Ideas are powerful. Some ideas are so coercive that they can transform our entire worldview. The Galatians had been “running well” (Gal. 5:7). However, they fell under the influence of a powerful, coercive idea. Along with trusting Christ, the Galatians succumbed to the belief that they had to also become Jews and follow the law in order to be saved. Rather than contributing … [Read more...]
Analytical Apologetics: AA for the Inebriated Mind
“Don’t be surprised to find out that there are atheists and agnostics in your midst,” Ted said to me. He'd been railing against the evils of organized religion. I got the impression he expected some kind of shocked reaction from me. But he didn't get one. He’d already said he was a humanist, and I knew the two kind of go together. Besides, I’m not horrified over atheists. I … [Read more...]
Can Religion Be Tested for Truth?
Most of the time, I'm not too fond of using the term "religion". I normally prefer to use "worldview" because it is more clear about what all a belief-system entails. However, for this post, I will use the term common for the question posed in the title: Can religion be tested for truth? Many years ago, I would not have even thought to ask if religion can be tested for truth. … [Read more...]
Cataloguing the Historical Anachronisms in the Qur'an
Muslim apologists often contend that the Qur'an is free, in its entirity, from contradiction, inconsistency or historical inaccuracy. I have seen many Muslims assert that the historical and scientific accuracy of the Qur'an was what impressed them about this book and convinced them that Islam is true. Previously on this blog, I have addressed Muhammad's wildly inaccurate … [Read more...]
Book Review: Sam Harris' Lying
“The 9th commandment defended” is my four words review of Sam Harris’ 26 paged book “Lying”. Harris succeeded to convince me “that lying, even about the smallest matters, needlessly damages personal relationships and public trust”. Harris is simply at his best in this noteworthy essay to which I, as a Christian theist, do concur with him in all areas but one major issue, namely … [Read more...]
God Controls Everything–Good and Bad
If everything God does is GOOD, and if God controls EVERYTHING, then it would be BAD had one less child been gassed in Auschwitz. -Greg Boyd’s Twitter Status It was quite a while ago but when I read Dr. Boyd’s status I was very intrigued. I believe open theists deserve a seat at the table of discussion and despite my view that I think they’re wrong, their arguments are … [Read more...]
Zombies, Meth, and Games With Thrones
Two of the most popular current television shows are also two of the most grim: AMC's "Breaking Bad" and "The Walking Dead." If you want to go for a really depressing TV trifecta, throw in "Game of Thrones," which is not yet as grim as it’s going to be. Trust me. All three of these stories come from brilliant people with amazing talent. (I saw Vince Gilligan of "Breaking … [Read more...]
18 Questions: An Invitation to My Atheist Friends
As a worldview, can atheism, naturalism, and materialism answer some of most fundamental questions of human experience? If a worldview cannot produce a sufficient explanation to the wide variety of phenomena and realities that humans observe in this universe, if it has little or no explanatory power or explanatory scope, it should be abandoned in favor of another worldview. I … [Read more...]
Is Abortion Justifiable in the Hard Cases? Part I
Now we get to the really tough questions about abortion. Can we justify abortion in the really hard cases? Some might say that certain situations are so bad that even if we grant that the preborn are full human persons, we should still allow abortions to be legal, either for the sake of the woman or because it is assumed that a child would not want to grow up in one of these … [Read more...]
Why Are Christians So Crazy?
Depending on where you grow up or currently live, it is possible that all or nearly all the Christians that you know strike you as crazy. For instance, they might: Be opposed to science Be hypocritical Make racist or sexist comments … [Read more...]