Framing the abortion debate (part 1): What is the missing premise?

A logical argument, known as a syllogism, looks like this:      PREMISE 1:  All dogs have wet noses.      PREMISE 2:  Max is a dog.      CONCLUSION:  Max has a wet nose. Easy, right?  Now, let's see what happens when we remove one of the premises:      PREMISE 1:  All…

Continue ReadingFraming the abortion debate (part 1): What is the missing premise?

No Faith? But that’s no good, either . . .

I love that there are people like Erich Vieth in the world, people who take the time to refute dangerous “fact” spouters like the Creationists who got themselves powered up to the top of the Google listings for vestigial organs.  I love that he researches so thoroughly and carefully points out the enormous flaws in what passes for logic in the world of the fanatical faithful.  They need to be pointed out, those flaws.  Because in recent years, their voices have become very, very loud.  And often, unfortunately, loud wins.  Especially when loud is accompanied by legislation, or worse, explosives.

Seems fanatics, whether they be Christian, Muslim or otherwise, are dead-set on yelling the loudest and therefore claiming victory.  It pains me.  It obviously pains lots of people; even most flocks of the faithful can see that anything carried too far becomes dangerous.  People like Erich, or Al Franken, say, do good work.  I applaud them.

I, on the other hand, might be more likely to just cover my ears and say “la-la-la-la-LA-I-CAN’T-HEAR-YOU!”

Yeah, yeah, I know, not particularly effective in the battle against ignorance.  It’s just that I get soooo tired of it.  Of the fighting, of the rhetoric, of the nonsense that parades as so much religion and the often arrogant verbosity working to knock down the many points of faith, one at a time, but not being heard because, after all, if you believe, you don’t need proof.  Or un-proof, as it were.

I happen …

Share

Continue ReadingNo Faith? But that’s no good, either . . .

Why did God design useless animal parts?

Here’s a partial list: Wings on flightless birds. Small Leg bones on modern whales. Eyes that are found in blind animals such as Astyanax fasciatus (a species of fish) and moles. Because I wanted to know more about these useless animal parts, I checked some popular creationist web sites: Investigating…

Continue ReadingWhy did God design useless animal parts?

A lesson on speaking out in ignorance

As part of his Easter homily, Pope Benedict XVI invoked evolution in describing Christ’s resurrection:  If we may borrow the language of the theory of evolution, it is the greatest ‘mutation,’ absolutely the most crucial leap into a totally new dimension that there has ever been in the long history…

Continue ReadingA lesson on speaking out in ignorance

Good Friday – Good Grief!

I was raised Roman Catholic. Many things about the church puzzled me, Good Friday perhaps being the most puzzling of Holy Days.   On the lighter side, the kids at Catholic school insisted that it always rained on Good Friday, usually in the afternoon while Jesus was dying on the cross.  Whenever it did rain this was seen as proof of something important.  When it didn’t rain on Good Friday, that lack of rain was merely an exception to the rule.

Throughout my life, I’ve found that Catholics are very skeptical about religious beliefs . . . well, as long as it isn’t their own beliefs that they are questioning.   Growing up Catholic, I always heard about those “bizarre” beliefs of other types of religions.  “How could anyone ever believe such silly things?” Catholics would often ask.  For reasons I still don’t understand, I found myself asking these same skeptical questions about my own church (and everyone else’s church).  I started asking these questions even as a young child.    Good Friday has always been the focus for many of my questions, for at least three reasons:

I.  False Suspense. 

The Good Friday church services were always dreary.  Tears were shed, incense was burned, and sad songs were sung.  Those attending the services went away from them thinking that all bordering on hopelessness, as though this might be the year that Jesus didn’t rise from the dead.  This was puzzling to me, given that Easter was already marked on everyone’s calendars.  The …

Share

Continue ReadingGood Friday – Good Grief!