Category Archives: Religion

EO Wilson, The Meaning of Human Existence, part 1

Posted on Thursday 13 November 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s the first of several posts about Edward O. Wilson’s book THE MEANING OF HUMAN EXISTENCE, which as I described earlier both here on my blog and on Facebook, is a concise summary of this important scientist’s views on the … Continue reading →

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Fundamentalist Beliefs, the Real World, and Science Fiction

Posted on Thursday 6 November 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

“Those of us in the U.S. think we’re amazing at everything… mostly because we’re blissfully ignorant about how the rest of the world operates.” Here’s a fun video of a fundamentalist pastor from an Atlanta suburb whose mind is boggled … Continue reading →

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Education and Faith; Reza Aslan and Religious Apologists

Posted on Tuesday 4 November 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s an article in Psychology Today about Why Education Corrodes Religious Faith. Well, of course it does; it’s all pretty obvious, but the article is a nice, concise summary for those who need it spelled out. (And an antidote, perhaps, … Continue reading →

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Apophenia, Religious Apologists, No True Scotsman

Posted on Tuesday 4 November 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

I maintain a Word document where I compile links and quotes from online articles I intend to comment on in this blog, and as I post each one, I gray out the text of that section of the Word doc. … Continue reading →

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Arthur C. Clarke: Two Religious Explorations

Posted on Wednesday 29 October 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Arthur C. Clarke is, of course, the British SF writer (who lived much of his life in Sri Lanka) most famous for the novel and film 2001: A Space Odyssey, as well as several other of the most popular and … Continue reading →

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Heroic Individuals and Magical Thinking

Posted on Tuesday 28 October 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Two interesting article from today’s Science section of The New York Times. From science writer Dennis Overbye: The Leaky Science of Hollywood. The subject is the upcoming film The Theory of Everything, a biopic of Stephen Hawking, which is getting … Continue reading →

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Right Wing paranoia; Conservative propoganda; coming out Smart like coming out Gay

Posted on Friday 24 October 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Interesting links the past few days, with comments. 5 Years After Passage Of Hate Crimes Law, Religious Right’s Dire Predictions Still Haven’t Come True Well, of course not. This is just another example of the Christian Right’s paranoia, and an … Continue reading →

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Education, Inculcation, Smart Kids, Evolution and Religion, Value Voter Summit

Posted on Monday 29 September 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Two fine essays from this past Sunday’s New York Times. Frank Bruni: The Wilds of Education When it comes to bullying, to sexual assault, to gun violence, we want and need our schools to be as safe as possible. But … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments from Recent Weeks, 18 Sep14

Posted on Thursday 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 Friday 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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