secularism

Governments and Secularism

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
Read time: 7 minutes

The notion of "separation of church and state" is popular in our contemporary world. How this looks can vary dramatically from country to country. In the USA, there is a tension of keeping religion and state separate, but also fiercely defending religious liberty. In France, with their concept of laïcité(link is external)1, the break is much more severe: the state is always favoured and personal beliefs are personal and should only be shared with like-minded people in private2. The principle of separation of church and state raises interesting questions when we shift our focus from religion to worldviews. Read more …

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The Need in Belgium (and Europe)

The Flag of Belgium
Read time: 7 minutes

Shortly before I left for Belgium, Guillaume Bignon(link is external) wrote a tweet(link is external) in which he quoted a "French [Roman] Catholic analytical philosopher", who had said to him in an email,

"As you know, in France, atheism isn't something you argue for, it's taken to be obvious."

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Slavery and the Bible

Peter, aka Gordon, a slave who was viciously beaten in Mississippi.  Photograph from 1863.
Read time: 17 minutes

Recently, Wintery Knight(link is external) posted an article(link is external) because he was "tired of atheists complaining that the Bible mentions slavery". The argument does get tired and is not nearly as much a defeater for Christianity as they think it is. In this article I would like to throw my two cents into the jar. Read more …

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