Donald Trump vs. Good Science

Donald Trump vs. Good Science

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when I believed that it did not really matter who became the President of the U.S. I was of the opinion that any moron could reach that position without any serious damage being done to the nation. However, President Donald Trump has quickly disabused me of that foolish notion. Trump is the most anti-intellectual, anti-science, hopelessly irrational, conspiracy-minded president in the history of this nation. And the damage that he could do to the world is truly terrifying.

Christian Bigotry, Intolerance and the Sources of Morality

Christian Bigotry, Intolerance and the Sources of Morality

My girlfriend has an excessively religious Christian friend that believes atheists are nasty, evil people destined for Hell. And why wouldn’t that wonderful Christian believe this prejudiced nonsense? After all, the Bible contains passages promoting this idea. For example, Psalm 14 reads, “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” Christians that have been indoctrinated to believe that everything in the Bible must be true, and that have a holier-than-thou mindset, are going to believe this mindless drivel. They are even more likely to believe this if they are unable to comprehend the simple common logical fallacy known as begging the question. That is to say, if one believes the Bible is the Word of God, she cannot prove it by referring to the Bible itself. She needs sources outside the Bible, such as reputable historians, expert, trustworthy non-Christian eyewitnesses, etc.

Black Music, Skepticism, Humanism and Secularism

Black Music, Skepticism, Humanism and Secularism

June is African American Music Appreciation Month. (It was originally designated as Black Music Month on June 7, 1979 by President Jimmy Carter. President Obama gave it the present designation in 2009. By the way, June is also LGBT Pride Month.) African Americans have contributed greatly to music. They were among the founders of blues, jazz, rock and roll, disco, rap and other genres. Musicians such as Little Richard heavily influenced the Beatles. Musicians such as Muddy Waters heavily influenced the Rolling Stones. (In fact, Rolling Stone magazine and the Rolling Stones are both named after Waters’ 1950 hit “Rollin’ Stone.”)