Say Hello to my Little Friend » Blog Archiv » Does Richard Carrier Exist?

So what if someone applied Dr Richard Carrier's arguments against Jesus' existence to disproving Carrier's own existence? With an assist from Dr Tim McGrew, Glenn (from the "Say Hello to my Little Friend" podcast and blog) takes a look at if Carrier's arguments could be shown to disprove the existence of Carrier himself and is falsified because Carrier exists. You can read the article at the following link.

Say Hello to my Little Friend » Blog Archiv » Does Richard Carrier Exist?

Answering Muslims: Where Did Jesus Say, "I Am God, Worship Me"? #2

Samuel Green offers a short rebuttal to the often used polemic many Muslims and anti-Trinitarians raise against Christianity: "Jesus never said 'I am God, Worship me!'" Green writes

What is it that ultimately gets him crucified? It is his claim to be the divine man of Daniel 7 who is to be worshipped. The Jewish leaders again understand exactly what he is saying and call it blasphemy. So Jesus actually does say, "I am God worship me"; he just uses the language of the prophets to say it.

If we want to understand Jesus we must learn his language. I am not saying we must learn Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek, though that is an excellent thing to do. Instead I am saying that we must know the titles, the concepts and expectations of the prophets who were before Jesus, because it is with these words that Jesus speaks and invites us to understand him.

 Read the whole post at the following link.

Answering Muslims: Where Did Jesus Say, "I Am God, Worship Me"? #2

Apple's Explosion

Apple's Growth

Apple's Explosion

The Evolution of Communication [infographic] | Daily Infographic

The Evolution of Communication [infographic] | Daily Infographic

Walmart Unveils Super Hero Augmented Reality App | Avengers | News | Marvel.com

Only one of my Android devices is supported but my iPad 2 is supported. We went Friday evening to test it out!

With more than 100 million augmented reality-capable smartphones in operation today, Walmart is putting the devices to good use. Customers can use “Super Hero AR” in two modes, Game Mode and Photo Capture Mode. Here is how it works:

Game Mode: Collect All Six Super Powers and Save the World
-Download the “Super Hero AR” App from the iTunes App Store or Android Market that also includes instant access to Hawkeye and his super powers
-Visit a local Walmart with your enabled smart device
-Seek out specific images on "Marvel's The Avengers" signage located in various departments around the store including apparel, grocery, toys and wireless
-Aim your smart devices at the target image to unlock each super hero’s power
-Collect the powers of the five remaining Avengers and get a chance to defeat Loki and win the game
Photo Capture Mode (available for iOS and Android): Take a Photo with Your Favorite Avenger
-Activate “photo capture mode” from a "Marvel’s The Avengers" DVD pallet in-store; a 3-D model of the super hero depicted on the DVD pallet will become visible on your phone
-Take a photo with your favorite Avenger
-Share it with friends on Facebook or via email

More on Marvel.com: http://marvel.com/news/story/18623/walmart_unveils_super_hero_augmented_reality_app#ixzz1tAjagAa4

My family and I had a great time playing with this. Keep in mind that you have to use an internet connection before you start to use it. After the initial set up, you don't need the internet unless you want to Facebook your pictures right away. My kids took pictures with Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk. It was almost as if they were right there.

The game is actually really fun too, but I have to go back to unlock all the characters. It's all free. You use their powers in an augmented reality environment to shoot down enemy spacecraft.

Walmart Unveils Super Hero Augmented Reality App | Avengers | News | Marvel.com

The Avengers Facebook Timeline [Image]

What if the Avengers were on Facebook?

Follow the link to see the whole image!

The Avengers Facebook Timeline [Image]

Debunking Christianity: The Christian Reaction to Jesus Mythicism

John Loftus has posted another blog post on the duel between Dr Bart Ehrman and Dr Richard Carrier over whether Jesus was a real person or not. Loftus takes issue with what David Marshall wrote regarding Carrier and that Marshall disagrees with Carrier's conclusion.  Loftus writes:

For the record, Carrier is no fool. He's brilliant and a much better informed scholar than Marshall is, or ever will be. 

