This post is a follow-up to my previous five-part series on Cosmology, Religion, and Reason. Part one is here. Part two is here. Part three is here.Part four is here. Part five is here. In part five of my previous series on cosmology, I talked about some of the potential evolutionary explanations for the development of religion. Many of these evolutionary explanations are compelling, and it is likely that a combination of some or all of them may be right….
During the Christmas season, I’ve been reading the Illustrated Classics version of A Christmas Carol with my young preschool-aged son. We’ve both been enjoying it (he likes that it’s a bit spooky because it has ghosts in the story), I very much like the message of charity and love of the story. But something has hit me this time around that I dislike with the story that I’ve never noticed before. On the surface, the book is supposed to be…
I can’t believe Steven Spielberg would have the audacity to think he can rip off others’ cinematic ideas and think that people won’t notice. Mr. Spielberg, we’re on to you. We know you’re a copycat – the definitive cinematic Lincoln biopic already came out last June. It was called “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.”
Note: This is a continuation of my series on morality. Here are the other parts: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, and part 7 (plus an additional posts on free will). The entire series makes up the fourth chapter of my book, The Triple Path, which can be downloaded for free here in PDF and eReader formats or purchased at all major book retailers (in print and eReader formats). Hypocrisy is claiming to…
Note: This is a part of my series on morality. Here are the other parts: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, and part 7 (plus an additional post on hypocrisy). The entire series makes up the fourth chapter of my book, The Triple Path, which can be downloaded for free here in PDF and eReader formats or purchased at all major book retailers (in print and eReader formats). Autonomy, Accountability, and Free Will…
A recent story on our local NPR station about Latino and Hispanics included a short interview with me. You can find it here (the story is from the Fronteras Desk, which is a cooperative effort between several NPR stations in the Southwest to provide coverage of issues relevant to the Southwest and border states – their stories are heard on the NPR stations in San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Alburque, El Paso, and San Antonio). As the story indicates, their…
This is part five of a series. Part one is here. Part two is here. Part three is here. Part four is here. In the last post, I talked about the “Practical Approach” to religious claims. In this concluding post, I expand on this further and talk about adopting a reasonable approach to religion. Toward Reasonable Religion When you follow the practical approach, you accept that no matter what church you belong to, it is important to update your religious…
This is part four of a series. Part one is here. Part two is here. Part three is here. Part five is here. Last post, started talking about the first three of four possible reasonable approaches to religious claims: 1) the gaps approach; 2) the symbolic approach; 3) the rejection approach; and 4) the practical approach. In this post, I talk about my favored approach, the practical approach (presentist eclecticism). The Practical Approach (Presentist Eclecticism) The practical approach is to…
This is part three of a series. Part one is here. Part two is here. Part four is here. Part five is here. Last post, I talked about the problems with adopting a literal approach to religions’ claims. As alternatives to the literal approach to religious teachings, I listed four reasonable approaches to religious claims beyond just relying on statements from purported authorities: 1) the gaps approach; 2) the symbolic approach; 3) the rejection approach; and 4) the practical approach….
This is part two of a series. Part one is here. Part three is here. Part four is here. Part five is here. Last post, I talked about the great benefits that have come from religion, but also about how many of the great religions’ cosmological claims have been proven false. In this post, I’ll talk about the problem with adopting a literal approach to religions’ claims. Much of what our ancestors believed about cosmology is plainly contradicted by what…