Roundup: Melancholia, science and belief, black theology, anti-gambling

Melancholia and the meaning of life

The world may be popularly predicted to end in 2012 but that’s not soon enough for Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier, whose latest film Melancholia spectacularly finishes off earth and all life on it.

Where do ‘sacred’ values live in the brain?

What role does science play in what we believe and in how we understand belief?

The new black theology

The new theology reminds us that it was a mistake to call black theology “black theology” in the first place. Consistency at least would have required that European theology equally bear the burden of qualifications (“colonising theology”).

Pastor’s anti-gambling prayer criticised as political

A statehouse prayer landed a US Baptist pastor in the middle of a controversy over a proposal to bring casino gambling to Kentucky.