Posted inReality Religions Science

What’s the scientific source of everything in the world?

Creation is a perennial hot topic in both science and religion. In the Bible, God created the heavens and the earth. Other holy books have different explanations for how the world came to be. But they all suffer from a fatal flaw: they're unbelievable. Or so lacking in evidence they are the closest thing to unbelievable. Science does a lot better. Big bang cosmology provides a satisfying, albeit incomplete, answer to the creation question. Some 14 billion years ago our universe burst into existence in a unimaginable explosion of sorts, expanding from the size of a subatomic particle to the…
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Posted inReality Religions Science

Reality isn’t an abstraction. Religion is. Which is why religion isn’t real.

If something can't be perceived either directly (like rocks) or indirectly (like the subatomic particles that make up rocks), then there's no reason to believe that it is real -- where "real" means being part of the natural world. Many things exist without being real in that sense. Fairies. Unicorns. God. Heaven. These are mental concepts, abstractions. They exist in human minds, but not in the world at large. Yes, a concept can become real if there is evidence for it in the natural world. Einstein's theory of relativity moved from mathematical abstraction to reality when observations and experiments confirmed…
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Posted inReality Religions

The world is what makes a difference between mere words and reality

"Water" can't quench our thirst because it is just a word, not H2O. So it is with language in general. "Hawaii" conjures up a pleasant sensation in me, but it is nothing like lying on a warm sunny beach listening to the waves. But when it comes to the supernatural side of religiosity, believers have to be content with words. For where is the reality that corresponds to "God," "heaven," "soul," and other terms that fill holy books and holy sermons, delighting readers and listeners with promises of supernatural experiences that are always something to look forward to, not a…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas Religions Science

Truth-telling is difficult. Lying is easy. Which explains popularity of religion.

Yesterday on my Salem Political Snark blog I wrote "Chernobyl is a HBO miniseries with a lot to say about truth in these Trumpian times." After noting that authoritarian regimes despise truth-telling, I ended the post with: Soviet authorities were fine with blaming the people in charge of operating the nuclear plant. But they did all they could to hide the fact of a serious design flaw in the Chernobyl nuclear reactor that led to a manageable problem turning into a major disaster. Admitting the existence of the flaw would undermine confidence in the supposedly infallible Soviet system. In the…
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Posted inChristianity/Jesus Religions

Blaming Jews for the death of Jesus shows the craziness of religiosity

I'm a huge fan of Daniel Silva's series of books about Gabriel Allon, a fascinating character who is both a highly skilled Israeli intelligence agent/spy and a renowned art restorer with an ability to paint outstanding original works. I limit myself to reading just four pages from one of the books in this series in bed before I turn off the light and go to sleep, because without that limit I'd be tempted to keep on reading. Silva is an amazing author who has written the best thriller books I've ever come across. And I've read a lot of them.…
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Posted inAtheism God Religions

Though no gods would be ideal, many gods are preferable to one god

As I wrote about on my HinesSight blog yesterday, the Artemis II voyage around the moon that ended with a splashdown in the Pacific yesterday showed the inspiring best of science and technology, while the Iran war negotiations are a disturbing reflection of the worst of humanity. It was beautiful to see the photographs of Earth from space, which naturally showed no dividing lines between nations. Astronaut Victor Glover said during the voyage to the moon: “Trust us, you look amazing, you look beautiful. And from up here, you also look like one thing. Homo sapiens, all of us, no…
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Posted inChristianity/Jesus Politics Religions

Easter means nothing to me, but like hockey, I’m fine with others enjoying it

I almost forgot what today is, Easter Sunday. The main reason I was reminded of it came when the long-time friend I have coffee with every Sunday at 1 pm texted me this morning, saying our local coffee shop probably would be closed. Which it was. So we went to pleasingly secular Starbucks. On the way there, I saw that a church had its usual large sign up on the side of the building: "He Is Risen." When I mentioned this to my friend, he said, "Like sourdough bread." Clever. I was going to steal that line, but decided to…
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Posted inBuddhism Mystics Religions

Splitting is the biggest danger in religiosity and mysticism

There are lots of good reasons to be wary of religiosity and mysticism. Splitting is one of the most important. It comes in various forms. Most obviously, religiosity and mysticism split us from other people. It is easy, almost compulsory, really, for a believer to consider that they are on a path that makes them special. Perhaps they are saved, while others are condemned. Perhaps they are God's chosen, while others are ignored by God. Perhaps they possess some special revelation, while others wallow in ignorance. But there's another way of looking at splitting that seems to be the foundation…
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Posted inReligions Science Spiritual practice/meditation

Here I am, once again plugging my “Science, Spirit, and the Wisdom of Not-Knowing” essay

Half an hour ago I was planning to write a blog post about a new book I've started to read, Zen at the End of Religion: An Introduction for the Curious, the Skeptical, and the Spiritual But Not Religious. I'd planned to talk about a few subjects in the initial chapters that caught my eye. This included a mention of Traditionalism -- a rather esoteric branch of spirituality that I briefly threw myself into after an editor of a Traditionalism journal asked me to write an essay for his publication around 25 years ago, maybe even earlier. I wanted to…
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Posted inReligions Science

Can you ever prove that something never happens? Sometimes. Pretty much.

