Category Archives: Religion

“Rank Humility”

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

Writing in The Spectator, Tom Hodgkinson reviews John Cornwell’s history of the Roman Catholic ritual of confession. I haven’t read the book, and Cornwell can sometimes go too far in his criticism of the Catholic church, but this caught my … Continue reading →

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Two Faiths

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

While there are perfectly good scientific reasons for accepting the theory of AGW, the certainty, the fervor and the moralizing displayed by some in the climate change crusade look very much like a form of religious belief. Under the circumstances … Continue reading →

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Apocalypse Now?

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

Here’s a happy reminder that the Middle Ages, as that old crank Carl Jung once wrote, “live on… merrily”. The Washington Post has the glorious details: Could a series of “blood moon” events be connected to Jesus’ return? Some Christians … Continue reading →

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The Pope and Peron

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

In the course of a lengthy piece on Pope Francis, The Economist looks at the pontiff’s political and economic opinions and (correctly, in my view) finds them rooted in the history of the country of his birth: The political landscape … Continue reading →

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Atheists, CPAC and Conservatism

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

Cross-posted on Ricochet: Writing in response to the uninviting of American Atheists to CPAC, Charlie Cooke has a very fine article over on NRO on the topic of whether atheism and conservatism are compatible. As an atheist and a conservative … Continue reading →

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Spaghetti Monster Monstered

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

Huffington Post UK: A poster which replaced the image of God from the Sistine Chapel with a picture of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has been removed after with a row with a London University. The South Bank University Atheism society … Continue reading →

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It’s Darwin’s Birthday Today, But….

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

It’s Darwin’s birthday today, which is a good excuse to note that his message may not have entirely got through. Here’s Gallup from June 2012: Despite the many changes that have taken place in American society and culture over the … Continue reading →

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Lighting a Candle for Syncretism?

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

Candlemas (the feast of the purification) is today. A full explanation can be found here, but here’s an extract: Today is a day of purification, renewal, and hope. On this day, exactly 40 days after Christmas, we commemorate Mary’s obedience … Continue reading →

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Hell has its Uses

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

Count me skeptical that there is a hell (fingers crossed!), but there are clearly one or two priests in Montenegro who have some good ideas about who belongs there. The BBC reports: A church in Montenegro has sparked controversy by … Continue reading →

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Melancholy, Long, Withdrawing

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

More on the Maajid Nawaz affair, and specifically, a letter from Britain’s National Secular Society on the next step in Britain’s retreat from the open society: We are writing in response to a package presented by news correspondent Katie Razzall, … Continue reading →

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