Category Archives: Religion

Is the Younger Generation Turning away from Organized Religion?

Posted on Saturday 28 September 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Skeptic Blog: http://www.skepticblog.org/2013/09/25/losing-our-religion/ We can all speculate about why younger generations are alienated from organized religion, and certainly there are many reasons. But knowing the current political trends in this country, we might suggest that one factor of great importance … Continue reading →

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Thoughts of a Thursday Afternoon: After the Apocalypse

Posted on Saturday 28 September 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Every human being starts from scratch: he or she comes equipped with a mind honed by evolution for survival, prone to superstitious, self-interested thinking for the same reason, but ill-equipped to accurately perceive reality, the reality that can be deduced … Continue reading →

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Motivated Reasoning and Religion

Posted on Saturday 28 September 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Applying motivated reasoning [or confirmation bias] to religion… http://www.salon.com/2013/09/27/why_are_so_many_christians_so_un_christian_partner/ As much as liberals would often wish it otherwise—and no matter how much conservative Christians may claim their beliefs all come from the Bible—the truth of the matter is there’s no … Continue reading →

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Resource: The Dummy’s Guide to the One True God

Posted on Sunday 15 September 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Over the past couple years I’ve collected numerous links to interesting sites or posts, which I bookmark as ‘resources’ for future reference, and which perhaps I should add to my sidebar links on this blog. For now, this. Whenever I … Continue reading →

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Sunday Links and Commentary

Posted on Sunday 8 September 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

PZ Myers compares the atheist movement to the plight of World SF Conventions — in terms of their resistance to being open to interests of younger members. http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2013/09/06/the-future-will-not-be-the-past/ Alternet: http://www.alternet.org/former-christian-fundamentalist-how-science-made-me-lose-my-religion?paging=off When an engineer raised in a fundamentalist Christian community sees … Continue reading →

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David Barton, Just this once

Posted on Saturday 7 September 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Life is too short for this kind of post very often, but once in a while I can’t resist. Discredited historian David Barton (whose book about Jefferson was withdrawn by its [Christian] publisher Thomas Nelson, for gross inaccuracies), claims that … Continue reading →

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Religion and Community

Posted on Thursday 5 September 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Another provocative, insightful essay by Connor Wood, expanding on the theme of the earlier essay I linked, this one keying off the conclusion of a study done by three psychologists. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2013/09/ritual-creates-tribesand-tribalism/ The study concludes it’s not religious belief, per se, … Continue reading →

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Conservatives and Liberals, and why we need both

Posted on Wednesday 4 September 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

I came across new blog on the vast Patheos website, Science on Religion, and this post by one Connor Wood, a PhD student at Boston University in religion and science, a post called Calling an End to the Culture Wars, … Continue reading →

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Respectful Insolence on the anti-vaxers; the healthcare crisis

Posted on Wednesday 28 August 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Orac’s Respectful Insolence blog explores the motivations of anti-vaxers, via the recent news of the Texas church whose anti-vaccination advice resulted in an outbreak of measles (widely reported in the past few days). Measles outbreaks, religion, and the reality of … Continue reading →

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Plinks: Coyne responds to Frank; Religion becoming obsolete?; Dawkins’ response

Posted on Tuesday 27 August 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Jerry Coyne responds to Adam Frank’s op-ed piece in NYT last week about science illiteracy. Coyne doesn’t dispute Frank’s points, so much as his recommendations. But after reading it, I was disappointed, for although Frank’s piece is pro-science, it’s merely … Continue reading →

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