religion

Last week we went over the story of young David's battle with the Philistine champion Goliath. While this display of prowess was impressive, the social intrigue that happens in the wake of the contest is arguably more important and more meaningful. At this point in First Samuel (chapter 18 specifically) the story becomes considerably more dense. Many events take place in the space of a single chapter and it's easy to miss a number of the many important details along the way. One element that has been a source of much debate and distraction over the ages is the relationship between David and Jonathan, Saul's son and the heir apparent to the throne of the two kingdoms.

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While the focus of this blog is to promote secular concepts in opposition to religion, as well as to point out some of the inherent absurdities of popular faith, I feel as if a lot of the ire generated by the atheism vs. religion debate is misplaced. Both sides of the argument oversimplify each other, if for no other reason than to generate a series of straw men to be knocked down by a blunt and ultimately fallacious point. I would like to take this opportunity to stand in defense of faith, not from a position of biblical literalism or moral condemnation, but from the perspective of someone who does not believe that rationality and religion are truly diametrically opposed.

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I liken Christmas to my 4-year-old niece. In small doses it can be sweet and endearing, but it's also capable of being shrill and annoying. Since I don't really have any true obligations to Christmas, if it bothers me too much I can just ignore it. I suppose that's why I'm capable of going through what should be the most insufferable time of the year in a relative state of calm. Sure, for the first ten years of my life Christmas seemed extremely appealing, but then I realized that it's a gaudy chunk of unnecessary stress that becomes less interesting the older you get. The one part of the holiday season I always enjoy is the pointless whining about the War on Christmas. Conservative idiots like Bill O'Reilly and other drains on society who hate fun usually start jabbering in late November about how the Christiest holiday of them all has been actively secularized for the sake of money and mass appeal. That's why the fundies spend every December launching increasingly absurd campaigns to inject some extra religion into their favorite holiday. This year, it's the CHRIST-mas Tree.

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Closing arguments have concluded in the Oregon trial of two parents who knowingly let their 15-month-old daughter Ava Worthington die from a treatable cyst because their church does not believe in medical treatment. As their baby girl lay on a bed dying of pneumonia brought on by an untreated cyst Raylene and Carl Worthington simply joined hands with friends and prayed. The Oregon City based church The Followers of Christ have also lost two other children to their beliefs in the last few years. A 16-year-old boy, Ava’s uncle, died four months after Ava from the very treatable blocked urinary tract he painfully suffered from for months. Doctors have said routine antibiotics would have saved both of them from their parent's faith. Ava died from pneumonia and blood poisoning after a cyst on her neck was left untreated for almost a year, according to news sources. Read more