Simply put I'd like to hear from people who read my blog. I want to know what you the reader like about my writing, and what you don't like. What you'd like to see more of and less of. What brought you here in the first place and what keeps you here. … [Read more...]
Week In Review
July 7, 2012 by 1 Comment
Liberal policies failing before our very eyes: (Inverster's Business Daily) -- More workers joined the federal government's disability program in June than got new jobs, according to two new government reports, a clear indicator of how bleak the nation's jobs picture is after three full years of … [Read more...]
Q: Can you admit you might be wrong? A: It doesn’t matter
July 6, 2012 by 42 Comments
As someone who discusses controversial topics both online and in my personal life, I'm used to challenges to my views. Whether it's religion, politics, abortion, or same-sex marriage, there's always someone who eventually asks: Can you at least admit it's possible you're wrong? For as many times … [Read more...]
Why Aren’t There Non-Religious Sources Confirming Jesus And His Miracles?
July 3, 2012 by 40 Comments
The primary source documentation for the life of Jesus are the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. But for skeptics this isn't enough. 'Why aren't there any non-religious sources for the life and works of Jesus?'. I think it's a good question, but a self-defeating one. For one … [Read more...]
The Bible Is Just A Book Of Fairy Tales And Myth
July 2, 2012 by 55 Comments
Skeptics find any way they can to dismiss the Bible as authoritative by any means they can. Claiming it is just a collection of fairy tales, myths and legend is one of the more casual (and uninformed) ways to disregard the Bible. It is particularly flippant and seems to be based solely on the … [Read more...]
The Bible Is Just An Old Book
June 28, 2012 by 11 Comments
The Bible is a very old book. Or more accurately, a collection of old books. This is a common complaint leveled at Christians in order to undermine the veracity of their theological claims and moral admonitions. It has been charged that Christians get their morals and beliefs about God from an … [Read more...]
Arguing Against The Existence Of God
June 26, 2012 by 37 Comments
When I posted Atheism as a lack of belief (and reason) I waited with the anticipation of a lil' kid waiting for morning to see what Santa had brought. Needless to say, I received the equivalent of coal in the stocking. In fact, I am regularly disappointed when an Atheist finally does try to argue … [Read more...]
Government Spending Fails To See Results…Again
June 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment
(CNSNews.com) -- Despite an unprecedented increase in federal anti-poverty spending, the national poverty rate has not declined, the [Cato Institute] study finds. “[S]ince President Obama took office [in January 2009], federal welfare spending has increased by 41 percent, more than $193 billion … [Read more...]
So Many Scholars, So Many Believers
June 22, 2012 by 45 Comments
People who are passionate enough about an issue to debate it use many different arguments to make their case. Obviously some arguments will be better than others. What we all try to avoid when debating an issue is misunderstandings -- clarity before agreement. Sometimes we aren't clear when … [Read more...]
If Good Evidence For Your God Exists, Then Why…
June 21, 2012 by 25 Comments
We all know people who hold their views for reasons we see as vacuous (See: Emotional Problems, The Price Of Tea In China). Even people we would consider otherwise intelligent. I'm going to pick on skeptics here because, by and large, they claim to hold the intellectual high ground when it comes … [Read more...]
At What Point Is An Answer Not An Excuse?
June 19, 2012 by 9 Comments
I would say the most frustrating facet of debate with others is the constant rehashing of previous subjects. I have often wondered if it's worth putting in the effort. Over the years-decades-millenia Theists and Atheists, for instance, have debated the same issues, with the same arguments, with … [Read more...]
The Bible Says So
June 18, 2012 by 70 Comments
'Because the Bible says so, that's why!' I can understand the frustration of the skeptic when he encounters a Christian defending his beliefs like this. It frustrates me too. Why would the Christian expect the skeptic to grant the Bible the same level of authority as does he? Regardless of how … [Read more...]
The Week In Review
June 13, 2012 by 7 Comments
OOPS! It turns out that the studies reported by gay-family advocates were deeply flawed and actually misrepresented the facts: (phys.org) -- The review by Dr. Loren Marks from Louisiana State University finds that much of the science that forms the basis for the highly regarded 2005 official brief … [Read more...]
The Bible Is Full Of Contradictions…
June 12, 2012 by 14 Comments
Or so says the skeptic. The argument that the Bible is replete with inconsistencies and contradictions is not a new one (See: Please Pass The White-out). But a seemingly innocuous discussion with my wife made me think back to all the arguments with skeptics on inerrancy I've had. Every discussion … [Read more...]
Out of the frying pan and into the fire
June 7, 2012 by 10 Comments
Back in February the retail giant J.C. Penney caused a bit of a stir by hiring Ellen DeGeneres as a spokesman for their stores with anti-gay activists because she is openly a lesbian. In protest, boycotts were threatened because they believed enlisting DeGeneres was tantamount to "jumping on the … [Read more...]
Are you a Real Atheist?
June 6, 2012 by 13 Comments
One critique of Christians and Christianity by skeptics is the variations within the religion. Some skeptics refer to this as one's brand of Christianity. I have also seen the phrase True Christian®, or Real Christian™ with the pejoratively placed trademark symbols. I understand the point. It … [Read more...]
Atheism as a lack of belief (and reason)
June 4, 2012 by 42 Comments
Vocal Atheists more often than not seem to be desperate to latch on to the [false] idea that atheism is best defined as a lack of belief (See: Not At All Lacking, Who Did You Say You Were Again?, I Don't Not Believe It). It seems that they will relentlessly argue for that loose definition to no … [Read more...]
Atheists: George Carlin’s Ironic Punchline
May 25, 2012 by 155 Comments
One of my favorite comedians is the late George Carlin. I got hooked on him in my teen years because I thought his humor pointing out the obvious and then making fun of the obvious was keen. In his early years, he poked fun at religion the way he poked fun at other things. An avowed Atheist, his … [Read more...]
Changing Sexual Orientation Is Easy
May 22, 2012 by 35 Comments
One of the more contentious obstacles in the same-sex marriage debate is what makes someone homosexual. Whether sexual attraction is an immutable genetic trait, a product of environment, or a mixture of the two. There are examples of men and women who self-identified as gay at one point in their … [Read more...]
Water Under The Bridge
May 21, 2012 by 9 Comments
I try not to get too preachy on this blog, and have rarely taken the opportunity to opine on personal matters, but I must from time to time. Some things in my life have led me to confront what it truly means to forgive. "I forgive you", "it's water under the bridge", "don't worry about it", and … [Read more...]
Sifting Reality 
Who said what…