Thursday, June 4, 2009

Announcement: Format Change


Frequent readers of this blog may have noticed that I I usually pit all things of interest to me in terms of fiction on this blog. I've come to realize that I need to focus more on smaller topics to be of the most benefit to the readers and supporters. Therefore from now on this blog will focus less on art and media and more on things I like to study. It will continue to be for reviews, demos, announcements, and interviews but nowe only dealing with the Mugen community. I will now be maintaining 4 blogs.

1. Favorite Fiction will house all my Mugen related activities.
2. What Had Happened Was... will be for all the things I like to study: Theology, Science, Politics, News, Technology, and History.
3. Favorite Media will cover movies, television, YouTube, comic books, and music.
4 Favorite Gadgets will be used for field testing new web technology and widgets.

Please feel free to visit any of these blogs at any time and leave comments on any of them blogs or e-mail me. Thanks for your support

Richard Dawkins and John Lennox: Has Science Buried God? MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

Here is a great debate I got from the Apologetics 315 blogs. It's really interesting. Dawkins is in denial. He actually talked about the God that he would respect. It's not the god of the Bible. His problem is that he doesn't think that a God who created everything would care about us personally. He said it's petty that God cares about how we morally live our lives. That's frightening. No wonder Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins are friends. John Lennox did an awesome job challenging Dawkins philosophically and scientifically. This was awesome.

I don't understand why people like Dawkins think that by crediting God for intelligently designing reality that we don't care about how God's creation functions and why things take the shape they do. All theistic scientist don't see God as the answer to how the universe works, we see God as the cause, sustainer, and designer. He allows us to study and learn how He did what He did. I liiked the approach Lennox took.

Richard Dawkins and John Lennox: Has Science Buried God? MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

The Gospel According to "Supernatural"





There is this show on the CW called "Supernatural". The premise of the show is that two brothers are hunters who travel around opposing supernatural and demonic forces that hurt people. Recently, instead of bunches of stand-alone, crisis-of-the-week episodes, there has been a couple of major story lines. In the first one the brothers and their father face the demon who killed the boys' mother and in the course of it the fathers sells his soul to demon in exchange for saving the older brother, Dean's life. And at the end of season 2, Dean sells his soul in exchange for the life of his younger brother, Sam. They defeated the demon they were after who was attempting to open a gateway between hell and earth, but Dean had only a year to live before he was going to hell. At the beginning of season four, Dean's soul was freed from hell by angel, and the boys had a new mission to stop the demons from starting the Apocalypse by freeing Lucifer via opening 66 seals. At the end of the season 4, the brothers discover that the Angels lied to them. They wanted the seal broken so that Lucifer could rise and be defeated...however looking at the billions of human lives that could be killed as collateral damage. Should be an interesting season starting next September when the show continues.

Although it's enjoyable fiction. I saw the following post and I thought it brings up important questions.

Is "Supernatural" For Atheists?

I think it's important to think about what the show says about God, angels, and demons. The show presents an unbiblical view of God. It's complete fiction. God is largely silent. The angels in the show seem to be operating just like us. Many of them have approached God as agnostics because they have never seen God nor interacted with Him. Also it makes no sense that people could make deals with demons without input from God. Demons do not have power on their own. They can't do anything unless God allows it. The show depicts good and evil as equals and opposites. The Bible does not say that. God is supremely in control. And because of Jesus, Lucifer has already been defeated. It's over. We are just watching the final acts play out. God is portrayed form a deist point of view. As if He made everything and then went on vacation sentencing us all to make it up as we go. The Bible says that God is constantly and purposely working in the creation he created and as well transcends. It is supremely important that the show is fiction and if you want to know what Angels are really like and who God is, you have to study the Bible.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Free Will - God's Style? Not Even Close Part 1

NonStampCollector, has put together three YouTube videos that attempt to show inconsistency in the Christianity based on what we teach concerning human free will and salvation. The author is an atheist and he is criticizing Arminianism. Look at the first video below to see what he is saying.





Here are the scriptures that he says he is drawing on for the first video. It's not that I think these verses are taken out of context but that there isn't no context given. The author believes that a choice can't be free if there are negative consequences and that it's unfair. Several examples are given in the video where a parent tells a child that they can do what ever they want but if they don't make the choice the parent wants the parent will punish them. Finally the video ends with a characature of what the Gospel truly is.

Yes, Rev 3:20 is quoted but then Jesus says things that are no where said in the Bible. No where does the Bible teach that God gave men free will apart from himself. The Bible says that God himself is free and the unsaved sinner is enslaved to sin. John 5:22 and 2 Timothy 4:1 do say Jesus is the judge of all mankind. What's wrong with that? He is the only one worthy of judging everyone. And in no way does it address free will and how you get saved. From Rev 20:15 and Luke 16:24 we see that people who reject God will be going to a place of eternal torment. All people are sinful and on the way to hell even before we are saved. We are saved because we are allowed to choose Christ.


