New Piece: Praise the Lord or Praise the Person?
Check out my latest piece where I argue that God should not be praised at the expense of denying praise for Human good. Here’s an excerpt: Humans should also be praised because positive reinforcement and validation teaches and encourages people to be better. Moral and character education has proven that the more we praise […]
Jesse Prinz on How Atheists Can be Spiritual
“When you stand before an art work, you lose yourself to something great but you also become greater because you feel this sense of connection to other people, to other aesthetic traditions, to beauty….”–Jesse Prinz (Philosopher, CUNY Graduate Center) Awakening the Journey with Jesse Prinz from Mel M on Vimeo.
The Afterlife according to Christopher Hitchens (animated version)
The afterlife. The concept is wrapped in the idea of our immortality and the strength to confront death. For Christopher Hitchens the concept of the afterlife doesn’t sound too comforting. For one, it is as if we have to leave an amazing party that is already taken place. That doesn’t sound too good. On the […]
New Article: 10 Thoughts on Tyler Perry and Bishop Jakes, Evangelicals, and Money
Check out my new article at HuffPost, “10 Thoughts on Tyler Perry and Bishop Jakes, Evangelicals, and Money”. Below is an excerpt. 8. If a church is the best looking and biggest site in an urban neighborhood I find that problematic. While for some it may suggest that we have put God first or it […]
God, the Environment, & and Our Irresponsibility (According to Louis CK)
Some may find this Profane but the message is brilliant: We have everything we need on this earth, but we’ve found ways to mess it all up. Good Work Louis CK. Good Work.
Separate Church and State: The Hit Song (Video)
There is no doubt in my mind that church and state need to separate. There is good rationale behind it. Plus isn’t it written in our constitution? Well not exactly, argues Garrett Epps in the Atlantic but the idea of separation is in the constitution. At times it seems hypocritical when the phrase is thrown […]
My New Article: “Gays and the Myth Of The Christian Minority”
I have a new article at the Huffington Post called “Gays and the Myth of The Christian Minority”. In it I argue that the so-called persecution of Christians who oppose homosexuality is a myth. Not only do I critique this claim but I also offer up reasons for why this is a good time for […]
(If)Richard Dawkins Dies and Talks to God
Filmmaker Kevin R. Breen created a video called “Richard Dawkins Dies” which is “a delightfully South-Park-esque confrontation between Dawkins and God as the two engage in a smack-down at the heart of the creationism vs. evolution quasi-debate”, according to BrainPickings. Now the video is South-Park-esque, so that means it has profanity and could be perceived […]
Your Inner Guru
Its Sunday and that means I am doing nothing but watching NetFlix. However, while being lazy I think I just saw one of the best documentaries with the best messages Ive seen in a while. I do not want to give it away here. The film is called Kumare. You can check out the trailer […]
Daniel Dennett On Spirituality
My students have been discussing Daniel Dennett’s “Where Am I” in class. We have just switched from ethics into metaphysics/philosophy of mind. The funny thing is, I don’t think they were expecting the dramatic switch and some assumed, by the reading, that we were switching into Science Fiction. The questions I’ve been getting via email […]
New York City and Activism
“Every revolution requires its thinkers. Every movement is grounded in a philosophy”- Dr. Anthony Monteiro. The Museum of the City of New York has a wonderful exhibit called “Activist New York”. It is a well informed exhibit that chronologically takes a look at activism since New York City’s inception. It begins with the Quakers fight […]
Black People And Atheism
No one group is monolithic. That is why I think videos like this are important because they demythologized misconceptions we have about cultures. Usually when we think about people of faith, Blacks some to mind. I will let the Anthropologists explain the myriad of reasons but for one, faith for Blacks, particularly in America, have […]
Religion and Sex
It seems that all religions have something to say about sex. The Torah tells with whom and when not to have sex. Other religions have integrated their beliefs into law and therefore one can be killed for their sexual encounters. Some suggest that religions attempt to prohibit sexual practices has to do with a focus […]
Pastor Otis Moss III Speaks In Support Of Marriage Equality, Proving That the Black Church Doesnt Have Just One Voice
My Brother: Tell your brethren who are part of your ministerial coalition to “live their faith and not legislate their faith” for the Constitution is designed to protect the rights of all. We must learn to be more than a one-issue community and seek the beloved community where we may not all agree, but […]
Newsweek Cover: Forget the Church, Follow Jesus
Arresting cover from Newsweek. Check out the article here from Andrew Sullivan. In the article he discusses what he calls “Christianity in Crisis”. This is a topic I often discuss and debate about nonstop with my theist and atheist friends. Here’s a brief excerpt. I have no concrete idea how Christianity will wrestle free of […]
My New Article: Our Obsession, Love, and Need for Satan (HuffPost)
I have a new article at the HuffPost Religion about our Obsession and Need for Satan. Here is a little excerpt. To read the rest, please visit here. In the beginning of every semester I discuss ancient Jewish monotheism with my students in the World Religions and Western Civilization college courses I teach. In the […]
Breaking the “Thou Shall Not Critique Religion” Commandment
In my Western Civilization course, students and I discuss the biblical books of Genesis, Job, and Mark in several meetings of the course. We do this in order to examine what life was like living in the Ancient Near East and in an occupied area of the Roman Empire. We also discuss the scriptures to […]
What Atheists Can Learn from Religion and Vice Versa
Today atheists and theists are always disagreeing. One believes in the truth of the divine the other think its ridiculous. One thinks the world is better because of religion the other thinks the opposite. Common ground has not been a popular place for the two views. However, Alain de Botton has a new book that […]
Eddie Glaude and Mignon Moore on Left of Black
I really enoyed this episode of Left of Black!!! Here Mark Anthony Neil talks to Eddie Glaude Professor of Religion and African American Stides and chair of the Center for African American Studies at Princeton University about the state of Black Studies and the unique challenges of Black academics in balancing their roles as activists, […]
Did God Really Tell You That?
Governor Rick Perry, Congresswoman Michelle Bachman, and Entrepreneur Herman Cain all said that God had told them to run for President. Recently, Pat Robertson announced that God had told him who the next president will be and also gave him a message to give to the world. Let me also add that Deanna Laney killed […]
God, Race, and Sports
For those that know me, they are aware that I am in a season of bliss right now. On December 25th, the NBA basketball season began. Oh goodness, I’m smiling as we speak. I should be, my Miami Heat won last night in triple overtime without our two stars playing. At this moment others sports […]
Rihanna, Arab Women, & Male-Chauvinistic Religions
These last few weeks so much has happened among women and it is nothing to celebrate. From the Egyptian woman getting beaten by the military to Rihanna being called a racist and sexist epithet, women are catching hell and have been for a while. In my new article in the Huffington Post, I take a […]
Hitchens and Religion
A few days ago, Essayist, Provocateur,and Atheist, Christopher Hitchens, died from cancer. I believe that his voice was powerful. If you didn’t agree with him, at least there is no doubt that he made you think or at least want to think harder. I used several of Hitchens’ debates in a few of my classes […]