This is part 1 of a six part series. PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5, PART 6 Most reasonable people would agree that certain kinds of claims should be scrutinized more heavily than others. For some, religious texts making claims of the miraculous should be more scrutinized than other … [Read more...]
Is it reasonable to reject the Gospels as eyewitness accounts? Part 1
December 28, 2012 by 13 Comments
Fabulous new Bible translation: The Queen James Bible
December 14, 2012 by 23 Comments
There is a new version of the bible out there for the professing believer who just can't bring themselves to accept what the bible has to say about homosexual sexual relationships. It's the Queen James Bible. Here's the explanation from the editors as to why it needed editing, though I'm not sure … [Read more...]
Ground Zero Mosque still just a mosque
December 10, 2012 by 27 Comments
I believe there is a tendency for a good many people to assume all religions are basically equal, in terms of message anyway. For example, that all religions teach the Golden Rule in one form or another, and that common thread is what defines each religion. The average person is not going to take … [Read more...]
Is our culture becoming more or less moral?
November 30, 2012 by 96 Comments
I think it's probably the norm for one generation to the next to believe the culture is in a state of moral decline. Of course this all depends on your worldview's standard of ethic. Depending on what you view as morally good and morally bad will shape how you view the moral direction of the culture … [Read more...]
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 22, 2012 by 7 Comments
Let's play a guessing game. The first person who can correctly guess who each of the people in this short clip voted for gets a thumbs up! But seriously, I think it's safe to assume they voted Democrat. In fact in my lifetime (no exaggeration) I have never heard a conservative denigrate our … [Read more...]
Christianity is not a conglomerate
November 20, 2012 by 31 Comments
I have noticed with regularity that Christianity is burdened with the negatives displayed by other religious faith systems on the part of skeptics. I don't think this is my personal bias talking either. It seems like I am regularly saddled with the task of having to set the record straight. It … [Read more...]
On why I’d vote for Reagan’s corpse if I could
November 5, 2012 by 4 Comments
__________________________________________________ Isn't it something how history has a way of repeating itself over time? All it took was about thirty years or so for us to need a modern version of Ronald Reagan to save us from a modern version of Jimmah Carter. Listening to Reagan's recount … [Read more...]
God and Christianity in Early American Government
October 9, 2012 by 25 Comments
ART. 22. Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust, before taking his seat, or entering upon the execution of his office, shall take the following oath, or affirmation, if conscientiously scrupulous of taking an oath, to wit: " I, A B. … [Read more...]
The headlines of September 11th
September 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Eleven years since the hijacked airliners razed the World Trade Center buildings. The event was so sobering, its unifying effect on all Americans was powerful. And to a degree, most Americans still feel the sense of national camaraderie, especially on its anniversary. Below is a small sample of … [Read more...]
The Same Jesus
August 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The Jesus who said don't judge, and preached love and forgiveness, was the same Jesus who said that He was the only way to God; unless you believe that, you'll die in your sins; people need to stop sinning; Christians need to tell you about Him; and marriage is between a man and a woman. Just … [Read more...]
When Conscience And Society Butt Heads
August 28, 2012 by 25 Comments
Morality seems to be quite a contentious subject among those who debate it. People seem to not like it very much when someone with differing views on what is moral and what isn't is perceived to be trying to force it on you or society as a whole. Whether a person or a group's vision of a moral … [Read more...]
Hostility Toward Religion In America
August 27, 2012 by 11 Comments
For years religious Americans -- specifically Christians -- have been complaining that the government has been increasingly hostile toward religious expressions of their faith at the behest of a small group of angry people who find such expressions repugnant. More often than not the incidents … [Read more...]
Mormons at the door
August 24, 2012 by 87 Comments
My regular readers know how much I like to argue and debate. Perhaps this is also why I so enjoy when door-to-door missionaries come knocking on my door whether it's Mormons or Jehovah's witnesses. The other day LDS missionaries who had come once before while I wasn't home returned. They were two … [Read more...]
My concerns about Roman Catholicism
August 9, 2012 by 33 Comments
Every so often when the discussion of which religious groups "qualify" as Real Christians®, Roman Catholicism will eventually be brought up. Though the Bible allows for leeway in regards to some aspects of religious practice (Romans 14), too much variation inevitably places a religious … [Read more...]
How Should God Be?
July 30, 2012 by 27 Comments
Skeptics often cite some circumstance in the world to argue that God doesn't, or likely doesn't exist. Some of the circumstances cited are particularly puzzling to me. Here's an example of what I mean: (RamblingImagination.wordpress.com) -- If God were real, why aren’t his blessings spread evenly … [Read more...]
Raising The Bar On The Bible
July 16, 2012 by 16 Comments
One way Christians argue for the historical reliability of the Bible is by examining it the same was as other ancient records. A case is made that other ancient historical documents, with far less corroboration; and far fewer numbers of extant manuscripts; and much more elapsed time between the … [Read more...]
Over-reading The Bible
July 13, 2012 by 36 Comments
Whenever I criticize certain Christian practices I always get some blowback and it's often more severe than the response from Atheists when they are my target. What I have been thinking about is -- I believe -- common to church-led Bible studies and pastors who preach expositorily. It is the … [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 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...]
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...]
Sifting Reality 
Who said what…