Recently, I was discussing the evidences for God’s existence and the Resurrection of Jesus with a Christian college student. In response to my apologetic approach, he asked if I provided this many evidences, where was room for faith? A recent visiting speaker to our church mentioned that she had taken theology and apologetics classes, but she “wasn’t good at all this stuff.” … [Read more...]
Do We Have a Soul? (Conclusion)
(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) (I conclude my case for the soul) Two last objections to the existence of the soul are related to science. First, the predominant scientific theory of origins is evolutionary theory; in that we are the product of wholly physical processes through chance and time. On this view there is no room (or need) for immaterial substances. On strict … [Read more...]
Do We Have a Soul (Part 3)
(Part 1, Part 2) (I continue the case for the soul and some objections to the view) The last philosophical argument for substance dualism concerns the nature of free will. Advocates of libertarian free will (as the model of human action) affirm that intentional action is the exercising of a first or originating mover to bring about some effect for a reason. This view … [Read more...]
Do We Have a Soul (Part 2)
(Part 1) (In this part, I continue the case for the soul using philosophical arguments) Not only is theology a valid realm for knowledge, but philosophy can provide insight into the nature of the soul. The first philosophical argument for substance dualism I will outline pertains to whether mental states are physical, i.e. whether our conscious properties (such as thinking … [Read more...]
Do We Have a Soul? (Part 1)
Up until the last two centuries, the vast majority of people (philosophers, theologians and laypersons) have believed in the existence of the soul. The legacy of this view stretches from philosophers such as Socrates and Plato (who both considered the soul as the essence of a person) to Aristotle (whose virtue ethics explained morality as the character development of the soul) … [Read more...]
"The Da Vinci Code" Critique – Final
Conclusion to my series of blog about "The Da Vinci Code". (Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3) The last area to focus on is Brown’s claims that attack the orthodox understanding of Christianity’s origins, specifically surrounding Constantine and the Council at Nicaea. Brown’s character, Teabing, professes that Constantine “was a lifelong pagan who was baptized on his deathbed”[1] and … [Read more...]
"The Da Vinci Code" Critique – Part 3
(I continue my critique of Dan Brown's book - See Part 1 and Part 2) Brown’s second attack on Christianity is the claim that Jesus was not divine, nor claimed to be divine. Teabing alleges that in the 4th century Constantine, for business and political reasons, decided to adopt Christianity as the official church religion. He shifted the day of worship from Saturday to … [Read more...]
"The Da Vinci Code" Critique – Part 2
(I continue the critique form Part 1) This brings us to the primary contention by Dan Brown taken from Holy Blood, Holy Grail – that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. According to Brown’s character Teabing, “the marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is part of the historic record.”[i] His proof of this is two-fold. One, because Jesus was a Jew, the obligation was that he … [Read more...]
"The Da Vinci Code" Critique – Part 1
Note: Although I don't hear as much about "The Da Vinci Code" since its release several years ago, I do hear assertions derived from the gnostic gospels... this critique addresses both the book and gnostic sources, so I believe it is still relevant. Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code begins with the murder of the curator of the Louvre museum in Paris, Jacques Sauniere. As he is … [Read more...]
"A New Kind of Christian" Critique – Final
Part 1 - Part 2 Although the Bible is not a philosophy book, it does presuppose some ideas about truth which fit foundationalism better than postmodern epistemology. Passage after passage are clear that truth is what corresponds to reality, rather than making truth relative to a linguistic community. Here is a minor sampling: … [Read more...]