Victor Stenger wrote: “Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings.” After I quoted this epigram in “Victor Stenger, religion and violence“, a reader named Just sayin… provided a tongue-in-cheek (as I interpret it) counter-epigram: “Science provides the means to destroy civilization in an afternoon.” Another reader, “The Thinker,” replied by quipping: […]
pragmatism
“Why I Became an Atheist”: A Review (Part 5)
This is the fifth installment of my meandering review of John Loftus’ book Why I Became an Atheist. For part four click here. In this section I’m going to move on through chapter 2 which, as I noted, is concerned with various topics relating to faith and reason. * * * Anybody who has read […]
Pragmatists, Prophets, and Punitive Appendage Amputation
In my review of William Webb’s Corporal Punishment in the Bible I argued that Webb does not go far enough in his redemptive-movement hermeneutic. In this followup article I will develop that criticism further. I will begin by providing an illustration that illumines the tension between the pragmatist and the prophet before I turn to focus […]