Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
@ewhowe.com
Free-range mathematician. Unitarian Universalist minister. He/him
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Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
That privilege--the privilege to speak of your religious beliefs as certainties that are incontestable--is given to Christians alone in America. And anyone else knows this and tiptoes around it, reflexively.
But what if we stopped doing that, like this guy did in North Dakota?
But what if we stopped doing that, like this guy did in North Dakota?
December 25, 2025 at 5:48 PM
That privilege--the privilege to speak of your religious beliefs as certainties that are incontestable--is given to Christians alone in America. And anyone else knows this and tiptoes around it, reflexively.
But what if we stopped doing that, like this guy did in North Dakota?
But what if we stopped doing that, like this guy did in North Dakota?
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
Christians are allowed to say in any environment what they believe with certainty, whereas anyone else can state their beliefs, but in a qualified "this is what I believe" or "As a [blank], I believe."
December 25, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Christians are allowed to say in any environment what they believe with certainty, whereas anyone else can state their beliefs, but in a qualified "this is what I believe" or "As a [blank], I believe."
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
Every jaw in the room dropped. He had done the unthinkable. He had not only told them his beliefs, but he had done it with the equal degree of certainty that they had employed in telling him theirs. And there's this unspoken rule in America: Only Christians are allowed to do this.
December 25, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Every jaw in the room dropped. He had done the unthinkable. He had not only told them his beliefs, but he had done it with the equal degree of certainty that they had employed in telling him theirs. And there's this unspoken rule in America: Only Christians are allowed to do this.
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
always after he explained what he believed as a Jew, he was barraged by emails from concerned students asking why he didn't believe Jesus was the son of God. And he said,
"Well there's a very simple answer to why I don't believe Jesus is the son of God."
"Because he's not."
"Well there's a very simple answer to why I don't believe Jesus is the son of God."
"Because he's not."
December 25, 2025 at 5:35 PM
always after he explained what he believed as a Jew, he was barraged by emails from concerned students asking why he didn't believe Jesus was the son of God. And he said,
"Well there's a very simple answer to why I don't believe Jesus is the son of God."
"Because he's not."
"Well there's a very simple answer to why I don't believe Jesus is the son of God."
"Because he's not."
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
After a few years, he got a little tired of this. So the next time he was asked to talk to the very large religious studies lecture at the North Dakota University, he tried a different approach. He started by telling them he'd been doing this for several years, explaining Jewish beliefs, and that
December 25, 2025 at 5:35 PM
After a few years, he got a little tired of this. So the next time he was asked to talk to the very large religious studies lecture at the North Dakota University, he tried a different approach. He started by telling them he'd been doing this for several years, explaining Jewish beliefs, and that
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
to talk to his very large lecture about the Jewish faith. And every year after he did this, he received endless emails from honestly concerned students asking him WHY he didn't understand that Jesus was the Lord and Savior? These students thought he was nice and didn't want him to go to hell.
December 25, 2025 at 5:35 PM
to talk to his very large lecture about the Jewish faith. And every year after he did this, he received endless emails from honestly concerned students asking him WHY he didn't understand that Jesus was the Lord and Savior? These students thought he was nice and didn't want him to go to hell.
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
I'm going to tell my favorite story again about reflecting the certainty of beliefs back at people who don't expect it.
A friend was one of the few Jews on faculty at a North Dakota University. Every year, his colleague in religious studies would invite him to come to his religious studies class...
A friend was one of the few Jews on faculty at a North Dakota University. Every year, his colleague in religious studies would invite him to come to his religious studies class...
December 25, 2025 at 5:35 PM
I'm going to tell my favorite story again about reflecting the certainty of beliefs back at people who don't expect it.
A friend was one of the few Jews on faculty at a North Dakota University. Every year, his colleague in religious studies would invite him to come to his religious studies class...
A friend was one of the few Jews on faculty at a North Dakota University. Every year, his colleague in religious studies would invite him to come to his religious studies class...
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
I don't know who needs to know this, but Jesus is not everyone's savior in the United States.
December 25, 2025 at 5:30 PM
I don't know who needs to know this, but Jesus is not everyone's savior in the United States.
How much in taxes would we collect if we took every penny from billionaires?
Since the gov’t seems so committed to “evidence-based medicine” nowadays, I guess we should just try it and find out.
