What do you think about Tebowing?
I love Tebowing! I think that Tim Tebow has every right to flash his piety in public. It’s an exercise in free speech. It’s as American as pumpkin pie and all those other clichés. We take great pride in allowing people to practice their religions in public. Tebowing in my opinion is no different than [...]
Summary: Which religious and humanist leaders have had a major impact on American politics or culture?
This week’s question, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s memorial holiday, asks if there are other religious leaders aside from King who have made significant contributions to American politics and/or culture. Responses here at Texas Reason take note of humanist figures as well. Marilyn Westfall, First Unitarian Universalist Church in Lubbock: Carl Sagan. I [...]
Which religious and humanist leaders have had a major impact on American politics or culture?
William McKenzie notes in the latest Texas Faith blog that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. played a significant role in shaping American politics and culture within the past half-century. And to that there is no question, not even from a Humanist like myself. Indeed, King’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” is as much of a [...]
Aside from Dr. King, which religious and/or humanist leaders have had a major impact on American politics or culture?
Carl Sagan. I can’t think of another scientist who could share a sense of wonder and celebration with the American public as he did, especially with his television series “Cosmos.” As a young person who watched that show and its reruns, I remember being moved to tears at times, given the chance to contemplate the [...]
What role should religious leaders have in choosing and supporting a political candidate?
A meeting of conservative evangelicals in Texas last weekend included James Dobson, John Hagee, and the leader of group that sponsored Rick Perry’s prayer rally in Houston last year. Presumably, they are attempting to influence the Republican primary race to exclude Mitt Romney from the nomination. And Texas is no stranger to religious leaders mixing [...]
Summary: Do those who have rejected traditional religion need something to replace it?
This week’s question asks about the future of religion given the rise of the Nones, and if there can be a new innovative version of religion for those who have rejected its traditional forms. Marilyn Westfall, First Unitarian Universalist Church in Lubbock: I think that connection with the natural world can bring us many of the satisfactions [...]
Do those who have rejected traditional religion need something to replace it?
On the assumption that traditional religion is false, I don’t think that those who have entirely rejected traditional religion need something to replace it – except perhaps the truth (because one should try to avoid replacing false beliefs with other false beliefs). And on the assumption that traditional religion (or some part of it) is [...]
Do those who have rejected traditional religion need something to replace it?
In his New York Times op-ed, Eric Weiner speaks for the so-called “Nones,” those identified as having no religious identity by the Trinity College ARIS poll. He writes critically about religion-as-usual in the United States, currently manifested as a sickening collusion of political influences and interests with Jonathan Edwards’ “Angry God” concept wielded to advance cynical agendas. [...]
Do those who have rejected traditional religion need something to replace it?
One answer to this question has been offered by none other than Sam Harris, author of “The End of Faith” who has encouraged more research into and practice of “spirituality.” Near the conclusion of “The End of Faith” Harris writes: “At the core of every religion lies an undeniable claim about the human condition; it [...]
How did your humanism shape — or reshape — you in 2011?
In the past year, humanism helped me navigate difficult personal situations, especially regarding the health and wellbeing of family members. My sister, for instance, needed attention after suffering a post-surgical stroke. Seeing how debilitated she was by that tragic incident at fifty-one years old was a stark reminder of the fragile hold we have on [...]