belief Archives • Page 12 of 14 • Skeptical Science

Derren Brown: The psychology of religious belief

June 18, 2018November 27, 2013 by Dave

I came across the following by Derren Brown, and it is in fact part two of his “Fear and Faith” event that was broadcast in the UK last year. This is the part where he explores the biggest placebo there is … god. It is interesting stuff, he starts out with a satanic rite and … Read more

Expressions of faith

May 31, 2020April 10, 2013 by Dave

An anonymous believer is complaining on News24 … Only the utterly desperate will continue to hide behind their keyboards with all their anonymous-atheist-deception and do the only thing can can do: write nonsensical atheist sermons for people to become indoctrinated into their small-minded atheist cult. Sigh! … I just broke my irony meter … an … Read more

Good Friday … you want me to believe what? … good grief.

September 18, 2015March 29, 2013 by Dave

It is that time of year once again when I am reminded of the rather impossible things that I used to believe in, but no longer do. Perhaps one way to think about these claims is to look at what is known as the Nicene Creed. In short, it contains the basics, the core elements … Read more

Why is Religion Popular?

February 5, 2013 by Dave

There can be no doubt that religion is popular, it has dominated humans through the ages and inspired and moved many. What is also rather odd is that it consists of a belief in things for which there is exactly zero evidence, and yet the belief is still embraced with passion and a degree of … Read more

Flat Earth: Sometimes there really is no middle ground

February 8, 2014August 19, 2012 by Dave

A dialogue between two different views might imply that they can meet somewhere in the middle, but sadly that is not how reality works, quite often one side is simply wrong … period. I’m thinking about God claims, belief vs non-belief, but this applies to many other topics as well. To examine this thought let … Read more

The Law and Religion

December 9, 2016June 18, 2011 by Dave

I’ve two examples to talk about here … both are examples of intolerance, both have a religious theme, and both illustrate the problems you can get tangled up in when you let religious considerations interfere with the legal process. One is an attempt to legislate some support for an irrational belief, and the other is an attempt to legislate against an irrational belief, what they both have in common is that they are an attempt to dictate how individuals should behave.

You can probably guess, but they both involve Islam … gasp!! … what a surprise that is these days.

First up we have the story about driving in Saudi. As I’m sure many of you are aware, it is illegal for woman to drive in Saudi. Ah yes, a real example of how truly progressive Islam can be when granted a free reign. In fact, its not just a driving issue, this is Islamic Sharia law in full swing; woman cannot vote, cannot be elected, and can never be independent because it is mandated that they must have a male guardian … In essence, woman are most or less a subservient class of slaves with no rights, and its the law because the clerics say so. (and I’ve not even mentioned the mandatory dress code, or that in public men and woman are completely segregated).Make no mistake, “It’s the culture, not the religion,” is a Saudi saying, but that claim is complete bollocks, its the clerics who impose these rules.