Jim Bakker vs The Witches

If your memory goes back far enough, then yes, this is “that” Jim Bakker, the PTL guy, and if you have no idea what I’m on about, then you better pop a foam mat on the floor, because your jaw will soon be bouncing off it. OK, so as I write this, it is Sunday, … Read more

Study Results: Religion makes kids less compassionate and more intolerant

A few articles have been popping up about a new study that reports the discovery that kids raised without god are far more altruistic and compassionate than kids raised with god. This appears odd (to some) and might perhaps be a surprise, primarily because there exists a popular perception that religion is all about love, kindness, and compassion … Read more

The Moral Decay of Conservative Christianity

Valerie Tarico, a psychologist and writer in Seattle, Washington, has a nice Conservative Christian takedown over at RawStory entitled “Conservative Christians point fingers at atheists to cover growing corruption in church“. On the surface the claims made by many belief leaders sound both credible to those that believe and are also very much on script, … Read more

How do you work out what is fact and what is fiction?

Learning how to work out what is fact and what is fiction is all part of growing up, and so a 4 year old who believes Santa Claus is real is cute. If however a grown adult was seriously asserting that Santa Claus was quite real then we would be quite rightly concerned because clearly something has … Read more

Will Religion ever vanish?

OK, let’s cut to the chase and give you the answer up front … probably not in our immediate future, because humans are by nature naturally selected with many cognitive biases that make us like this. There is a really good article over at BBC Future by Rachel Nuwer that covers this question, and so I’m … Read more

Believing the wrong things = prison or even death

Blasphemy is not just an archaic relic but is in reality a very real issue for many who live within nations that have a strong theocratic mindset, so much so, that there exists an ongoing campaign to end blasphemy laws worldwide. The following map illustrates this current reality … Why is Blasphemy absurd? As explained on … Read more