I’m in the process of getting a Master’s in Philosophy. Right now, I’m taking a class on thesis writing and we’re working through the process of choosing a topic. Since I attend a Christian University, most, if not all, of the students are Christian. The thesis, however, as my professor said, has to be “purely philosophical.” In this case, “purely philosophical” means that it … [Read more...]
The Unembodied Person Objection Answered
One of the objections I've run across in speaking with atheists is the idea that God cannot exist because he's an unembodied mind. All of our experience dictates that persons cannot exist apart from bodies; if the God of traditional theism exists, he is both personal and an unembodied mind; hence, God cannot exist. So any arguments made from natural theology -- the moral … [Read more...]
"A New Kind of Christian" Critique – Part 1
(A three-part series critiquing Brian McLaren's book, A New Kind of Christian) Brian McLaren relays a story of two individuals on a spiritual journey in an attempt to parallel his own experience as a pastor who has become disenchanted with Christianity. His own crisis of faith led him to two alternatives: either practice a version of Christianity that he had reservations … [Read more...]
11 Objections to the Kalam Cosmological Argument
The Kalam Cosmological Argument is one of the most popular cosmological arguments around today. The argument is fairly straightforward, and enjoys intuitive support. It goes like this: “Whatever begins to exist had a cause; the universe began to exist; therefore, the universe had a cause.” The argument has several common objections, and eleven of them are listed here, along … [Read more...]
The Pride of Claiming Christianity Is True for All People
How could I, as a white American living in 2013 be so pompous as claim to know that Christianity is true for all cultures, ethnicities, languages, places, and times? Recently I found myself struggling with this question. I feel guilty even thinking that I could be so prideful as to make that claim. At first glance, it's a valid concern. However, inspecting the underlying … [Read more...]
Eternal Cosmos Is Dead, Don’t Tell Stenger
A retired elementary particle physicist Victor J. Stenger, contrary to contemporary cosmology, still stands firm in a possibility of eternal universe. In his talk given on November 7th 2012 at the Boulder Socrates Café, “How Can Something Come From Nothing?”, Stenger echoed Bertrand Russell’s 1948’s objection rose in a debate with Frederick C. Copleston while discussing the … [Read more...]
When Christian Reform Met Classical Theory
Have you ever been called a “Flat-Earther,” or compared with the Catholic Church persecuting Galileo? Well, no matter how inaccurate these ad hominem attacks are, they still can be damaging. It is a foregone conclusion in many circles of Academia that Christian thought is the enemy of scientific rationality. However, I would love to ask the question, “Where did scientific … [Read more...]
Mature, gracious debater
Debates are inherently confrontational, right? The entire point is to make your opponent look like an idiot by puffing yourself up, isn't it? Debates certainly do serve a different purpose than run-of-the-mill conversations, but even within a debate setting it is certainly possible to engage in a reasoned and compelling defence of one's own perspective without denigrating one's … [Read more...]
Genocide and the God of the Old Testament
Many people take issue with the idea that God commanded the Jewish nation to initiate war against the Canaanites, ordering them to wipe them out and take their land for their own. Not only have some people rejected Christianity over this, but it has even spurred some Christians to leave the faith. Are the critics of the Old Testament and Christianity in general correct when … [Read more...]
Rabbis, Skeptics, and the Suffering Messiah
On the day of His resurrection, two disciples were dragging themselves, “faces downcast,” towards a village called Emmaus. They suddenly found that they were joined by another, but “they were kept from recognizing Him.” Not knowing that this was their Lord, they confessed their profound disappointment to Him: “We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” … [Read more...]