The King James version of the Bible has a fair amount to say about Hell. A single case in point: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the …
Tag: Skepticism
Dec 26
November 2022 – Quote of the Month
“I think it’s perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it, but I don’t know everything, and there may well be a God somewhere, hiding away. Actually, if he is keeping out of sight, it’s because he’s ashamed of his followers and all the cruelty and ignorance they’re responsible …
Jul 30
Still Putting on Shoes
I recently saw a Facebook post from a really sweet guy I know. (I’ve redacted his name.) He is a very compassionate individual. The kind of man who is sensitive and cries at life’s tragedy. He also happens to have an advanced degree (Doctorate) and has a career that requires constant education. And yet, this …
Mar 28
February 2022 – Quote of the Month
“Every aspect of Nature reveals a deep mystery and touches our sense of wonder and awe. Those afraid of the universe as it really is, those who pretend to nonexistent knowledge and envision a Cosmos centered on human beings will prefer the fleeting comforts of superstition. They avoid rather than confront the world. But those …
Aug 18
July 2021 – Quote of the Month
“If we offer too much silent assent about mysticism and superstition – even when it seems to be doing a little good – we abet a general climate in which scepticism is considered impolite, science tiresome, and rigorous thinking somehow stuffy and inappropriate. Figuring out a prudent balance takes wisdom.” ~ Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted …
Jul 11
June 2021 – Quote of the Month
“Formerly, when religion was strong and science weak, men mistook magic for medicine; now, when science is strong and religion weak, men mistake medicine for magic.” ~ Thomas Szasz
Jun 23
May 2021 – Quote of the Month
“If you want to save your child from polio, you can pray or you can inoculate. … Choose science.” ~ Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
Apr 27
It’s Just the Flu
In the last year, Covid has almost become the new, go to small-talk default subject, like weather. And so it was, that in talking with a work colleague, the person I was speaking with balked at the notion of getting a Covid vaccination. The person said, Covid is, ‘Just the flu’. And went on to …
Jan 09
December 2020 – Quote of the Month
“The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.” ~ Garry Kasparov
Mar 31
February 2019 – Quote of the Month
“The supernatural is the natural not yet understood.” ~Elbert Hubbard
Jul 13
June 2018 – Quote of the Month
“Thus mystery is made a convenient cover for absurdity.” ~John Adams
Jun 21
May 2017 – Quote of the Month
“The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.” ~ George Orwell
May 01
April 2017 – Quote of the Month
“Belief can be manipulated. Only knowledge is dangerous.” ~ Frank Herbert
Apr 07
March 2017 – Quote of the Month
“Besides, as the vilest Writer has his Readers, so the greatest Liar has his Believers; and it often happens, that if a Lie be believ’d only for an Hour, it has done its Work, and there is no farther occasion for it. Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it; so that when Men …
Jan 12
December 2016 – Quote of the Month
“The split in America, rather than simply economic, is between those who embrace reason, who function in the real world of cause and effect, and those who, numbed by isolation and despair, now seek meaning in a mythical world of intuition, a world that is no longer reality-based, a world of magic.” ~ Chris Hedges
Sep 01
August 2016 – Quote of the Month
“The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.” ~George Orwell
Jan 07
December 2015 – Quote of the Month
“The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason.” ~Thomas Paine
Sep 28
An Absolute Monarchy in the Minds of Men
For all of the humanistic conventions and relative progressiveness of Pope Francis*, that is enchanting the people; here, at the bedrock is what continues to disturb me: the fostering of supernatural, magical beliefs. If the disservice and damage that this magical mindset does among the everyday individual is disturbing enough, it is downright scary when …
Jul 31
Ghostly Gettysburg
I had an occasion to visit Gettysburg Pennsylvania this weekend for a little R&R. As expected, the area is rich in history and amazing stories: tragic and heroic. But I was also amazed how swamped the area is with ghost stories. The first hint came when it was posted on Facebook that we were going …
Oct 02
September 2013 – Quote of the Month
A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence. – David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, 1748
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