Why Religious Beliefs Are Irrational, and Why Economists Should Care

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

Newly Released Epstein Files Reveal Harvard Faculty Kept Ties With Him Even After Jail

Source: Oneindia [India]

“Harvard University is once again facing intense scrutiny over its long and controversial association with Jeffrey Epstein, after newly released US Justice Department documents reportedly revealed that several faculty members continued to maintain contact with him even after he served jail time and was registered as a sex offender. … the newly released files show that Epstein’s connections with Harvard extended far beyond donations and social access. The documents reportedly suggest that professors continued to visit him, endorse him and even acknowledge him in academic work after his 2008 conviction and subsequent release from jail.” (04/20/26)

https://www.oneindia.com/international/newly-released-epstein-files-reveal-harvard-faculty-kept-ties-with-him-even-after-jail-8064267.html

An Egalitarian Faith?

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/

Slovenia: Golob’s Party Goes Into Opposition After Coalition Talks Fail

Source: US News & World Report

“Slovenia’s outgoing prime ⁠minister, ⁠Robert Golob, on Monday ⁠said that his liberal Freedom Movement (GS), which narrowly won ​a parliamentary vote in March, would go into opposition after failing to ‌secure a majority coalition, ‌indicating that centre-right parties would form a government. GS won 29 ⁠of the ⁠90 seats in parliament, followed by the right-leaning Slovenian Democratic ​Party (SDS) of populist, pro-Trump ex-prime minister Janez Jansa on 28. Along with smaller parties that have typically supported them, GS would have 40 MPs while ​SDS would have 43 seats, leaving both in need of ⁠support from ⁠elsewhere.” (04/20/26)

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-04-20/slovenia-pm-golobs-party-goes-into-opposition-after-coalition-talks-fail

Wisdom From the Founders: Why Eric Swalwell Should Never Have Been Elected in the First Place

Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis

“‘If man is not fit to govern himself, how can he be fit to govern someone else?’ – James Madison … A very clear — and truthful — analysis by Mr. Madison, and it explains in a few words, the problem with most governments in history, and that includes the current American government. As I have noted countless times, the American Founders said that the country cannot succeed without a virtuous people electing virtuous leaders. Well, people elected Eric Swalwell, who is the epitome of vice and immorality. Swalwell is human scum, but what does his election to Congress tell us about the people who put him there in the first place? And do we really think the people of his Congressional district are going to learn from their folly and replace Swalwell with a paragon of Christian virtue?” (04/20/26)

https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/04/20/wisdom-from-the-founders-why-eric-swalwell-should-never-have-been-elected-in-the-first-place-n2674705