President Obama: You aren't successful because you had ingenuity and worked hard, government helped you. (The White House) -- There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me -- because they want to give something back. They know they didn’t -- look, if you’ve been successful, … [Read more...]
Reframing The Debate: Pro And Anti-Development Prevention
July 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Those on the pro-choice side of the abortion debate are always looking for new ways to frame the debate. I can understand why, it's difficult to gain support when there's truth in advertizing: abortion takes the life of an innocent human being. This biological fact must be avoided if you are to … [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 A case is made that other ancient historical documents, with far less corroboration; and far fewer numbers of extant manuscripts; and much more elapsed time between the … [Read more...]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...]
God, And Other Improbabilities
July 11, 2012 by 60 Comments
I have often criticized Atheists who hold the difficult position that God does not exist even though I think that belief is accurate to the label (See: Who Did You Say You Were Again?). I take notice in my reading that many -- if not most -- professional Atheist philosophers won't take this … [Read more...]
What do you have to say?
July 10, 2012 by 22 Comments
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...]
Republicans and Democrats on jobs
July 9, 2012 by 2 Comments
Republicans and Democrats are always at odds when it comes to economic policies. Each opines on the benefits of their own and the perils of the other. A great thing happened in 2010 for politics. It was a year where new parties became occupants of the top State office all on promises to bring … [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...]
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 mandate IS a tax…probably
June 29, 2012 by 2 Comments
The Supreme Court's majority ruling that the mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare is in fact a tax thus making the healthcare law constitutional despite the President Obama, his administration, and fellow Democrats insisting otherwise. The buzz around the blogosphere is that of … [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 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...]
Sifting Reality 
Who said what…