Reading Time: 7 minutes There is no doubt that society is becoming less religious. Statistics from the US, the UK, and many other developed nations show that religiosity is in decline. As a result of this demographic shift, there are those in society (particularly among the religious) who claim that, as a result, we are becoming less moral. Science.org […]
morality
Posted inReligion
Hitchens’ Challenge: How well has it stood up?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Atheist Christopher Hitchens made a famous moral challenge to Christians. Let’s consider two Christian responses.
Posted inEthics and Morality
More traits of a real man, according to the Bible
Reading Time: 4 minutes A conservative Christian site has a list of biblical rules for a modern man of God. Here’s a more interesting list, also well grounded in biblical teaching.
Posted inReligion
The atheist has the moral foundation, not the Christian
Reading Time: 4 minutes Christians sometimes tell us that only Christianity can ground morality. Atheists can be moral, but they can’t justify their morality. Here’s an argument that inverts that and shows that only atheists can justify conventional morality.
Posted inEthics and Morality
‘No God? No good!’ How moral distrust drives anti-atheist prejudice
Reading Time: 12 minutes To understand why atheists might be seen as a threat, it’s worth asking what functions religion has served. The centrality of religion to cooperation and morality over cultural evolutionary time suggests that atheists might be seen as threats to those values. So how does that play out in individuals?
Posted inTechnology
Can a Christian be moral? Let’s ask ChatGPT
Reading Time: 2 minutes I asked the new super-artificially-intelligent ChatGPT this question: “Can a Christian be moral?” Here’s what the entity immediately spat out: Yes, a Christian can be moral. Christianity teaches that morality is grounded in the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, and that believers should strive to follow his example and teachings in their own lives. […]
Posted inRaising Freethinkers
Of ant-squishing, and crystal meth, and Jesus
A few years ago I had an interview with a radio station in California. The topic was raising ethical kids. The guests were a minister at a private junior high school, and me, the author of books on nonreligious parenting. I can usually do these interviews in my sleep. But in this case, I was […]
Posted inCulture
When humanists became haters
Reading Time: 2 minutes In the last several years, many humanists who had never hated anyone before were taught to hate. They were taught to hate a particular man. And they were taught to hate this particular man by the man himself. It was as if the man looked humanists in the eyes and said, “I was chosen to […]
Posted inTrue Story
Adventures of a secular suburbanite
Reading Time: 2 minutes Late in the afternoon today, my dear wife and I ventured outside into the fading swelter of the month-long southern California heat spell, and we heard the familiar, nostalgic tootling of an ice cream truck’s tune. There hasn’t been one of those around here in ages. She rushed across the street to indulge in a […]
Posted inReligion
Stop using the ‘not very Christ-like’ argument with right wing Christians
Reading Time: 13 minutes Humanists know that there is so much to do in our hurting world. It’s frustrating when a given cultural moment nevertheless compels us to dwell on toxic religious turf instead. Every time we do? We’re not working together to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Not grappling with rising environmental and war refugeeism, and reshaping […]