Four Bad Arguments for the Soul
When a priest decides there is no soul, the fan mail is not always fun to read. Luckily I’ve had plenty of practice. For two years I mused about whether the state of neuroscience is far enough along to suggest that there truly is no such thing as a soul. And in such musings, with wise [...]
Google, Artificial Intelligence, and What Makes Us Human
While the debate about internet-based technologies and the plasticity of the brain rages on, we find ourselves drawn to Google’s quest to master artificial intelligence. What kind of brains are we “re”-creating through AI?
The Tennessee “Monkey Bill:” Why We Need Better Education About Religion in Public Schools
Recently, the Tennessee legislature passed the controversial HB 368, dubbed “The Monkey Bill” by its critics as a reference to the famous 1925 Scopes Trial. The bill starts off with a sound argument—that science education should “inform students about scientific evidence” and “help students develop critical thinking skills necessary to becoming intelligent, productive, and scientifically [...]
The Obligation to Vaccinate: “Health Freedom” and communal responsibility
A poster opposing “Mandatory Vaccination” speaks to a fear of losing the individual freedom to make choices about health. But is freedom really the best framework to use in this scenario? Or was the ad a demonstration of how individual freedom is a poor premise on which to base discussions of public health?
Seven Types of Scholarship
What are scholars for? I offer for your consideration seven types of religious scholarship: priest, scribe, gnostic, revolutionary, rabbi, scientist, and contemplative.
Defining God: the World, the Knowledge, and the Light. Part I.
“Who am I? What is this body I am in? Where do my thoughts come from? What is the mind? Why do I feel something in my heart? What attracts me to things and creates emotions of like and dislike? What is the very essence of my existence?”
“Spiritual Directions, Religious Ways, and Education,” by Joseph McCann
Robert Wuthnow, Professor of Sociology at Princeton and the Director of the Center for the Study of Religion, has been observing and analyzing American approaches to religion for some decades now. His distinction of “dwelling” and “seeking” is probably the most helpful way of thinking about attitudes to religion and spirituality today. Wuthnow explains by [...]
An Essay Concerning Theistic Understanding: Reflections on Nietzsche’s Death of God
I take Nietzsche’s observation regarding the death of God in The Gay Science (1882) to be pragmatic in character: for all intents and purposes, God is no longer a necessary postulate needed to account for the reality in which we live. With the deconstruction of the infallible nature of Scripture by the application of the [...]
Landscapes or Sandscapes? New Atheist Grounds for Morality
Atheist lauders and pursuers of truth, integrity, and beauty can be none too careful. They might provoke or experience longings for the fountain of all Beauty, Goodness, and Truth.
Life Is Still Freakin’ Awesome, Y’all
I was just looking at this website of people who are the 99% of the American people, the ones hurting because of the wanton ways of the 1%. I am part of that 99%. I could make a list of my grievances, as we all could. My list would be legit, and it would be [...]
Contributing Scholars
Ryan McLaughlinI am a Ph. D. candidate at Duquesne University. My central research interest is animal theology (or the place of animals in Christian theology and the ethical implications of that place).
Tim BrauhnTim received his MA in International Studies from the University of Denver in 2009. He is an (inaugural) alumnus of the Faiths Act Fellowship, a program of the Interfaith Youth Core and Tony Blair Faith Foundation. Tim is a consultant in the interfaith and social media spheres, and currently serves as Director of Operations for The 1010 Project, a Denver humanitarian agency.
Joshua RatnerJosh Ratner is a 37 year-old rabbi in Connecticut. Josh is originally from San Diego,
California, and spent time working as an attorney for five years prior
to commencing rabbinical school. Josh presently lives in Woodbridge,
CT, with his wife (Elena) and three children (Dimitri, Elijah, and
Gabriella). Josh is particularly interested in sustainability and other environmental issues, particularly from an interfaith perspective.