Salvation is a gift from God. We are saved by grace through faith.

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
Romans 5:15
The author referenced the following verse. I'm not sure why it was cited...it has nothing about human free will or whether or not God has the right to hold us to a standard.

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rev 20:10


I'm in the process of writing a post about free will and God's sovereignty. In the mean time I'd like to offer the facts that this video's author is mistaken about what Christians believe. As an atheist, the author asserts that God does not have right to tell us He loves us and to hold us to standard. He made us! God has all the right. The author further asserts that God wants us to have free will and freely choose to obey and love him. I can't find that in the Bible. We are called to repent and obey God for sure. We are told to choose but no where are we told "You have Free will". The author is applying the definition of Free Will as being able to choose among several options sans constraints and consequences. But it's unrealistic. Because our slavery to sin..no one is free unless God frees us!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Truthbomb Apologetics: Apologist Profile: Josh McDowell

Chad over at the the Truthbomb blog has provided a great, detailed summary of Josh McDowell's career and resources. It's invaluable

Truthbomb Apologetics: Apologist Profile: Josh McDowell

Sunday Quote: Augustine on Faith and Understanding - Apologetics 315


Sunday Quote: Augustine on Faith and Understanding - Apologetics 315:


"Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.'
- St. Augustine of Hippo"

Whatever Happened to Apologetics MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

There is a post on Apologetics 315 is very interesting. Craig Paton defines apologetics in a great and wonderful way. As a Lutheran and an apologist he does a great job of explaining what Apologetist is why it's important. It's worth listening to.

Whatever Happened to Apologetics MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

Monday, June 1, 2009

10 Reasons Why there is No Comparision Between Jesus and Superman

I came across the following blog post that was linked from Twitter. It's called 10 Reasons Why Superman is better than Jesus. It's obviously stupid. But for the sake of argument, I think we must answer trivial arguments like this so the author will not be so smug in his stupidity. I will respond to each point he raises in his post. My comments are in red.

Mon, Jun 1, 2009

This article
made me want to include a little list of why Superman is better than Jesus. I’ve made a comparative list so that I can definitively prove that the last son of Krypton is superior to the King of Kings in almost every way.


  1. Superman has saved the planet for destruction numerous times. Jesus has threatened to return and bring upon the end of the earth with him, but so far is a fucking “no-show”.

    Jesus keeps all of reality from falling apart. Considering that, I'm sure Jesus is coming back.


    For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And 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.
    - Colossians 1:16-18


  2. Jesus performed a few miracles, but Superman can shoot laser beams out of his eyes, he can fly, is indestructible, and can see through everything except lead. In one movie he turned back time. How awesome is that?

    Jesus can see into people's hearts and know what they are thinking. Jesus can raise the dead and cure all diseases. Superman has never done any of that.



    Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.[a] 24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. John 2:23-25


    On top of that Superman is no longer able to turn back time or juggle planets anymore. Jesus never changes! He has no need to evolve or grow!



    Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

    Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. - Hebrews 13: 7-9


  3. Jesus may have died for your sins, but Superman died to protect us from an intergalactic killing machine called Doomsday.
  4. Sorry but hell is a whole lot scarier than Doomsday. Doomsday only threatened physical life. It is through Jesus Christ that we are freed from sin and eternal separation from God. Through Jesus...you not only get eternal life but you get to be free of making stupid mistakes through which you destroy yourself!
  5. When Jesus died, he was resurrected 3 days later and then abruptly left, telling his disciples he’d be back within their lifetimes (an obvious lie). Superman died, was in stasis for a while, and emerged with long glorious 90’s hair. Unlike Jesus, however, Superman stuck around and has been busy keeping the world safe from evil.
  6. Jesus never said He would return during their lifetime! To say so is reading something into the Bible that it does not say! Jesus is better than Superman because he changes the hearts and minds of sinners like you and me and makes us children of the living God.
  7. Although not a God, Superman still risks his life all the time trying to combat super villains. Jesus, on the other hand, is apparently all powerful, and yet refuses to do something as basic as healing amputees.
  8. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." - Daniel 3:16-18
  9. Superman can move mountains. Jesus claims praying to him will accomplish the same feat, but no noticeable effects from prayer have ever been measured.
  10. I've seen God moves when people pray...not coincidence. Jesus made the mountains and everything in reality.
    He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. - John 1:2-4
  11. Superman is an expert in dozens of languages, and is an accomplished journalist. Jesus never left any writings, or evidence of any of his works.
  12. Arguing from silence is not proof. Jesus spoke to Jews and gentiles. He at least could speak Aramaic and read Kione Greek. Considering that he created every nation and language...again Jesus won.
  13. Superman hooked up with the insanely hot Lois Lane, while the only women that showed any interest in Jesus were all prostitutes.
  14. We have no Biblical or Historical proof that Jesus hooked up with anyone! On top of that if the author was referring to the lies in the Da Vinci Code, the assertion holds no relevance because no where does the Bible say Mary Magdalene was a prostitute!
  15. Jesus said “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me” (Luke 19:27). Superman, on the other hand, has a strict code of conduct that forbids him to kill anyone.
  16. Context. Context. Context. Come' on. I thought you could read! The quote is taken out of context. Jesus was quoting a king in a parable, not giving a command! And as for how Jesus tells us to treat our enemies he said:
    "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[b] and pray for those who persecute you,..." - Matthew 5: 43-44
    Jesus did not just say this, he modeled it for us.
    For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 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. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. - Colossians 1: 19-23
  17. If you fell out of your apartment window and cried for help, Superman would try and save you. Not only will Jesus not even bother to save you; he will send you to hell for all eternity if you don’t believe in him.
  18. If you believe Jesus is who he claimed to be then you are one of His. This what Jesus promises us who belong to him:
    Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20
I have tested this out and Jesus did not lie. He have never left me or forgotten me. He has always been there for me to matter how bad things have gotten for me.