Science!
Since the gov’t seems so committed to “evidence-based medicine” nowadays, I guess we should just try it and find out.
Science!
How much are you going to pay doctors?
Which current hospitals get shut down ?
What happens if doctors opt out of the system ? Who is going to invest in new curative therapies. You ?
How much in taxes pr year do you think it's possible to collect if you took every penny from billionaires?
Which current hospitals get shut down ?
What happens if doctors opt out of the system ? Who is going to invest in new curative therapies. You ?
How much in taxes pr year do you think it's possible to collect if you took every penny from billionaires?
Half the amount that everyone currently pays could provide universal healthcare. Private health companies don’t need to exist. Eliminate them. And use your collective buying power and economies of scale to get it done. Every cent of their profit is healthcare denied.
December 25, 2025 at 3:11 AM
How much in taxes would we collect if we took every penny from billionaires?
Since the gov’t seems so committed to “evidence-based medicine” nowadays, I guess we should just try it and find out.
Science!
Since the gov’t seems so committed to “evidence-based medicine” nowadays, I guess we should just try it and find out.
Science!
“And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things.”
— Esmeralda Weatherwax, in Terry Pratchett’s *Carpe Jugulum*
— Esmeralda Weatherwax, in Terry Pratchett’s *Carpe Jugulum*
“Like Prime, but with human beings.”
December 24, 2025 at 8:31 PM
“And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things.”
— Esmeralda Weatherwax, in Terry Pratchett’s *Carpe Jugulum*
— Esmeralda Weatherwax, in Terry Pratchett’s *Carpe Jugulum*
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
Worth noting that the student admits that she just threw the thing together in 30 minutes without reading the paper she was supposed to be responding to.
December 23, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Worth noting that the student admits that she just threw the thing together in 30 minutes without reading the paper she was supposed to be responding to.
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
love that software developers are advertising AI functionality in every single app now and it's up to you to try to figure out if they mean "this has spellcheck" or "everything you create in this app will sync in real-time to sam altman's personal laptop" or something in between
December 23, 2025 at 3:04 PM
love that software developers are advertising AI functionality in every single app now and it's up to you to try to figure out if they mean "this has spellcheck" or "everything you create in this app will sync in real-time to sam altman's personal laptop" or something in between
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
there is one and only one political strategy, and that is: “hang trump like an anchor around the neck of every single elected republican and the party itself.” no ‘friends across the aisle.’ no ‘the fever will break.’ anyone not on board with that has to go. no exceptions
![Gallup poll | 12/1-12/15
President Trump approval crosstabs (%)
🟥Overall (59/36 disapprove) [-23]
🟥Democratic (93/3 disapprove) [-90]
🟩Republican (89/8 approve) [+81]
🟥Independent (68/25 disapprove) [-43]
🟥18-34 (68/25 disapprove) [-43]
🟥35-54 (59/36 disapprove) [-23]
🟥55+ (53/43 disapprove) [-10]
🟥No college (55/37 disapprove) [-18]
🟥College graduate (59/37 disapprove) [-22]
🟥Male (53/42 disapprove) [-11]
🟥Female (64/30 disapprove) [-34]
🟥White (52/46 disapprove) [-6]
🟥Non-white (71/21 disapprove) [-50]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hbpefio3f5csc44msmbgioxz/bafkreifnv6vxufu6icjvsd5toirz3lmqkzertdpdnlqh7q44momevhfjqq@jpeg)
December 23, 2025 at 2:42 AM
there is one and only one political strategy, and that is: “hang trump like an anchor around the neck of every single elected republican and the party itself.” no ‘friends across the aisle.’ no ‘the fever will break.’ anyone not on board with that has to go. no exceptions
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5
December 23, 2025 at 1:28 AM
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
archive.org/details/ceco... a higher quality version.
cecot-60mins : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
60 minutes segment on cecot
archive.org
December 23, 2025 at 12:18 AM
archive.org/details/ceco... a higher quality version.
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
Okay this. THIS RIGHT HERE is one of the massive dangers of AI to academia: it presents the illusion that the is one consensus about the Truth of a given subject and that we need not do the fucking research.
It is, in essence, the anti-academy.
It is, in essence, the anti-academy.
