Culture

Former Atheist Explains How Rationality, Not Emotion, Encourages Religious Belief 0
- Culture
- December 13, 2018
I recently ran across an interview with author Stephen Asma in The Irish Times. Although an atheist, Asma is a rather unique atheist because he believes religion is necessary, a fact evidenced in his recent book Why We Need Religion. According to Asma, a philosophy professor, religion does not make sense rationally, but it makes
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‘The Great Awokening’: The Threat of America’s New Political Religions 0
- Culture
- December 12, 2018
The decline of religion in America is real—that is, depending on how you define “religion.” Weekly church attendance is in decline, as is self-identification with a formal religion, denomination, or belief system. Meanwhile, the rise of the “nones” seems increasingly steady in speed, replacing religious-cultural standards and norms of old with a modern menu of “personal spiritualties” based
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How to Keep Your Kid from Being a Brat This Christmas 0
- Culture
- December 12, 2018
A number of years ago, a friend of mine organized a Christmas charity event. Like many of its kind, this event matched less fortunate children with well-off families, eager to share of their bounty and provide the children with a present or two at a fun Christmas party. But the gift giving didn’t stay limited
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How Silence is a Balm for the Soul 0
- Culture
- December 12, 2018
My sister and brother-in-law were off on a tour of Central Europe, and I was spending a few days alone in their house. When I arrived, I moved my luggage and some groceries inside—I didn’t intend to leave the premises unless absolutely necessary—put the perishables in the refrigerator, and then dropped into a chair in
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Ivy League Study Finds Liberals ‘Patronize’ Minorities, Conservatives Don’t 0
- Culture
- December 12, 2018
A study by Princeton and Yale researchers turns a common political narrative on its head: White liberals actually are more likely to act in “patronizing” ways toward minorities than are white conservatives. White Democratic presidential candidates and self-identified liberals are more likely to downplay their own competence when speaking to minorities, using fewer words that
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The Authenticity of Clint Eastwood’s ‘Gran Torino’0
- Culture
- December 11, 2018
Clint Eastwood made his name with a squint, a glare, a snarl, and a few well-chosen one-liners. His vigilante loner has served him well in films from the spaghetti Westerns, the Dirty Harry franchise, Unforgiven, PaleRider, and more. All these roles are summed up in Walt Kowalski—the main character in the 2008 film Gran Torino —a film Mr. Eastwood directed and
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