US bishop charged with failing to report abuse

The news is that … at last … a US Catholic bishop has been charged with failing to report abuse. Bishop Robert Finn has been indicted on a charge of failing to protect children after he and his diocese waited five months to tell police about hundreds of images of child pornography discovered on a … Read more

The atheist-shaped hole in the interfaith movement?

Rory Fenton writes an article in Today’s Guardian that is titled ” There is a gaping, atheist-shaped hole in the interfaith movement“. If indeed you are a non-believer like me, your first reaction is perhaps the same as mine, “Why should I bother engaging with a bunch of folks who hold irrational beliefs?”. Well OK, … Read more

Lost in York

I’ve spent the day today in York (the old one founded by the Romans in CE 71). My son is off to university there, so I drove him there yesterday. Today we did a big shop in the morning so that he can now hibernate for the winter in his dorm as he studies. We … Read more

Recognising the “No True Scotsman” fallacy in religion

First, lets start with a clear understanding of the “No True Scotsman” fallacy.  This is basically where you challenge others about some rather unpleasant or even quite appalling actions by some group, and quickly discover that “they” are not “real” members of the group. The term was first deployed by philosopher Antony Flew in his … Read more