Home » Archives by category » Archive » Blog » 2005
creationism \ evolution \ faith \ intelligent design \ reason
The Bait and Switch of “Intelligent Design”
Legal and political battle lines have been drawn across the country over the teaching of “intelligent design”–the view that life is so complex it must be the product of a “higher intelligence.” The central issue under debate is whether “intelligent design” is, in fact, a genuine scientific theory or merely a disguised form of religious [...]
faith \ morality \ Objectivism \ reason
Moral Values Without Religion
Does morality depend upon religion? Most people believe it does, which is a major reason behind the appeal of the religious right. People believe that without faith in a supernatural authority, we can have no moral values–no moral absolutes, no black-and-white distinctions, no firm demarcation between good and evil–in life or in politics. This is [...]
Christianity \ faith \ mysticism
Campus Media Response: Religious Tolerance Blights Campus Culture
Religion is becoming a political issue in the culture at large. Abortion, stem-cell research, euthanasia, homosexuality, intelligent design–even the “war on terror”–each of these debates is linked to religious beliefs. With the conservatives strengthening ties to the Christian religion and a Supreme Court that has become predominately conservative, religion is maneuvering its way into a [...]
creationism \ evolution \ faith \ intelligent design
Intelligent Design and the Philosophy of Make-Believe
The ongoing controversy over the teaching of creationism in public schools is portrayed by some as a battle between superstitious ignorance and scientific enlightenment. So far, from this perspective, the race has gone to the swift and the battle to the strong: in the ’80s, defenders of evolution succeeded in outlawing the teaching of “creation [...]
creationism \ evolution \ faith \ intelligent design \ Keith Lockitch \ reason
Objectivism in the Culture: A Man of Science Crusades Against Intelligent Design
Last December, a Pennsylvania Federal District court ruled that the Dover School District cannot teach “intelligent design”–the theory that the complexity of life indicates the existence of a divine “designer”–as a scientific alternative to Darwin’s theory of evolution. Judge John E. Jones argued that intelligent design creationism constitutes a religious as opposed to scientific idea, [...]
Christianity \ faith \ religion
Chronicles of Narnia: Christian Sheep in Lion’s Clothing
The buzz about Christian propaganda couched in Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe seems to have subsided. With the film’s premiere, the suspense about ideology has largely been replaced by universal commendations of its “enchanting animations” and portrayal of “family values.” Secular reviewers find the Christian motifs even less intrusive than [...]
The Case for Girly Beauty
I must confess, I love to go shopping. Although my meager grad student stipend doesn’t generally afford outlandish spending sprees, I delight in simple, gratis pleasures such as testing lotion samples at Bath & Body Works and visiting boutiques to try on colorful, lush silk dresses that I could never afford. Like Audrey Hepburn in [...]
allah \ Danish cartoons \ Islam \ mohammad
Kudos to the Daily Illini
On February 9th, the Daily Illini at the University of Illinois published the controversial cartoons of Mohammed that have exploded into a world-wide Muslim protest against the right to free speech. The original publishers of these cartoons are hiding in fear of their lives. Embassies are being set on fire. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims [...]
harry potter \ hero \ religion
Harry Potter and the Half-Stumped Critics
By now few of our readers have eluded the fairy dust that has settled all over the world since Harry Potter first cast its spell. This summer Rowling seemed to have yet again bewitched entire populations, as young and old, rich and poor, college professors and elementary school kids all stormed the bookstores at midnight [...]
freedom \ religion \ state and church
Freedom From People of Faith
They call themselves “people of faith,” and they are waging war against a basic principle of American government: the separation of church and state. Complaining that our secular culture has improperly banished God from government, religious conservatives are working tirelessly to inject faith-based decision-making into America’s legal system. This conservative onslaught requires a bold defense [...]
