Introduction Jewish people and even some skeptics like to assert that Christians are the ones who have come up with two act play about the coming of the Messiah. In other words, since Jesus failed at the messianic task, Christians then had no choice but to make up a second coming of Jesus. I already have a post called “Was Jesus a Failed Prophet?” here. While there is much … [Read more...]
Creation Ex Materia?
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”[i] From this and other passages, the Bible tells us that God created all things ex nihilo (out of nothing) and orthodox Christianity has always interpreted these verses this way. In other words, God did not use any pre-existing material, but rather the space/time universe came into being simply by divine fiat. But, … [Read more...]
Mere Christianity | Why the ‘Christian’ God?
[This post is a work in progress as part of the CAA Catechism.] [Add the title only in the title field, not in the body of the post.] Summary in 400 words or less: While much diversity exists within Christendom, there is a great deal of agreement and unity over primary issues. Focusing on the unity, the three great branches of the church (Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, … [Read more...]
Richard Dawkins Helps Answer Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens, in his Introduction to the Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever, has a witty counter to those who claim that religious people are especially good: My own response has been to issue a challenge: name me an ethical statement made or an action performed by a believer that could not have been made or performed by a non-believer. As yet, I … [Read more...]
Reza Aslan's Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
Guest post by Dan Barkman. Reza Aslan's recent foray into the historical Jesus debate has certainly been provocative. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth has become a New York Times best seller and has predictably engendered a good deal of controversy. Aslan attempts to revive the thesis of the eighteenth century scholar Herman Reimarus who argued that Jesus is … [Read more...]
Black 'Heart' Friday Shopping!
Thanksgiving is a wonderful tradition where we are able to give thanks (to God) for all that we have been blessed with, especially family and friends. The following day, Black Friday, is an over-excessive nationwide shopping spree in the US, paying homage to the gods of materialism and ourselves, stuffing our lives full of typically unnecessary merchandise with money that we … [Read more...]
Review: Boghossian's A Manual for Creating Atheists
The atheist Twitter-sphere has been abuzz over Peter Boghossian’s A Manual for Creating Atheists, and regular readers here know that I’ve been eagerly anticipating its publication. It came out almost two weeks ahead of its announced Nov. 1 release. I’d like to say I was happy about that, but I’m not. A Few Words of Appreciation—But Only a Few It’s not that I’m completely … [Read more...]
Evaluating Jehovah’s Witnesses
[This post is a work in progress as part of the CAA Catechism.] [Add the title only in the title field, not in the body of the post.] Summary in 400 words or less: History of the Watchtower Organization The belief system of the organization called the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, otherwise known as Jehovah’s Witnesses, can trace their origins to the Adventist … [Read more...]
Darwin and the Hunger Games
The Hunger Games and Philosophy provides an excellent springboard from which to dive into some key themes in this incredibly popular trilogy. Abigail Mann's contribution, “Competition and Kindness: The Darwinian World of the Hunger Games,” offers some insight into how this series looks when viewed through the lens of Darwinian theory. I will do my best to adequately represent … [Read more...]
Pure Land Buddhism (Pseudo Buddhism)
Before delving into how a post on Pure Land Buddhism relates to Christian apologetics, let me provide a brief introduction to the history and development of thought in this ancient Buddhist philosophy. INTRODUCTION Pure Land Buddhism is a Mahayana School of Buddhism; it focuses on the attainment of nirvana through the merits of Amitabha Buddha, who is the focus of this sect. … [Read more...]