Category Archives: Religion

Links and Comments: Christian Nationalism; Covid and Climate Denial

Posted on 17 November 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

NYT: Trump or No Trump, Religious Authoritarianism Is Here to Stay, subtitled “Their unlikely ally may have lost the White House, but Christian nationalists still plan to win the war,” by Katherine Stewart. The 2020 election is proof that religious … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Christian Nationalism; Covid and Climate Denial

The Afterlives, Part 2

Posted on 8 November 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

I read a striking insight somewhere recently, but don’t remember where it was or who said it. The insight flips inside out the standard belief (at least among Christian faiths) that living a good life gets you into heaven, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Religion | Comments Off on The Afterlives, Part 2

Links and Comments: Religion and Government; Sophisticated Believers; Religious Indoctrination of Children

Posted on 17 October 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

NY Times, Wajahat Ali: If Amy Coney Barrett Were Muslim, subtitled “It’s not hard to imagine how conservatives would smear her religious beliefs.” For all that Christians complain that they are oppressed or victimized, in fact their religion so saturates … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Religion | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Religion and Government; Sophisticated Believers; Religious Indoctrination of Children

Links and Comments: The Debate; Trump and Christians; No Back to Normal

Posted on 4 October 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

So much to keep up with! The debate last Tuesday. NYT Editorial: A Debate That Can’t Be Ignored. Subtitle: “Americans need to face the man who is their president.” The debate was excruciating to watch for anyone who loves this … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on Links and Comments: The Debate; Trump and Christians; No Back to Normal

Notes for the Book: Magical Thinking, Cognitive Dissonance, Group-Thinking

Posted on 30 September 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

Extending thoughts from previous posts about the future of enlightenment and similar matters. About group-thinking and how people get along in their lives just fine without understanding how the world actually works (as well-established by physics, chemistry, biology including evolution, … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Psychology, Religion, The Book | Comments Off on Notes for the Book: Magical Thinking, Cognitive Dissonance, Group-Thinking

Links and Comments: Trump’s would-be theocratic regime; the perfidy of Fox News

Posted on 24 September 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

How is it Republicans and Christians see no problem with this? Patheos.com: Leading SCOTUS Candidate Amy Coney Barrett Claims Bible Precedes Constitution. [Later edit: well of course the Bible literally precedes the Constitution in the sense that it came first, … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunacy, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Trump’s would-be theocratic regime; the perfidy of Fox News

Links and Comments: Benedictine Option; Pandemic Spread; Economic Stabilizers; Ed Yong; Evangelicals and Trump

Posted on 18 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

The Atlantic: The Christian Withdrawal Experiment. Subtitle: Feeling out of step with the mores of contemporary life, members of a conservative-Catholic group have built a thriving community in rural Kansas. Could their flight from mainstream society be a harbinger for … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Lunacy, Religion | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Benedictine Option; Pandemic Spread; Economic Stabilizers; Ed Yong; Evangelicals and Trump

Links and Comments: Trump, Evangelicals, Persecution, Fear, Withdrawal

Posted on 9 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

The front page of today’s New York Times has an aerial photo of a house in Sioux Center, Iowa, with the words “In God We Trust” on the roof. The article, a long one, is ‘Christianity Will Have Power’ with … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Human Progress, Lunacy, Religion | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Trump, Evangelicals, Persecution, Fear, Withdrawal

Links and Comments: Graphics and Lists

Posted on 26 July 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

In thinking about Andrew Sullivan’s old Daily Dish blog, a few posts ago, I dug into my archive directories and found text file saves of bookmarks from various old computers, as far back as 2008, including one from my work … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunacy, Religion | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Graphics and Lists

Links and Comments: Jonathan Haidt; Religious presumption; Hanlon’s razor; H.L. Mencken; Mark Lilla on prophecy

Posted on 17 June 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

The Atlantic: Jonathan Haidt Is Trying to Heal America’s Divisions: The psychologist shares his thoughts on the pandemic, polarization, and politics. Great profile, though long, of Jonathan Haidt, author of one of the best books I’ve ever read, The Righteous … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Religion | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Jonathan Haidt; Religious presumption; Hanlon’s razor; H.L. Mencken; Mark Lilla on prophecy