Many philosophers throughout the course of religious history have drawn upon proofs and evidences to suggest that the existence evil and suffering undermines theistic belief. For instance, William L. Rowe in his argument in An Exchange on the Problem of Evil [1] first asks, “Do the evils that occur in our world significantly lower the likelihood of God’s existence?” [2] … [Read more...]
Ask the Alliance: Would Moses have stoned the woman caught in adultery?
:::Ask the Alliance Question #2::: Liam Baker asks: If Moses was in the crowd in John 8v1-11, when the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus, would he have stoned the woman? The law saying that a woman caught in adultery should be stoned to death, came through Moses. Below you will find first the officially submitted answers, followed by a more … [Read more...]
Are Natural Disasters a Judgment from God?
“If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is, ‘God is crying,’ And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is, ‘Probably because of something you did.’” (Jack Handy, Deep Thoughts, 1992) Whenever America recovers from yet another massive natural disaster – or “act of God,” in insurance company lingo - the inevitablequestion … [Read more...]
European Witch Hunts and the Christian Church: The Conclusion
Today's post is the third and final installment of a series, but it can be read as a stand-alone article. For more background information, you can find the first installment HERE and the second HERE. Was the Church Ultimately Responsible for the Horrors of the European Witch Hunts? There are many different theories about the root causes of the European witch hunts. Some … [Read more...]
Book Review: Chosen But Free
One of the major debates in Christianity is the relationship between God's sovereignty and man's free will. Many people interpret the two to be at odds. Each side believes that the other side will result in compromising some essential doctrine of the faith. I wish I were immune to such a debate, but I'm not. I have found myself in the middle of it; not debating for one side or … [Read more...]
God’s Omnipotence and Problem of Evil
“A wholly good omnipotent being," contended J. L. Mackie, “would eliminate evil completely; if there really are evils, then there cannot be any such being.” (Mackie 1982: 150) Is it necessarily true that a wholly good omnipotent being who is able eliminate evil, would eliminate evil? Is it necessarily true that a wholly good omnipotent being who cannot prevent pain and … [Read more...]
Ask the Alliance: What about those who have never heard?
:::Ask the Alliance Question #1::: Question submitted by Samuel: What happens to an individual who has never heard of Christianity or God at death? One CAA member submitted simply this verse: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things … [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...]
The Problem of Evil: Impact of theology. Part 3 of 3
Part 1 Part 2 The Impact of Theology (The rest of this article is a bit of an aside over the internal debate between Calvinism and Arminianism within Christianity, but is pertinent to the problem of evil discussion.) A bit more should probably be said about the debate within Christianity between the Calvinist and Arminian views (while noting that either thwart the atheist’s … [Read more...]
The Problem of Evil: Is it a problem? Part 2 of 3
Part 1 Is it a problem? Evil is certainly a challenge for anyone, including Christians, to answer sufficiently. However, we can show that it potentially fits within the Christian worldview, and I believe it fits well (especially compared to other worldviews). In other words, it is a challenge, but I don’t think it is ultimately a problem. Remember, while you as a Christian … [Read more...]