Category Archives: Uncategorized

Reason for Absence and New Material

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Rayan Zehn

Lately I haven’t been posting… well, anything. When it comes to religious beliefs, practices, and idiotic policies I have a lot to say; however, I really haven’t had time to formulate coherent blog posts. I have a lot of fun … Continue reading →

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Wonderful Humans of New York Photo and Caption

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Rayan Zehn

I don’t follow Humans of New York on any social media platform; however, many of my friends do, and they share posts by the photographer on a regular basis. I’m glad they do. Otherwise I would’ve missed this one. I’m … Continue reading →

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Late Night Ramblings about Devil’s Music and Alabama

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Rayan Zehn

I’m driving deep South. Somewhere between Cowpens and Mobile I recognize my sleep deprivation after almost driving off the side of 65S, awoken only by the ominous du-du-du-du-du of my car careening to the right. I wake myself with a … Continue reading →

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Will the Islamic State Succeed?

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Rayan Zehn

This is a question I’ll be attempting to answer tomorrow. The Islamic State appears to have a lot of small and immediate victories under its belt, thanks to its willingness to use terror as its primary—if not only—weapon. In order … Continue reading →

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When I win, Everyone Wins: Burning Flags Does Not a Failure Make

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Rayan Zehn

A few months back my criticism of the Islamic State reached a point many felt had obviously crossed a line. In response to a movement my friends began in Beirut, Lebanon, I made two videos (Part 1 and Part 2) … Continue reading →

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Questions or Answers?: An anecdote about murder

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Rayan Zehn

Questions are important. I will go so far as to say many times questions are more important than answers. Answers, especially incorrect answers, mean we’ve exhausted our will to engage in inquiry. In my life I’ve suffered a tragedy that has … Continue reading →

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Study: Religious people more likely to believe in conspiracy theories

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Rayan Zehn

In the current issue of American Journal of Political Science (October 2014), two researchers from the University of Chicago, J. Eric Oliver and Thomas J. Wood, published a study titled, “Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of Mass Opinion.” The pair used data … Continue reading →

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Neil deGrasse Tyson’s 7% problem and why it’s not a problem

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Rayan Zehn

I wish to open this post by reminding you all this is not a study, and it should not be viewed as one. This is merely an observation of my own setting. It comes from personal discussions with peers and students. … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Sacred and Secular

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Rayan Zehn

Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide by Ronald Inglehart and Pippa Norris (2004) is an empirical study into the postmodern society, which sounds like an oxymoron; however, postmodernism as a field is too vast, by definition, to result in useful knowledge. … Continue reading →

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Fox News readers lose their shit over Tyson Christmas tweets

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Rayan Zehn

I’m sure most of you are already aware of the humorous tweets physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson sent out on Christmas. If you’re not, I’m linking a news article about them here. The linked article comes from Fox News, which I … Continue reading →

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