As part of my exploration of new approaches to apologetics, I’ve been reading through Clifford Williams’ book Existential Reasons for Belief in God. So far, the hardest thing about understanding Williams’ thesis has been getting my head around the difference between an evidential argument for faith that uses needs as evidence of God and the existential argument for faith which … [Read more...]
Kant's Critique of Anselm: Can Existence be a Predicate?
One of the most famous (and supposedly devastating) criticisms of Anselm’s ontological argument comes from Immanuel Kant. It is virtually undisputed by those who mention the argument. One hears this criticism even on the Internet. In nearly every instance in which I have encountered this objection, an explanation is never provided. What is this criticism, and what does it … [Read more...]
The Myth that the Bible is a Myth
Rice Broock's recent opinion piece on FoxNews speaks about the strong popularity of the History Channel’s “Bible” miniseries and describes how it has once again unearthed the debate over whether the events chronicled in Scripture are history or fiction. Atheists and skeptics have consistently answered that question with the assertion that the Bible is nothing more than a … [Read more...]
Apologetic Character
“God is just an invention that humans created to deal with the harsh realities of the world.” A statement like that began several weeks of my college Sociology professor giving his apologetic for atheism. “If you believe in God, you need to leave it at the door. God is not welcomed in scientific inquiry.” As a psychology major and a Christian, it was difficult to know how to … [Read more...]
Is Religion a Negative Force in the World?
It's common for the nonreligious to claim that religion is to blame for all of the negativity in the world: wars, overpopulation, ignorance of science, bad parenting, and so on. Religion is a terrible, horrible thing they contend and is fit only for elimination. After that, the world can go on. But is religion as horrible as these folks claim? A user at ThinkAtheist named … [Read more...]
Case For Atheism: Incompatibility of Bodiless Person?
In Philo, the Society of Humanist Philosophers published journal of Philosophy, Theodore M. Drange presented 10 incompatible properties arguments against the existence of God. In this article I explored Drange’s 7th argument, namely the incompatibility of a nonphysical person. Drange outlined “The Nonphysical-vs.-Personal Argument” as follows: If God exists, then he is … [Read more...]
Who Is Your Daddy And What Does He Do? Part 1
Who do you imagine God Almighty to be? The common view of God is that He is an old man with a long, flowing white beard in long robes; and if you thought of that, congratulations, you just thought of Zeus from Greek mythology. The modern-day version of God in the public consciousness is a representation given to us by the Greeks and their influence on Christian iconography in … [Read more...]
When was Jesus born?
The question of Jesus’ birth date has long been scrutinized in relation to Herod’s death and Luke’s census. This article draws heavily on the research done by Andrew E. Steinmann as it relates to Herod’s death, and the governor of Syria, which coincides with the astrological phenomenon seen by the Wise Men, as well as the in-depth study by Glen Miller of A Christian Thinktank … [Read more...]
Sho Baraka, The Gospel, And N**** Island
I wrote in my review of Sho Baraka's Talented 10th about the song "Chapter 9: Jim Crow", a song that featured several unedited use of the word "n*****". A few months have passed since the album dropped but now Sho Baraka is starting to get some heat for this controversial stance. Several bloggers have weighed in with their opinions about the controversial song, some supporting … [Read more...]
The Strange Story of Dr. Kermit Gosnell and the National Press
"Why isn't the national press reporting about the Gosnell trial?" Several of my friends on Facebook asked that question recently. Here was my quick response to one of them. … [Read more...]