Christians are generally cool people. I like Christians. I’m actually one of them. And yet, sometimes they can say the darndest things. Christianity is arguably the most thought-out faith in existence. The number of philosophers, theologians, and thinkers that have shaped, not only Christianity, but the whole of Western thinking, is beyond the count. Despite this, the number of … [Read more...]
Are We Ready to Deny Objective Morality? 3 Implications of Doing So…
The idea that we’re living in a culture of relativism seems to be uncontested and accepted without question. Post-modernists and relativists assume that we've progressed past the rigid constraints of ‘truth’, ‘falsity’, ‘reason’, and other oppressive concepts that actually undergird the fabric of rationality in the universe. However, I’m not convinced that we are truly living … [Read more...]
Can Science Answer All Questions?
In the movie Contact? Ellie told her father that she loved him, but she couldn't prove it scientifically. That’s because science can't do that sort of thing. Science can't show that two people love each other. Science is simply a tool that we utilize to uncover facts about the observable universe. So here’s a fun fact: Science is not omniscient. It cannot answer all our … [Read more...]
Richard Dawkins and the 'Absence of Belief'
Richard Dawkins and the New Atheists have popularized the idea that atheism, contrary to other positions, is not a belief; it is simply ‘the absence of belief’ in God or a supreme being. It almost sounds esoteric. Theists believe that God exists and atheists merely lack that belief. Well, on that view, my Chevy is just as much of an atheist as Richard Dawkins, for it, too, … [Read more...]
Is Morality Objective?
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The first principle of value that we need to rediscover is this: that all reality hinges on moral foundations. In other words, that this is a moral universe, and that there are moral laws of the universe just as abiding as the physical laws.(1)” He helped build the Civil Rights movement upon these moral laws: whites are not superior to blacks and … [Read more...]
5 Common Objections to the Moral Argument
The Moral Argument for the existence of God has been graced with a long tradition of defense from theistic (and atheistic!) philosophers and thinkers throughout the history of Western thought...and a long tradition of misunderstandings and objections by even some of the most brilliant minds. To be fair, the argument is not always as intuitive as theists like to think it is. … [Read more...]
The Moral Objection to Miracles
In New York, on March 3, 1964 at 3:15am, Kitty Genovese was attacked, raped, and killed after driving home from work. Her neighbors heard her screams and did nothing. They could have easily saved her from suffering, rape, and death. It would have taken, at most, a few seconds to call the police. Was that too much to ask for? By having not intervened, they seem to be partially, … [Read more...]
If All Religions are True then God is Cruel
In 2003, the short-film Most made its way onto the big screen. A brilliantly moving piece of cinema, the film tells the story of a single father who lives with his son in the Czech Republic. The pair share simple yet content lives together. The father works as a bridge engineer—he was responsible for raising and lowering a massive draw-bridge that allowed ships and trains to … [Read more...]
Why do you call me good?
In the Gospels, a rich, young man approached Jesus and said to him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus gave the infamous reply, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." This story is found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke; critics of Jesus' claims to deity often use it as ammunition in their case for a non-divine Jesus. It seems, they … [Read more...]
Top 5 Silly Statements I was Told in College
If you ever want a good laugh, just visit a college campus and listen in on some random conversations. The weirdest topics are discussed. Let's face it. Lots of dumb things are heard on college campuses. Most come from the mouths of arrogant undergrad students who think they know everything, but they're not the only ones...Sometimes professors take the cake! Especially when it … [Read more...]