Just as interesting is the back-and-forth between Dr Paul Copan and Dr Matthew Flannagan versus Dr. Hector Avalos on the morality in the Old Testament and how do do scholarship. Read Flannagan's latest post at his link
Thursday, June 30, 2011
When Scholars Collide....
Just as interesting is the back-and-forth between Dr Paul Copan and Dr Matthew Flannagan versus Dr. Hector Avalos on the morality in the Old Testament and how do do scholarship. Read Flannagan's latest post at his link
DC Comics Fans to Protest Superhero Relaunch at Comic-Con - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews
More than 200 fans have pledged to attend what organizers are calling the "DC Original Protest Walk" at Comic-Con International in San Diego. Unhappy with what they've seen of DC Comics' superhero relaunch initiative, which goes into effect this September, participants intend to make their feelings known in what's presumed to be an outdoor demonstration, perhaps not dissimilar in format to what we saw last year when the Westboro Baptist Church protested the "sinful idolatry" they believed was inherent at Comic-Con.I'm not sure but this article from Comics Alliance makes an insightful point:
Whatever you think about the practicality, dramatics or indeed madness of staging a political demonstration in response to decisions made about corporate-owned characters who do not exist, it cannot be denied that Comic-Con is the best place to do it. Although one must wonder why the protesters don't just attend the numerous DC Comics discussion panels that will be presented in the air conditioned comfort of the San Diego Convention Center, where they can put their concerns to the creators and editors directly, rather than stand outside and invite the abuse that we at ComicsAlliance will rain down upon them like a great and terrible fire from Heaven itself.
DC Comics Fans to Protest Superhero Relaunch at Comic-Con - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews
The History of English [Video]
The History of English [Video]
An Image of the Apostle Paul | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
An Image of the Apostle Paul | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Quote of the Week: Cornelius Plantinga | Reflections
“This [Christian worldview] vision derives from Scripture, centers on the person and work of Jesus Christ, and grows rich from the contributions of ecumenical creeds, church confessions, and the thinking of such heavyweight theologians as Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and Barth.”—Cornelius Plantinga, Engaging God’s World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), xv–xvi.
Quote of the Week: Cornelius Plantinga | Reflections
Faithful Thinkers: Article: Interpreting Creation: Hermeneutical Principles
Faithful Thinkers: Article: Interpreting Creation: Hermeneutical Principles
In Defense of the NIV 2011 | Bible.org Blogs
In Defense of the NIV 2011 | Bible.org Blogs
NIV 2011: Every Last Change
Molinism from the Horse's Mouth: Reviewing Craig's "Only Wise God" - Part 2
Molinism from the Horse's Mouth: Reviewing Craig's "Only Wise God" - Part 2
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Author Interview: David Lamb - God Behaving Badly - Apologetics 315
Author Interview: David Lamb - God Behaving Badly - Apologetics 315
Answering Muslims: Why Did Jesus Say, "The Father Is Greater Than I"?
Answering Muslims: Why Did Jesus Say, "The Father Is Greater Than I"?
Molinism from the Horse’s Mouth: Reviewing Craig’s "Only Wise God" – Part 1
Molinism from the Horse’s Mouth: Reviewing Craig’s "Only Wise God" – Part 1
FacePalm of the Day #97 - Debunking Christianity: What Jesus Christ Had to Say About the Outsider Test for Faith!
This is my chosen title for a guest sermon I'll be preaching for the "One True Church of Jesus Christ That Has Ever Existed in History." The preacher is away on vacation. This church meets in a little building on "Faith" Street in a town called Saint Paul, Missouri, the "Show Me" state (never-mind the oxymoron). They have a membership of 10 people, all related to each other in some way. Here are my chosen texts. How should I develop my sermon?
I find it interesting that Loftus never identifies the exact name of the church or the pastor of that church. Loftus doesn't show the people or their Pastor any respect whatsoever. I hope he'll be kinder in person. And on top of that I think that considering how Jesus would apply the OTF a great idea.
