Honesty

There are two kinds of people: those who lie only when the occasion calls for it, and those who tell the truth only when it suits their purposes. Those who always tell the truth, no matter what, because that wins them the favor of a god, or their mother, or whatever, are in the latter... Continue reading at Living Faith-Free

Free Speech Cake

How is refusing to sell cakes for same-sex weddings different from refusing to serve mixed-race couples? The petitioners in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd, v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission would have us believe that creating a wedding cake can be an expression of free speech, and as such is constitutionally protected. In other words, the cake creator cannot... Read more...

Winning With Constructive Dialogue

Winning

Sometimes the universe throws coincidences in our paths. I have been reorganizing the blog and refocusing on finding more constructive ways of approaching the issues that divide us. Then this past week, almost as if by design, I encountered two interesting sources (for which I will provide links) that show how we can defuse... Read more...

Liars Lying

I like the new White House communications director, Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci. It’s not just because he favors gun control and is against building a wall on our southern border, positions he now officially renounces. I like him because he is personable and entertaining, but also because he is such an outrageous liar. ... Read more...

Abusing Power

I just had an epiphany.
You may be familiar with the “seven deadly sins,” listed here for your convenience:

• Pride,
• Envy,
• Gluttony,
• Lust,
• Wrath,
• Greed,
• Sloth.

Something has always bothered me about that list. It didn’t seem balanced. It didn’t seem complete. Something … I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Then I saw a meme that applied the whole list to our current president, and it hit me. ... Read more...

Faith, Hope, and Reality

I am going to lay all my cards on the table. I am a naturalist, which is to say that everything I have experienced and learned about suggests to me that the world is more or less as we perceive it, subject to our physical limitations. There doesn’t appear to be a supernatural realm, filled with gods and demons, or fairies and elves. The world seems to operate by cause and effect, and things like magic, prayer, and spiritual healing are only effective to the extent that they affect us psychologically. Is it possible I am wrong?... Read more...

What Is Religious Bigotry?

Listen up, people. It's not often Chiefy admits he was wrong.

A short time ago, I responded to a Facebook post about Bernie Sander's "no" vote on a Trump appointee, Russell Vought. The post claimed that Sanders voted as he did because he is biased against Christians, and I disagreed. I defended Sanders' position. Now, after having seen more video of the hearing, and hearing some other points of view, I have changed my mind. What Sanders said displayed his bias against evangelical Christians.

The statement that Sanders objected to was this: Vought said that Muslims "do not know God … Continue reading …