Unprayerful Reflections | Free Inquiry (original) (raw)
November 14, 2024
Ronald A. Lindsay
Well, the United States had a good run, but in a confused state and in unjustified despair—exacerbated by misinformation from various sources—the United States decided to end its life as a republic on November 5. The cause of death was ingestion of the lethal substance colloquially known as Donald Trump. Exaggeration? With Matt (“she looked …
November 7, 2024
Ronald A. Lindsay
As always, the opinions expressed here are mine alone. How to explain the election results? In part, perhaps these factors: some Democratic mistakes over the past few years; skilled Republican campaigning, playing on the fears of many Americans; and, perhaps most of all, the evident lack of consensus about what is “real.” In the first …
October 31, 2024
Ronald A. Lindsay
Let me emphasize the “my” in the title for this column. I speak as an individual and the views expressed herein in no way represent the views of the Center for Inquiry, the Council for Secular Humanism, or Free Inquiry magazine. The choice for president should be an easy one for anyone who cares about …
Kinds of Kindness: Kindness for Your Brain
October 17, 2024
Ronald A. Lindsay
For me, the mark of a good film is if it makes one think; a very good film will not only make one think, but also, like other very good works of art, allows for varying interpretations; and a great film elicits interpretations that shed light on the human condition. By these criteria, Yorgos Lanthimos’s …
Israeli Settlements: Unjustified and an Obstacle to Peace
October 10, 2024
Ronald A. Lindsay
It has now been over a year since Hamas launched its terror attack on Israel, and this past year has seen a relentless, devastating campaign by Israel into Gaza, now recently combined with powerful attacks into Lebanon. Much criticism has been leveled against Israel during this time, with accusations ranging from the claim that its …
Trump Supporters, Immigration Policy, and the Partisan Divide
October 3, 2024
Ronald A. Lindsay
Let me get a couple of things out of the way at the outset. Donald Trump in so many ways is unfit to be president: he is a serial liar and an unrivaled narcissist; he has contempt for our democratic norms; he is easily manipulated by flattery, especially from foreign dictators; he governed solely by …
September 26, 2024
Ronald A. Lindsay
I hope you haven’t forgotten. September 30 is International Blasphemy Rights Day (“BRD” for short). When the Center for Inquiry (CFI) launched BRD in 2009, the primary goal was to draw attention to the continuing harsh suppression of religious dissent. In too many countries, those who question majority religious beliefs, or even utter an ambiguous …
Christianity Is Not the Foundation for Our Democracy
September 19, 2024
Ronald A. Lindsay
One of the perennial myths about Christianity is that in some way—never spelled out—Christian tenets provided the foundation for our democracy. The exact formulation of this myth varies a bit; the more broad-minded cite the “Judeo-Christian tradition,” and more recently proponents of this canard invoke “Christian nationalism,” but these variations do not affect the fictitiousness …