It's amazing that Loftus would write such a thing because there are many, many more scholars with better credentials than Loftus' who disagree with Loftus. Is Loftus saying that the man/woman's conclusions and scholarship with the better credentials should be accepted and anyone else with less degrees and books and journal articles should be rejected? If so, then why should anyone listen to Loftus at all? And how do you judge credentials? Brilliance? How does he know that Marshall is less informed? He doesn't. As for whether or not Carrier is a fool or not, the Bible says:

¹ The fool^[a] says in his heart,

    “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;

    there is no one who does good.

² The Lord looks down from heaven

    on all mankind

to see if there are any who understand,

    any who seek God.

³ All have turned away, all have become corrupt;

    there is no one who does good,

    not even one. 



Psalm 14:1-3

Debunking Christianity: The Christian Reaction to Jesus Mythicism

Mia Love: The GOP's Next Rising Black Political Star

God continually surprises me by continuing to show that there are people who exist and live their lives that I had no idea existed! I had never had the idea that there could be a black woman, having Haitian parents, in Utah, a Mormon, and running for Congress as a Republican!!!! I almost fell out my chair.  I never knew such a human being existed!!! I was wrong. Won't be the last time.  This article is the first I have ever heard of Mia Love. Read the article at the link below:

Mia Love: The GOP's Next Rising Black Political Star

Debunking Christianity: Did Jesus Exist? An All Out War Is Going On

John Loftus wrote a blog post about the war being waged over Jesus' existence. He agrees that Jesus was a living person but does not believe what the Bible says about Him. He points out that he thinks that the argument is pointless because Jesus' historical existence being true does not mean that what the Bible says about Him is true. I agree with that. However I see why some Atheists/Agnostics like Dr Richard Carrier and Robert Price desire to deny Jesus' existence because that means the Bible has to be wrong - all of what we call the "New Testament".  No Resurrection. No point to Christianity.



But the myth that Jesus did not exist is a minority opinion. We have evidence for Jesus. Plenty of evidence. People deny this evidence because it keeps them from having to deal with who Jesus is and our accountability to Him. Also asserting that we know that what the Bible says about Jesus is not something that neither Loftus or anyone could possibly prove. They keep trying, but failing that, they punt to denying Jesus' very existence. Rather sad.



Debunking Christianity: Did Jesus Exist? An All Out War Is Going On

Marvel Legends The Avengers Trailer - YouTube

Marvel Legends The Avengers Trailer - YouTube

FacePalm of the Day - Debunking Christianity: *Sigh* There are Just Too Many Ways to Be Christian

John Loftus is at it again. He attempts to make an argument against Christianity based on the fact that Christians don't agree. Let's look closely at his spectacular and continued failure. 

Christians cannot agree with themselves. So why should I take any of them seriously? Believers have no method to settle their own disputes because faith has no method. Can you at least try to understand this?

If Loftus is correct then the following is also true:

Atheists cannot agree with themselves. So why should I take any of them seriously? NonBelievers have no method to settle their own disputes because atheism has no method. 

Okay? Yeah, it doesn't make sense either. Christians don't always agree with each other, but we do have a method of settling disputes but some people refuse to submit: Scripture.

Here is an example. Evangelical Christians will bristle when they read what a liberal wrote about the resurrection, which I'll quote below. But this is the same type of reasoning skeptics see when we read of your own defenses of the resurrection.

There are some Christian scholars, though, who maintain that the historical method can indeed be used to determine whether Jesus was resurrected from the dead (e.g. N.T. Wright, Mike Licona). There are others who suggest that we can determine the likelihood of Jesus’ resurrection probabilistically via Bayes’ theorem (e.g. Richard Swinburne). I have even seen one guy, Frank Tipler, attempt to utilize quantum physics in order to assert that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

Another perspective on this issue, which is what I myself agree with, is that the resurrection of Jesus is a historiographically inaccessible event, due to the fact that the very nature of the resurrection is inherently contradictory towards physical reality, thus making the historical- and scientific-methods inadequate and ineffective in determining whether it really occurred. This type of perspective is held by various contemporary theologians...[Jesus's] resurrection is an act accomplished by the finger of God and is an apocalyptic event which transcends what the historical method can access, meaning that it cannot be confirmed as history and thus has to be seen in other terms. This view is not due to an imperialist epistemological view of history, but is the result of viewing Christ’s resurrection for what it really is – an apocalyptic happening that breaks through into the linearity of history and is itself a history-making event. Link

