Masks and BLM activism is NOT about safety and support
We have the eye-roll-inducing misfortune of finding ourselves fully engulfed within a society where there are not one, but two major societal issues both in the headlines and in-your-face literally everywhere you go. There’s no escape. It’s 80% or more of every social media feed. They’re discussed ad nauseam in the workplace, at store counters, […]
Euphemism: A Weapon of Mass Destruction
The key to holding the minds of the masses is to control the narrative in which they are immersed. Essentially, so long as you are able to rhetorically direct people in the direction you want them to head toward, you can make them think anything. Take the recent legislation the governor of New York triumphantly […]
Religion, Gender-Dysphoria, and Truth
In my many years discussing, debating, and defending the Judeo-Christian worldview I’ve come across countless objections from all directions. Some tend to have broad appeal as a foundation but with minor differences, or angles, as it were depending on one’s worldview. Specifically, ‘it’s all in your head’ takes on many forms. From the skeptic it […]
When Optics and Demographics Trump Common Sense
Within recent years non-profit organizations have sprung up in an effort to correct what they view as a racial injustice within the nation’s judicial systems. Citing only raw demographic statistics, outfits such as the Bronx Freedom Fund makes it their mission to bail out minorities who find themselves incarcerated while awaiting a disposition on their […]
Triumphant Return…Maybe
What can I say, I still hold dear my desire to opine about all things controversial. Lucky for me, the religious, political, and social environment in which I find myself has never been juicier for thought fodder. That being said, I’m going to make an effort to begin anew here on Sifting Reality. One thing […]
Empty, but no vacancy
Although I have not maintained new content here as of the past couple years, I have not lost my desire to write..only my motivation to do so. It’s truly a shame to abandon something for which you’ve always held an affinity. Perhaps a little something to bring any readers who may still be around up […]
The point Christians defending KY clerk are missing
Kentucky city clerk Kim Davis is receiving notoriety for standing up for her sincerely held religious convictions by abstaining from issuing same sex marriage lisences. As a result she has since been jailed. This morning I awoke to social media thick with people coming to her defense. I get it. The optics suggest she is […]
10 years since Hurricane Katrina
It’s been a full decade since the hurricane of historic destruction hit land back in 2005 leaving thousands upon thousands in ruin. The event was so tragic we needed a reason, something to blame for the hurt. That reason was global warming. Of course it’s not called global warming any longer because the warming trend […]
Is this the most pivotal presidential election of your life?
A friend asked this question of me today. It brought to memory all the radio and television talk show hosts who proclaim each election cycle that “this election is the most important of your life time”. I suppose they aren’t wrong. Each new election brings new rippling consequences, all of which set policy trajectories for […]
The (A) theist Podcast
I’m currently contributing to a weekly podcast, The (A) theist Podcast. Its focus isn’t atheism as the title might suggest, but more so religious and spiritual in general. I’m the resident Christian with the other hosts who are Atheists. It’s only in the third episode, which you can find HERE. This most current episode flows […]
The transgender facade
Earlier this week headlines boasting the appointment of the first transgendered white house staffer. This shouldn’t be a surprise. Personal sexual proclivities are at the fore of our social experience right now. Those who are reluctant to be supportive of these kinds of lifestyles lament the in-your-faceness of the entire enterprise. However, there seems to […]
It’s 1984, but we are Big Brother
A video of ESPN reporter Britt McHenry is making the rounds on social and traditional media for her berating a towing company employee. I’ve seen the video, and yes, she was out of line. She was angry and pompous, reminiscent of Alec Baldwin in many ways. These kinds of videos get clicks though, people want […]
Charlie Hebdo is a rape victim
By now everyone has heard of the Muslims who exacted revenge for what they considered blasphemy of their prophet on the satire paper Charlie Hebdo. Three masked men opened fire on and killed 12 people, only some of whom were “culpable” for the alleged crime. The social media response to this wasn’t as surprising to […]
You’re not an atheist for lack of evidence
Just a quick thought. It occurred to me that the atheist who claims to be such due to lack of evidence isn’t looking deeply within himself hard enough. What I mean is, we all believe many things to be true without [sufficient] evidence to justify the belief. Now, what they might suggest is the claims […]
Free will, determinism, or something in between?
For the religious adherent, whether we are agents created by the Almighty to freely act according to our desires, or we are under His divine direction will depend on your theology. A case could be made either way I suppose. I think the Atheist has a more difficult time reconciling the determinism/free agency divide than […]
Can the Bible be impeached solely because it’s religious?
‘I can understand the frustration of the skeptic when he encounters a Christian defending his convictions by merely citing the Bible with no quantification. It frustrates me too. Why would the Christian expect the skeptic to grant the Bible the same level of authority as does the Christian? Regardless of how situationally inappropriate ‘because the Bible says…’ is, the skeptic’s objection […]
Why shouldn’t she abort?
Earlier in the week I was listening to a podcast discussion about the controversy Richard Dawkins inspired when asked what to do when pregnant with a Down Syndrome baby. His response was to abort and start over. The woman on the pro-abortion side defended the sentiment even though she said she personally thought the statement […]
Debating Abortion by TerranceH
Abortion. Abortion. Abortion. Yes, I know. We’ve debated the issue repeatedly on Sifting Reality and it always seems to end in a stalemate. Like Simic says, we pretend to be rushing off somewhere but we never get anywhere. But I’m writing this post for a friend with whom I work. He’s a recent hire, and […]
There is no default position
In any serious discussion, everyone needs to participate. All people bring an opinion into every discussion and everyone needs to support it. Most people understand this, but sometimes someone comes to the table under the impression that their view is correct by default. Some people like their worldview is ‘ground zero’, so to speak. Some of the […]
It’s not my fault you’re an Atheist
I wish I had a nickel for every time I interacted with an Atheist who who seems to be desperate to latch on to the idea that atheism is best defined as a lack of belief . It seems that they will relentlessly argue for that loose definition to no end. Moreover, these same Atheists will rarely […]
Where are the secular accounts of the life and miracles of Jesus?
When making an argument for Jesus’ reported miracles and resurrection the first place most people will turn is the Gospel accounts. These documents contain the majority of information we have on the person of Jesus though certain details can be found elsewhere. Often when citing the Gospel accounts, the skeptic will object to their use […]
Do we have a right to die?
Brittany Maynard has renewed the discussion on the ethics of assisted suicide and assisted death after she wrote an op-ed piece for CNN sharing her story about her decision to take her life early next month. Assisted suicide and assisted death are different, and I think the distinction is important, and in my opinion, shapes […]
The Ontological Argument: The most underrated argument for the existence of God
The Ontological Argument for the existence of God is perhaps one of the least satisfying arguments. I also think it’s one of the most underrated due to its complex and precise use of terms, but in my opinion, is one of the more philosophically powerful once it’s properly understood. Because it is so complex (due […]
Are your moral objections principled?
I was listening to a morning radio show which included a segment called ‘Six on Sex’. Ordinarily, a contestant (usually a young girl) is asked six very personal questions about her sex life while her father is listens to his daughter’s exploits. If he can make it through all six questions and answers without hanging […]
Pascal’s Wager and picking the correct God
Pascal’s Wager isn’t an argument for God’s existence, even though it’s often misunderstood to be one. It’s a cost benefit analysis between believing in or rejecting God. Skeptics, I believe, are far too dismissive because I don’t think its weight is realized. The wager holds no power for skeptics because “it doesn’t tell you which god, you need to […]
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