Matthew 7:1-12
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye...So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.Loftus says he was once a preacher. I wonder how much time will he have. He says he is going to use 12 verses from Matthew 7 but on the post he only quotes verses 1-5, and 12. This is one of my favorite passages of scripture because I think it does explain how we are to interact with one another. So many people think Jesus meant that "judging" means calling others to a standard. The OTF itself requires making judgments. So I don't think that Loftus is taking the view so many mistakenly take. Let's instead ask if this passage can be used to validate or invalidate Christians? If anything it validates Christianity and makes it plain how far we have fallen short in keeping it. It shows us what standard we should be living up to and we know that we haven't. Which is what Christianity teaches.
And then this one from Matthew 23:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!...“Woe to you, blind guides!...You blind fools!...You blind men!"...“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!...You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel"...“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’...“You snakes! You brood of vipers!;-)
It seems to me that John Loftus thinks that these passages are some sort of slap in the face of Christians. It cuts Atheism to the quick. Any one who teaches that Jesus isn't who He said He is and that they are without sin and that we don't need God or His gift of salvation is that "brood of vipers". They are hypocrites and "white-washed tombs",. In other words it describes atheists who try to turn people away from Jesus. The passages prove that Christianity passes Loftus' Outsider Test for Faith.
Gee, I wonder why Lofus didn't point out that Jesus also said the following:
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." - Matthew 18:6
Debunking Christianity: What Jesus Christ Had to Say About the Outsider Test for Faith!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Common Sense is Tingling: Debunking Christianity: On Rejecting the Gospel Because of Sin
That's the Christian claim, that non-Christians reject the gospel because we prefer to sin (or do wrong). Let's try to put this canard to rest.
That's not what Christians believe that is what the Bible says:
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.- John 3:16
Do you, Christian, reject the Mormon faith merely because of its requirements? Do you reject the Muslim faith, the Buddhist way of life, Jainism, or the Jehovah's Witnesses because of their proscribed religious and moral duties? Some of them have much more strict requirements than your faith does. A Jainist does not eat meat. A Buddhist attempts to achieve a state of consciousness whereby he does not have any desires. A Jehovah's Witness refuses blood transfusions. A good Muslim woman will wear a burka. A Mormon wears magic underwear.
No, Christians rejects other religions because they conflict with God's revealed word.
If these religions had sufficient evidence for them no one would reject them merely because of what they require of us. But when it comes to sufficient evidence it must include all of the evidence, and part of that evidence is the moral and religious duties it requires of us if we were believers. If we were considering a militant Muslim faith that called upon us to kill people who didn't believe, this would certainly be relevant to whether such a faith is true. And there are certain things Christians think are required of God that are relevant to whether such a faith is true too, currently but not exclusively, misogyny and heterosexuality. Some Christians do not want to take their children to a doctor. Others are snake handlers. Others do not believe in birth control. Still others think the world is going to end soon and so they don't care about the environment or the possibility of war (and they run our country!) Others defend the Jewish nation no matter what and thereby have helped contribute to world instability. And the history of these requirements are relevant as well. The church believed witches and heretics should be killed and the church did not think slavery or misogyny was evil.
I don't see how any of these arguments in the above paragraph bear any weight on what the Bible says. Misogyny, snake handling, shunning medical attention, and all the other complaints have nothing to do with Biblical teachings. Sounds like you he has a problem with the way people who claim to be "Christians" have lived and not with God. God has a problem with such stupidity too.
So if sin is defined as certain actions I reject out of hand, then that is a relevant factor to my rejection of Christianity. I am indeed rejecting the gospel (which is embedded in the Bible as a whole) because I do not agree with its requirements as part of the total case against Christianity.
Sin is not defined as just certain actions. It is a predisposition to miss the mark - the standard of deeds, thoughts, and attitude that God's holiness demands of us! In short, Loftus is saying he rejects Christianity because he does not want to be held accountable to those standards God has set for us. No one does. That is the problem and why the need for a Savior is unavoidable.