Now some people may criticize me for this article, and they might be right: what’s the point in debating which fictional character is better, anyways?


I'm not going to criticize the author for pondering these points. We must all answer: "Who Is Jesus To Me?" If youthink he's just a fictional character you should look at what a real historian has to say in my earlier post called: Paul Maier - Jesus Really Existed.

Phil Fernandes vs. Eddie Tabash Debate: Does God Exist? MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

This is a very interesting debate. At first, I thought that it was nothing new...but give it a moment. Phil Fernandez did a great job rebutting his opponent. I think that Eddie Tabash does not believe in God because he does not agree with the decisions God has made. The only problem I have with Fernandez's presentation is that he said that the debate was not about Biblical Inerrancy. When I listen to debates against atheists, few people defend the Bible but every atheist I have listened to attacks the Bible. That must be answered.

Tabash really did a good job attacking us on the problem of evil. He asked about his parents and family who endured horrors on the Nazi holocaust. They were good people but rejected Jesus as Lord and Savior. He asked them why it is was right that they would go to hell and if the Nazi's who killed them repented would go to heaven? I think the answer is the same as the one Fernandez used when he was asked about genocide in Canaan when the Jews moved in. Fernandez said God is sovereign and can do what ever He wants and we are not qualified to question him.

This debate is worth listening to.

Phil Fernandes vs. Eddie Tabash Debate: Does God Exist? MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

John Warwick Montgomery MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

Here is another great resource from Apologetics 315. Several mp3's of apologist John Warick Montgomery lectures and interviews have been collected for us to enjoy.


John Warwick Montgomery MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

Sunday, May 31, 2009

The Gospel According to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine "


A lot of negative comments have been made about Wolverine as being "shallow" when it comes to philosophy and character development. While I agree that there was little character development, I disagree that it had nothing to say about the human condition. As a character, Wolverine is always walking that razor edge between his humanity and beastial - bezerker nature. He constantly is making choices as to whether or not he is going to be rational or give in to his rage. I think that this was explored in the movie.

The movie also explored the idea of "choice". Wolverine chose to undergo the antimantium process because he wanted the added powerto kill Victor Creed whom he believed killed his lover, Silverfox. After Stryker tried to wipe Wolverine's memories and then later tried to kill him, Wolverine told the nice old man who helped him after the he escaped from Weapon X that he had no choice but to seek revenge. The old man called him on that...that we always have choices. I find that when we, as people, say "I have no choice." what we mean is that "I have no other choice that I would rather make". I mean Wolverine could have chosen to walk away and not look for Stryker or Victor, but he didn't. Okay, had he done that there would not have been a movie, but again, he could have done it.

So that gets me to thinking. "Do we, as people, have free will?" I've been studying what the Bible says about Free Will. I have come to the conclusion that it depends on how you define what "Free Will" is and is not. Many folks define "libertarian free will" as the ability to make decisions without being led, coerced, or contrained. This definition is not the way the Bible talks about how people function. The Bible says that God does everything according to his will....not ours. Nothing happens without God knowing about it. I want to write more on this subject. I'll be giving more in another post coming soon.

Read a review on my Favorite Fiction blog.

Whales - Designed Or Evolved? by Dr. Marc Surtees


Here is a video lecture in which Dr. Marc Surtees lectures on the evidence we actually have for whale evolution. He is a qualified biologist.




