Tis the Christmas season, an entire cultural phenomenon derived from a miracle claim. Christmas is the day the (virgin) birth of Jesus of Nazareth (God in flesh) is celebrated. As we all know, claims of the miraculous sort are by definition extraordinary claims, and extraordinary claims require … [Read more...]
Enjoy life now
December 13, 2012 by 22 Comments
Geez, I wish I could, but other people keep getting in the way. I'd like to do lots of things that others have collectively and arbitrarily decided they don't want me to be able to do. If there is no afterlife, this sign really is right, we should eat, drink, and be merry -- for tomorrow we die. … [Read more...]
Atheists: Uninformed or Obstinate?
December 4, 2012 by 38 Comments
As someone who interacts regularly with skeptics of all stripes, it never ceases to amaze me the number of times I find myself having to "re-educate" them on certain subjects. There seem to be two subjects in particular that skeptics rehash over and again: can Atheists be good without belief in … [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...]
Local atheist outraged over religion in schools
November 27, 2012 by 12 Comments
I don't know if there's something in the water or what. But Atheists, who claim the intellectual high-ground mind you, can't seem to keep a level head when even the semblance of religion squeaks its way into public schools. Whether it's a graduation being held in a church hall, or cheerleaders who … [Read more...]
Is your value tied to others?
November 24, 2012 by 14 Comments
A friend of mine who authors Economics For Morons posed this scenario: Your boss hands out Christmas bonuses. You take yours home and are ecstatic when you realize you've received $10,000. This is more than you've ever received. You contemplate all the things you have needed and are now able to … [Read more...]
Contrived offense
November 23, 2012 by 42 Comments
Whenever I read about Atheists who are offended and repulsed by religious speech and imagery I feel compelled to point out how intolerant and prejudiced that really is. In any other setting, directed at any other demographic, the person offended and repulsed would be called out for their asininity. … [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...]
Debate: Is Abortion Murder?
November 14, 2012 by 119 Comments
Over the course of the past six weeks or so I had been engaged in a debate with Justin Sheiber of Reasonable Doubts, the topic of which is: "Is Abortion Murder?" Justin sent me the invite through social media and I gladly accepted. In many circumstances I might be hesitant to accept such an … [Read more...]
According to the Qur’an, the Qur’an is false
November 13, 2012 by 1 Comment
Inevitably when in discussions with people who reject religious convictions, I will be told that that all religious systems have roughly the same evidence for and against it being true. I can't even begin to count the number of times it has been implied that my being a Christian is one of … [Read more...]
Atheist Marionettes Dance At Behest of Christian Puppeteers
November 9, 2012 by
I love irony in all its forms, even when it's at my expense, but I prefer it's at someone else's. It was visiting another blog where I encountered this post's inspiration. The entire post consisted of but two sentences: "I’ll be out in the world actually volunteering my time to make the word a … [Read more...]
Sometimes trying isn’t good enough
November 3, 2012 by 3 Comments
Having lost power earlier this week due to Hurricane Sandy, I decided to build a fire to help keep the family warm. Lacking the luxuries of electricity, I needed to hearken back to my Boy Scout days and go into survival mode. So I got the wood, newspapers, wood chips, twigs, etc. all set to get a … [Read more...]
An atheist society
October 27, 2012 by 28 Comments
I assume many Atheists long for the day when a society would be universally populated by Atheists. Maybe they cherish the thought of never having to hear about God in the public square, or have to deal with those pesky religious people always thumping their religious books scornfully in their … [Read more...]
Should I know this about you?
October 22, 2012 by 11 Comments
I have asked this question of supporters of same-sex marriage in a critical way in the past. I often wonder why it is important to you that I know your sexual proclivities. I don't particularly think this is information I essential for me to know regardless of your sexual identification, but it … [Read more...]
My Top Ten Favorite Posts
October 18, 2012 by 1 Comment
I had been thinking about doing a post like this for a little while now. Here I've narrowed my top ten favorite posts from over the past three years. In no particular order: What Gives You The Right? Many defenders of abortion go further than claiming elective abortion is a right, they claim it is … [Read more...]
Naturalism and ethics
October 17, 2012 by 24 Comments
One recurring complain from Atheists is the problem of evil. Regardless of how this complaint is formulated, it is a persistent theme. It's certainly a valid complaint worthy of a response, but I think the Atheist has just as difficult a hurdle when trying to explain it through their worldview. … [Read more...]
Was Jesus an evil capitalist?
October 12, 2012 by 17 Comments
(Matthew 20:1-15 NASB) -- “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing … [Read more...]
Wally is too many people
October 7, 2012 by 8 Comments
Wally encapsulates a lot of people...too many. We all know people like this, they have "strong" opinions on many things: Abortion, same-sex marriage, politics, and religion. The problem is that they seem to be impervious to any reasoning whatsoever. Wallys don't like to argue about their … [Read more...]
God and gratuitous evil
October 3, 2012 by 36 Comments
This a follow-up to my previous post having had a conversation with the person whom inspired the post in the first place to see what he thought. His main focus is on his definition of gratuitous evil. Gratuitous evil as he defines is evil that God could have prevented without missing out on some … [Read more...]
Why arguing about “gratuitous” evil may be fruitless
October 2, 2012 by 7 Comments
If there is one objection to the existence of God which I think I can sympathize with, it's the problem of evil. It is emotionally compelling since we have all experienced evil to one degree or another in our lives, and much of it may seem rather gratuitous. Briefly, I take gratuitous evil to mean … [Read more...]
Sifting Reality 
Who said what…