It removes one of the best realities about academia. That it’s a Conversation among reality explorers. No one person understands it all or has all the monopoly on Truth. That’s a good thing.
December 22, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Okay this. THIS RIGHT HERE is one of the massive dangers of AI to academia: it presents the illusion that the is one consensus about the Truth of a given subject and that we need not do the fucking research.
It is, in essence, the anti-academy.
It is, in essence, the anti-academy.
Strong agree!
But the reason for the repost is to give appreciation and double bonus points for including the original Greek in the alt text!
But the reason for the repost is to give appreciation and double bonus points for including the original Greek in the alt text!
The value of knowledge does not lie solely in *how you can use it*. It is valuable by itself, for itself.
This is hardly a new or modern approach. It goes back *at least* as far as Euclid himself!
This is hardly a new or modern approach. It goes back *at least* as far as Euclid himself!
December 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Strong agree!
But the reason for the repost is to give appreciation and double bonus points for including the original Greek in the alt text!
But the reason for the repost is to give appreciation and double bonus points for including the original Greek in the alt text!
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
This may come across as ivory tower, but we used to agree, as a society, that it was better to know and understand things than to be ignorant, regardless of whether they are useful in any way. It's good to know what a sonnet is, or how a rainbow happens, or what the Epic of Gilgamesh is all about!
December 21, 2025 at 4:38 PM
This may come across as ivory tower, but we used to agree, as a society, that it was better to know and understand things than to be ignorant, regardless of whether they are useful in any way. It's good to know what a sonnet is, or how a rainbow happens, or what the Epic of Gilgamesh is all about!
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
I've learned a lot of stuff in my life that I rarely have reason to use, but I've also learned a lot of stuff that I never expected to need to use and do use regularly, and the larger point is that there is value to being an educated person, without everything needing to be instrumentalized.
December 21, 2025 at 2:08 PM
I've learned a lot of stuff in my life that I rarely have reason to use, but I've also learned a lot of stuff that I never expected to need to use and do use regularly, and the larger point is that there is value to being an educated person, without everything needing to be instrumentalized.
And I have never needed to use that analysis of *Tess of the d’Urbervilles* that I wrote in high school.
But I have benefited from the skills of understanding text and subtext that I learned from writing it. And from the appreciation of literature. And from the practice of organizing my thoughts,…
But I have benefited from the skills of understanding text and subtext that I learned from writing it. And from the appreciation of literature. And from the practice of organizing my thoughts,…
December 21, 2025 at 6:35 PM
And I have never needed to use that analysis of *Tess of the d’Urbervilles* that I wrote in high school.
But I have benefited from the skills of understanding text and subtext that I learned from writing it. And from the appreciation of literature. And from the practice of organizing my thoughts,…
But I have benefited from the skills of understanding text and subtext that I learned from writing it. And from the appreciation of literature. And from the practice of organizing my thoughts,…
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
a big part of the issue surrounding the use of chatgpt/LLMs in academic research comes down to process vs. product. a lot of us know that the process of doing research matters because that's where intellectual work is done; but some "academics" and lots of techies only care about a fast product
December 21, 2025 at 2:49 PM
a big part of the issue surrounding the use of chatgpt/LLMs in academic research comes down to process vs. product. a lot of us know that the process of doing research matters because that's where intellectual work is done; but some "academics" and lots of techies only care about a fast product
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
This is the sweetest thing and I hope they keep hanging out periodically
December 20, 2025 at 10:31 PM
This is the sweetest thing and I hope they keep hanging out periodically
Great rebuttal to Matt Yglesias’s opinion piece.
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Great rebuttal to Matt Yglesias’s opinion piece.
Reposted by Rev. Dr. Everett Howe
You also seemingly have no idea what awful things AI is capable of in the wrong hands, considering you gave the Internet a picture of your daughter. Do you have any experience dealing with pedophiles on the Internet? Because I do. I don’t want any child to live that nightmare, but AI’s made it easy.
December 20, 2025 at 9:39 PM
You also seemingly have no idea what awful things AI is capable of in the wrong hands, considering you gave the Internet a picture of your daughter. Do you have any experience dealing with pedophiles on the Internet? Because I do. I don’t want any child to live that nightmare, but AI’s made it easy.
Maybe you should meet more people.
December 20, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Maybe you should meet more people.