Theologian and Christian apologist Francis Schaeffer believed that the arts (music, paintings, drama, movies, etc.) reflected the true inner philosophy and beliefs of a society. This being the case, it was not uncommon to find him lecturing in his Swiss L’Abri community not only on the teachings of Christ but on topics such as the metaphysics of the rock group Led … [Read more...]
Moral Ontology And Metaethics
The argument from morality is an argument for the existence of God which explores the metaethical basis of moral rules, in particular their ontological basis. In order to better understand the argument and whether or not it is successful it is important that theists and atheists have a clear concept of what metaethics is and the different positions that philosophers have held. … [Read more...]
Do Any Atheists Live In A Moral Vacuum?
Can an atheist really be good without God? This seems to be an age old question and something organizations like the Illini Secular Student Alliance (ISSA) would have you believe with billboards and advertisements to boot. Well, what does God think? Does God agree with this sentiment that someone can be good while not believing in Him? Psalm 53:1 says, “The fool hath said in … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God – Morality 3
If you asked me when I was an atheist what I thought about serial killers, I would have said they were terrible people. If you asked me what I thought about child abusers, same answer – terrible people. If you asked me what I thought about my doing whatever I wanted to do even if other people thought it was wrong, different answer. What I did was my business. However, that came … [Read more...]
Atheism, Humans and Robots
The standard disclaimer: I am not speaking about or attacking atheists. Instead, my goal is to rationally work through the logical implications of the atheistic worldview. (Please notice how I define atheism). My conclusion is that, if atheism is true, then we need to re-imagine how we understand human beings. … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God – Morality 2
The journey from atheism to theism is different for each person who makes it. My journey began with science, then made a turn onto the path of ethics and morality. Webster’s Dictionary defines ethics as “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation.” Webster’s defines morality as “a moral discourse, statement, or lesson, a doctrine or … [Read more...]
The Promissory Metaphysics of Thomas Nagel: A Review of Mind and Cosmos
A review of Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False by Thomas Nagel I didn’t expect to write this review. In fact, I didn’t know when I would get around to reading this book. When a book is reviewed by the likes of William Dembski and Alvin Plantinga, what could a poor schlub like myself have to offer? Possibly not … [Read more...]
That pesky sense of oughtness
Science has done an admirable job of exploring and describing the processes and functions of the things I see around me. I am not an astrophysicist but because of advances in science, it is possible for me to know more about the composition and operation of stars than the best scientist of several hundred years ago. We have made tremendous progress in our understanding of the … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God – Morality
As an atheist I cared little for "morality." In fact, how others saw morality was often something I had to overcome to get what I wanted in life. So, when Christians who talked with me about the existence of God brought up the "law of morality," it wasn't something I was interested in discussing - at first. … [Read more...]
Step One of Using Pop Culture as a Community Apologist: The "Aha!" Moment
I am convinced that one of the easiest things to do as a Community Apologist is to use pop culture to demonstrate that everyone, everywhere (with the exception of the odd sociopath) has a moral intuition. And once people agree that this intuition exists, the conversation can then turn to why it exists and where it comes from. One of the commenters on my last post asked if I … [Read more...]