Reading Time: 8 minutes Untrue beliefs only proliferate. That’s really the quintessential Problem of Wingnuts: What gets weird can only get weirder. Today, let me show you how it happens–and why.
religious extremism
Posted inThe Secular
Filipino Christians are nailed to crosses every year. Crazy, right?
Reading Time: 2 minutes What happens in the Philippines every Good Friday — people get “crucified” — is exactly what worries atheists about extreme religious piety.
Posted inPolitics
Trump and Sadiq Khan: Trump Is Being a Tool
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not very highbrow of me, I know. But, my goodness, Trump, as President of the US, is being an utter tool. Sadiq Khan is the left-wing (Labour) Muslim Mayor of London. Trump has never liked him for those qualities. Trump appears to have it in for people called Khan. It all started when Khan […]
Posted inEnvironment
Terrorism vs Air Pollution: An Interesting Perspective
Reading Time: < 1 minute I said this on another thread (paraphrased): An interesting perspective (and not AT ALL to diminish the horrors of last night for all those involved): Deaths by terrorism in UK between 2000 and 2015: 90 Deaths from air pollution last year alone: 40,000 Someone wrote, in attacking Labour: “I detect a level of insouciance inappropriate […]
Posted inUncategorized
Terror Attacks: Why Voting for the Right is the Wrong Decision
Reading Time: 3 minutes What has happened in London overnight is another terrible example of completely redundant ideas and ideology taking hold and being used for moments of mass idiocy (where idiocy is not nearly strong enough). The political ramifications are interesting and important. This short piece is not an attempt to opportunistically use this event to further my own political agenda, […]
Posted inUncategorized
My Talk at Cheltenham Skeptics in the Pub Tonight: Islam and Violence
Reading Time: < 1 minute I am speaking tonight at Cheltenham Skeptics in the Pub on the subject of Islam and violence. This has been a hot button topic on the blog and in society at large. My talk was booked some time ago and Manchester has made it all the more pertinent. Anyway, if you are in the area, […]
Posted inUncategorized
Quote of the Day: Treyarnon on Islam
Reading Time: 3 minutes Over on another thread about the Islamist bomber in Manchester, and whether or not he is a Muslim (in response to the Mayor declaring he was a terrorist, but not a Muslim), Treyarnon has thoughtfully commented in line with my own conclusions on the matter: You know what, I’m aware that that is the case […]
Posted inReligion
Mayor of Manchester, Burnham: Abedi “not a Muslim”
Reading Time: 3 minutes This old chestnut again. As many of you will know, I am a liberal philosopher, centre left economically, left socially. Most pushback I ever get is when I criticise Islam, and I get it from my fellow liberals. Invariably, though, those criticising my theological attacks on Islam: have not read the Qu’ran themselves (I have) […]
Posted inUncategorized
Quote of the Day: Herald Newman on Tackling Islamist Ideology
Reading Time: < 1 minute This, on a thread discussing the Manchester bombing, was in one sense thoroughly obvious, but in another sense, some needed clarity: Let’s start by at least acknowledging that the Manchester attack was driven by a violent, Islamist, ideology. Without that, I don’t see that we have any hope of finding a way to prevent atrocities […]
Posted inPolitics
Manchester Bombing and the Political Context
Reading Time: 2 minutes As with so many, I am deeply angered by the attack from last night. I could offer all the usual condolences but it would all sound rather trite from me. So I’ll do what I usually do: offer some kind of analysis, this time political rather than theological. What will the fallout of this be? Well, […]