Thanks to the History Channel I discovered that on April 12, 1633: Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei [went] on trial in Rome for challenging Church orthodoxy, postulating that the Earth revolves around the sun. Chief inquisitor Father Vincenzo Maculano da Firenzuol found Galileo guilty of heresy. The astronomer spent the remainder of his days under house … [Read more...]
Hallowing Holidays
I was raised in a Mennonite community that did not observe Halloween. From its roots to its current form, we saw nothing compelling or good about it. We gave treats to oddly arrayed children on our doorstep, but we never dressed up, never went out, and did our best not to support the holiday financially or emotionally. I didn't really care; my mom didn't let us kids eat much … [Read more...]
Assessing Thomson’s Defense of Abortion
Does the personhood of foetuses give them right to life? Does that right to life override women’s rights to control what happens in and to their bodies? In A Defense of Abortion, Judith Jarvis Thomson argued that even if we grant that foetuses are persons and thus have a right to life, it does not follow that they have the right to use the pregnant women’s bodies. Thomson's … [Read more...]
Council of Nicea (325 AD)
[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: The first ecumenical Council of Nicea was called by Emperor Constantine (the Great, or the First) around 20May or 19June to circa 25Aug 325. The primary issue was over the Arian heresy. We have the 20 canons … [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...]
"I'm OK you're not OK" – Understanding religious exclusivism
Christians claim that Jesus spoke the truth about God. Jesus, in turn, claimed “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:7 NIV). This certainly comes across as very exclusive. Jesus, however, founded just one of many world religions. Can we take his exclusive claims seriously? Doesn’t the great plurality of world religions … [Read more...]
Living Sacrifice's "Nietzsche's Madness": Metal and the Moral Argument
Living Sacrifice, a four piece metal band from Arkansas, has been around for the past two decades. One of the first openly Christian bands to gain acceptance and popularity in both the Christian and secular markets, the band has never been the one to play for safe lyrical topics or themes - some having potent apologetic content. … [Read more...]
Elysium: Fighting For Paradise
According to Brittanica Online, "Elysium, also called Elysian Fields or Elysian Plain, in Greek mythology, originally the paradise to which heroes on whom the gods conferred immortality were sent... In Homer’s writings the Elysian Plain was a land of perfect happiness at the end of the earth.. In the earlier authors, only those specially favored by the gods entered Elysium and … [Read more...]
So-called pseudogenes are not Junk
Yesterday I came across this interesting article in the journal RNA on the subject of pseudogenes. The majority of scientific papers I read typically would be of no interest to the average person. This one however sparked my interest because of its relationship to a number of exciting areas. Not just in science, but also in theology and religion. This paper (titled … [Read more...]
Are You Committed To Truth?
In so many of my interactions with people, I have found that they have already made a commitment one way or the other to certain worldviews and are looking for intellectual reasons to either maintain that commitment or escape another commitment. I know people who are ready to accept any worldview except for X and others who are committed to accepting any form of worldview Y. … [Read more...]