There is more.
There are specific religious duties to each religion and then there are moral duties people have to other people. I see no evidence that non-Christians behave any better or worse than Christians when it comes to moral duties to other people, obeying Jesus' second greatest commandment (if anything, religions cause more harm than good). This tells against Christianity because it is the one religion claiming God, the third person of the trinity, resides in the believer (in some sense) empowering them to be good to others.
God is not a person of the Trinity. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible calls each God! But no where does it say God is Jesus or the Holy Spirit is Jesus. Everyone falls short of obeying the second Greatest commandment - Loving your neighbor as yourself - that is sin. And if you never had the Holy Spirit indwelling you then I can understand how one does not understand how the Holy Spirit helps us grow so we can more closely live up to that standard. Of course if you never had it, you've never been saved. You have never been born-again.
When it comes to religious duties like tithing, evangelizing, praying, church attendance, Bible study, and so forth, which makes up Jesus' first greatest commandment, I see no evidence that Christians behave any better or worse than non-Christian religious people when it comes to these duties, once we translate them into comparable acts. This also tells against Christianity because again it is the one religion claiming God, the third person of the trinity, resides in the believer (in some sense) empowering them to obey Jesus' first greatest commandment.
If Loftus thinks that loving God with all you have and are equates just to "religious duties like tithing, evangelizing, praying, church attendance, Bible study, and so forth" it's no surprise how confused he is on what a Christian is. It's more than that. Its obeying God and putting Him first in every aspect of life. It's your lifestyle. I sure would like to know how an atheist has comparable acts.
People who do not believe in any religion look at this lack of evidence and conclude religion is man made. We simply dispense with Jesus' first greatest commandment as irrelevant and unnecessary for our lives.
Sure would like to know what Christians, Loftus has known. My experience has been opposite. I've seen God completely make over people. Turning their hearts to him. Making them better people. He's done it for me. Without the first Commandment (which by the way is the first of the 10 commandments), you cannot even begin to obey the second.
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:4,5
Debunking Christianity: On Rejecting the Gospel Because of Sin
Who Killed Goliath? – Part 3 | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Who Killed Goliath? – Part 3 | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Debunking Christianity: Dan Barker vs. John-Mark Miravalle
Debunking Christianity: Dan Barker vs. John-Mark Miravalle
FacePalm of the Day #96 - Debunking Christianity: The Ledge, a Pro-Atheist Movie to be Released July 8th
John Loftus has posted a clip from an upcoming movie called The Ledge.
Here's a clip with the standard Christian responses to reasoned arguments:
Sunday, June 26, 2011
The Gospel According to Thor; or Thor vs Jesus
Introduction
This is part of what I hope will be an ongoing series on my blog. This will be a continuation of a series of blog posts that compare Jesus to pagan and ancient figures whom skeptics claim at best inspired Christian understanding of Jesus and at worst stole their ideas. I've compared several figures and god to Jesus and found none come close to who the Bible says Jesus is and who I have found Jesus to be myself - a perfect savior.I think the conclusions that people like James Patrick Holder have reached are correct in that the truth is that because many ancient myths were not written until after the Bible was completed and distributed it is far more likely that they where influenced by Christianity and not the other way around. I think that this is especially true today in fictional myths and stories are in circulation today. I wonder if Jesus' Second Coming is delayed for another 2000 years, will skeptics then think that Christianity was informed and influenced by comics books and film instead of the other way around?
In this Post - Thor
Let's see how Thor (historical myth, Marvel Comics character, and 2011 film) has been related to Christianity. It's important to remember that because there is a longing in the human heart - an incompleteness - It makes sense that people would try to fill the void and their solutions would in some ways be similar to the real solution.
