In today's culture, things change rapidly. We almost seem to take it for granted that something you know today will be different tomorrow, maybe radically so. But human beings historically haven't been accustomed to rapid change for very long. It used to be what your father knew, and what his father knew, wouldn't be different from what you knew too. There were certain ways of doing things, and that's all t ...

Yesterday, I argued the selective advantage of belief was too attractive for individuals in a community not to partake. But this advantage, as humans became more prosperous in the West, became increasingly marginal. In the 15th century, Europe began to experience newfound prosperity from the most unusual source: the aftermath of the Black Death. Over a third of the population is estimated to have been kille ...

This isn't the first time we've heard of religious figures using their influence to promote their political agenda, but it certainly is unique that Father Newman asked his parishioners to repent if they voted for Obama. He's been able to get away with this by citing Obama's pro-choice policy as the reason for his discontent. It's a divisive thing to do, and I hope the people of Greenville, South Carolina ki ...

When trying to explain the origin of religion, we must answer the question of how it came together, since although human beings are social animals, the act of creating a stable institution is an extreme rarity. Consider how many cults come and go; obviously, even if there is a fundamental need to be religious, there must be some explanation as to why humans would continue to participate and develop their re ...

I was wondering what God's position on the whole 'murdering in his name' was. Thank science for the tireless work of The Onion! ...

Ggnothi seauton (Greek): It means know thyself, and it's something I've always taken to heart. I'm not always the most positive and easy going guy around. I've been known to kick some dust in the faces of my opposition. When you're in a fight, particularly one for the hearts and minds of your fellow human beings, you can sometimes lose sight of how the conflict changes you. When you have a website devoted t ...

I came across this website, Charter for Compassion, which is the latest attempt by religious moderates to extend an olive branch to other religions in the hope of curbing fundamentalism. The site asks people to discuss stories of compassion that they have experienced in their lives. I believe it is their hope to communicate through these stories the idea all people share the need for acts of kindness regard ...

A few weeks ago, Penguin Publishing sent me an email offering a free copy of Andre Comte-Sponville's The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality. Not being one to turn down anything free (I'm poor, what can I say?), I gladly accepted. When it was finally delivered, I was anxious to see if this book would provide new insights on the subject of atheism. I've read all the works of the four horsemen of the atheist ...

In a small village in Nigeria, a little boy of 5 years of age is frightened and confused. His mother and father have abandoned him; their normally loving embrace will never be felt again. The other villagers are angry, and some of them throw stones at him. He does not cry. Part of him has accepted his fate, and the rejection of his loved ones is enough to make the boy numb. The only question in his mind is ...

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