Video: Judging Religions as Better and Worse

In Sunday's Philosophy in Action Webcast, I discussed judging religions as better and worse. The question was:

Are some religions better than others? Do certain religions encourage rationality more than others? Do some promote better moral systems than others? I am curious both about different forms of Christianity (Catholic, Protestant, Unitarian, Mormon, etc.), as well as other religions (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Baha'i, etc.). Should rational atheists respect followers of certain religions more than others?

My answer, in brief:

Religions are better or worse in their core doctrines and in their effects on a culture. However, due to the complexity of religions – not merely as ideologies but also as a cultural movements – they can't be easily judged as better or worse. Also, just because a person claims to be an adherent of a given religion doesn't tell much about what he believes or practices, nor whether they are honest.

Here's the video of my full answer:

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Saudi Textbooks: Atrocities in Print for Children

The Arabic school textbooks which show children how to chop off hands and feet under Sharia law:

Barbaric textbooks handed out in Saudi Arabian schools teach children how to cut off a thief's hands and feet under Sharia law, it has emerged.

The shocking books, paid for and printed by the Saudi government, also tell teenagers that Jews need to be exterminated and homosexuals should be 'put to death'.

Go read the whole thing... and then remember that Saudi Arabia, however much oil might be under its land, is not our ally and should never have been treated as such.

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Video: Circumcision and Religious Freedom

In Sunday's Rationally Selfish Webcast, I discussed circumcision and religious freedom. Here's the video, now posted to YouTube:

If you like it, please share it! All my webcast and other videos can be found on my YouTube channel.

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Upcoming Webcast Discussion of Circumcision and Religious Freedom

In my next live Rationally Selfish Webcast, I'll be answering a question on whether circumcision violates the rights of the child -- or whether a ban violates the religious freedom of the parents.

The webcast is on Sunday morning at 8 am PT / 9 am MT / 10 am CT / 11 am ET. You can watch the webcast and join in the text chat via www.RationallySelfish.com. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers will be my audio co-host, as usual.

Here's the full text of the four questions that I'll answer this week:

• Question 1: The Validity of Introversion and Extroversion: Are "introversion" and "extroversion" valid as psychological types? Sometimes people classify themselves and others as "introverts" and "extroverts." What does that mean? Is the distinction valid and useful? Why or why not?
  
• Question 2: Circumcision and Religious Freedom: Should circumcision be banned? Residents of San Francisco were supposed to vote on a ballot measure that would have banned circumcision, except in cases of medical necessity. (It was stuck from the ballot by a judge due to conflicts with state law.) Since circumcision is an millennia-old religious rite for Jews and regarded as essential to their covenant with God, would a ban on circumcision violate the principle of freedom of religion?
  
• Question 3: Lobbying as a Career: Can lobbying be a proper career choice? Lobbying involves asking for various kind of favors from the government. Is that a profession that someone who values free markets should avoid like the plague?
  
• Question 4: Working for a Statist Company: Is it immoral to work for a company that uses government to eliminate or hamper the competition? For example, if a company has brought antitrust lawsuits against its competitors, should you refuse to work for them?

After that, we'll do a round of totally impromptu "Rapid Fire Questions."

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However, I hope that you'll join the live webcast, because that's more exciting and lively than the podcast.

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I hope to see you on Sunday morning!

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