Tag Archives: Religion

Get Happier: Read The Bee

Posted on August 21, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

If you’re not reading The Babylon Bee, you should be. Along the same lines as my July 28th blog post “Normies Don’t Care About Ideology” (but funny), The Bee today published this article: “Get A Load Of This Ignorant Moron Who … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Life, Society | Tagged Babyon Bee, Common sense, Humor, News parody, Optimism, Parody, Parody site, Religion, Satire | Leave a comment

Why Beliefs Divide Us

Posted on June 25, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Why do beliefs divide us? This will sound like a joke, but it’s the truth: Beliefs divide us because it’s part of their job. We usually think of beliefs simply as being about facts: Two plus two equals four. Flowers … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Belief, Civil conflict, Civil religion, Dogma, Group beliefs, Group identity, Group membership, In-Group, Mass Hysteria, Mass movements, Out-Group, Race riots, Religion, Woke | 2 Comments

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

Posted on June 6, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

In 1741, the Rev. Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon about the total wickedness of humanity. It was titled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” It wasn’t about something that his listeners had done wrong, but about the idea … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology | Tagged Fear, Guilt, Neurosis, Race, Race relations, Racism, Religion, Wokeness | 2 Comments

Do WMDs Make Religion Too Risky?

Posted on March 27, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

On his blog, philosopher Eric Kaplan posed a serious question (paraphrased here): If our weapons can destroy all life on earth, can we still afford to believe in a God who plays favorites? People sometimes claim that God is “… … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy, Psychology | Tagged Aggression, Atheism, Belief in God, Kin Selection, Philosophy of Religion, Religion, Sapolsky, Steven Weinberg, Theism, War | 3 Comments

Get Help from Your Automatic Pilot

Posted on October 31, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

We spend a lot of our lives on automatic pilot. We act out of habit, without thinking about what we’re doing. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. If we had to think our way through everything we did, we couldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Human Relations, Judaism, Psychology, Society | Tagged Bible Study, Habit, Learning, Observance, Practice, Prayer, Religion, Skill, Virtue | Leave a comment

Are People Basically Good?

Posted on August 30, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

“People are neither basically good nor basically bad. They are basically free.” Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Judaism, Philosophy | Tagged Conscience, Dennis Prager, Empathy, Ernest Hemingway, Human Nature, Jonathan Haidt, Morality, Religion, Virtue | 4 Comments

Do We Need Religion to be Good People?

Posted on August 20, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

“Does being religious make someone a good person?” Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy | Tagged Christianity, Divine Law, Faith, Halacha, Judaism, Matthew Arnold, Morality, Prayer, Religion, Social harmony | 5 Comments

You Can’t Prove God — and It Doesn’t Matter

Posted on August 1, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

“You can’t prove God’s existence. And it doesn’t matter.” Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy | Tagged Atheism, Bible, Christianity, Judaism, Logic, Philosophy, Proof, Religion, Theism | 2 Comments

Solve the Right Problem

Posted on September 6, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: Define the problem right, and you’re halfway to a solution. Define the problem wrong, and you’ll probably never solve it. You’ll waste all your time looking for a solution that doesn’t exist. … Continue reading →