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Archive: Paula Kirby
Religion: the ultimate tyranny
True freedom requires us to liberate ourselves from the tyranny of religion as well as from the tyranny of brutal earthly regimes.
By Paula Kirby | February 15, 2011; 11:35 AM ET | Comments (303)
Gaza: What would Jehovah do?
Really, when God has made it so clear how he would solve the Gaza problem - when he has set such an unequivocal example - one really has to ask why today's Christians are in any doubt whatsoever what should be done about it.
By Paula Kirby | June 8, 2010; 06:36 PM ET | Comments (17)
A criminal matter, not a spiritual one
Only properly conducted criminal trials, in proper courts of law, will bring an end to this scandal and - far more importantly - bring some peace and justice to the Church's many victims.
By Paula Kirby | April 6, 2010; 02:42 PM ET | Comments (42)
Seize the day
For atheists it is the very transience of life that helps to give it its meaning: for it prompts us to live it to the full, to try to make the most of each day, each hour, and to savor every experience along the way.
By Paula Kirby | March 23, 2010; 11:45 AM ET | Comments (14)
Ending the pretense of faith
For some reason when it comes to religion, there is a general feeling that it doesn't really matter what people believe, provided they believe something, and that this belief, no matter how ill-founded, must be cherished and protected at all costs. What clearer evidence could there be that religious faith is not particularly interested in truth?
By Paula Kirby | March 19, 2010; 01:39 PM ET | Comments (5)
Catholics dictating terms
It is time to put behind us forever the iniquitous situation where the religious are guaranteed a more favourable hearing in government, more influence on government policy, and exemption from the law simply because they are religious
By Paula Kirby | March 8, 2010; 04:32 PM ET | Comments (23)
Suffering and the vain quest for significance
Those who see sin - whether personal, national or original - as the reason for natural disasters have a hubristically overblown view of our significance in the universe.
By Paula Kirby | January 22, 2010; 06:55 AM ET | Comments (29)
Two avenging angels in Ireland
2009 was the year in which - finally - thousands of Irish victims of child abuse on an unimaginable scale had the extent of their suffering acknowledged in the form of two reports.
By Paula Kirby | December 28, 2009; 07:24 PM ET | Comments (39)
Believers in denial
Why Christian fundamentalists (like Sarah Palin) reject scientific evidence of global warming, and imperil us all.
By Paula Kirby | December 11, 2009; 11:59 AM ET | Comments (109)
Tilting at symbols
When we turn our energies to fighting symbols rather than dealing with the real underlying issues, we are invariably going to miss our target. What the Swiss really fear is not minarets, but extremism, jihadism, oppression and ghettoization, the existence in their midst of a group of people who refuse to adapt to Swiss culture and who might potentially pose a threat to it.
By Paula Kirby | December 1, 2009; 12:27 PM ET | Comments (10)
Influence on equal terms
The religious may be expert in convoluted arguments to explain why a god who demands you kill your son for answering back is actually loving and compassionate, but this does not confer on them any special insight when it comes to matters of government.
By Paula Kirby | November 21, 2009; 09:30 AM ET | Comments (10)
Morality: no gods required
It is the myth that religious belief is somehow necessary for morality that is providing the life support for religion in many Western societies, long after we should have been reaching for the embalming fluid.
By Paula Kirby | October 29, 2009; 04:35 PM ET | Comments (8)
Business as usual for Vatican Enterprises, Inc.
The Roman Catholic Church is facing a huge drop in revenue thanks to a dramatic decline in its customer base in the wake of years of sexual abuse scandals, shameful cover-ups and costly legal settlements. Its stock has never been lower. It urgently needs to acquire more customers.
By Paula Kirby | October 21, 2009; 11:12 AM ET | Comments (19)
Vaccination: the moral imperative
In reality, however, I suspect that opposition to the H1N1 vaccine has less to do with religion and more to do with the widespread mistrust of scientific medicine: a stance which is as baffling to me as religious belief.
By Paula Kirby | October 20, 2009; 03:09 PM ET | Comments (2)
