Skeptical Faith

Google Image Recent news reports confirm that the iconic baobab, the famous African tree that can live thousands of years, reach nearly 100 feet high and grow trunks that are 32 feet in diameter, is endangered. “That’s too bad,” you might say, “but I have too many real problems to deal with. I can’t worry about a species of tree I’ve never seen or, to be honest, care much about.” Understandable maybe. But add the baobab to coral, glaciers, polar bears, the Dead Sea, the Everglades, emperor penguins, the Bengal and Indochinese tigers, the black rhino, the Amur leopard, the Eastern and Western Lowland and Mountain gorillas, the orangutan and chimpanzee, the African wild dog, the Bluefin tuna, and many other natural wonders to the long list of the endangered and you may be more interested. What's It Good For? But maybe you’re interested only in so far as endangered things and species “affect humans.” Well, let’s go back to the baobab. According to the periodical, Scient...

Google Image The New York Times recently published an opinion piece by philosopher Stephen Asma with the above title. It was among the newspaper’s most trending stories and elicited thousands of comments. “It’s a tough time to defend religion,” Asma acknowledges at the outset. “Respect for it has diminished in almost every corner of modern life — not just among atheists and intellectuals, but among the wider public, too. And the next generation of young people looks likely to be the most religiously unaffiliated demographic in recent memory.” Polls for the last decade confirm Asma’s remarks, and I have no argument with his main premise, that religion gives people what science, and no other practice or system, can. And, that as a society, we need it. I disagree, however, with Asma’s notion that religion is “irrational” and useful only for its emotional rewards. His Body Made Whole Asma, who teaches at Columbia College in Chicago, writes about his encounter with one of his ...

Google Image Since an assignment years ago by the National Catholic Reporter to do a story on Focolare, a worldwide movement that works for unity and acceptance of diversity, I’ve received the movement’s magazine, Living City. I used to throw it away after a superficial perusal, but I’m now taking time with it and have found the magazine to be a gem. A recent article includes interviews with young adults on their “dreams, fears, goals, faith.” It doesn’t pretend to be a scientific sample of the views of young adults, but I believe the views expressed are representative nonetheless. Many of those interviewed were raised Catholic but several of them repeat the modern mantra, “I’m not a religious person.” The following are what I consider the main points they raised about their faith. ·        Several say their goal in life is “to live happily and comfortably,” be financially stable, and be “surrounded by wonderful people that I love.” · ...

Google Image Recently, Cyrus Vance, the district attorney for Manhattan, brought felony charges of rape and criminal sexual acts against Harvey Weinstein, the famous film producer. The case has produced a ton of publicity, partly because Weinstein has been denounced by several high-profile movie stars, and has been roundly criticized by people in and out of the movie industry. The case has been major fuel for the #metoo movement. I would guess that Weinstein, who has pleaded not guilty, is unusual in drawing criticism from the left and right, from Democrats, Republicans and Independents, and everybody in between. We all think his actions, if proven, are despicable, another case of the crass abuse of power. But perhaps few of us have thought about why his alleged actions are contemptible. “They just are,” we might say. And that brings us to the subject of how to tell right from wrong, which itself may provoke the response from some readers that “We just know.” Simply a M...

Google Image What comes to mind when you hear the word “Christianity?” A vague grouping of all the Christian denominations? A particular Christian religion, such Lutheranism or Catholicism? An image of old, judgmental people smug in their certainties, who have all kinds of biases and antipathy toward people who are unlike them? I hope it’s not the later image because that would merely be a stereotype. There may be a disproportionate number of older people among people who profess Christianity, but in my experience, they’re not any more judgmental, smug or biased than anyone else. In fact, I believe they are less so.   So what of the other images? When we think of these “groups,” we may think of why many people aren’t attracted to religion. We think of the institutions, of their political and social views, their religious services, which we may see as boring. Or we think of the clergy, which in the case of Catholicism, may include the publicity given to abuser priests (...

Google Image A recent National Public Radio program reminded me that the Musical “Hair” opened on Broadway 50 years ago, declaring that it was the beginning of “the Age of Aquarius.” “When the moon is in the seventh house And Jupiter aligns with Mars Then peace will guide the planets And love will steer the stars. ” Those lyrics, from one of the play’s principal songs, “The Age of Aquarius,” or “Let the Sunshine In,” were creatures of their age. It was the 60s, and despite social upheaval, exuberant optimism was easy to find in popular culture. “Hair” appeared the same year as “Hello, Dolly” and “Fiddler on the Roof,” and songs, like “ Turn, Turn, Turn,” “Abraham, Martin and John,” “If I had a hammer,” “Blowin in the Wind,” and “We Shall Overcome” expressed the idealism of the era’s youth. Bad News Travels Fast It’s not easy to find such expressions of optimism in today’s culture. Today, bad news travels fast. We’ve become accustomed to see and hear extraordinari...

Google Image  I love Facebook. It allows me to keep in touch with people with whom I could easily lose touch, people with whom I would otherwise rarely communicate. That includes friends and relatives in the U.S., Ireland, Colombia and El Salvador, people whose friendship I value highly. But I understand that like most technological advances, social media have their negatives. For one thing, they can become addictive. People get hooked and become glued to their phones. Others become dependent on social media’s “news” content instead of turning to legitimate and reliable news outlets that reflect a range of views. But I recently learned from National Public Radio’s program, “Hidden Brain,” of another risk of dependence on social media. Social scientists discussed the results of a study showing that social media make some people unhappy because they are more likely to compare their lives with others. And some have FOMO, the fear of missing out. More Socially Isolated “ Stu...