Back on July 14, creationist Stephen Meyer managed to go mainstream when he got an article published at Newsweek entitled, “How Science Stopped Backing Atheists and Started Pointing Back to God.”
Continue readingAuthor: Tamsyn
The Pagan Origins of Christmas
(Originally published by me on a different website. This updated article includes minor changes and a new section at the end.)
It is often asserted that Christmas is, in origin, a Christian holiday. In fact, this is not the case. It originates from at least three pagan holidays, which Christians combined and upon which placed a Christian spin.
Continue readingA Materialistic Defense of Transgender Identity
Some time ago Richard Dawkins, arguably the world’s foremost atheist, tweeted that he does not consider transgender women to be actual women, and that he only calls them “she” out of courtesy. Commenting on this tweet in his podcast The Briefing, Albert Mohler, one of the most prolific Southern Baptists and president of the largest Southern Baptist seminary in America, stated that this shows how Richard Dawkins is a “consistent materialist.”
In my discussions on social media, I have come across a few atheists who argue that my transgender identity (as a trans woman) indicates my belief in something metaphysical, a gender identity that transcends the body. Thus they proceed to argue that by being transgender, I am not a consistent materialist. Some Christians have also challenged me on this very point. In this article, I’d like to offer a materialistic and scientific defense of transgender identity.
Continue readingWhy Arming Teachers is a Really Bad Idea
It cannot be this easy for somebody who wants to inflict harm on other people to get his or her hands on a gun.
President Obama
There are four major reasons why arming school teachers would be a very bad idea. Let me list them and offer some explanation.
Continue readingHappy Friday the 13th!
The Problem is not Abortion, it’s Unwanted Pregnancies
The pro-life movement is completely convinced by now that abortion is murder and must be eliminated, and then all will be well. Some pro-lifers even have the nerve to call themselves “new abolitionists” (though they fail to realize that it was Christians who supported segregation most adamantly).
Abortions are not inherently good things, but when a person has an unwanted pregnancy, an abortion is the necessary way to solve this problem. But the problem is unwanted pregnancies. The symptom is abortions. Through a few simple strategies, we can solve much of the cases of unwanted pregnancies without abortions.
Continue readingHow I Lost My Homophobia
I was raised in a traditionalist Baptist home that held to good old-fashioned “family values”, one of the most important being that God established marriage to be the permanent union of a man and a woman. This idea was ingrained into me when I was very young, and I certainly did not know anyone who did not follow this pattern.
That all changed in ninth grade, when I went to public school for the first time.
Continue reading“Religions are like fireflies. They require darkness in order to shine.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
New Pew Survey on Abortion Opinion in America
In a new Pew research study published today, it was discovered that vast majorities of religious and non-religious Americans say abortion should be legal in at least some situations.
Continue readingThe Flagrant Unconstitutionality of the National Day of Prayer
Today, on May 5th, the American president is required by law to sign a proclamation each year urging all Americans to pray. The law was enacted in 1952, and represents one of the most egregious violations of America’s constitutional order. It was unsuccessfully challenged in court, but its unconstitutionality needs to be regularly reiterated.
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Sola Rationis 