As John Loftus later states in this very post I'm responding to that even if you don't think Jesus' Resurrection can be supported by historical evidence, that still doesn't mean that it did not happen. I disagree that there is no historical evidence supporting the Resurrection but I'm not going to throw another Christian under the bus because he/she disagrees with me. You can believe the Resurrection happened even if you can't prove it historically. Accepting the Resurrection is one of those things that signifies that you are a Christian, so I have no real problem with the above quote to the point that I would say the writer of the quote is not a Christian 0 based solely on these two paragraphs.

Evangelicals are right to argue that if the resurrection cannot be known using the historical method then they ought to give up their faith.

I disagree. I would more clearly state: If you reject the reality of a Resurrection you ought to give up calling yourself a "Christian" because you are not. 

 Come on now, get real, really, I agree with the evangelicals on this score.

 That perspective is not what makes you an "evangelical".

What kind of event is an "apocalyptic" one that cannot be accessed by the historical method? That method is the only one available for know what happened in the past. The resurrection of Jesus might have occurred, but there are a lot of events that have happened in the past that reasonable people should not accept. The reason is simple. Jesus might have flown into the sky, just as Mohammed might have done so (on a horse). But without sufficient evidence we should not believe either of them did. Aliens might have abducted some guy too. But again, without sufficient evidence to accept his testimony--since none of us were there when the alleged event took place--we should not think it happened. When it comes to the resurrection of Jesus, he might have been raised from the dead but since we were not there we need sufficient evidence, historical evidence, to accept, at best, the second, third, and fourth hand testimony of the early church.

That's not true. We have first century evidence as well, even if you reject the Gospels as being from the first century (although they are). Forgotten the epistles, he has. 

Still, liberals are absolutely correct to admit the historical method cannot lead reasonable people to conclude Jesus was raised from the dead. So I agree with the liberals too. The historian's tools are inadequate for the task of detecting the miraculous claim of the resurrection.

So? Even if you accept hogwash like that, it does not mean Jesus was not raised bodily from the dead. 

This is why I say that when believers criticize each other I think they are right! All I need to do is listen in and agree. They do the work for me. It's easy. We don't really even need to debunk Christianity. They are doing it to themselves, all of the time. To see this when it comes to atonement theories read this.

Loftus disagrees that Jesus was raised from the dead, but neither side - those who agree that there is historical evidence and those who disagree  that there is historical evidence - means that Jesus was not raised no matter who is right. 

So what's really going on here? What we see is that Christians will do or say anything in order to maintain their culturally inherited faith.

What about people who become believers who were not raised as Christians? Sorry, but just because some people are raised as Christians and never research or consider what they have been raised to believe does not mean no one does and makes an informed profession of faith!

When faith is the basis for what a person concludes, anything can be believed. Evangelicals either ignore or are ignorant of what the historical method is all about, and liberals ignore or are ignorant of what we should conclude using that method. Faith causes believers to ignore facts. Faith causes believers to be ignorant about the historical method. The historical method is inadequate for detecting miracles like the resurrection of Jesus, so the reasonable conclusion is to doubt it. That method is the only one reasonable people have for knowing what happened in the past. And that method cannot detect miracles.

Considering that there are historians who agree that Jesus was raised from the dead based on historical evidence shows that Loftus is not a historian and not really honest. Also added to the fact that Loftus does not know what Faith is in the first place only further adds to the failure of his argument. And again regardless to whether or not history can be used to detect miracles, there is no reason to conclude that miracles never happen.

In both cases faith has shown itself to be inadequate. It leads liberals and evangelicals to believe against the evidence. That's because faith has no method.

Um no.

To see why the resurrection miracle should not be believed even if it happened simply read this one post.

So basically even if it happened you should no believe it happened? Right. Real smart. 

