What really makes abortion restrictions immoral is that they violate vital freedoms including freedom of conscience and freedom of religion.

The existence of degrees of im/permissibility of killing makes it clear that in truth we do not accept rules like, “Thou shalt not kill,” in their literal sense. Such overly simplistic formulations leave out important factors and pretend there is an absolute answer where absolutes are usually impossible. In other words, details and circumstances matter in moral judgements.

A link to my interview on the Real Atheology Podcast about Hume’s Of Miracles.

Christian morality (even if there were universal agreement on what it is) is the wrong tool for determining public policy. Many Americans are not Christian, and Christian standards do not apply to them. This is guaranteed by the US Constitution.

So, when I hear that Christian leaders are for or against transgenderism, my first thought is, So what? That’s irrelevant to the question of what rights transgender people ought to have.

Clarity is good for discourse. The problem isn’t with “claims” but with their evidential status. We can critique some claims as “mere assertions,” “bald claims” or “just speculation.” That is typically what’s at issue when people claim (!) claims aren’t evidence. Let’s be precise.

You say, “Kalam!”

I say, “Gesundheit.”

Christian Nationalism is closely related to fascism, adopting the same modes of political engagement: occupying the meaning of patriotism; othering and exclusion; threats and violence, starting with the those least able to fight back; and using religious ideas and language to bamboozle ordinary people into supporting policies that are not for their own good or the country’s but rather for the private benefit of a few very powerful people

A list of books on Christian Nationalism. Let me know if there is something I should add here!

In addition to being religiously wrong, a corruption of patriotism, founded on deceptions, and a violation of the Constitution’s protection of freedom of (and from) religion, Christian Nationalism also undermines the very purpose of governments.

Saying that atheists assert that everything came from nothing is mere deceit, or maybe it is trolling for engagement. But if it were a genuine attempt at argument, it would be an abysmal one.

The Principle of Sufficient Reason says everything has a cause. The “no infinite regress” principle says something does not have a cause. In other words, these two assumptions, besides being unjustified, contradict each other.

Freedom of conscience and freedom of religion are not absolute, but rather can only be exercised when and to the extent that they do not cause unwarranted or uncompensated harms to others.

The Ten Commandments are an odd thing for Christians to advocate, for several reasons. The first reason is theological: The whole idea of the New Testament is that the new covenant between God and humans erases the previous arrangement—including the Ten Commandments. The second is moral: The Ten Commandments are not all morally good.

People around the country and around the world are mobilizing to face the threat to democracy and decency posed by Christian Nationalism, and to defend the idea that governments should stay out of the religion business.

Here are some of podcasts I know that are in the fight. If you know others, please mention them in the comments

Christian Nationalists are ignorant, dangerous, immoral, and ready to use any means to win, with no regard for truth, consistency, humility, or justice.

Knowing that everyone believes what they believe, and that everyone takes it as a harm to be coerced to change their belief, forced to keep those beliefs hidden, or forbidden to act on those beliefs, we should apply the Golden Rule. I do not want anyone else to interfere with my religious beliefs, so I shouldn’t interfere in their religious beliefs either.

Here are some of the organizations I know that are in the fight. If you know others, please mention them in the comments.

Katherine Stewart is an investigative journalist and author. Her book, The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism (Bloombury Publishing, 2019) is a great read, though frightening. She details some of the many attempts to impose Christian Nationalism in the USA

An opinion piece I wrote for the San Diego Union Tribune, published December 21, 2022. I (half-jokingly) argue that Santa is bad for kids, parents, society, and the environment. It is time for the old man to retire. Parents who want to maintain the tradition should teach kids he is just a fictional character for seasonal fun.

Freedom of religion is under threat—in the United States and around the world—from religious nationalists, religious extremists, theocrats, fascists, and others, including the merely greedy who pursue their own selfish interests by manipulating the masses through religion.

This blog is a small effort to combat religious nationalism and religious extremism, to promote freedom of conscience, and to be a safe haven for like-minded folks who want to think and talk about what it means to be human.