Category Archives: religion

What’s God Got To Do With Goodness?

Posted on May 25, 2011 by dianesilver

The question of moral goodness can’t be considered without looking at religion. After all, religious leaders have been declaring themselves to be the true arbiters of goodness for thousands of years. But does God really have anything to do with … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, religion | 6 Comments

Pushing Evangelicals to Mature

Posted on April 28, 2011 by dianesilver

With his new book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, evangelical pastor Rob Bell has apparently infuriated his religious colleagues by proposing the heretical idea that God saves everyone — … Continue reading →

Posted in religion, righteousness | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Owning Our Dark Side

Posted on February 3, 2011 by dianesilver

Sometimes I think I sound like a wimp in political arguments. I’m forever talking about the mistakes and frailties of my own side, instead of slamming full speed into the weakness of my political opponents. Conducting an all-out assault on … Continue reading →

Posted in good vs. evil, Politics, Practicing Goodness, religion | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Pema Chodron Explains Basic Goodness

Posted on January 4, 2011 by dianesilver

Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron discusses goodness and the trap of getting caught up in ourselves. She says we get so twisted around that we “can’t see others because of our own pain.”

Posted in Becoming Good, religion | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Christians May Irk, but Christmas Doesn’t

Posted on December 21, 2010 by dianesilver

I am well-known for my disagreements with Christianity and certain Christians. Christmas, though, just melts my heart. There’s the fact that presents are involved, and I do love presents. But there’s something else about Christmas that snared me when I … Continue reading →

Posted in good vs. evil, religion | Tagged , | 6 Comments

God and Goodness Yet Again

Posted on December 16, 2010 by dianesilver

A visitor has once again raised the question of God’s relationship to goodness over on my  Question page. Because folks sometimes forget to visit that page, I’m alerting you to our discussion.  federfluesterin writes: If one could, for once, imagine … Continue reading →

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Prayer for the Unbeliever

Posted on December 6, 2010 by dianesilver

I don’t believe in a God who sits up in heaven, or anywhere else. I don’t believe in a God who answers prayers. I don’t believe in a God who needs to be praised, placated, or appealed to. At this … Continue reading →

Posted in Practicing Goodness, religion | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

God and Wealth

Posted on November 29, 2010 by dianesilver

Gary Laderman rants today about religion, Republicans, the Tea Party, the cult of capitalism, and in the process raises some interesting questions for me in my quest for goodness: A few questions may help make the case about the intimate, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Practicing Goodness, religion, Wall Street | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Sam Harris and the Incredible, Shrinking Idea

Posted on October 21, 2010 by dianesilver

I’m going to do something I rarely do. I’m going to recommend that you NOT buy a book. That’s because there is no there there, no beef on the bun of Sam Harris’ already bestselling The Moral Landscape. Harris throws … Continue reading →

Posted in morality, philosophy, psychology, religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Coming Attraction: A Review of The Moral Landscape

Posted on October 20, 2010 by dianesilver

I’ve finished the book that’s set off  a tsunami in the world of goodness thought, and I’m working on a review. I’ve already got a title: “Sam Harris and the Incredible Shrinking Idea.” Stay tuned.

Posted in morality, religion, The Quest | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Stickiness of God

Posted on October 18, 2010 by dianesilver

Happy Monday to you! In today’s Must Read, Emory University Professor Frans De Waal writes in The New York Times that human morality wasn’t born in religion. But that doesn’t mean we’ll ever be free of God. (F)emale chimpanzees have … Continue reading →

Posted in morality, religion | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Will of God

Posted on October 14, 2010 by dianesilver

This will teach me to tune into PBS. Tuesday night I was watching Abraham Lincoln grapple with the religious implications of the Civil War when my brain spit out a disconcerting thought: In searching for goodness, am I really seeking … Continue reading →

Posted in religion, The Quest | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The Dalai Lama, Responsibility and Us

Posted on October 8, 2010 by dianesilver

To cleanse the palate from my previous post, here’s the Dalai Lama: I believe that to meet the challenges of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to … Continue reading →

Posted in good vs. evil, religion | Tagged | 3 Comments

Fred Phelps and Hell on Earth

Posted on October 8, 2010 by dianesilver

I know this is a blog about goodness, but I believe we have to look at evil to understand good, particularly when that evil is couched in terms of righteousness. The Rev. Fred Phelps commits evil every day, and he … Continue reading →

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Goodness is in the Eye of the Beholder

Posted on September 16, 2010 by dianesilver

Most of us understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One person’s idea of splendor is another person’s notion of revolting, but could the same be true of goodness? Robert Wright says it is, particularly when it … Continue reading →

Posted in good vs. evil, religion | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments