How Americans feel about religion’s influence in government and public life.
Has the federal government used official authority, public funds, or privileged access to sponsor a Christian-nationalist religious ceremony as part of a national civic celebration?
Trump and senior officials are joining the Rededicate 250 prayer event, which promotes Christian nationalism and rewrites American history around a conservative Christian narrative. Mike Johnson insists that this Christian-nationalist/MAGA religious spectacle “transcends politics” but it is not the role of government to unite America in faith.
MAGA are not restoring religion to public life. They are replacing religion with power worship in religious costume. Don Colossus never wanted to be a king seeking devotional fans. He wanted to be an emperor over submissive sheep who genuflect before power, especially power associated with cruelty, domination, vanity, and wealth. That is not Christianity in any recognizable Gospel sense. It is court religion where Liars for Jesus bow before the emperor because proximity to power feels like holiness to them.
Reform UK wants to bring back prayer as it too is apparently a “Christian Nation”.
World of Woo: Don’t inject your mind with Social Media epistemic toxins.
Environment: How sunburn inspired a new way to store energy.
Is Peak Human coming sooner than we thought?
Nudge theory was all about taking responsibility, but it allowed big business to look the other way. See also Book Club below.
Pluto isn’t a planet for the same reason whales aren’t fish.
New study investigates why people disagree about what’s true.
What physics gets wrong about the idea of “fundamental”.
The New Normal for Antisemitism is where the left assigns Jews excessive guilt and the right assigns Jews excessive power. However, there is no point in arguing endlessly with bigots and idiots, because they are impervious to logic, argues Bret Stephens.
Sunday Book Club: It’s on You.
Some photographs taken last week.
While you are waiting for the kettle to boil……
Coffee Break Videos: The Valley Forgery. Can Christians please stop doing this? Hell for Children with AronRa. Neil deGrasse Tyson on UFOs, Government Files, and the Physics of Alien Claims.
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