Category Archives: Atheism

Why Christian films are so bad; LGBT issues; the superiority of atheist values and ethics

Posted on 15 October 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

I’ve been so preoccupied with moving issues in recent weeks that I’ve not kept up on my blog. Here are a couple notable items from this past week. A reviewer for Salon explores why the several recent Christian films — … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments from Recent Weeks, 18 Sep14

Posted on 18 September 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Or at least, a few of them. More to follow. Slate: It’s All Connected: What links creativity, conspiracy theories, and delusions? A phenomenon called apophenia. About why credulous folks see Jesus in a tortilla, or Mary in a tree stump, … Continue reading →

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Recent Links and Comments: Do You Believe in Blue?

Posted on 15 August 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Catching up on three weeks of content, having been preoccupied by personal projects and various life changes. Divided into groups. Science Fascinating speculation by Steve Pinker on the evolutionary significance of music Pinker argues that in fact that music is not an … Continue reading →

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Primitive Values, Mature Ethics, and the Failure of Religious Texts

Posted on 27 June 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

A point that bears repeating: there is nothing in the Bible that couldn’t have been written by ordinary people On the point of the previous post: it has been frequently observed that the Bible contains nothing that could not have … Continue reading →

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Notes on Adam Lee

Posted on 16 June 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

A final set of book notes for the moment, this one the fourth of several books about atheism, humanism, and why people believe what they do (which last item is my central concern). Adam Lee is a blogger who writes … Continue reading →

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Notes on Peter Boghossian

Posted on 14 June 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Peter Boghossian’s book has an aggressive title, A Manual for Creating Atheists, though it is in no way as ‘angry’ as Greta Christina’s book, discussed last time. Boghossian is a faculty member in Portland State University’s philosophy department, and his … Continue reading →

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Notes on Greta Christina

Posted on 13 June 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

As a follow-up to the last post, I’ve read three other books in the past several months about the theist/rationalist divide. Here are some note and comments, one at a time. (The other two, to follow, are books by Adam … Continue reading →

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Notes on A.C. Grayling: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism

Posted on 12 June 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

A.C. Grayling is a British philosopher whose 2013 book The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism, is a clear and concise summary of why religion is best abandoned and why humanism (as he describes it) is a … Continue reading →

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Assorted Links and Quotes: Selective Thinking, Southern Atheists, Creationist Logic, Fox News, Neuroscience

Posted on 27 May 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Assorted links from the past couple days: Neil deGrasse Tyson vs. the right: “Cosmos,” Christians, and the battle for American science, by Sean McElwee. About the selective thinking of the religious right in denying those Enlightenment values that threaten their … Continue reading →

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Philip Kitcher: Soft Atheism?

Posted on 19 May 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Fascinating interview with Philip Kitcher, a professor of philosophy at Columbia University, about how he rejects religious doctrines but feels nevertheless that religious practice has certain features that are best not abandoned. Some quotes: [emphases mine] So asserting the doctrines … Continue reading →