Dogmatism, whether it be political, philosophical, national, or religious, is generally a practice to be shunned. Rarely is a more terrible scourge created than when this unmovable frame of mind is coupled with an inexplicable sense of pride. At every turn it is up to those of us free of such traps of the mind [...]
By: Barry Belmont
By: Barry Belmont
It’s remarkable that people can have literally the best intentions possible (for instance wishing to prevent WWIII) and yet with the wrong set of thoughts, facts, and theories about the universe come off as crazy, slightly prejudicial, and at the very least, a little silly. This is a video of a Christian woman asking for [...]
By: Barry Belmont
When it comes to thoughtful, intelligent debate no one seems to do it better than the BBC’s “Intelligence Squared” forum. In this topic the motion on the floor is “Islam is a religion of peace.” It’s a powder keg issue and the BBC didn’t pull any punches when they let Zeba Khan and Maajid Nawaz [...]
By: Barry Belmont
We’re trying something new this semester over here at the Students for Liberty. We’re going to try to provide information on various aspects of our campus discussions even before we have them. Often times the main threads of argumentation that run through topics can be obscure. Other times it seems necessary to have some sort [...]
By: Barry Belmont
Certainly as libertarians one should be as free as the wind to show pornographic content of any kind (of consenting adults) with consenting adults. Presumably this includes porn of the Buddha, the god Vishnu, Jesus Christ, and a panoply of other divine figures (Thor, Odin, Hathor, Ra, too!). However, an artist in Sweden by the [...]
19Nov10
Blasphemy = Death (in Pakistan)
By: Barry Belmont
The other day I had a debate regarding the “Ground Zero Mosque” which quickly turned into a discussion about Islam itself. I made the claim that Islam is very different from other religions in that it has as one of its central tenets the idea that fighting, dying, and killing for one’s faith is a [...]
By: Barry Belmont
I am currently preparing myself for a student forum this Wednesday on “The Mosque at Ground Zero” (Wednesday, Nov 17, 6 PM, JCSU 4th floor ballroom). As such I’ve been researching Islam, the motivations of religion, and the relationship between secularism and rationality. I came across this video. It is real Middle Eastern television. It [...]
By: Barry Belmont
I have a particular interest in religious thinking. I learn a lot about cultures, philosophies, and traditions through religion. As I mentioned briefly in the Q&A section of my Anarcho-Capitalism II lecture, there can exist things outside of market forces existing within a society, such as religion. One can listen to the Pope, obey the [...]
