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A 21st Century Rationalist in Medieval America: Essays on Religion, Science, Morality, and the Bush Administration

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Good writing needs clarity and passion. These essays by John Bice have both in abundance. Whether he is discussing religions in general---"In reality, mainstream unsupported beliefs (such as Christianity) are in no way objectively superior to the equally unsupported beliefs of fringe groups."---or the role of religious ideology in American government--- "Imagine how disturbing it would be if our own government habitually pushed dogmatic ideology over scientific facts. Well, prepare to be disturbed."---he brings a voice to our national conversation about religions and their role in public life that is authentic and refreshing.

A 21st Century Rationalist in Medieval America is a collection of opinion pieces written by Bice for The State News, which serves Michigan State University and the community of East Lansing, Michigan, along with a few guest columns he contributed to the Lansing State Journal. The columns were written between 2002 and 2006 and cover a variety of subjects including religion, science, morality and politics, approaching them all from a perspective that is rational and liberal.

An unapologetic atheist, Bice writes that he had been convinced of the waning influence of religions. However, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and a presentation on the impact of fundamentalist religion on science education at around the same time, galvanized him to an awareness of the dangers posed by fundamentalist religions. That awareness, in turn, prompted him to begin writing the opinion columns that make up the body of this work.

Following a preface in which he lays out the circumstances that led to the creation of the book and an introduction in which he sets the stage for what follows, Bice has organized the material thematically into sections containing from three to ten essays. He begins with a chapter on "Weird Beliefs" and concludes with one titled "Iraq War, Media & Patriotism." Each chapter begins with a selection of related quotations from a variety of sources and an illustration by Mike Ramsey, who also created a very attractive cover for the book.

Here, readers will find a front row seat from which to view the culture wars and an arsenal of arguments for those who want to be more actively engaged in the fray. Bice documents his opinions with fact and cites his sources. He writes with energy and candor, pulling no punches and sparing no sacred cows. While endorsing the "rights of conscience" of all, he does not hesitate to identify nonsense as nonsense and treat it accordingly.

One of the charms of a collection like this is that the reader gets to witness the by-play between columnist and audience. Bice frequently cites letters to the editor or emails that are reactions to previous columns and uses them as springboards for a further exploration. This gives the pieces a conversational quality that is most welcome in an age of jargon and hype. Since each essay is relatively short, it's easy to stop and think about what you've read or pause before going on to the next. This is a book that can be read in one sitting or a little bit at a time, depending upon the reader's schedule and inclination.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that, although I haven't met the author, I was given the opportunity to read an electronic version of this book and to write a blurb, which you'll find on the inside, before it went to press. I was enthusiastic about the book then. Now that I've bought a copy and read it again, I recommend it without reservation. A 21st Century Rationalist in Medieval America is a good read and a worthwhile addition to any library.

On John Bice's A 21st Century Rationalist in Medieval American: Essays on Religion, Science, Morality and the Bush Administration. Langsburg, Michigan: Chelydra Bay Press, 2007. 215 pp.



Bice's writing is clear and well reasoned and the general tone is engaging. Bice's takedown of religious fatuousness can be downright funny. Consider his description of a "faith-based anti-missile system" or "prayer-assisted air traffic control" not to mention "Prayer -Powered Sewage Treatment," all dependant for function solely on the supplications of the faithful.

In developing his thesis of a medieval mindset in contemporary society, Bice notes that we live in a time of when "faith-based" initiatives take a wrecking ball to Mr. Jefferson's constitutional wall of separation between church and state, when a born-again president terms his misbegotten war a "crusade" and in communities where half the citizens affirm that God created humans 10,000 years ago. Further examples include pharmacists refusing to dispense medicines that offend their religious scruples, e.g. the Wisconsin Christian pharmacist who refused to either fill a woman's birth control prescription or to transfer it to another pharmacy. Then there is the case of the "Several Imax theaters, including some in science museums, are refusing to show movies that mention evolution--or the Big Bang or the geology of the earth--fearing protests from people who object to films that contradict Biblical descriptions of the origin of the Earth and its creatures. This reader particularly appreciated the careful sourcing and footnoting which adds authority and substance to the author's perspective.

