Category Archives: God

The trouble with religion

Posted on November 12, 2018 by acb

This was a sermon I was asked to deliver at Emmanuel College in Cambridge. I felt rather sorry for the young woman, presumably full of faith, who had to read out my chosen Old Testament passage. Sermon for Emmanuel Since … Continue reading →

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The economic benefits of heresy

Posted on August 7, 2018 by acb

This seems to have been written as a talk. Maybe it was a sermon I gave. I can’t remember; but it’s an idea I worked on for at least a decade, starting when I was trying to analyse everything from … Continue reading →

Posted in Blather, God, Science without worms | 2 Comments

The TLS gets better

Posted on November 5, 2017 by acb

The TLS seems to have got a new philosophy editor, Tim Crane, and his influence on this week’s issue is remarkable. For a start there is his own long, excellent essay on what religion is and isn’t, exposing the inadequacies … Continue reading →

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Scientism and fundamentalism (in honour of Jerry Coyne)

Posted on July 1, 2017 by acb

Below the fold is a piece I wrote for Zia Sardar’s magazine Critical Muslim. It’s rather long, partly because it contains an insertion on Sam Harris and torture. Although younger readers will not remember the new atheists this is a … Continue reading →

Posted in God, War | Comments Off on Scientism and fundamentalism (in honour of Jerry Coyne)

Jack Chick and hell

Posted on October 26, 2016 by acb

This may be the secret of the appeal of Chick-type fundamentalism. It’s paranoia as entertainment, since no one could possibly be frightened of most of the things that terrify him. Continue reading →

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A sermon for Terry Pratchett

Posted on March 16, 2015 by acb

Many years ago, I was asked to preach a sermon at Wadham College. I hemmed and hawed a bit, saying this really wasn’t my line of work, but they were pressing. So I wrote something, and spoke it. When Pratchett … Continue reading →

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Small moment of pleasure

Posted on April 13, 2010 by acb

Yesterday my colleague David Shariatmadari was commissioning a comment from Richard Dawkins. “I’m so glad you’re not the notorious Andrew Brown” said RD and added I’ll especially mean you when you should avoid to a implementation how BCPS KI can … Continue reading →

Posted in Blather, God | 4 Comments

Plugging Marek

Posted on November 20, 2009 by acb

I had to call Marek Kohn the other day, because I was thinking about the Chief Rabbi’s eugenics, and this led me to reread A reason for everything. It really is good. The discussion of Bill Hamilton in particular is … Continue reading →

Posted in God, Literature, Science without worms | 1 Comment

on being told by PZ to fuck off

Posted on June 20, 2009 by acb

PZ posted a tremendous rant about me and Michael Ruse last week, which concluded with a heartfelt exhortation to both of us to “fuck off” (his emphasis). The cause was a piece I did on the grauniad site about Ruse’s … Continue reading →

Posted in God, USA | 51 Comments

undiscriminating reads

Posted on April 12, 2009 by acb

on trains in and out of London Ken MacLeod, the Night Sessions: very good and tightly imagined account of what a war on religion would actually mean; and what a secular Scotland would be like. Written with great sympathy for … Continue reading →

Posted in God, Journalism, Literature, Sweden | 8 Comments