Everybody knows there are certain words that we just shouldn’t use. They are filled with hateful connotations and histories that simply cause far too much offense at their mere utterance. One of these, of course, is the “L-word.” What’s that you say? What is the “L-word?” Why, “lifestyle,” of course. According to same-sex marriage advocate and blogger Kimberly Knight, … [Read more...]
Can You Step Into Your Opponent's Shoes?
I was recently reading a discussion on Facebook about the various passages in the Bible that are used by atheists to claim that the God of the Bible is immoral. All sorts of claims swirled around. Jesus commanded us to murder children. God was a premeditated murderer. For the most part, it was a group of atheists ganging up on one or two theists, and unfortunately the only … [Read more...]
Is Naturalism Rational? The Self-Defeating Epistemology Behind Evolutionary Theories of Cognition (Part 3)
This is Part 3 in a 3 part series on evolutionary theories of cognition. This part discusses Alvin Plantinga's Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism. Part 1 examined C.S. Lewis’ Argument from Reason and part 2 covered Plantinga’s Argument from Proper Function. See Part 1 of this article here and Part 2 here. Alvin Plantinga’s Evolutionary Argument Against … [Read more...]
Is Naturalism Rational? The Self-Defeating Epistemology Behind Evolutionary Theories of Cognition (Part 2)
This is Part 2 in a 3 part series on evolutionary theories of cognition. This part discusses Alvin Plantinga's Argument from Proper Function. Part 1 examined C.S. Lewis’ Argument from Reason and part 3 will cover Plantinga’s Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism. See Part 1 of this article here. Alvin Plantinga’s Argument from Proper Function Alvin Plantinga advances two … [Read more...]
Dualistic Versus Holistic Logic?
While on Facebook recently, I came across a picture that claimed to be outlining the differences between "Linear Thinking" (also known as "dualistic logic") and "Systems Thinking (aka "holistic logic"). It was presented from the perspective of approaches to teaching. The overall message of this particular Facebook page was that our educational systems should take a holistic … [Read more...]
Is Naturalism Rational? The Self-Defeating Epistemology Behind Evolutionary Theories of Cognition (Part 1)
This is Part 1 in a 3 part series on evolutionary theories of cognition. This part discusses C.S. Lewis' Argument from Reason. Part 2 will examine Alvin Plantinga's Argument from Proper Function and part 3 will cover Plantinga's Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism. No matter how contentious an intellectual debate may appear, both parties agree on at least one thing. They … [Read more...]
Neurotheology and the New Atheists
The Neurotheological Argument Against God "Neurotheology" is a term used by Dr. Andrew Newberg to describe the relationship between the brain and religious experience. In fact, many neuroscientists have performed studies claiming to find the part of the brain responsible for religious belief and experience. One approach is to use a single-photon emission … [Read more...]
Is Pro-Choice Really Pro-Life?
I am currently reading the book “True Reason” by Tom Gilson and others (the book's official website can be found here). This isn’t a traditional apologetics book per se. Rather, it is a collection of essays by authors responding to the new atheists’ cooption of the term “reason” to describe their worldview. The contributors are not so much concerned with making an affirmative … [Read more...]
Why I am opposed to same-sex marriage
I confess that the title to this post was meant to be blunt, but please don’t think it was intended to be rude. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is an unfortunate tendency in our culture today for people to be drawn to the sensational and controversial. So I avoided the temptation to go with a more philosophical title in hopes that by being straightforward and blunt … [Read more...]
The Establishment Clause, Religious Expression and a "Christian Nation"
I personally do not care for the term “Christian Nation” because it implies a Church-State union that is contrary to the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. History teaches us that whenever religion has become politicized, it has been abused. We see this phenomenon in the history of Christianity and in many Islamic nations today. However, I also believe that … [Read more...]