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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Category Archives: Religion
Richard Marsh’s A Second Coming
I’ve discussed the works of Richard Marsh (1857-1915) quite often on this blog; he was a British-born author of horror and thrillers, and was stunningly successful at it in his time. His most famous novel was his breakout supernatural story … Continue reading
Posted in Religion, Weird fiction
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The Kathleen Folden memorial blog post
There’s been a bit of commotion going on in the town of Loveland, Colorado lately: an art exhibition at the Loveland Museum/Gallery included a controversial art piece titled, “The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals,” by artist and Stanford Professor Enrique … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Religion
22 Comments
The Discoverie of Witchcraft, by Reginald Scot (1584)
One topic that I’ve long had a fascination with is the history of skeptical and scientific thought. Human beings are naturally endowed with the ability to reason, but that reason is a far cry from a belief in a world … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Religion
18 Comments
University of Chicago undergraduates vs. Westboro Baptist!
I did my undergraduate work at the University of Chicago, and though I can vouch for the fact that we all took ourselves way too seriously in general, it turns out the kids there now are okay! The homophobic Westboro … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Religion, Silliness
3 Comments
O’Reilly goon gets his rhetorical ass handed to him
Via yet another tangled web of links (via Crooks&Liars, via BradBlog, via RatTube), we find this rather remarkable Fox “News” video. In late March 2008, the Reverend Michael Pfleger invited Jeremiah Wright, conservative demon of the month, to deliver a … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Religion
3 Comments
Some real stories of ‘religious persecution’
Blake over at Science After Sunclipse has written an excellent essay about the real threats and intimidation that people have experienced when speaking out in favor of evolution. The makers of the idiocy that is the film Expelled would like … Continue reading
Posted in Religion, Science news
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The roots of my lack of respect for organized religion… (updated)
A few weeks back, I made a comment on Pharyngula about the reasons that I finally lost complete respect for organized religion. The reasons seemed odd enough and entertaining enough to merit a post on their own: Legos and Peanuts. … Continue reading
Posted in Religion
8 Comments
Bad news for my girlfriend
Sorry, sweetie: a concerned viewer asked Pat Robertson whether yoga has its origins in evil. Well, bad news: by repeating yoga mantras you’re praying to pantheistic gods and are apparently engaging in ‘spooky’ activities, though Robertson doesn’t go so far … Continue reading
Yes, Virginia, the universe really does revolve around the Earth (not)
After you’ve read some of the science blogs for long enough, you start to think that there isn’t any amount of crackpottery that can surprise you. For instance, reading Good Math, Bad Math will expose you to an endless amount … Continue reading
The more things change…
Most people are hopefully aware of the very strong religious right movement to incorporate creationism (the belief that God created the world and everything in it in its present form) in science classes as valid topic of study alongside evolution … Continue reading
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