I often like to say on this blog, and elsewhere, "Nothing is absolutely certain." That's why science, our best means of understanding reality, is never 100% certain about anything. That remaining bit of uncertainty, which could be as small as .0001%, or even less, allows for the possibility of error in any and all scientific theories. Which permits science to progress by replacing old flawed knowledge with new less-flawed knowledge. Since nothing is absolutely certain, obviously this applies to medical knowledge. Today I read a Reuters story in our local newspaper, "CDC site adopts anti-vaccine views." Here's a PDF file…
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Posted inReligions Science

Evolution, like other laws of nature, is logical and largely mathematical

As I said in the title of a blog post about a month ago, biologist Mark Vellend has a Provocative idea: there are only two branches of science, physics and evolution. His book, Everything Evolves: Why Evolution Explains More than We Think, from Proteins to Politics, is making good on that idea, now that I've been able to read about half of it. While Vellend is writing for a general audience, as well as scientists interested in looking at evolution through a broader lens than just biological evolution, which was Darwin's primary focus, his book still is fairly dense -- which…
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Posted inReality Religions Science

Maybe we humans are smart enough to ask ultimate questions, but not smart enough to answer them

Peter Zapffe was called "the bleakest philosopher of all time" in a Reddit post dealing with existentialism. That didn't make me eager to learn more about him. But I still wanted to, having come across several mentions of Zapffe in Robert Saltzman's book, Depending on no-thing. That title may sound depressing as well, but actually I feel energized when I read Saltzman's writings. While he rejects philosophical, metaphysical, and religious attempts to make life seem more appealing that it actually is, Saltzman's emphasis on direct experience of here and now is wonderfully simple. It's difficult, if not impossible, to question…
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Posted inDelusions Religions Universe

Our dog is more attuned to reality than religious believers are

I've become a big fan of Robert Saltzman. So much so, after reading his The Ten Thousand Things and The 21st Century Self, I ordered what must be his longest book, Depending on no-thing -- which is 607 pages long. But the 107 chapters are short, so I'm reading one a day. This morning I read "The Milky Way." Saltzman is interested in many of the same things I am, which made the chapter enjoyable. He started off with some mind-boggling about the size of the universe. Our solar system is about 25,000 light years from the center of our…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas Religions

If a religion tries to coerce you into staying, you’re in a cult, so run away from it!

Here's another right-on message from the person who shared thoughts with me that became a blog post, "A message for those thinking of leaving RSSB, Radha Soami Satsang Beas." It's on the same theme, though the focus now is on religions in general. I heartily agree with these sentiments. I'll explain why after the message. Letter from the outside world... Everyone has the right to believe what they want to believe. It is called freedom of religion. Nobody should be pressuring you, forcing you, coercing you, yelling at you, bullying you, or trying to influence or persuade or convince you,…
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Posted inReligions

I’m opposed to religions. But what really is “religion”?

During the 21 year lifespan of this blog, I've devoted many posts to criticizing religions and religiosity. I'm fine with exploring the Big Questions of Life. It just seems to me that there are much better ways of doing this than through a religion. Here's a bit of a complication, though. My wife, a fellow atheist, subscribes to the print edition of the Sunday New York Times. A few days ago she gave me a page from the Opinion section of the October 5 issue that contained The Problem Lurking Beneath Our Church-State Debates. That's a gift link, so everybody…
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Posted inReality Religions Science

Truth is so important, it must be defended with zeal (but not zealotry)

Today I had an interview with Ken Adams, the host of a show on KMUZ here in Salem, a community radio station. You can hear all about it in this link of the podcast, which appeared after the live broadcast was over. (Well, sort of live; Ken and I recorded it yesterday, because I don't function well at 8 am.) I'll also include the audio file directly, in case the link ever goes away. Our subject was the findings of an investigation into the misdeeds of the Salem Mayor, Julie Hoy. I filed a complaint with the Oregon Government Ethics…
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Posted inReligions

Why asking ‘Is it a cult?’ may not be the best approach

I'm pleased to share a guest blog post from Graeme Docherty. Recently Graeme emailed me with thoughts about a subject I'd been writing about, which led to us exchanging several messages. When he asked if I'd be interested in a post he'd like to write about Scientology, I said "sure." After all, I have no direct experience of Scientology. Here's what Graeme wrote. Below it I'll share my reaction to his essay. Why asking ‘Is it a cult?’ may not be the best approach When investigating the topic of cults, sects, and religious groups that are deemed to be separate…
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Posted inPolitics Religions

How the MAGA movement is like a messianic religion

Here's two messages that I found inspiring. Of course, if you love Donald Trump and hate Jimmy Kimmel, you might disagree. (1) An essay by anthropologist James B. Greenberg that appeared on my Facebook feed today, having been shared by someone I follow. Greenberg makes some good points about how the MAGA -- Make America Great Again -- movement is akin to a messianic religion where belief is held onto so strongly, it is almost impervious to facts and reason, having become part of a follower's identity. (2) After Greenberg's essay I've shared the monologue by Jimmy Kimmel last Tuesday…
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Posted inBuddhism Radha Soami Satsang Beas Religions

Just breath. Arising out of nothing. Returning to nothing.

Most religions say that the purpose of human life is to merge with God. Maybe not become God, but at least become really close to God. Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism obviously differ in many respects. However, they all espouse achieving a closeness to the Almighty that expands the usual conception of what being a person is all about. The Eastern religion that I belonged to for 35 years, Radha Soami Satsang Beas, had a similar teaching: the creative power of God extends throughout the creation. Through meditation and other spiritual practices, it is possible to first become self-realized as…
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Posted inDelusions Radha Soami Satsang Beas Religions

“The Enlightenment Trap” — a cautionary tale of spirituality gone bad

Today a friend gave me a book that he thought I'd like. He was right. We've known each other for a long time, so after he'd listened to the audio version of Scott Carney's The Enlightenment Trap: Obsession, Madness and Death on Diamond  Mountain, he correctly surmised that I'd find it interesting. I'm only up to page 32, but Carney's introductory "A Note for a New Edition" contains some strong hints of what the book's central themes are. Rather than thinking of this as a true-crime story that follows the downward spiral of a cultic community, this book is the…
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