For every line of evidence and reasoning a theist--Christian or otherwise--presents for God's interaction in the world (supernatural events), there is a skeptic offering an alternate interpretation or explanation. This alternate explanation is generally viewed by the skeptic as a reason to reject … [Read more...]
Not A Shred Of Evidence
January 17, 2011 by 32 Comments
What do skeptics mean when they claim to reject theism because "there isn't a shred of evidence" for the existence of God or miracles? Could it be that all humanity who has held to some conviction God exists, all did so without having any evidence their convictions were true? I am not arguing that … [Read more...]
One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others
January 12, 2011 by 6 Comments
In the previous article titled: You Are What You Eat, a woman who consumed rat poison which is believed to have led to the death of her 3 day-old child was discussed; and the implications surrounding the pro-abortion argument that "it's a woman's body...". One commenter raised this concern: "car … [Read more...]
You Are What You Eat
January 10, 2011 by 29 Comments
Indianapolis police are investigating a case of a 34 year-old woman who consumed rat poison a week before giving birth to a child who died 3 days later. The woman could face murder or attempted feticide charges. It is still unclear whether she was trying to harm herself or the baby. Should this … [Read more...]
Just Where Do You Think You’re Going?
January 7, 2011 by 42 Comments
It's not right that people would go to hell just for not believing in the right God. Put another way, a good and moral God would not condemn people to hell just for not believing in Him. This is a common complaint against exclusive religious systems such as Christianity. Have you ever made this … [Read more...]
Why Did The Atheist Cross The Road?
January 6, 2011 by 13 Comments
Why, so he could be offended of course. The latest decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the war memorial cross at Mt. Soledad as it stands is unconstitutional. "[W]e conclude that the Memorial, presently configured and as a whole, primarily conveys a message of government … [Read more...]
Don’t Take It Personally
January 1, 2011 by 21 Comments
If the Universe has a beginning, it must also have a cause, and I believe it can be argued successfully that both are true; which I believe entails a personal immaterial cause; one which is un-mechanical and not determined by physical laws. We know scientifically and philosophically the universe … [Read more...]
Put Your Hands Up!
December 30, 2010 by 30 Comments
One of the many bad arguments skeptics make against the reliability and authority of the Bible is that the authors were biased. The fact that they were Christians disqualifies them from reporting accurately the events they record. Is it true that we cannot grant credibility to the Gospels and … [Read more...]
Experiment In The Reliability Of The Gospels
December 29, 2010 by 13 Comments
In a recent entry in the Cross Examined Blog, the author decided to make a point about the reliability of the "contradictory" Gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus, and why they are not in fact contradictory. Briefly, the main charge of skeptics of the Gospel accounts is the accounts … [Read more...]
It’s To Die For
December 28, 2010 by 20 Comments
What is so unique about the earliest disciples of Jesus being martyred for their claim Jesus was raised from the dead? Many believers of various religious systems--Muslims for example--die and commit suicide regularly for what they believe to be true. Christian apologists arguing for the … [Read more...]
Oh, The Humanity
December 28, 2010 by 9 Comments
When someone offers the objection to God's existence, or the existence of a morally just God by pointing to all the evil in the world and suggesting a morally good God who is powerful ought to alleviate it, has not thought the objection through. I have most often heard it formulated like this: If … [Read more...]
Don’t Come A-Knockin’
December 27, 2010 by 1 Comment
Evangelism sometimes gets a bad reputation for having the appearence of "forcing" a religious belief on an otherwise religious or theologically satisfied person. I suspect most people like where they are in respect to their religious beliefs and generally wish to stay there. Evangelism can be seen … [Read more...]
A Burden The Hand
December 26, 2010 by 1 Comment
I think the obligation on who carries the burden of proof in any given argument is often misunderstood, particularly when it comes to religious claims, and the existence of God. Well, who carries it? Most people understand it is whom ever is making a claim, and it is. It is easy, however, for the … [Read more...]
Try Some Of My Jesus
December 19, 2010 by 5 Comments
Just today I was thinking about a three-way conversation I had with another Christian and a skeptic. To be honest, I had introduced myself into the conversation upon overhearing the subject; since I know both individuals so it was not out-of-place to interject. The Christian was "witnessing" to … [Read more...]
No Means No!
December 18, 2010 by 3 Comments
McDonald's Happy Meals are in the news yet again. A consumer group is suing the fast food restaurant on behalf of Monet Parham, a health educator for the state of California, in an effort to prevent them from using toys to "market to children". The Attorneys claim that "Under the law, you don't … [Read more...]
77% Fact or Fallacy
December 18, 2010 by 5 Comments
A fair pay act is in the works and legislators in support are attempting to cite a statistic which I knew to be technically true, but functionally false. They claim that women earn 77% that of men and he pledged to end the disparity. The unfortunate thing about statistics is legitimate statistics … [Read more...]
The Complaint Department Is Closed #13
December 14, 2010 by 4 Comments
Understandably the images and ideas slavery conjures in our minds given our reference point of 17th century through mid-19th century America, shape and serves as a filter for our approach to the topic whenever it arises. The manner in which American slavery was carried out was broadly speaking, … [Read more...]
Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid
December 12, 2010 by 3 Comments
Every so often I hear someone offer an argument against belief in God that on its surface could be compelling, but once examined, actually works in favor of belief. This happens when the argument is not carefully thought through. This is not to say only Atheists or only those advancing ideas … [Read more...]
What’s That Supposed To Mean?
December 6, 2010 by 1 Comment
The common rejoinder to a biblical quotation which refutes someone's argument, "That's just your interpretation!" is the Custer-esque last stand when backed into a corner in an attempt to hold to a non-biblical position. Rather than give up the non-biblical view in preference to the better … [Read more...]
Funny Thing About Surveys
December 5, 2010 by 1 Comment
I had read the headlines, and perused the blogosphere which boasted "Atheists know more than Theists when it comes to religion" in reaction to survey results released by Pew Research in a study called: U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey back in late September. The results were broken into two parts, … [Read more...]
Sifting Reality 
Who said what…