An ‘angry’ atheist speaks his mind Hopefully, by now Rabbi Marc Gellman has a better understanding of angry atheists and what makes them tick. Gellman, as you may or may not be aware, published a online commentary on MSNBC.com Newsweek at the end of April in which he proclaimed he needed to understand atheists better and then …
By George A. Ricker One of the questions that gets asked frequently by nonbelievers and believers alike is: “How many atheists are there, anyway?” The answer is difficult to find, especially here in the United States. It depends very much on who gets asked, how they are asked and who is doing the asking. It’s …
By George A. Ricker Perhaps the biggest fiction put forth by the advocates of “Intelligent Design” is that evolutionary theory is in trouble and is widely rejected by many scientists. It’s a claim that gets made regularly in the popular media and is often attributed to the doyens of the ID movement—William Dembski, Michael Behe …
By George A. Ricker In parts of Asia, and other places in the world as well, indigenous people use a method for trapping monkeys that is simplicity itself. To make the trap, you must first hollow out a gourd, leaving an opening just large enough for a monkey’s open paw to go through. Place a …
By George A. Ricker With the National Football League about to kick off its 2006 season, I thought I would offer a few remarks on a genuine cultural phenomenon here in the United States. One of the most interesting religious revelations of recent years has been the discovery by some in the U.S.A. that “God” …
By George A. Ricker Around the Winter Solstice, maybe 36 years ago, I received a gift that was unexpected—a treasure I keep to this day. It was unexpected because it came from my cousin, Dave Curry, and for the two of us exchanging presents has been a custom honored more in the breach than the …
By George A. Ricker Anyone who doubts the power of religion to distract us from things that really matter needs only consider the current flap over the movie, The DaVinci Code. Based on Dan Brown’s best-selling novel of the same name (which I have not read), the movie is directed by Ron Howard and stars Tom …
By George A. Ricker I made an old friend angry the other day. Actually, I didn’t do it personally. It was my book, Godless in America, that did the trick. She said she had to put it down because I didn’t show the proper respect for her beliefs. My friend is a Christian, as she has …
By George A. Ricker This is Barbara’s story, and it’s true. Except, Barbara was not her real name. I won’t give you that because her parents are still alive out there somewhere, and while I would assume they have come to terms with what happened after all these years, I would not want to cause …
By George A. Ricker People who know me well enough to have a valid opinion will tell you that I don’t do hero worship. I have no use for the cult of celebrity that infects our culture. I have written one fan letter in my life. Count ‘em. One. But on December 20, 2006, we …