Tag Archives: Christianity

America’s Religious Revenge: Or, What We’re Doing Wrong

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Rayan Zehn

I’ve been arguing for years that as the US shifts more towards secular policies, displacing historically sacred values, and as the religious population in the US slowly dwindles, a religious (namely, Christian) reaction will most likely occur. Well, we’ve entered … Continue reading →

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Security and Religiosity: The Jacksonian Values that Wed American Society to Faith

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

There is a set of academic literature that suggests there is a negative relationship between existential security and religiosity. As security increases, we become less religious as a society. This is demonstrated across societies. More secure societies in Europe are distinctly less religious … Continue reading →

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St. Peter and St. Petersburg Paradox: Faith as a Gamble

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

This post uses the general idea of the St. Petersburg Paradox to explain faith. The paradox can be summed up like this: How much should a person be willing to wager in a lottery with a potential payout of infinity … Continue reading →

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The Rise of Secularism and the Fall of Christianity: Google Books N-Gram Analysis

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

Google Books’ Ngram allows users to search for the frequency of terms appearing in books in Google’s database of printed material. The results show how often those terms have appeared in print over the years. Today I was messing around … Continue reading →

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Boulding’s “Skeleton of Science”: And What Complexity and God Mean to Knowledge

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

This post is a quick introduction to a field in engineering management and modeling and simulation called systemic science. The author of this field, a Quaker, captures beautifully how god plays into the way we think about complex problems. In … Continue reading →

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The Question of Atheist Charity: Less Diffusion of Responsibility?

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

Checking out the Friendly Atheist’s blog, I’ve come across an absolutely fascinating story. To summarize, an atheist organization wanted to give a charitable donation of $100 to a non-profit with religious ties that helps children. The non-profit refused the money … Continue reading →

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No Christianity, Many Hospitals: A response to Catholic News Service article

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

Today I read an article titled “No Christianity, No Hospitals: Don’t Take Christian Contributions for Granted,” on the Catholic News Service’s website. In the article author John Stonestreet praises the Catholic contribution of hospitals to society. Without the invention of Christianity, … Continue reading →

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God’s Music (Part 2)

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

A while ago I posted about my favorite music ever written in praise of (mostly the) Christian god. Consider this part two. Blind Willie Johnson (1897 – 1945), an almost preacher who picked up a cigar box guitar as a … Continue reading →

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The GOP and Pornography: And Why Should We Protect Children from Sex?

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

According to this article in Fortune released today, GOP delegates meeting in Cleveland have been contemplating their party’s platform language. Among their points of contention include pornography, which is no surprise considering the amendment being contemplated was offered by the sex-obsessed Family … Continue reading →

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Rant about Brexit and Hume’s Guillotine

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

[[Per the title, this post really is a rant.]] As a political scientist whose background includes an extensive study of international cooperation, the Brexit referendum was an event that drew out the most curiosity I’ve ever felt during my career. … Continue reading →

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