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 – I like to give credit where credit is due. And this Doritos Superbowl commercial created by the Mosaic megachurch is funny: The Christian Post gives a strangely detailed blow-by-blow: Mosaic’s 30-second commercial is called “Casket” and is about a man whose last wish is to be buried in “a giant casket with Doritos [chips].” The man, however, is only pretending to be dead and is shown enjoying Doritos chips in his coffin and watching a football… Read more
by Jesse Galef – Back in October, WIRED magazine had an excellent article on the anti-vaccine movement featuring Dr. Offit. Though many people call him a vaccine advocate, Offit says he sees himself as a science advocate. And the science is pretty conclusive: there is no good evidence that autism is linked to vaccines. Commenting on why anti-vaccine advocate Barbara Loe Fisher upsets him, he said “She lies.” Fisher is now trying to sue Offit for defamation (libel). My friend… Read more
by Jesse Galef – Image from (afp) via TimesOnline Even though I recognize some thorny issues with secularism, it’s good to remember what can happen without it. Last week, the Malaysian High Court ruled that a Catholic newspaper was allowed to use the word “Allah” to refer to God in their local-language publications. The church argued that it was the only appropriate translation of the word. This might seem trivial, but it was actually very controversial and had been banned… Read more
by Jesse Galef – To religious individuals, do God’s actions define good, or does God follow an objective “goodness”? That’s the question raised by Socrates in Euthyphro, and it keeps popping up. For atheists, the question is meaningless – we don’t believe in God, so any practical definition of ‘good’ is secular. Obviously, many people disagree. Commenter Nathan describes this worldview nicely: It’s only demonstrably evil if you define “evil” and then demonstrate that Yahweh’s actions meet your definition. Not… Read more
by Jesse Galef – Is there a better way to end a workweek than with a video of a Ricky Gervais stand-up routine on religion? (No, no there is not.) Since going to the Creation Museum, these jokes strike a different chord for me. They’re even funnier reflecting on how silly the stories are, but I’m also reminded that there are people who take Genesis as literal truth. I only did a cursory search and don’t think Hemant has put… Read more