http://polypyloctomy.24kblogs.com Splitting philosophical hairs Sun, 01 Mar 2009 15:32:31 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In November 2008 the United Nations adopted a draft resolution calling for the adoption of laws prohibiting the "defamation of religion." This resolution and its antecedents have been introduced by Islamic states seeking to legitimize and propagate proscriptions on blasphemy by curtailing the freedom of expression. Lou Dobbs addresses this on ... http://polypyloctomy.24kblogs.com/2009/03/01/perversion-of-religious-tolerance/ Chris Mooney, writing at Slate, notes that with the passing of the Bush administration, the metaphorical "war on science" (characterized by government promulgation of misinformation, interference with the communication of scientific findings, and wanton disregard for scientific data) comes to an end. The battle, it seems, will continue. This bad news ... http://polypyloctomy.24kblogs.com/2009/01/18/end-of-the-war-on-science/ Today, 18 January 2009, has been proclaimed National Sanctity of Human Life Day by soon-to-be-former President George W. Bush. All human life is a gift from our Creator that is sacred, unique, and worthy of protection. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our country recognizes that each person, including ... http://polypyloctomy.24kblogs.com/2009/01/18/waiting-to-be-born/ A recent survey conducted by the Barna Group (a Christian organization that conducts research pertaining to cultural change and the role of religion in society) shows, among other things, that a majority of American adults pick and choose their beliefs rather than conform to a specific denomination's slate of ... http://polypyloctomy.24kblogs.com/2009/01/18/religion-a-la-carte/ The profusion of atheist bus campaigns being waged in Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Italy, Spain and elsewhere has, quite expectedly, given rise to counter-offensives by the usual purveyors of bumper sticker theology and anti-atheist bigotry. The Friendly Atheist has posted a couple of humorous images (one shown below) ... http://polypyloctomy.24kblogs.com/2009/01/17/omnipresent-omnibuses/ In his book Rocks of Ages, Stephen Jay Gould proposed that science and religion occupy non-overlapping magisteria (NOMA), in which science covers the empirical realm of fact and theory, while religion addresses questions of morality and meaning. According to Gould, there should be no inherent conflict between science and religion ... http://polypyloctomy.24kblogs.com/2009/01/04/no-mo-noma/ Religiousness has often been associated with a number of favorable behavioral and health outcomes, such as increased longevity, decreased affinity for risky behaviors, greater compliance with rules and regulations, and subjective well-being. In an article in the upcoming issue of the Psychological Bulletin, University of Miami researchers Michael E. McCullough ... http://polypyloctomy.24kblogs.com/2008/12/31/religion-and-self-control/ Responding to the frank anti-atheist bigotry exhibited by Elizabeth Dole's campaign for re-election to the US Senate, Kay Hagan has accused Dole of making slanderous attacks on her faith. In a press conference to confront the accusations made against her, Hagan noted: Let’s get right to it. Elizabeth Dole should absolutely ... http://polypyloctomy.24kblogs.com/2008/10/30/atheists-get-no-respect/ James Dobson, who said recently that Sarah Palin was "god's answer" (we can only guess to what question), and the lovely exemplars of Christian tolerance over at Focus on the Family have released a speculative letter from a Christian in 2012, reflecting on the changes that will have occurred during ... http://polypyloctomy.24kblogs.com/2008/10/26/prophets-of-gloom/ Anthropologist Pascal Boyer has an essay in the 23 October 2008 issue of Nature (Being human: Religion: Bound to believe?) in which he explores the cognitive traits that sustain religious identification and belief. We should not try to pinpoint the unique origin of religious belief, because there is no unique domain for ... http://polypyloctomy.24kblogs.com/2008/10/25/the-neuropsychology-of-religious-belief/