Tag: Reason

The International Freethought Film Festival is a niche film festival for the bold. Promoting reason through film is its mission. Season two of the International Freethought Film Festival is now underway, and the Call for Submissions is open for IFFF 2012.

The wishy-washy teachers, like the governor of Louisiana, are not uneducated. Some of them simply refuse to accept settled science because of their religious beliefs.

Colleges and universities have long offered majors in religion or theology. But with more and more people now saying they have no religion, one college has decided to be the first to offer a major in secularism.

Andrea Steele, director of the International Freethought Film Festival, shares a word about their film submissions, and the upcoming event.

The absence of scientific evidence doesn’t dissuade those who believe childhood vaccines are linked to autism, or those who believe their headaches, dizziness and other symptoms are caused by cellphones and smart meters. And the presence of large amounts of scientific evidence doesn’t convince those who reject the idea that human activities are disrupting the climate.

In an essay written in 1890, Ingersoll discusses the purposeful absence of God in the Constitution.

Barack Obama discusses the inherent variance of religious belief and the presence of non-belief in America today. He acknowledges the critical role of reason in policy making, stating, “...I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons…but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice I can’t simply point to the teachings of my church or invoke God’s will.” Video is edited to concentrate on the most pertinent moments.

Research conducted by Andrew Newberg, University of Pennsylvania, in Near-Death Experiences (NDE), explores why some people have “spiritual, out of body experiences” when having a NDE and why it is not necessarily a glimpse into a transcendent event.

Logic alone is not enough to make good decisions. Neuroscience shows that emotions, intuition, and creative insight all have a role, as long as they are examined critically.

Bill Foster is running for Mayor of Saint Petersburg, Florida. He is also believes the earth was created in six days, that humans and dinosaurs lived together and that his son should not be taught about evolution. Mr. Foster’s creationsit beliefs have called his competency to serve as mayor, if elected, into question. His opponent contends that Foster’s beliefs would be an impediment to science and techonology, and businesses related to science and technology, growing in the St. Petersburg area.

Sam Harris discusses the appointment of Francis Collins as Director of the National Institutes of Health.

Science and religion both make claims about the fundamental workings of the universe. Although these claims are not a priori incompatible (we could imagine being brought to religious belief through scientific investigation), I will argue that in practice they diverge.

Sam Harris speaks about the rational basis for morality at the 2008 Beyond Belief conference at the Salk Institute.  He argues that science should not cede the territory of morals and values to religion.  He predicts that just as religion used to be the authority on medicine, science, and physics before science pushed it aside, religion’s monopoly on ethics will also get pushed aside as science makes progress on questions of morality.  This lecture is intellectually very significant because it attacks the prevailing “non-overlapping magistera” split between science and religion.

Sam Harris and Andrew Sullivan debate the rationality of religious faith.

Lewis Black, makes fun of the Universe being created in 7 days, the Devil created fossels, and other reality based humor.

Fish attempts to counter the backlash of non-theist comments from part 1.

Just so you know, Bart Ehrman says he’s not the anti-Christ. Bart Ehrman says most of the New Testament is a forgery but it’s still an important body of work.

Steven Pinker takes a rational approach to morality

Religion might not be the only reason people buy into creationism and intelligent design, psychological experiments suggest.

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