that tore through Moore, Oklahoma on Monday, May 20th. This morning, on NBC's Today Show, I heard a touching story about a woman who was in labor when the tornado hit Moore Medical Center. After the chaos, [Shayla] Taylor said she heard not the freight train sound… Continue reading Miracles in Moore, OK
Finding Truth 