The Myth
A god, named Thor, was worshiped by the Vikings and in northern Europe.Thor was the god of thunder and what the Norse people believed was that lightning storms were the result of Thor's enchanted hammer, Mjölnir, smacking frost giants into submission. He was called upon by people for protection. He had a magic belt, gloves, and aforementioned hammer. He could throw the hammer like a boomerang. One big difference between Norse mythology and the mythology of ancient cultures is that their story has an ending. An apocalyptic event they called Ragnarök - where like the British Sci-Fi series Red Dwarf - most of the characters (all the gods and most of humanity) all die. Thor dies taking out his nemesis - the giant midgard serpent. I admit Thor's personality is definitely entrenched in Viking culture. From what I have read he isn't like Superman at all. He fights because he like to fight not because he has to and not to just protect others. He is vulnerable to magic and can be tricked. Thor was the kind of person that the average Viking strove to become and had their weaknesses.
Marvel Comics
As for the comics, when Stan Lee decided to adapt Thor for Marvel Comics, he not only just took Thor but his whole back story, gave it a modern twist, and in some ways unconsciously Christianized the story. Odin sends Thor to earth to teach him humility. There are several things that were changed that I really liked. For example only worthy people can use the hammer. The Marvel Universe is full of fictional races of beings. By making one such race the Asgardian gods has fueled years of great stories. It was also genius to make Thor a member of the superhero community at Marvel. Thor can fly. In those first stories Thor spoke in Elizabethan English like Shakespeare and the King James Bible. Forsooth. Verily.Loki is quite a bit different in the comics than he is from mythology. Loki wants to destroy Thor and rule Asgard. He comes off a lot more like Satan than he does in the Norse stories.
2011 Movie
The movie version of Thor definitely matches the Marvel version to a tee. One of the things liked best is the short suggestion that Norse people may had perhaps met Asgardians and thought that they were gods. The other things is like the Comic Books, Thor grows into a hero - someone who cares more about others than he does himself. The movie dealt with issues of sacrifice and parenting. Odin's relationship to Thor is complicated. But in the movie, he truly want what is best for his sons, Asgard, and to avoid war. Sounds familiar?Jesus
Here is the important point of the post. Jesus is very different from Thor in all of Thor's incarnations. Jesus came to earth voluntarily. Jesus doesn't just wield lightning. The wind, rain, and lightning all obey Jesus at His word. Jesus can do more than protect you from being stepped on by a frost giant, or getting killed by super villain. Jesus not only protects us but save us from ourselves and gives us eternal life. You also should remember that there was a time when Jesus and Thor were in direct competition when the Norse people were Christianized millinia ago. Jesus won. Christianity won so big that Norse mythology was rewritten so that at the end of Ragnarok, the only thing that survived was the great tree, Yggdrasil, - and born within it was a man and woman who remake the world - an And and Eve. The other thing is that Jesus is not like us. He doesn't approach life or circumstances as any of us would. If you were going to make up a messiah, he/she would look a lot more like Thor than Jesus Christ.I found an interview with Merrill Kaplan, who teaches Norse literature and folklore to college students.
"In its way, Norse mythology is still alive," she said. "I don't mean paganism is alive, although there are people who have tried to revive rituals regarding these stories. But there has never been a point at which no one has been interested in this stuff.
"When the age of Norse paganism closed in history," she said, "the age of geeks opened."
The age of geeks?
Kaplan laughed, explaining that most of what we know about Norse mythology comes from monks and Christian writers who weren't worshipping these gods, but were just "geeking out" about how "cool" the stories were.
"Some of them were men in monasteries, professional men of the clergy, who thought these stories were really cool," she said. "It's the age of geeks that kept Norse myth alive. And I guess it's what continues to keep it alive."
Kaplan said there are also influences from Norse mythology that most people don't even realize. For example, "Thursday" derives from "Thor's Day."
"Somebody is always naming something after a Norse god or goddess or something in the myths," she said, citing Norwegian oil platforms called Thor and Odin. "In a way, the story of Norse mythology is still going on."
Concluding Remark
The stories are good and fun to read for sure. And Thor lives on in Comic Books but we must not forget that Jesus is a better savior than Thor could ever be.
