Dt James Dobson is Dead

 

He was a racist. Just like many of these white Christian nationalist and evangelist. https://t.co/dYqNhwFVSn

— Don Salmon (@dijoni) August 22, 2025

Colin Powell dies at 84

High Five of the Day - Calvinistic "Quotes": Man's idolatrous estimation of his self as

This is an awesome quote:

Nothing quite reveals man's idolatrous estimation of his self as being preeminent then his acceptance of Christ dying for sins of others while he refuses to accept that men should die for their own sins!

~ Julius Mickel

This point is what separates born-again Christians from all other people - it is the recognition that salvation is not because we deserve it - we deserve death (physical death and eternal separation from God) because of our sins. Jesus saved us from the consequences of what we did, do, and will do.

Calvinistic "Quotes": Man's idolatrous estimation of his self as

15 Things You Didn't Know About Death [infographic]

Thinking about Suffering and Death, Part 1 | Reflections

I have seen a really interesting article about Theodicy from Dr Ken Samples. He wrote

People often ask why a good God would allow human beings to suffer. In fact, the problem of pain and suffering (theodicy) is arguably the greatest challenge to the truth of Christian theism. But if suffering is the only way or perhaps the best way to move people toward ultimate truth and virtue, then God’s goodness is compatible with pain and suffering (this is known as the “greater good” response to theodicy).



Obviously, people can still ask why certain folks suffer when they don’t appear to be the direct beneficiary of the good that can come from sorrow. Or people can ask why there is so much suffering in the world. From a Christian apologetics standpoint there is no one response that explains, let alone solves, all of the problems connected to suffering. But the Christian response that God has dealt decisively with the problem of human suffering and evil through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ appears to be a far greater explanation than other worldviews offer.



The Gospel offers humankind hope and purpose because the Lord Jesus Christ suffered with us and for us. The historic Christian claim to the believer is that the suffering one endures in this life cannot compare with the glory that will be revealed in the next life.

Read the whole thing at:



Thinking about Suffering and Death, Part 1 | Reflections



Given what I've just gone through watching my sister waste away and finally succumbed to the suffering she courageously endured  from the cancer that attacked her body, this post carried with it a different feel than when I usually think of theodicy. Dr Samples' article is indeed true. My sister lived it and I witnessed it - God is indeed enough.

Christopher Hitchens: 13 April 1949 – 15 Dec 2011 - Apologetics 315

It doesn't seem like the surprises in 2011 are anywhere near over yet. I realize that some people might say that Christopher Hitchens death should come as a surprise to anyone. It was very public how sick he was. Given that everyone is going to die doesn't make the death of anyone easy. I was hoping that maybe God would spare his life and heal him but even better if God turned Christopher Hitchens into an evangelist for God instead of against God. None of us knows what Hitchens spiritual state was when he died and trying to guess what it is pointless. Instead I'd rather just think about the fact that his wit and intelligence and eloquence will be missed despite the fact that I didn't agree with everything he said or wrote. One non debatable fact is that he knows for sure whether he was right or wrong. Is there and afterlife or is there not? I think finding out for sure after you die is the wrong way to find out. Instead, it's better to know by knowing God for yourself. There are several great websites that are covering this. Here are a few links that I think you should see if you don't see any of the others.

Christopher Hitchens: 13 April 1949 – 15 Dec 2011 - Apologetics 315

Douglas Wilson wrote an article reflecting on Christopher Hitchens (link). I think that this particular article is priceless because although the two debated a few times and did not agree on a few fundamental things about life they had a mutual respect and admiration for each other.

A few weeks before Christopher Hitchens was supposed to debate Dr. James White, the debate was cancels because of Hitchens diagnosis and his need to start treatment immediately. The debate never happened. But on his blog posted a video and his web cast from 12/16/2011 in which he discusses Hitchen's death and a wide variety of subjects. Get the link here.




So how should Christians respond to the death of Christopher Hitchens? I think a good example is the one set by his brother Peter. Peter Hitchens is a Christian and he wrote an article about seeing his brother for the last time and how much he meant to him and who Christopher was as a person. It's beautifully written and I can't recommend it enough. Read it here.

Related articles

• Christopher Hitchens, 1949 - 2011 (blogs.discovermagazine.com)
• Christopher Hitchens (geoffarnold.com)
• Goodbye Christopher Hitchens .... Welcome to Hell. (mackquigley.wordpress.com)
• A reflection on Christopher Hitchens' death (wordsofgrace.wordpress.com)
• Famous atheist Christopher Hitchens dead at 62 (religionnewswilmington.wordpress.com)

Goodbye, Steve Jobs [1955-2011]

The big news of October 5, 2011 is the sad passing of Steve Jobs. Even though it has been known for a while that Mr Jobs has been fighting cancer for the last several years, it's still a shock when people die...especially someone who had already done so much to change the world and most likely could have accomplished much more had he had the time.

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
-Steve Jobs [1955-2011]

Check out Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address!



I remember back in 2000, I was a laughing stock for wanting a Mac at home instead of a Windows based machine. Apple was about to die. But Steve Jobs and people he put around in key positions changed all of that through new marketing strategies and innovative products. Not one of us  saw it coming, except maybe Steve Jobs.

Goodbye, Steve Jobs [1955-2011]

Related articles

• Goodbye, Steve Jobs [1955-2011] (geeksaresexy.net)
• Steve Jobs, 1955-2011 (marshallstanton.com)
• Rest in Peace Steve Jobs (shopify.com)
• Steve Jobs: 1955-2011 (hellforleathermagazine.com)
• Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address (freetech4teachers.com)

FacePalm of the Day #110 - Debunking Christianity: God and Evolution Don’t Mix, by Dr. John Shook

And here is proof of what logic it was that led to John Shook loosing his debate with William Lane Craig.

