Pentecostal Tribalism

I think one of the great dangers of religion is that it mixes an absolute faith with innate tribalism, thus creating the insider/outside divide–only this divide is sanctioned by God.
Every religious group fosters tribalism to some extent or other. And certainly it’s not a phenomenon that is confined to just religious groups — ask any [...]

The improbablility of my life . . . and yours.

To live at all is miracle enough.
— Mervyn Peake,The Glassblower (1950)
It is immensely improbable that I exist.
Consider that the sperm that united with the ovum in my mother was 1 of approximately 50 million (from the research I conducted, this is a conservative number) that were all engaged in the race for survival. [...]

Now THIS Might Get Me to Go Back to Church

This article from the Telegraph reveals an interesting tactic that the Church of England is using to lure men back to church.
It just might work….
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CHURCH BLESSES FATHER WITH BEERS
Bottles of beer will be given to fathers who attend church, in an alternative “blessing” for Father’s Day.
By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent
Published: 9:00PM BST 20 Jun [...]

Luke and Leia Celebrate Father’s Day Card

I’m NOT the centre of the universe?????

This is a very cool youtube video about the relative sizes of things in this wonderful universe in which we live.

The Oprah-fication of Medicine

The Toronto Star carried an interesting article today about the negative impact Oprah is having on medical practice. Well worth the read. You may want to cancel your subscription to O magazine. : )

IS OPRAH WINFREY GIVING US BAD MEDICINE?
By giving a platform to disciples of dubious medical practices, a well-intentioned Oprah Winfrey has made [...]