A lot of theists talk about Pascal’s wager, “if you (atheists) are wrong you will suffer for all eternity, but if we (theists) are wrong we would have lost nothing.”
This is an example how illogical your thinking is. You are so obsessed with god that you can’t even think straight when it comes to religious matters. Read on…
The majority of people live immersed in a world of moral judgments. They like talking about other people expressing an explicit or implicit judgment of them. “This man is good.” “That man I don’t trust.” “She is really hiding something.” “It is good – or bad – to be a cynic.” “She acted unprofessionally.” Read on…
Believers in God can be classified into four major groups. There are those who believe that God must be infinitely powerful and infinitely benevolent. There are those who believe that although God is, no doubt, infinitely benevolent, He or She is not infinitely powerful, a fact they regret. Then there are others who believe that God has not been infinitely benevolent in some occasions but has always remained all-powerful. These believers are somewhat resentful of God. And finally, there are others who believe that God is a bit mean and not that powerful. Some among them believe that God must be very much like the average man or woman in these respects. Read on…
I watched most of the documentary Religulous last night. The show was made by Bill Maher, usually one of my favorite societal commentators. This time, however, he came in way wide of the mark. Instead of being clever and inventive, he just came across as a bully, seeking out weak people and beating them up. It was hardly worthy of him. Read on…
This week it was announced that Scotland, Vietnam and New Zealand are beginning the walk towards equal rights for all sexualities to be married. The Catholic and Anglican Churches of England are in full rout, barely able to take a stand for more than days at a time. President Obama of the US has come out in support of equal marriages as state after state brings their laws up to date. What began with a leak in the wall of Church-lead prejudice in the Netherlands has turned into a tidal wave as the Christian Churches fold yet again. Read on…
One sometimes encounters people who assert that, unless there is a
God, life has no meaning. Now, as soon as we ask what they mean by
God and by the meaning of life we enter a quagmire from which it is
impossible to get out. Read on…
I didn’t really intend to review the Manifesto again, in detail, though that will happen as I review the series, the responses to it, and my thoughts in retrospect. All experiences are interesting, from one end of the spectrum to the other; this is not one I would particularly put away for safekeeping in a box, but perhaps some lessons can be learned from it. Read on…
The last two values espoused in the Humanist Manifesto III continue the general feeling set by the previous two, which is to say they may tend to inspire a yawn. But again, I will attempt to find something positive about the statement “Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness.” In attempting to do so, I once again consulted the AHA on the subject: Read on…
At the risk of inciting more anti-Humanist Manifesto III feelings, I am going to stubbornly continue through the list. 🙂 Next up is one which is even less specific than the last: Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships. By my standards, at least, that is more of a New-age philosophy than it is a Humanist philosophy. It feels vaguely like something taken from a Depok Chopra self-help book. Still, we will soldier on. Read on…
The fourth of the Humanist values from the 2003 Humanist Manifesto III has always seemed a little soft for me. It says, “Life’s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals.” One supposes they meant it to be that way, since it can mean so many things to so many different people. Personally, I would be happier of it mentioned some concrete possibilities. The sentiment is clear, in any event. There is reason to believe that ethical … Read on…