Religious Literacy
December 20, 2019
100 Billion Reasons to Support Humanitarian Groups
Two things happened today that prompted this blog. 1. My Mormon neighbors invited me to a Christmas service. Of course I accepted...
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Scientology Religion
December 5, 2019
Why Does Scientology Keep Its Upper-Level Teachings “Secret”?
When I heard about the “OT levels” I was curious why much of it was kept confidential. Over time, I answered my own question....
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Religious Literacy
December 1, 2019
Another Way Religions Help
I’ll admit it, I’m kind of a sucker for those singing competition shows. Please understand, I’m not a singer, and I’ve...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
November 30, 2019
Theophobia, Part I: Why a Hatred of Religion?
Religion has been in an international statistical decline. The religiously unaffiliated, otherwise known as "nones," are growing...
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Religious Literacy
November 20, 2019
What’s Divine About You
My reaction was so physically apparent that my daughter took one look at me and asked: “Why’s your face all red?!” That...
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Scientology Religion
November 20, 2019
Why We Don’t “Believe” In Scientology
Recently, I've found myself fielding numerous questions about what Scientologists “believe,” so I'm going to address the...
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Religious Literacy
October 31, 2019
What’s the Deal With Ghosts?
When the first Ghostbusters movie came out in 1988, most of my friends were in love with it, myself included. But one friend...
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Scientology Religion
October 25, 2019
If You Find Yourself Stuck in a Motel in a Thunderstorm
My wife and I recently had a free weekend and decided to drive to the coast. But as we traveled west, dark clouds rolled in,...
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Religious Literacy
October 20, 2019
The Controversy at Maunakea—Why Science and Religion Need Each Other
According to the astronomers supporting the project, it “will allow us to see deeper into space and observe cosmic objects...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
October 10, 2019
Hope in the Face of Tragedy
We’re living in a time when it might be easy to lose faith in your fellow man. For centuries, the fearmongers have crowed...
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Scientology Religion
October 10, 2019
How Does It Feel to Be a Scientologist?
Since I have been a Scientologist for over 20 years, I feel I’m very qualified to answer this question. I’ll answer it...
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Scientology Religion
October 7, 2019
Inside Scientology: The Art of Critical Thinking
It takes a very humble person to admit that, compared to the truth, they don’t matter.
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Religious Freedom
September 3, 2019
Unanswered Questions About Jonestown—Part Four: The Buried Agenda of Leo Ryan
To this day, the assailants that closed in on Ryan’s fallen body and riddled it with rifle and shotgun blasts have not been...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
September 1, 2019
You Can Only Kick the Church Up—An Interview With LDS Member Steve Russell
There is nothing more personal—and, for many of us, there is nothing more precious—than the right to live as we believe...
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Religious Literacy
August 31, 2019
A Place for Women in Religion—Hint: It’s Not the Kitchen
Let me just start by saying I’m about as girlie of a girl as anyone I’ve ever known. A dress is my attire of choice, even...
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Media & Ethics
August 31, 2019
Are We Supporting Mass Shooters in the Name of Free Speech?
Before taking out his AK-47 and using it to murder 22 innocent people in El Paso, Texas, alleged shooter Patrick Crusius published...
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Scientology Religion
August 30, 2019
How and Why I Became a Scientologist
Fellow says, ‘What is the reason for life?’ Oddly enough, the apparent answer to the thing... if he wants a very finite,...
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Media & Ethics
August 28, 2019
A&E: When You Pay for Hate Speech That’s Exactly What You Get
It’s obvious why journalists are wary of those who offer to trade information for profit— such people are all too likely...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
August 26, 2019
An Investor’s Open Letter to Amazon: Don’t Endanger Our Company by Sponsoring Hate
As a stakeholder, I’d like to know that Amazon’s Corporate Social Responsibility reaches far beyond just utilizing recycled...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
August 25, 2019
“Dear White People”: Practice What You Preach
What’s ironic is that a show that is so heavy-handed with its messaging about staying woke and ending discrimination against...
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Religious Freedom
August 23, 2019
UN Devotes New Day to Combatting Anti-Religious Violence
There’s a day that now comes right after the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. Because...
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Media & Ethics
August 17, 2019
Tony Ortega: A Nettle of Fiction and Failure
It may be hard to spot the common denominator of all of Ortega’s flops, but I’ll tell you what I see.
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Religious Freedom
August 15, 2019
Highlighting the Difference: A Study of Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies
Some smells made customers stay longer. Others had them fleeing the premises. The research also found odors needed to be appropriate—the...
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Combating Bigotry & Hate
August 15, 2019
The KKK and the Power of Symbols
I wasn’t surprised to read that members got the idea from D. W. Griffith’s 1915 silent film The Birth of a Nation. Fire...
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