Alain de Botton is a British writer, philosopher and TV presenter. He has written a book entitled Religion for Atheists: A Non-believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion (2012). The main thrust of his argument is that atheists (actually, everyone in fact) can learn some important moral lessons from the world’s religions. He also spoke…
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In this article I want to go through several key aspects of Mormonism – from the life of its founder, Joseph Smith, to Mormon practice – and highlight how ridiculous this recent American religion is. The Mormons are also known as the Latter Day Saints (LDS). (On a side note: I was also glad to find…
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There is some debate as to whether Islamophobia is a valid term. Strictly speaking, it means an irrational fear or unfounded prejudice against Islam, but in its more widely used context, it means an irrational fear or hatred towards Muslims. In 1997, the British Runnymede Trust first defined Islamophobia as the “dread or hatred of…
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Benny Shanon is currently a professor of psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, having received his PhD in experimental psychology from Stanford University. In 2002 he wrote Antipodes of the Mind, in which he details the effects of ayahuasca and recounts his several hundred trips with the hallucinogenic brew. Shanon is perhaps most well known…
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There have been many cults – the most infamous found in America – which have made headline news for their violent, abusive, reclusive and suicidal tendencies. Some infamous American cults include the Branch Davidians, the Peoples Temple, Heaven’s Gate and Children of God. News reports describe these cults as being extreme and dangerous, but what exactly…
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