I am a graduate of medicine and theology with a Ph.D in medical ethics. I tutor in medical ethics at the University of Melbourne, am an (occasional) adjunct Lecturer in Ethics at Ridley Melbourne, and a voluntary researcher with Ethos. I am also a Fellow of ISCAST and a past chair of the Melbourne Chapter of Christians for Biblical Equality. I have special interests in professional ethics, sexual ethics and the ethics of virtue.
by Jesse Galef – Someone is suing the church. No, it’s not the Catholic Church and it’s not about the whole “raping children” thing. In Australia, the Agape Ministries used claims about a doomsday to trick the congregation into donating. The predicted doomsday didn’t happen (as you might have noticed). Now, two particular members who donated a combined $1.4 million want their money back. That plaintiff and another former church member, Martin Penney, are suing pastor Rocco Leo and two… Read more
by Jesse Galef – The funniest thing about the atheist billboard campaigns is that it almost doesn’t matter what they say. The message gets bypassed and the signs turn into a lightning rod for all the religious arguments about atheism. “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone” somehow gets portrayed as “A new billboard questioning the existence of God.” Facepalm-inducing idiocy ensues. Having followed the billboard campaigns (supported by the United Coalition of Reason) for a while, I feel… Read more
by Jesse Galef – Carl Sagan is right up there with Richard Feynman in my list of heroes. When Sagan talks about the universe and our place in it, I can’t help but feel a profound sense of awe – first at the cosmos, and then at his ability to impact me that way. I imagine others have the same experience. Yesterday, PZ posted a beautiful video put together by youtube user callumCGLP of the audio from Sagan’s Pale Blue… Read more
by Jesse Galef – Big news occurred last night. No, sports fans, I’m talking about major step toward marriage equality, not LeBron James going to the Miami Heat. In two cases yesterday, a U.S. judge in Boston ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act – the federal law against same-sex marriage – is unconstitutional. In the case brought by Attorney General Martha Coakley, Judge Tauro found that the 1996 law, known as the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, compels… Read more
by Jesse Galef – Writing advice columns is new to me -– I’ve never tried, especially with Richard Wade doing such a fantastic job of it. But when Richard received this letter from Determined Teen, he thought my perspective could be particularly useful and asked whether I wanted to respond. After reading “Determined Teen’s” letter, I recognized a lot of myself in her story. I can’t do this as well as Richard does, but I hope my life experiences can… Read more
