Determinism, Naturalism, God and Meaning
I recently posted a piece about knowledge and meaning and is regular Christian commenter posted this, with my original words in italics: I would far rather take the time and effort to analyse
Jonathan MS Pearce
Canada Votes to Repeal Its Blasphemy Law
This is from Humanists UK: Humanists UK has welcomed the passage of a new bill which is set to repeal Canada’s 19th century blasphemy laws. The bill now awaits royal assent, the
Naturalism, Knowledge and Ultimate Meaning
The classic riposte to atheist success and happiness is that we have no ultimate meaning in our lives. The atheist rejoinder is that we're fine with this, we have subjective meaning
A Maori Santa
This guest piece comes from guerrillasurgeon over in New Zealand, and he tackles people's cultural indignation at a Maori Santa: This week there’s been a huge fuss about a “Maori
Poll Finds Atheism Is No Longer a Political Taboo
This is from the American Humanist Association: (Washington, D.C., December 11, 2018) – Although the U.S. Constitution prohibits religious tests for public office, one of the greatest taboos in American politics has
A Reminder: The Pharaoh and Hardening of Hearts
This came up in conversation the other day, so let me just remind you of the terminal problems for the Exodus story faced by those who defend the hardening of Pharaoh's
Returning to Debunking the Nativity: A Christmas Round-Up
[caption id="attachment_6023" align="alignleft" width="113"] My book. Dig it.[/caption] I have, at different Christmases, run some series debunking the historical claims within the
What Does Free Even Mean?
The "free" in free will is often called into question, and for good reason. Thinkers like Daniel Dennett have often said that (libertarian) free will needs determinism in order to make
Update on What God or the Universe Has in Store for Me
It's the universe, silly. The last time that I spoke to you, I told you that I've been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Since then, I have had a further
Nonreligious Representation on TV and Radio
I think, certainly in Britain, that the assumption of non-religiosity is very much taken for granted. We Brits are generally non-religious, perhaps largely apathetic, and many of those old-school CofE types are nominally
How to Tackle Climate Change
Climate change is on the agenda, and for good reason. Here is occasional contributor Ed Atkinson on creating an effective proposal to deal with the challenges ahead: The photo introducing this blog need
Hospitals and Prayer
If prayer worked, there wouldn't be hospitals. Or medicine. Or science, really. They'd be too overworked and busy for this shit in the UK... https://www.youtube.com/watch?