Vol. 1 No. 8 - September 25, 2006

Original Sin, the dogma, is preposterous. It ranks with predestination on the scale of ridiculous ideas. Professor Sakkie Spangenberg’s inaugural lecture, CAN A MAJOR RELIGION CHANGE? Reading Genesis 1-3 in the Twenty-First Century, had me revisit this doctrine and its influence on the human psyche. Original Sin is the raison d’être of Christianity – without Original Sin, Christianity collapses. Therefore, the title of this week’s main article is Original Sin(e qua non). Platitudinal, perhaps; descriptive nonetheless.

Richard Dawkins has a new book out – The God Delusion. In the course of his work, this tenacious evolutionary theorist has long asserted that belief in God is both irrational and profoundly harmful to society. In this book he tackles the subject head on, exposing both religion's faulty logic and the widespread suffering it causes.

He says, in the opening chapter, “The metaphorical or pantheistic God of the physicists is light years away from the interventionist, miracle wreaking, thought-reading, sin-punishing, prayer-answering God of the Bible, of priests, mullahs and rabbis, and of ordinary language. Deliberately to confuse the two is, in my opinion, an act of intellectual high treason.”

Joan Bakewell’s review of The God Delusion, from The Guardian – Judgment day – is featured in the Tolle lege section this week.

Contents

Publisher’s Note

Editor’s Note

Original Sin(e qua non)

NBC Draws Protests From Conservatives

Anglican Conservatives To Snub Female

The God Delusion, By Richard Dawkins

God And Allah Were Arguing, But Buddha Just Smiled

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Tart Remarks, Vol. 1 No. 8 – September 25, 2006