Debunking Christianity: *Sigh* There are Just Too Many Ways to Be Christian

Inspirational Words of Wisdom from Neil deGrasse Tyson [Pic]

I agree with a lot that Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson says and teaches about science and society but not so much as for his philosophy.

I have to ask how do you know how to lessen the suffering of others? I agree that we should always strive to know more about the world than we did yesterday, but how does it apply. I'd say that we apply it the best we can to lessen the suffering of others. But again how do we do that? That points out the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Without Wisdom we don't know how to lessen the suffering of others. And where does wisdom come from?

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

Inspirational Words of Wisdom from Neil deGrasse Tyson [Pic]

Safe Gaming

For more information and statistics about gamers and their rising positive reputation, refer to the following infographic hosted by DeviantArt. [Via]



Safe Gaming

The Ancient Order of the Jedi Goes Door to Door

What if the Jedi were like pushy Jehovah Witnesses or Mormons?  What if they visited your Star Ship? Might look like this:





The Ancient Order of the Jedi Goes Door to Door

Cancer Worldwide [infographic] | Daily Infographic

[v

Intel Creates Infographic Generator That's All About You

With so many posting and sharing thoughts on Facebook,Twitter, and YouTube, ever wonder what would people think is important to you if they only had these social media posts to rely on? Intel has found a way to  to take the posts, videos, and pictures you post and create a information graphic for you! Here's mine. It is not perfect, but it's still interesting. Follow the link at the end to find yours.

Intel Creates Infographic Generator That's All About You

This is Awesome: Magnifying the Universe [Interactive Infographic]

Here is an awesome and interactive infographic that allows you a really good understanding and scale of objects in our universe.



The Universe made possible by Number Sleuth

This is Awesome: Magnifying the Universe [Interactive Infographic]

The Physics Of Batman - G4tv.com

If anyone asks: The reason you need to know physics is so you can figure stuff like this out:







The Physics Of Batman - G4tv.com

Truthbomb Apologetics: Featured Article: Did Morals Evolve? by Greg Koukl

Chad posted a great article by Greg Koukl talking about the objection many atheist make against the Moral argument for the existence of God. They think that morality can be explained as having evolved. Koukl shows how much of a failed argument this it.

Truthbomb Apologetics: Featured Article: Did Morals Evolve? by Greg Koukl

R2D2 Had Another Message - Topless Robot

The hologram of Tupac from last weekend has spawned quite a bit of memes. One has even been turned into a video!




R2D2 Had Another Message - Topless Robot

Ironic Sign and Hilarious Commentary

Today G4TV's Attack of the Blog had me rolling on the ground in laughter.

This sign, in all its irony, pretty much defines the experience of hand-writing an address on an envelope where the space caught up with you and you're desperately trying to squeeze a miniature zip code in the corner like it's some kind of freaky 5-number exponent.

  This Sign Didn't Take Its Own Advice

Evidence Jesus is Alive by Timothy McGrew - Apologetics 315

Brian Auten posted Dr Frank Turek's interview of Dr Timothy McGrew about what evidence we really have for Jesus' Resurrection. Dr McGrew discussed an acrostic to make five points of evidence easy to remember: A.L.I.V.E.

A - Appearances of Jessus
L -  Low Status of Women
I -   Immediate Proclamation
V - "Voluntary sufferings undergone by the first witnesses"
E - Empty Tomb

Follow the link to hear the interview. 

Evidence Jesus is Alive by Timothy McGrew - Apologetics 315

Related articles

• Who are you to judge? Answering the challenge of moral relativism (winteryknight.wordpress.com)
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to Apologetics? (joshchalmers.wordpress.com)
• Curses! He's King! (a PG-13 apologetic for the Resurrection) (pasturescott.org)

Faceplant of the Day - Questioning God In the Face of Tragedy

John Loftus really believes that he understands and predicts what an omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God would and would not do. Further he thinks that if anything happens or does not happen supporting what he thinks God would do, he concludes that God does not exist.  This is evidenced in the case of the following quote.

Just think, God could have foreseen this tragedy and miraculously averted the iceberg hours before the Titanic came into its path. If he had done this no one would be the wiser! He could have remained hidden if that's his goal. For believers to say God does this from time to time then his so-called "interventions" look indistinguishable from chance. In other words, there is no evidence that he intervenes at all. So having faith that God intervenes even once is exceedingly improbable.