The series of essays that make up this work originally appeared as newspaper columns in The State News. In them he comments on topics to include Biblical inerrancy, Intelligent Design to Raelian beliefs and Scientology to Bush administration's "Faith-Based" policies and such religiopolitical wedge issues as gay marriage.

Mr. Bice's work, written primarily for "a mainstream, largely Christian readership" is a valuable work in both creating a sense of community among rationalists and in counterbalancing the irrational affirmations in which U.S. society is immersed. Bice self-describes his writing as confrontational, acerbic and blunt. It could just as well be termed refreshing, accessible, worthwhile, and achingly honest.

Free lance journalist John Bice is a graduate of Michigan State University.







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Bice is masterful. In my career as a lawyer and writer, I have come to loath many written works in this arena because they are simply to convoluted to endure. Bice's writing style is clean, witty, incisive and to the point. He also makes so much sense I found it hard to drop his book, even at 2am!

Michigan State University's John Bice provides one of the most compelling voices in the "new atheist" movement in America. His columns, collected here along with additional edits, are thought-provoking, well-researched, and meticulously annotated. And did I mention that his columns are frequently full of black humor in the style of Mark Twain and George Orwell? As James Randi says on the back cover, "This will provide you with many arguing points..." While atheism isn't likely to win many converts in "Medieval America" (as Bice puts it), this is a book that will help many atheists articulate their positions and find their voices.

Brilliant. John Bice is able to succinctly state things in a way that makes total sense. Essential reading for anyone concerned with the illogic and moral wrongness of church involvement in politics.

Truly enjoyable collection of op-ed type articals about a broad range of topics familiar to skeptics, rationalists, atheists and freethinkers, just very well presented. Loads of quotes you want to hang on to.
A book that gets you going back to reread parts and leaving you wishing for more.

I am a retired scientist, a conservative person with a strong libertarian bent, politically independent, and an agnostic. Although I agree with most of the points the author makes in this book, he does not always present "fair and balanced" arguments. I made the mistake of buying this book without reading the sub-title "Essays on Religion, Science, Morality, and the Bush Administration". The words "Bush Adminisration" would have warned me. The author admits to being a liberal, and some people might say that he is part of the "extreme" left. Well, I just wish that the author had presented all of his views in a more open, civil and honest fashion. Sure, I too think that president Bush has been harmful to our country, but why refer to him in misleading and sometimes dishonest ways? In one of his first references to Bush, the author does not even mention his name but simply calls him "our Supreme Court-appointed president". On another page the author writes "Al Gore won Florida in 2000". Chapters IX and X are largely a diatribe on president Bush and his Republican administration, chapters in which the author draws some questionable conclusions, chapters with several misleading and sarcastic comments, such as the expression "the warmongering Republicans". Such open hostility almost makes me believe that one Fox News anchor is correct when he says that some liberals are motivated by sheer hatred of president Bush. I note that the author clearly dislikes Fox News, once referring to the "disinformation specialists at Fox News". Although I myself do not think that Fox News is always "fair and balanced", the author of this book is not always "fair and balanced" either. An an example, the author devotes almost 2 pages denouncing religious groups because they object to the use of an HPV vaccine which he says is effective against cervical cancer. The author says that religious groups do not like sex-related vaccines and recoil at any possibility of "preventing or eliminating sexually-transmitted diseases", thus leaving the reader to wonder what the actual connection is between a vaccine which helps prevent a cancer and sex. The author makes no mention of the fact that the vaccine is effective against dozens of types of HPV viruses which are only transmitted by sexual activity, including some types which can cause cervical cancer. And these religious groups do not like sexual activity outside of marriage. I agree with the author that the religious groups' denunciation of this vaccine is a bad thing, but why didn't the author give the simple detail of the sexual connection, as I just did? And I was put off by his writing on page 73 when he says that the United States "have committed acts of violence that were as inappropriate and excessive as Communist regimes". Really? Well, that is one of the points with which I strongly disagree. I'm afraid to say that I found a bit too much irrationality in this book, especially in the last chapters.
For books which make a more open and civil argument against religion, I recommend "godless" by Dan Barker, "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins and "The End of Faith" by Sam Harris.