Pullman says Jesus isn’t God. Film at 11 9 Sep 2009 Philip Pullman, the author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, has a book coming out that asserts Jesus isn’t God: The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ. It will be interesting to see how the religiosi play this, but let’s just note now that so too do the Muslims, the Jews, the Unitarians, the Bahai, the Hindus and the Buddhists. But this will be spun as “atheists hate God”, you watch. Pop culture Religion
Humor Dennett has heart surgery after an aortic dissection, and gives thanks 28 Nov 2008 … to his doctors. Here. Late Note: Ronan in the comments points out this was in 2006. I think I was sleeping that year… Read More
Evolution Inherit the windbags 25 May 20084 Oct 2017 Peter Bebergal has a lovely, lyrical and wistful piece on Nextbook, on how scriptural literalism and creationism destroys what is best in religious imagination. Go read it. Read More
Politics And atheists and agnostics? 4 Jun 2009 Obama has said, in his speech in Cairo: The Holy Koran tells us: “O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.” The Talmud tells us: “The whole of the Torah is for… Read More
Uhh, the generalization about all atheists might but unwarranted, but I was under the impression that Pullman explicitly acknowledges his maltheistism…. Take it for what it’s worth, since I haven’t read it yet, but I’m concerned about his foray into non-fiction. I’m a big fan of his Dark Materials trilogy, but the last thing we need is another “New Atheist” offering intro-level attacks on the strawman that is fundamentalist Christianity. The rhetoric, I admit, can be quite satisfying at times, but it is ultimately shallow and counterproductive, IMO.
Actually I thought the maltheism (nice term; I’ll take it) in Pullman’s trilogy was the least interesting and most tedious part of it. I endured it so as to read the story, and because I think atheism needs to be more normalised in society in general.