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Blog 3 Columns

  • The Mr. Rogers-ification of Christianity

    The Mr. Rogers-ification of Christianity0

    As a former Pittsburgh-area kid, I love Mr. Rogers. His history as a Navy SEAL may be the stuff of urban legend, but as an ordained Presbyterian minister living out his calling as a children’s TV host, Fred Rogers helped generations of kids cope with issues like death, divorce, and anger. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which

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  • Republicans Love Government Spending. Listen to What They Say at Hearings.

    Republicans Love Government Spending. Listen to What They Say at Hearings.0

    I am a fan of Kimberley Strassel’s columns about federal politics in the Wall Street Journal. But her recent column about the omnibus spending bill—which increased spending 13 percent in one year—was off the mark. Strassel suggested that Trump and the Republicans did not want to increase spending that much, but the Democrats forced them

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  • Debate Tournament Becomes Safe Space for Women Only

    Debate Tournament Becomes Safe Space for Women Only0

    March is synonymous with tournament time. But March tournaments aren’t the sole domain of basketball. They’re also for “sports” such as debate. This latter type of tournament took place over the weekend in Vermont. Only there was something a bit different about this one. Instead of being co-ed like most college debates, this one was

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  • The Case for Granting Sex Machines Rights

    The Case for Granting Sex Machines Rights0

    Late last year at a tech fair in Austria, a sex robot was “molested” repeatedly and left in a “filthy” state. The robot, named Samantha, received a barrage of male attention, which resulted in her sustaining two broken fingers. This incident confirms worries that the possibility of fully functioning sex robots raises both tantalising possibilities

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  • Not All Smart Girls Need to Go to College

    Not All Smart Girls Need to Go to College0

    A recent Forbes article left readers with a statistic that is downright scary: Two-thirds of the American student debt is held by women. This is perhaps not surprising since more women than men now go to college. But there’s a more alarming reason at play. Compared to men, women are less likely to understand the

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  • How Christianity Created Secularism

    How Christianity Created Secularism1

    I’m someone who holds an ongoing interest in the origins of secularism. It’s a fascinating question to me: How did Christianity grow from a small, persecuted movement in Palestine to become the European cultural phenomenon known as “Christendom”, only to be relegated to an ostensibly marginalized position in modern Western society? According to one answer:

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  • Does Reflecting on Death Help Prepare Us for it?

    Does Reflecting on Death Help Prepare Us for it?0

    Memento mori – invitations to reflect on our own mortality – have been common throughout history. Two ancient traditions that made reflection on death central to their paths are Buddhism and Stoicism. For both, the starting point is the fact that our normal perceptions of value are deeply flawed, as we are constantly craving or

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  • Abraham Lincoln’s ‘Letter to His Son’s Teacher’ is Totally Fake

    Abraham Lincoln’s ‘Letter to His Son’s Teacher’ is Totally Fake3

    Someone recently shared with me, via social media, a charming letter Abraham Lincoln supposedly wrote to his son’s teacher on the day the lad started school. The headline was catchy. I couldn’t resist clicking. After all, perhaps there was a bit of wisdom in the letter I could share with Intellectual Takeout readers. Here is

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  • Why Manners and Respect Classes Are Back (and a Big Hit with Children)

    Why Manners and Respect Classes Are Back (and a Big Hit with Children)0

    A friend of mine recently posted a handful of pictures on social media of the neighborhood tea party her daughter and several other little girls had. An older mentor joined in as well, teaching the girls the basics of polite table manners. Following the party, my friend asked the girls what their favorite part had

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