Two more poems by Baila Ellenbogen
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Thread You
The pastel snow
that never darkens
in the suburbs
plumbs sound out of night:
an errant plow,
rerun siren. Read on…
Monthly Archives: June 2012
The Allure of Religious Violence
On the 21st of February, soldiers disposing of tools used by Afghan prisoners to exchange messages dumped a large volume of papers and books into a garbage pit to be burned. Amongst the texts were a number of Qurans. A superior, noticing the incredible error, doused the fires to retrieve what remained. But too late. Passing Afghan workers had spotted the thoughtless gesture, and within the day riots had spread across the capital. Over the past weeks protests have erupted … Read on…
Marginalized persons and Group Selection
Our readers and authors have once again sent me in the direction of unifying two seemingly disparate thoughts: many thanks to Timothy Travis for the link to a Steven Pinker essay on Group Selection and to Afzal Moolla for his recent poetry submission. You should read Mr. Pinker’s essay and Mr. Moolla’s poem. Both will help you to be a better world citizen and probably also cause you to reconsider a position or two. I will not belabor either the … Read on…
May God continue to shower His infinite blessings on us all.
The charade continues,
Between giggles, swaying hips,
Sips of fine wine,
Shucking down Oysters,
Tearing into prime cuts of meat. Read on…
“Is faith necessary for ethics?”
Last night I participated in a debate on this topic, at a local college; there were representatives of five different religions, and I spoke for the humanist viewpoint. Here is my opening statement: The French scientist Laplace wrote a book about planetary physics; and Napoleon asked him why it didn’t mention God. Laplace replied, “Sir, I have no need of that hypothesis.” We humans get morality first from our human nature, developed through biological evolution, and second, from our thinking … Read on…
Another two poems from Rich Murphy
Neighbor Relations Catching a sunny shade of flush, each pouch of air greets a palm, while whistling into oblivion. The flocks of angels compose the floating wool of skies at the cemetery’s prize. Iris for cornea, the poke of revenge exacts its violence for beings alive: politics over heaven. The blind party of thumbs punch and hors d’oeuvres of deception wrestle into grounds. The diplomat of preemptive strikes grabs attention of foe to farm using foreign toil and soil. … Read on…
The War Against Secularism Rises
“They want to disown the traditions and heritage of the majority, including the Christian faith and the English language”. Surprisingly enough this quote does not come from the Bible-bashing deep south of America, but from the Local Government Secretary of the UK, Eric Pickles, following the visit of his colleague to show solidarity with the Vatican last week. Who lead this delegation? Baroness Warsi, a Muslim. The series of proclamations of faith and anger at the secular movement marks the … Read on…
Two poems by Baila Ellenbogen
My Sabbath Ends Earlier Than Yours
My Sabbath ends earlier than yours.
Faith leaks from the seams; before sundown,
the seventh day has become the same
as the sixth. It is like falling out of love,
God’s glamour dissolves into the walls
of the house, the trees on the lawn, Read on…
Are atheists more religious than humanists?
If you are an atheist, and find the title of this essay provocative, it is not entirely an accident. I have a point, and now that I have your attention perhaps you will listen while I make it. Religions have survived over the millennia because they thrive on boundaries between the “us” and the “them”. This applies in spades to the three great monotheistic ones. Christianity and Islam not only have evolved elaborate rituals and behavioral requirements to provide instant … Read on…
The Anthropomorphic Argument for a “higher power”
I met a guy last night who made this argument: it’s been calculated that if, for example, the strength of gravity were a teensy bit greater or smaller, our universe with stars and planets, and life, could not exist; and similarly for twenty-odd other parameters in physics; so, in sum, our existence defies astronomical odds against it. Therefore some “higher power” must have manipulated all these parameters, intentionally, to produce a life-friendly universe. This has been called the “anthropomorphic argument.” … Read on…