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The Difference Between Science and Religion Isn’t the Individuals

Posted in Religion, Science on Feb 19, 2016 | No Comments Yet

Primatologist Frans de Waal considers whether there are any substantive behavioral differences in the way of thinking between religious people and scientists, ultimately rejecting any such claim. He reasons that no individual is exempt from cognitive biases, and that the true significant differences between the theories of religion and science stem from the culture and […]

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Casual Ex-Catholics vs. Strict Ex-Protestants

Posted in Religion on Feb 18, 2016 | No Comments Yet

A Dutch observer compares ex-Catholics to ex-Protestants and proposes that the type of religious adherent one was deeply affects the type of atheist one becomes after leaving.

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Reading Analysis for 2015

Posted in Misc on Feb 11, 2016 | No Comments Yet

I thought it would be interesting to do some basic analyses on what books I read in 2015. Because #nerd.

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Announcing My Preliminary Presidential Endorsements

Posted in Politics on Dec 6, 2015 | No Comments Yet

So far, the lack of qualified, serious, trustworthy candidates running for president in 2016 is pretty notable. And yes, the election is still a year away. I will nonetheless announce my top two candidates thus far. I think everyone can agree that these two have set themselves apart from the rest of the field.

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Lane Merging: You’re Doing It Wrong

Posted in Misc on May 25, 2015 | No Comments Yet

Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned lane merge and the accompanying traffic backup? There are usually a number of different personality types that can be observed at every merger: The early mergers. The ones who drive as cautiously and defensively as possible. Late mergers are their arch enemies. The late mergers. They often fly down that […]

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Why the Opening Prayer of the General Women’s Session Was Historical

Posted in Religion on Jan 24, 2015 | No Comments Yet

In the General Women’s Session this fall, Sister Dorah Mkhabela of Soweto, South Africa gave the opening prayer. Many Mormons have noted the historical importance of watching the first woman of African descent to give a prayer in a conference session.

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The Givenses Contest the Teaching “My ways are not your ways”

Posted in Religion on Dec 13, 2014 | No Comments Yet

“God’s ways are not our ways”, the preacher says, hoping to dismiss our concerns and remind us of the foolishness of man’s wisdom. Terryl and Fiona Givens tackle this theme in their book, The God Who Weeps.

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Jon Huntsman, Sr: Tithing Isn’t a Charitable Donation

Posted in Religion on Dec 11, 2014 | No Comments Yet

After reading some recent debates in online Mormon forums about whether paying tithing should count as giving to charity and/or count in surveys about charitable giving, I encountered an interesting statement from Utah billionaire Jon Hunstman, Sr (he’s the father of the Jon Huntsman who ran for president in 2008). He weighed in: They require […]

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Can a Slave Owner Be a Good Man?

Posted in Misc on Nov 29, 2014 | No Comments Yet

Solomon Northup documented his experience being kidnapped into slavery in his memoir Twelve Years a Slave. Here I consider the unusually charitable words he wrote about his first owner, a man who he said was simply “looking through the same medium with his fathers before him”.

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Discussing Your Religion: Baptisms for the Dead

Posted in Religion on Oct 9, 2014 | No Comments Yet

What Mormons think when you say “baptism for the dead” versus what non-Mormons think.

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