I think the problem here is that Loftus refuses to think. When God intervenes in our lives, he doesn't always let us know that he intervened. The Titanic is an example in that if God had intervened in such a way that the iceberg never met the ship at all then we would not know that God intervened. Yet however, we have all had close call, where imminent harm was about to overtake us, yet it didn't. It's all under God's control. All a part of what He's doing. Sometimes you agree with the results of the intervention and sometimes you wish God had intervened differently. The way you know the difference between God and random chance comes down to Relationship. "Chance" is what you call God when you don't know Him. . 

So where was God when the Titanic sank? God was working out everything after the counsel of his own will.

 ¹¹ In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, - Ephesians 1:11

Where Was God When the Titanic Sank 100 Years Ago?

Related articles

• Experiencing History 100 Years Later Above The Site Of The Titanic Tragedy (philadelphia.cbslocal.com)
• The Titanic: A Lesson For Marriage (theromanticvineyard.com)
• Events mark Titanic's 100th (timesleader.com)
• Events worldwide mark Titanic centenary (myfoxny.com)
• Photographs mark aftermath of Titanic tragedy as survivors reach New York (scotsman.com)

North Korea Vs. South Korea - G4tv.com

I found this comparison amusing, along with the commentary by Joseph Baxter

Get it? Those North Korean kids are actually outside getting fresh air, doing some old-fashioned hard work, having some hair grow on their chests.

I'm not sure if that is what the cartoonist had in mind!

North Korea Vs. South Korea - G4tv.com

Joel Osteen's Church Psych - Calvinist Cartoons

Joel Osteen's Church Psych

Lost Smartphones Really Add Up

Lost Smartphones Really Add Up [Infographic]

Greg Koukl on Faith, Reason & Rationality - Apologetics 315

Here is a great quote from Greg Koukl that I got from Brian Auten. It's timely given the confusion of what faith is that so pervades society.

 "So let's set the record straight. Faith is not the opposite of reason. The opposite of faith is unbelief. And reason is not the opposite of faith. The opposite of reason is irrationality. Do some Christians have irrational faith? Sure. Do some skeptics have unreasonable unbelief? You bet. It works both ways."

—Greg Koukl

In Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New

Greg Koukl on Faith, Reason & Rationality - Apologetics 315

FacePalm of the Day - Debunking Christianity: Is This Faith, Really?

John Loftus has posted the following quote. I still see a few problems in his thinking.

Christians are saying I have faith because some say that "faith is assenting to a proposition that could conceivably be false." Okay then, let's compare a few ordinary scientific claims to a few extraordinary religious claims. Click on the chart to enlarge it. If I have faith then there is a gigantic difference between scientific "faith" and religious faith, wouldn't you agree? ;-)

Loftus is still confused. Biblical faith is not believing something that is false or unevidenced.  And people who call themselves Christians who think faith is believing something "that could conceivably be false" don't know what Biblical faith is either.

Notice in the chart Loftus posted that even the scientific claims are considered "virtually certain" as if things like Gravity, Continental drift, F=MA, and Heliocentric Solar System. I'm shocked. I would change this a lot. I have a background in Physics and if you have ever been educated in Physics at any university worth your time you would do experiments like measuring Gravity and proving Newton's Laws of Motion (Force equivalent to mass times  acceleration is the second). Having worked through these things personally, I am more than convinced not just certain that they are true.  As for Heliocentric Solar System, I'd count that as a certainty given that people have actually been to outer space and seen the solar system and given what we can measure. Grant it, I'd also would say that the Big Bang is also well-evidenced. I would say that evolution (macro-evolution with all life evolving from  a single cell) is not probable at all. It's telling how Loftus seems to agree that Jesus' Resurrection, Atonement, Jesus' Second Coming, Prophecy, Incarnation, and Virgin Birth are "virtually impossible" despite the evidences that point to their validity. Shouldn't be a real shock since he seems skeptical of gravity.

