Actors who play the title role of God have the sweetest roles. First, they always seem wise, paternal, all-knowing, and even a little smug. Secondly, they have the soft, epic choir singing quietly in the background. And finally, just when you think this God character is a real bastard, his infinite wisdom is proven, and the audience leaves home satisfied with the performance. And really, who could resist th ...

You look long and hard, squint your eyes to the point of straining them, and finally, as your eyeballs cry for mercy, the giant blotch starts looking like an angel. No, this isn't a Rorschach inkblot test, although in retrospect, it might as well be. Instead, this is a couple in Georgetown, Illinois who claim to have cut down a tree with an angel face in it. Sherri and Jerry Conklin, whose home was threate ...

As a writer, the appeal of discussing atheism stems largely from the fact that although its definition may be simple, the philosophies surrounding it are not. There are so many different responses to atheism that some have begun to call it a religion. But is this true? Is atheism a religion, and if not, does it emulate any of the elements of it? As I will show in this article, the answer to that question no ...

New Age Meets Conspicuous Consumption You might not be aware of this, but there are apparently only three things you need to do to make your life better and more prosperous; first ask the universe, then align yourself to it, and finally, reap the rewards of your materialistic fantasizing. If this sounds familiar, that's because it's not unlike what you did as a child, waiting for Santa Claus to bring you yo ...

Just when you were hoping Intelligent Design had gone the way of the Dodo bird, a small town school board always seems to become mired in the controversy. This time, it's the Chesterfield County School District in Virginia, which, in its school memoranda, has decided that it wants students to 'expand their knowledge through research, to debate the concepts as presented, and to develop their creative and ind ...

As the plot thickens after the arrests of 4 men suspected of trying to blow up fuel tanks at JFK airport, a number of experts have come forward explaining their terrorist plot would not have had the desired effect they were seeking: the complete destruction of JFK Airport. At best, these men could have set off a dangerous blaze, though nothing that would have endangered the lives of JFK's daily commuters. I ...

For most Orthodox religions, sex is tricky business. They struggle so hard to suppress it, especially outside the confines of marriage, it's a miracle that most of these people actually manage to reproduce. But each particular sect develops their own individual loop holes that allow for a little breathing space. In the case of Islam, 'temporary' marriages offer a solution for the lonely and sexually frustr ...

As a Libertarian, it is my belief that government should be only minimally involved concerning public affairs. This belief also applies in regards to an article featured a few days ago on BET.com that reported on a suit brought against eHarmony for allegedly discriminating against homosexuals. Linda Carlson, a lesbian from San Francisco, says she was unable to create a gay profile on the popular site, and w ...

By now, we've all heard of cases where religion has tried to insert its alternative, often deleterious, truths into science classrooms and textbooks in the US. If this hasn't confused students about the facts, it certainly has presented a perplexing message about how to uncover truths. On the side of evolution, we find an appeal to relentless observation and questioning, whereas on the side of creationism, ...

A comment appeared in one of my stories which deserves some attention, and I would like to take the opportunity not only to clarify my position on the matter, but also to address many of the points brought up in his arguments. I thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss what my opinions are concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, lest my audience assume I am one sided on the issue. We'll begin ...