As I write this it is just beginning to be the 4th of July in the United States now, though its been 4th July for some time here in New Zealand. The 4th of July is, of course, Independence Day. Typically in New Zealand, those members of the secular blogosphere, who consider themselves to be [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Religious History'
Guest Post: Dan Brown’s History of Science
October 23rd, 2009 135 Comments
This guest post was submitted by Dr James Hannam. Dr Hannam is a UK based historian with degrees in physics and history from the Universities of Oxford and London and a PhD in the history of science from the University of Cambridge. He blogs at Quodlibeta. The film adaptation of Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons [...]
Tags: Christian History · Dan Brown · Faith and Reason · Guest Post · James Hannam · Religious History · Science and Religion
Weight Watchers and the Historical Atrocities Argument
July 8th, 2009 6 Comments
We’ve all heard the slogan that atheism is superior to theism because of all the atrocities committed in the name of religion. If you flick through the pages of the new-atheist publications by the likes of Dawkins, Hitchens, Loftus, Harris, et al you’ll probably find some version of this assertion in each. Setting aside the [...]
Tags: Atheism · Christian History · Religious History · Thinking Matters
John Loftus on Madeleine Flannagan and Women and Other Red Herrings
July 1st, 2009 7 Comments
A few days ago I posted, Sunday Study: Slavery, John Locke and the Bible; in this post I defended an argument proposed by John Locke that the Bible does not support slavery. In that article I quoted from John Loftus’ book “Why I Became an Atheist” as an example of what is typically meant by [...]
Tags: Atheism · Christian History · Ethics · John Loftus · Religious History · Theology
St Patrick’s Day: A Protestants’ Musings
March 17th, 2009 3 Comments
Today is St Patrick’s day. Despite it being a Tuesday, many tonight who do not have something better to do, such as attend the Thinking Matters Seminar, will find themselves dressed in green, possibly slurring slightly, with a handle of green Guinness in one hand. Now one wonders why so many people who are not [...]
Tags: Religious History
Contra Christopher Hitchens
August 10th, 2007 No Comments
Christopher Hitchens’ critiques of religion get a thorough rebuttal here. My favourite paragraph is this expose, The effectiveness of Hitchens’ book is also undermined by the large number of errors it contains, many so glaring that they will be picked up by even a casual reader with some knowledge of history and theology. The Gnostic [...]
Tags: Atheism · Christopher Hitchens · Religious History
The Flat Earth Myth
July 18th, 2007 2 Comments
A few days ago I got sent the following message from a high-school student in the US. I’ve been studying Christopher Columbus in my history class and my history books say that prior to Columbus everyone did think the world was flat……..I don’t know if it was a mistake in the history book or your [...]
Tags: Dark Ages · flat earth · Religious History · Urban Myths
Christmas was never about religion til recently….
December 30th, 2006 No Comments
I thought it was one of those urban legends, you know when you keep hearing something that sounds so ridiculous it can’t possibly be true. I am speaking of the reports I have heard about people phoning into talkback shows or strangers overheard making comments to the effect that religious people are trying to take [...]
Tags: Christmas · Historical Ignorance · Religion and Public Life · Religious History
Guest Post: No Official Religion in God’s Own?
April 6th, 2010 124 Comments
David Simpkin is a Hamilton based lawyer with an interest in church-state issues. He studied law at the University of Auckland and holds a BA majoring in history and political studies. David is married to Susan and has a infant son, Caleb. He attends Whitiora Bible Church in Hamilton. David writes: As a holiday weekend that coincides with [...]
Tags: David Simpkin · Freedom of Religion · Guest Post · Human Rights Commission · Religion and Public Life · Religious History · Rights and Freedoms · State Religion