non sequitor

I heard this, or something very close to it, just yesterday from a celebrity who I consider quite intelligent: "I don't believe in God because of all the bad things done in his name."

It's an old argument, but it's an ad hominem one, and it's logical nonsense. Replace "God" with any random noun to see how silly it is. "I don't believe in sex because of all the bad things done for it." "I don't believe in chocolate because of all the colonialism and exploitation that goes with it." Please! If you're going to argue that atheism is more rational than religion, then at least come up with a rational argument.

science and theology in context

I have a great deal of discomfort with so-called Intelligent Design, considering it to be intellectually dishonest, a means of trying to insinuate religion into science, while denying that is what is being done. Such things as geology and Darwinian evolution–certainly at the micro-evolutionary level–are observable.

On the other hand, one thing that science profoundly struggles with is consciousness. The very fact that we ask the questions we do is deeply puzzling, and has not been answered from a purely physical point of view. This is one of the reasons I am a believer.

Here's an interview with Georgetown University theologian John Haught that I found fascinating, especially as he deals with subjects such as those I've mentioned.