williamlobdell.com

Hey, folks. I’m going to be at Powell’s Books in Portland Thursday at 7:30 p.m. for a talk and book signing. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by!

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This is an interesting study, especially the reason why the researchers believe religious people make better citizens ( haven’t taken a critical look at the results):
The reason for the increased civic engagement may come as a surprise to religious leaders. It has nothing to do with ideas of divine judgment, or with trying to secure [...]

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I always love thoughtful comments from Christian readers about my book. Here’s an example.
I would recommend to this guy to just stop trying, he obviously doesn’t have the mental capacity to understand what Christianity is. He’s too old to be properly taught, but oh well. He’s probably been forsaken already for spreading his stupidity.
So, again, [...]

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I love the folks at The Freethinker in the UK, and they just gave my book a great review. Life is good.

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This report from Ireland on the Roman Catholic clergy sexual abuse scandal is profoundly disturbing though sadly not surprising. This cleric said it best:
“I am profoundly sorry and deeply ashamed,” Cardinal Sean Brady said after the report was released Wednesday in Dublin. “Children deserved better and especially from those caring for them in the name [...]

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I somehow skipped past this one when reading the Bible: If it turns out your wife is not a virgin (or at least doesn’t bleed after having initial intercourse with her husband), God says she should be stoned to death by “the men of her city.” (Thanks to EB for the tip.)

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For my Christian friends, please explain this.

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I’m a big NBA fan (especially during the playoffs), and Orlando Magic superstar Dwight Howard just gave a post-game interview giving God the credit for his team beating the Boston Celtics in game 7 of their playoff series.
I’m certain on only a few things. Here’s one of them. If there is a God, he doesn’t [...]

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I wrote about this earlier, I still can’t get over how American bishops vigorously protested the selection of President Obama as a commencement speaker at Notre Dame. Here’s why the gesture is so hypocritical.
1. Most American bishops aided and abetted child-molesting priests — that didn’t seem to be a grave moral issue for them.
2. Most [...]

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Journalists (and regular people) love labels. I know I do. It puts people neatly in a category without all those annoying shades of gray. One of the first questions I’m asked on my book tour is: What are you?
My quick answer: A reluctant atheist.
My deeper answer: I know one thing, I don’t believe in a [...]

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