If God was trying to produce us through evolution, what does that tell us about a God that would use that method? Here’s some suggestions:


I wouldn't argue that theistic evolution is viable. I would also have to point out that not all who support theistic evolution would agree with the conclusions that Shook reaches.  The Bible does not line up with Shook at all.

A. God prefers diversity, not heights of intelligence or self-awareness. God does not prioritize creatures that can know God and praise God.

²Through the praise of children and infants
   you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
   to silence the foe and the avenger.
³ When I consider your heavens,
   the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
   which you have set in place,
⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
   human beings that you care for them?^[c]

 ⁵ You have made them^[d] a little lower than the angels^[e]
   and crowned them^[f] with glory and honor.
⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
   you put everything under their^[g] feet:
⁷ all flocks and herds,
   and the animals of the wild,
⁸ the birds in the sky,
   and the fish in the sea,
   all that swim the paths of the seas.- Psalm 8:2-8

B. God is quite comfortable with endless horrible struggle and suffering.

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

C. God is quite comfortable with death – lots of it.

⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

 ⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory?
   Where, O death, is your sting?” - 1 Corinthians 15:53-55

D. God likely has plans for the future evolution of life that don’t involve humanity.

Too many scriptures tells us that God's plans involve humanity

¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

 ²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.- Romans 8:18-25

E. God probably is just using us to later get whatever kind of life He really wants.

The creation was perfect when God created it. Here is what the Bibles about why God did it.

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. - Colossians 1:15-20

What is God really up to? Maybe God is slow-breeding angels. Or cyborgs. Or the Singularity. Maybe God doesn’t want worshippers – maybe God is seeing if He/She/It can eventually create another fellow God. Link\

Nope: God has a purpose for His people

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. - Romans 8:28,29

Debunking Christianity: God and Evolution Don’t Mix, by Dr. John Shook

Observing the Torah

I got an e-mail recently in which Dr. Laura Schlesinger was chided for being against homosexuality because of the laws stated in Leviticus 18:22. The fundamental understanding is that because we don't follow the other laws given through Moses, we shouldn't be concerned over homosexuality. My comments are going to be in red and my overall response is that many of the laws given in the Old Testament were to the Jewish people in a theocratic context. Many of them were designed to make the people of Israel different and set apart in contrast to their neighboring peoples.  This isn't true of all of the laws. What is true of all the laws is that we get insight as to what God considers good and bad. You also get the sense that our idea of what is moral and right does not match completely what God says is right. None of us think the things we do or condone are wrong. This is why we need an outside standard. The thing is about Homosexuality, God said it was an abomination. The Bible also says that lying is something God hates. Don't do either.
In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance.  The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet.  It's funny, as well as informative.
   
Dear Dr. Laura:
 

 Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law.  I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can.  When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination .... End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.
 
1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations.  A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians.  Can you clarify?  Why can't I own Canadians?




Isrealites  4 thousand years ago could own slaves purchased from neighboring nations not us. America did not follow this command, they stole their slave or saw nothing wrong with buying stolen property. No where in the Torah were they told that slaves should be treated as property or less than human.
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7.  In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?




Funny how this verse is taken out of context. Exodus 21:7-8 says

 ⁷ "If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as menservants do. ⁸ If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her.

Notice there isn't a commandment or prescription that you should sell your daughter as a servant/slave. This is in context of selling you daughter to pay a debt not just because you are greedy. This command is that the lady must be allowed to return to her family and not sold to foreigners if the one who gets her doesn't want her anymore.

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24.  The problem is how do I tell?  I have tried asking, but most women take offense.



The command is referring to husbands/wives not women you pass on the street. If you have been married any length of time, you can tell when your wife is on your period.
4 When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9.  The problem is my neighbors.  They claim the odor is not pleasing to them.  Should I smite them?




No. In ancient Israel you would not just build an altar and sacrifice anywhere! Besides that's the reason for the holy perfume that was only supposed to be used in the Tablenacle/Temple. Besides if you aren't a Levite what would you be doing making a sacrifice?! Worse, we have Jesus why do you even need to do this?!!!
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath.  Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death.  Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?



Are you Jew living in a theocratic context 3-4 thousand years ago? No? Then don't worry about it. 

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality.  I don't agree.  Can you settle this?  Are there 'degrees' of abomination?

Eating Shellfish was about ritual not lifestyle. There is no degree of abomination.
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight.  I have to admit that I wear reading glasses.  Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?


Again out of context. The passage should be read in the context of verses 17-20. God was referring to who could serve in the temple. Should a crippled or handicapped person be a fireman?  Nope. If you weren't physically capable to be a priest you should be doing the job.
 
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27.  How should they die?





If they are Jews living in Theocratic Israel, then yes. 
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?





They didn't play football in theocratic Israel and footballs aren't really made of pig skin. 
10. My uncle has a farm.  He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend).  He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot.  Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16.  Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)




Again we know that if you plant different crops too close together you mess up your field...so then your uncle would be ignorant. Some people are allergic to polyester. And given that your uncle is uncouth, it does not follow that they should die. Makes me wonder about a family if its okay to sleep with their in-laws.
I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I'm confident you can help.
 
Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.



God's Word is indeed eternal and unchanging. We do however. 
Your adoring fan.
 
James M. Kauffman, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus, Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education University of Virginia
 
  (It would be a damn shame if we couldn't own a Canadian)



Dr. Kauffman obviously is trying to make the point that the Bible is full of outdated laws and rules that don't apply today and homosexuality shouldn't either. However he misrepresents and distorts what the Bible says. Sorry, she may be inconsiderate and racist (see other posts on Dr. Laura) but she's right on this point.