During his recent visit to the States, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the priest sex scandal of the U.S. Catholic Church and pointed out that the moral breakdown of society is at least partly to blame. Pedophilia, he argued, is a symptom of overall decrepit sexual mores.

Indeed, it is not as though the moral code of the Catholic Church, especially pertaining to priests and sex, is just impossible to practice because it fundamentally goes against human nature.

Tom Cruise always seemed a wee bit strange to me, apart from his involvement with Scientology. But this recent video floating on the internet takes his irrationality to a new level. Does anyone understand his palaver?

What is funny to me though is that to some Scientologists’ beliefs are irrational while those adhering to major religions such as Christianity are not. Really, what is the difference between believing that an evil galactic warlord Xenu wreaked havoc on humans when he sent disembodied spirits implanted with false memories to Earth 75 million years ago, and believing that a virgin gave birth? Both beliefs are the product of evading and denying reality and the means by which we come to know it: Reason. Sigh…

Letters to the editor are always a treasure trove of logical and coherent arguments. I got this paper clipping of one from a friend (thanks, Chris!). Who would have thought that there are still good arguments against atheism to be considered. We really ought to think about what is more important to us, our citizenship or atheism. But then again, it may all be a hoax. Even so, I would not be surprised if some people actually think this way.