Just yesterday I got in an argument with a neighbor who insisted that the only laws we really need are enumerated in the Ten Commandments. Being somewhat versed in this artifact of primitive culture, I foolishly pointed out that the first four items simply emphasized the need to adhere to a jealous god. And then, in the best Abbott and Costello fashion, my neighbor said, “Of course.” Damn! Here I was a highly educated critical thinker trying to convince a neighbor here in South Carolina than there were many problems with her understanding of her religion.
Continue reading “Time to Shelve the Ten Commandments”Category: Humanism
The American Taliban
Warning: the American Taliban is on the move. Tamara Scott, a Republican National Committeewoman just made the case in Iowa for teaching Christianity in public schools during an address to the Republican Presidential Forum:
From Right Wing Watch.
Will Elvis Come Again?
I’m always confused: was it Elvis who was bigger than Jesus or The Beatles?
The Ontological Argument
1. WHY GOD EXISTS … (St. Anselm)
Imagine for me, if only you dare,
a being so perfect beyond compare.
But wait, you ask, “If you be so kind,
it may not exist; it’s only in mind.”
But, if that be so, it lacks perfection;
the being that is, is the better conception.
So here is the answer, as now you can see,
the most perfect being cannot, not be.
2. WHY ELVIS IS ALIVE
Imagine for me, if only you dare
a singer so perfect beyond compare
But wait, you ask, “If you be so kind,
He may not still live, he’s only in mind.”
But, if that be so, he lacks perfection;
the singer that lives, is the better conception.
So here is the answer, as now you can see,
the most perfect singer being cannot, not be.
The Ontological Argument was written by Neil Doherty and was published in The Humanist.
A Celebration of Reading 