So is there a difference between  scientific faith and the religious faith, Loftus defines?  Nope. Because he seems to think that they could both be wrong. That's not what Biblical faith is.


Debunking Christianity: Is This Faith, Really?

Desposyni: Greek Parsing App

I've been really enjoying Matthew Dowling's blog. Today, he pointed out a mobile app for parsing Greek available for Android and iOS devices. Yes, Please.


Desposyni: Greek Parsing App

Fistbump of the Day - Christ the Tao: Theology in Hades: Explaining Faith to Loftus and Pearse.

Well, I guess David Marshall has really been raising a stink over at Debunking Christianity because there are now posts dedicated to trying to "answer" his objections and points.  More fail on top of fail. Fortunately, David Marshall has answered this post at the following link. 

Christ the Tao: Theology in Hades: Explaining Faith to Loftus and Pearse.

Too bad I doubt anyone who failed to see how faith was misdefined and incorrectly explained will get most out of David's hard word, but God can move anyone's heart no matter how obstinate.

Trayvon Martin's Killer Was Finally Charged With a Crime—Was It the Right One? - News - GOOD

Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey announced yesterday that George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman who killed 17-year-old black student Trayvon Martin in February, is being charged with second-degree murder. Justice served, right? Well, not so fast.

 Read more at the following link:

Trayvon Martin's Killer Was Finally Charged With a Crime—Was It the Right One? - News - GOOD

Healthy Eyes In A Digital World [infographic]

Healthy Eyes In A Digital World [infographic]

FacePalm of the Day - Debunking Christianity: Quote of the Day, By Yours Truly ;-)

John Loftus posted the following quote.

I think the Christian delusion is harmful if for no other reason than that it weaken one's critical thinking skills. If faith is the basis for what one thinks then anything can be believed. It also adversely impacts us in polls that bolster the delusion in others, in donations to faith-based causes that are harmful, in TV, radio, and book buying habits that grant spokespersons for the delusion a bigger voice than warranted, and in voting patterns that place deluded people in power who in turn cause harm to individual people, one's particular nation, and the world at large.

I think that there is a serious problem. In Christianity there is no reason to believe everything, especially stuff that comes out of your own head. Christianity is about trusting God and building a relationship with God on God's Terms not your own. 

Debunking Christianity: Quote of the Day, By Yours Truly ;-)

Desposyni: Ben Witherington III on Women and Ministry

Check out Dr Witherington





Desposyni: Ben Witherington III on Women and Ministry

George Zimmerman To Be Charged In Trayvon Martin Shooting: Report

George Zimmerman will be charged with a crime(s) for shooting Trayvon Martin, but not for murder.

Corey announced earlier this week that she would not convene a grand jury in the case. Experts familiar with Corey's background say she has a reputation for avoiding grand juries in cases in which they are unnecessary. Under Florida law, murder charges can only be issued by a grand jury. Zimmerman may face other charges in the shooting death, including manslaughter and assault.

Read more at the following link.

George Zimmerman To Be Charged In Trayvon Martin Shooting: Report

I get the feeling their throwing the public a bone because he isn't being charged with murder, but they did arrest him. 

Debate: William Lane Craig & Peter Atkins: Does God Exist? Audio and Video - Apologetics 315

Brian Auten posted the video and audio on the Apologetics 315 of William Lane Craig vs Peter Atkins during Craig's Reasonable Faith last fall.






Debate: William Lane Craig & Peter Atkins: Does God Exist? Audio and Video - Apologetics 315

Not All Dead Men Stay Dead: 10 Essential Points about the Resurrection | Reflections

Српски / Srpski: Groblje_Sv._Marko (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dr Kenneth Samples wrote a great article summarizing the essential points of Jesus Resurrection:

Historic Christianity contains numerous beliefs that are theologically and philosophically volatile (in the best sense of the term). These powerful truth-claims have transformed the church and even turned the world upside down. My new book, 7 Truths that Changed the World, explores seven of historic Christianity’s dangerous ideas. The following 10 points give a brief overview of what I consider to be the Christian faith’s most dangerous idea.

Not All Dead Men Stay Dead: 10 Essential Points about the Resurrection | Reflections