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Jan 30, 2012
By David Brown | Posted at 16:12:46
Religion, grrrr-Rachel Aviv reviews The Church of Scientology by Hugh Urban (London Review of Books 1-26-12)
In The Church of Scientology, one of only a handful of academic treatments of the subject, Hugh Urban is less interested in the experiences of Scientologists than in the legal processes and semantic twists through which a set of beliefs becomes a religion. A professor of religious studies at Ohio State, Urban is interested in secrecy in religion, and in this book he chronicles the way Hubbard reacted to legal and political challenges to his authority by attempting (largely successfully) to conceal his theories from the public. Had he stuck with his original conception of Dianetics, his practices could have been investigated and judged according to scientific standards. A religion, on the other hand, can turn self-help platitudes into a scarce and privileged resource; criticism can be dismissed as intolerance, or persecution.
Jan 16, 2012
By David Brown | Posted at 15:57:56
Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton - review by Terry Eagleton (UK Guardian 1-12-12)
God may be dead, but Alain de Botton's Religion for Atheists is a sign that the tradition from Voltaire to Arnold lives on. The book assumes that religious beliefs are a lot of nonsense, but that they remain indispensible to civilised existence. One wonders how this impeccably liberal author would react to being told that free speech and civil rights were all bunkum, but that they had their social uses and so shouldn't be knocked. Perhaps he might have the faintest sense of being patronised. De Botton claims that one can be an atheist while still finding religion “sporadically useful, interesting and consoling”, which makes it sound rather like knocking up a bookcase when you are feeling a bit low. Since Christianity requires one, if need be, to lay down one's life for a stranger, he must have a strange idea of consolation. Like many an atheist, his theology is rather conservative and old-fashioned.
Jan 5, 2012
By David Brown | Posted at 9:46:18
Nice Nihilism (3ammagazine 12-21-11)
'This is a book for atheists'. Rosenberg makes this explicit in the preface. Atheism requires a whole view of the world based on science that is 'demanding, rigorous, breathtaking.' There's a feeling you get when reading Rosenberg that he's fed up with atheists who avoid facing up to the big persistent questions such as: 'what is the nature of reality, the purpose of the universe, and the meaning of life? Is there any rhyme or reason to the course of human history? Why am I here? Do I have a soul, and if so, how long will it last? What happens when we die? Do we have free will? Why should I be moral? What is love, and why is it usually inconvenient?' Rosenberg demands that atheists just stop arguing with theists, for one because 'contemporary religious belief is immune to rational objection' but also because it eats into the time atheists should be taking to work through the implications of their own worldview. Atheists need to spend more time getting to grips with what they should know about the reality we inhabit because science reveals it is 'stranger than even many atheists recognise.'
Jan 4, 2012
By David Brown | Posted at 9:54:35
Conflict at the heart of Scientology is exposed in bitter email outburst (UK Independent 1-4-12)
Debbie Cook's email, which was sent to 12,000 fellow Scientologists shortly after midnight on New Year's Day, alleges that Mr Miscavige has adopted a dictatorial leadership style which is at odds with the doctrines laid down by the church's founder, the science fiction author, L Ron Hubbard.
She further claims that, since succeeding Hubbard after his death in 1986, Mr Miscavige has become obsessed with fundraising. His regime is now “hoarding” a cash reserve of more than a billion dollars, she claims, and has spent tens of millions more on a portfolio of large, “posh” buildings which largely sit empty.
Dec 14, 2011
By David Brown | Posted at 13:18:54
Alvin Plantinga and Intelligent Design by Michael Ruse (Chronicle of Higher Education 12-14-11)
Now, Plantinga has given us a full-length treatment of his views on science and its relationship to religion. I can only say that either he has changed his mind in the last year or, shall we say, he was not being entirely forthcoming. There is a chapter of the book on Intelligent Design Theory and I challenge any independent person to read it and not conclude that Plantinga accepts this theory over modern evolutionary theory, especially the dominant modern Darwinian evolutionary theory. But read the chapter yourself if you have doubts about what I claim. Make your own judgment.
Dec 9, 2011
By David Brown | Posted at 11:24:15
Trial of the Will (Vanity Fair Jan. 2012)
Reviewing familiar principles and maxims in the face of mortal illness, Christopher Hitchens has found one of them increasingly ridiculous: “Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger.” Oh, really? Take the case of the philosopher to whom that line is usually attributed, Friedrich Nietzsche, who lost his mind to what was probably syphilis. Or America's homegrown philosopher Sidney Hook, who survived a stroke and wished he hadn't. Or, indeed, the author, viciously weakened by the very medicine that is keeping him alive.
Dec 7, 2011
By David Brown | Posted at 10:16:2
Can colleges demand students affirm homosexuality? Court to decide (Baptist Press 12-2-11)
The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has heard arguments in a religious liberty case that could determine whether a college has the right to require students to profess certain beliefs about homosexuality in order to get a degree.
Augusta State University, in east Georgia, put counseling student Jennifer Keeton on academic probation in 2010 after she acknowledged in private conversations and during class that she disagreed with homosexuality. School administrators claimed Keeton said it would be hard for her to counsel gay clients, a stance they said violated ethical standards for licensed counselors, as put forth by the American Counseling Association.
Oct 26, 2011
By David Brown | Posted at 15:21:8
Will Obama Destroy Franciscan University of Steubenville?-the most anti-Catholic administration in American history (CERC 10-1-11)
The Obama administration is showing it values that role not at all. It is attempting to crush The Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. Mr. Obama's HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, is trying to force Steubenville to dispense abortion-producing drugs and pay for sterilizations. This is a Roman Catholic institution. Such things are strictly proscribed by the Catholic faith.
Oct 11, 2011
By David Brown | Posted at 7:53:39
A Voice, Still Vibrant, Reflects on Mortality—on Christopher Hitchens (NY Times 10-10-11)
Christopher Hitchens, probably the country's most famous unbeliever, received the Freethinker of the Year Award at the annual convention of the Atheist Alliance of America here on Saturday. Mr. Hitchens was flattered by the honor, he said a few days beforehand, but also a little abashed. “I think being an atheist is something you are, not something you do,” he explained, adding: “I'm not sure we need to be honored. We don't need positive reinforcement. On the other hand, we do need to stick up for ourselves, especially in a place like Texas, where they have laws, I think, that if you don't believe in Jesus Christ you can't run for sheriff.”
By David Brown | Posted at 7:21:25
Church Protests in Cairo Turn Deadly (NY Times 10-9-11)
A demonstration by Christians angry about a recent attack on a church touched off a night of violent protests here against the military council now ruling Egypt, leaving 24 people dead and more than 200 wounded in the worst spasm of violence since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in February.
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