Category Archives: Religion

Robert Charles Wilson, OWNING THE UNKNOWN

Posted on Saturday 25 May 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

This is a book about theology, atheism and the idea of God, from the perspective of a science fiction writer. Wilson is a significant contemporary SF writer whose fiction output has slowed in recent years; I reviewed his 2015 novel … Continue reading →

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Living By Stories, Not Reality, Part 2

Posted on Tuesday 21 May 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

A New Yorker review of a new book about human origins; Robert Reich on how Americans don’t understand the reality of Trump and Biden; Short items about the Pope, and fundamentalists beliefs in the evil nature of human beings; how … Continue reading →

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Rules for Storytelling

Posted on Saturday 18 May 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Vatican updates rules for identifying miracles; Some conservative Christians, dealing with gender wars and their own kids identifying as gay, are bowing to reality. If storytelling, more than we realize, drives the human experience — if people understand only through … Continue reading →

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Liberalism and Its Discontents

Posted on Friday 17 May 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

David Brooks on how authoritarians have momentum, because liberalism doesn’t appeal to people’s needs for a higher metaphysical meaning; Biden and Trump: appearance and reality; Double standards at Fox News about Butker and James; Republicans about Trump: loyalty vs. principles; … Continue reading →

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Keeping Things In Perspective

Posted on Wednesday 15 May 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How Biden is less unpopular than leaders of other major nations; How 17% of voters blame Biden for the end of Roe (that is, many voters are not paying attention); and how I think many voters select a presidential candidate … Continue reading →

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Robert Reich on Red vs. Blue

Posted on Tuesday 14 May 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Robert Reich on red vs. blue states; Shorter items about the eagerness of Republicans to kill people (not just dogs); MAGA blaming Biden for Red Lobster; Red states anxious to discriminate against LGBTQ students; a pastor who apparently truly thought … Continue reading →

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Fundamentalist Simplicity and Autism

Posted on Sunday 12 May 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

A fundamentalist preacher who denies that PTSD, OCD, and ADHD, exist; A New Yorker article about how psychiatric labels reinforce behaviors; and how I think autism is a condition, not a disease. Here’s a short item about a fundamentalist that … Continue reading →

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Trust in Science, Bertrand Russell, and Religious “Truth”

Posted on Tuesday 7 May 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

An item about restoring trust in science, which doesn’t say very much except to improve education; A reading from Bertrand Russell, about religion, morals, and science; How a religious thinker thinks historians should only tell history that is “inspiring and … Continue reading →

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Another Gloss on Philosophy

Posted on Monday 6 May 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

I think I mentioned this book before. It’s a compilation of rough summaries of twelve general topics, from American Studies to World History, with literature, music, philosophy, religion, science, and others in between, written for people who worry that their … Continue reading →

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Obsolete Laws, Morality, and Beliefs

Posted on Thursday 11 April 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

The world is changing, and conservatives deny this by appealing to values of a simpler past. How Republicans are resorting to obsolete laws — the Comstock laws, the 1864 Alabama ruling — to enforce their morality upon everyone; How the … Continue reading →

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