Well, I still haven’t had time to revisit my list of Science and Religion topics. It’s coming. I promise. However after basically more than a month of few to no posts, my philosophy blog is active again. Even if you find the philosophy posts a tad too esoteric, you might want to check out the sideblog where I often have links related to science and religion. Which takes us to this week’s finds in religion and science.

First up is Jeffrey’s mammoth post on the main issue in science and religion. I confess I’ve not had time to read it all yet. But I hope to comment soon on it. In it Jeffrey takes up what he sees as the most powerful arguments using science against God. So yes, lots of Dawkins quotes abound.

Next up is the very intriguing post over at LDS Science Review on exorcisms. It’s an obvious issue. Given how people even today often misdiagnosis mental illness as demonic possession exactly how are we to take the influence of Satan? Is it fair to say that in the past a lot that was blamed on Satan was more due to chemical imbalances in the brain? (i.e. bi-polar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, tourette’ syndrome, etc.) Someone brought up an excellent link to a discussion of hag’s dreams. Does that physiological sleep disorder explain some missionaries thinking Satan was attacking them? Interesting questions. While I tend to think that a lot that gets blamed on Satan has a more “mundane” physiological explanation, I also think that there are real events.

Mormons and Evolution was a blog back from the dead the last week with a post on the meaning of the seven thousand years in D&C 77:6-7. This is a scripture that the LDS equivalent of young earth creationists often bring up. If the earth has 7000 years in its temporal existence, isn’t science wrong to claim humans were around prior to that? Jared takes up the discussion as well as linking to a prior discussion by Jeffery.

Somewhat vaguely science related was Geoff’s discussion of whether there are problems in the common LDS belief that the three degrees of glory are three different places. I say vaguely related because as I pointed out in the comments, it seems science has some obvious ways of resolving that particular issue. (Although not some of the other issues brought up in the thread)

Also vaguely science related were the two posts about Orson Scott Card’s new science fiction e-zine. One was by me over at M*. The other was here by Eric James Stone. I confess I don’t read much science fiction anymore and what I do read tends to be the hard science fiction like Larry Niven from back in his prime.

There was a discussion over at M* on avian flu. Not that religiously themed, beyond the ever constant discussion of personal preparation. For those interested in the topic, keep checking out the Avian Flu blog. The other great resource is New Scientist’s Summary Page.

Outside of the LDS oriented blogs there were a few interesting stories as well. First up is an article at the Guardian on the evolution of religion. Nothing too surprising for those following cognitive science studies of religion. Although one conclusion of interest to those familiar with the Mormon folk tradition that women are more spiritual than men. Apparently when finding the inherited component for what one might vaguely call spirituality, it does appear more women studied have it than men. (Let the feminist debate begin) I should add that when I finish the current cognitive science book I’m doing a reading club on I plan to take up Scott Atran’s controversial In Gods We Trust which covers a lot of the same issues of evolutionary theories of religion that the book discussed by the Guardian does.

Dark matter often pops up in unexpected places in LDS discussions. I’ve mentioned it myself a few times. There are some new arguments coming out for why we should reject dark matter entirely. It’s an interesting and controversial topic.

An other frequent discussion in LDS theology for some reason that touches upon physics is the notion of extra dimensions. Are spirit beings in higher dimensions? Those interested in that might wish to check out the discussion over at Not Even Wrong regarding whether higher dimensions in physics are a bunch of hooey.

Last up I’ll be somewhat self-serving and mention a post of mine on the scientific equivalent of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. Its the six classes of 27 habits of highly successful scientists.

That’s it for now.