Category: Humanism

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Refuse the Monster

danpearson1961

David Berlinski once wrote, “In the early days of the German advance into Eastern Europe,” (his words here edited for space), “Nazi extermination squads would sweep into villages.  On one such occasion somewhere in Eastern Europe, an SS officer watched languidly as a bearded Hasidic Jew dug his own grave.  Standing up, the Hasidic man addressed his executioner.  ‘God is watching what you are doing,’ he said.  And then he was shot dead.” “If moral imperatives are not commanded by God’s will,” Berlinski argued, “and if they are not in some sense absolute, then what ought to be is a … Continue reading Refuse the Monster

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What’s in a Meme?

danpearson1961

“You can be a Christian and practice Buddhism…” I see the meme a great deal.  It’s catchy.  It’s popular.  I even heard it at a Christian church.  But, it isn’t true, and the friendly face of the person in the picture does nothing to change that. Listen:  Truth, and claims of truth, are exclusive by nature.  Let me repeat that:  Truth, and claims of truth, are exclusive by nature.  A truth claim excludes something.  Buddhism itself was born in the reality of such exclusivity when Siddhartha Gautama rejected certain claims of Hinduism.  If BOTH Hinduism AND Siddhartha Guatama’s claims were … Continue reading What’s in a Meme?