Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan

“Larry Iannaccone and his co-author Rodney Stark once wrote that the belief that society is getting less religious says ‘less about empirical fact than it does about secularization faith — a faith that, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary, sustains the conviction of many social scientists that religious institutions must soon decay …’ In short, belief in secularization is just a religion. Larry’s critics were, unsurprisingly, not pleased. To tell people that their non-religious beliefs are just a religion is an insult. Why is it an insult? There isn’t any nice way to answer, so I’ll be blunt. It is an insult because the way that people form religious beliefs is so intellectually irresponsible that their conclusions are almost guaranteed to be false.”? (04/20/26)

https://www.betonit.ai/p/why-religious-beliefs-are-irrational-4cc

Source: Law & Liberty
by Ben Peterson

“Even before 1776, American liberty and equality were expressed in church and civil covenants and compacts, like the 1620 Mayflower Compact. Alexis de Tocqueville makes much of such covenants and compacts in Democracy in America, arguing that religion lies at the core of American character and sustains the American experiment in democracy. Christianity, in his view, is especially well-suited to supporting liberty, equality, and self-government, as it naturally rules over hearts and minds without relying on state support. Uncontested in the intellectual and moral realm, Christianity lifts the democratic soul upward, beyond the petty material concerns that tend to consume men’s minds in democratic ages. At the same time, Tocqueville argues that Christianity must accommodate itself to democratic equality, especially the love of material wellbeing and distaste for forms it engenders.” (04/20/26)

https://lawliberty.org/an-egalitarian-faith/

Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders

“How to evolve a hierarchy without fighting it head on.” (04/20/26)

https://underthrow.substack.com/p/evolutionary-subversion

Source: Brownstone Institute
by Maryanne Demasi

“In September, it was reported that FDA officials had privately investigated 25 paediatric deaths following Covid vaccination — the first systematic review of such cases since the rollout began. The findings were meant to be presented to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). But the presentation never came. The meeting passed without a word. Something had happened behind closed doors. Now we know what.” (04/20/26)

https://brownstone.org/articles/a-reckoning-is-underway-at-the-fda/

Source: The New Republic
by Greg Sargent

“Four huge media conglomerates forked over $63 million in ‘settlements’ earmarked for Trump’s presidential library. Democrats are trying to track that money — and the latest developments don’t inspire confidence.” (04/20/26)

https://newrepublic.com/article/209254/trump-library-funding-millions-media-companies