References
THORSDAY: The Mythological Versus the Marvel THOR
Ragnarok - Wikipedia
Thor, Jesus and the Old Testament | HILLS BIBLE CHURCH BLOG
The Religious Affiliation of Comic Book Character - Thor
My Common Sense Is Tingling: Debunking Christianity: Dr. Flannagan Denigrates Science, Why Am I Not Surprised?
This is getting ridiculous and predictable. So let me get this straight, okay? In order to believe, Flannagan must denigrate science. Get it.? What utter rubbish. This alone should cause believers to question why they believe what they do based on their upbringing in a Christian culture. Science is the only antidote to how easily we can believe and defend what we were taught on our Mama's knees.
I had said:
You see, when you examine other religions you use the tools of science. All I’m saying it that you should use these same tools to examine your own. This is not a radical skepticism I’m proposing whereby someone must be skeptical of science or a material world. I’m proposing using the same level of skepticism you use to examine other faiths to your own faith.Now read Matt's response closely:
So, what you are saying is that you don’t apply the OTF to the “tools of science” which are the premises you use to reject religion, but you do to religion and the premises religious people appeal to to defend religion.It there any reasoning with believers? There is a good reason why I say they are brainwashed, a really good reason. If a Christian philosopher says this there is no hope for the people who blindly accept what he has to say, since they cannot see through his obfuscations, non-sequiturs, and special pleading ways. See the tag below, "denigrate science to believe."
But that’s my whole point, you apply it inconsistently, if you applied it consistently you would embrace a radical scepticism.
Link
So in order to be skeptical of religious faith I must be skeptical about science? Science gives us the tools to be skeptical at all! Science has overthrown superstitious thinking since its inception. It is a given.
I don't understand how recognizing the limitations of science is equal to "denigrating" science. Loftus and many atheists have long recognized that science brings up more questions than it answers. This is one of the powers of science. I see nothing in anything Dr Flannagan has said that could be construed as saying "ignore anything you can learn from science." What does it really mean to "denigrate" science. Loftus seems to equate "denigration" with "blasphemy". By merely suggesting that you apply skepticism to the tools of science, Flannagan is asking for consistency. We all must admit that our reasoning powers and senses - tools of science - are not trustworthy. They can lead us down the wrong path. Why would one not carefully analyze all the evidence available to us - even scientific? I'd be just as worried about the truth of what we learn from fallible scientists as we do "from our Mamas." Let's us at least be consistent.Seems like Dr Flannagan struck a nerve as if he blasphemed a religion or something - because to John Loftus, he did.
Debunking Christianity: Dr. Flannagan Denigrates Science, Why Am I Not Surprised?
Making a car for blind drivers [Video]
Using robotics, laser rangefinders, GPS and smart feedback tools, Dennis Hong is building a car for drivers who are blind. It’s not a “self-driving” car, he’s careful to note, but a car in which a non-sighted driver can determine speed, proximity and route — and drive independently.
Making a car for blind drivers [Video]
Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Calvin's Only Letter to Luther
Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Calvin's Only Letter to Luther
5 Arguments that Calvinists Should Stop Using « scientia et sapientia
5 Arguments that Calvinists Should Stop Using « scientia et sapientia
FacePalm of the Day #95 - Debunking Christianity: Good without gods
The video attempt to propose a few theoretical societies and does a great job in explaining how morality is not subjective but objective. I agreed with that. The video however fails to give an adequate explanation for how we know what we know is right and how we know something is wrong. Without this, we can't really judge if someone is wrong in what they do or say if my opinion is just as good as yours. The Bible explains to us how utterly lost we are and don't really know everything that is best for us. Homosexuality is a prime example. The video suggests that it harms no one. I disagree. And there is plenty of research that back this up. I suggest reading Dr. Michael Brown's book A Queer Thing Has Happened to America. It's clear that without God we are blind to what is best for us and what is wrong for us. We need God. The more society moves away from God, the worse it will become.
Debunking Christianity: Good without gods
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Jewish Festivals | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Jewish Festivals | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