Part 1


Part 2


Saturday, May 30, 2009

Iron Sharpens Iron: DR. JAMES R. WHITE: THE MORMON VIEW OF THE GODHEAD: Does it fit the biblical text?

I just heard Chris Arnzen interviewing James White regarding Mormonism. It's great. He has been studying Mormonism for a while now and he has debated several Mormon apologists in the past few years. If you know nothing about Mormonism this is a great program to listen to.

Iron Sharpens Iron: DR. JAMES R. WHITE: THE MORMON VIEW OF THE GODHEAD: Does it fit the biblical text?

Truthbomb Apologetics: Featured Audio: Interview with Daniel Wallace on the Reliability of the New Testament Text

This is a great interview. I enjoyed it greatly. Wallace can summarize and explain textual variants in the Bible very cleanly. Everything he says confirms my own research and what I have heard other scholars who are not Bart Ehrman say. I think that if you have questions as to where or not the Bible you have in your hands contain the same information as the original manuscripts the following interview will be a great place to begin your research.

Truthbomb Apologetics: Featured Audio: Interview with Daniel Wallace on the Reliability of the New Testament Text

Friday, May 29, 2009

Atheism is Dead: Atheist Greydon Square - Rapper Extraordinaire


Mariano has again published another insightful and awesome post. I never heard of Greydon Square (on the right, top) before I read this post. He does strike me as needing to be answered. People need to know that not all of Hip Hop is godless. God has provided excellent counterparts so that his Gospel can be brought to people in the Hip Hop Culture. One of these "rams in the bush" is the duo known as Hazakim (pictured on the right, bottom). I've posted about them before. This link will show all the times the have shown up on this blog. You can hear some of their music and read what they are about on their MySpace Site.

Atheism is Dead: Atheist Greydon Square - Rapper Extraordinaire

Iron Sharpens Iron: DR. JAMES R. WHITE: Islam and the Qur'an

I just heard Chris Arnzen interviewing James White regarding Islam. It's great. He has been studying Islam for a while now and he has debated several Muslim apologists in the past few years. If you know nothing about Islam or the Koran this is a great program to listen to. They had a power outage so the recording is not complete.

Iron Sharpens Iron: DR. JAMES R. WHITE: Islam and the Qur'an

Answering Steven Carr's Objections

Steven Carr left the following comment on my post:

Jesus' Resurrection: Gary Habermas and Antony Flew

We don't have ANY examples of somebody being raised from the dead.

Actually, I'm sure you could find an example of 10,000 people who all are certain they saw a touchdown that was all in their head....

Not one person in history has ever named himself as having seen a flesh-and-bone resurrected Jesus.

Paul says flat out that Jesus became a spirit.

And the early Christian converts he was writing to were scoffing at the whole idea of their god choosing to raise corpses.

I have a debate on the resurrection at Debate
I've listened to the "debate" but it wasn't a real scholarly debate. It was a webcast where Carr was a guest given an atheistic view of Easter. The man giving the Christian viewpoint was interesting. I think he did good a job defending the faith. All the people who called into the program were Christians also but instead of really interacting with Carr's points (which he summarized in his comments on my blog) they invited him to seek God for himself. I don't disagree. The thing that bothered me is the fact that each of his ideas and challenges can be answered and debunked. If these five points are Carr's reasons for denying the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, he doesn't have a leg to stand on. Make no mistake, Christianity believe that Jesus' resurrection was physical, tangible, and historical! It really happened. Carr's argument is that it didn't and he tries to use the Bible to prove it. Let's take his assertions in turn and see if it holds up.

We don't have ANY examples of somebody being raised from the dead.

Jesus...nuff said, but I'll dig deeper. Jesus resurrection is different than all the other times someone died in the Bible and came back to life. They all died later. Jesus never died again. Second, He said He was going to be betrayed, crucified, and resurrected...then He did it. On top of that the Old Testament says the same thing was going to happen to the Messiah and it happened to Jesus.

Actually, I'm sure you could find an example of 10,000 people who all are certain they saw a touchdown that was all in their head....

I'm assuming that Carr's trying to appeal to the theory that the Apostles and the first Christians only thought they saw Jesus as as some kind of shared vision. I can't believe that he even tried it. This has more than been shot down by the likes of William Lane Craig, Lee Strobel, and Gary Habermas. So I will use the same reasoning they use. There is no documented case where two or more people have the very same vision at the same time. You can't share a hallucination. This is a proven psychological fact!!!


Not one person in history has ever named himself as having seen a flesh-and-bone resurrected Jesus.

Peter Did.

"You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. - Acts 3:14-16

"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." - Act 10:39-43


Paul says flat out that Jesus became a spirit

I don't think so. There is no way because Paul never wrote it.


And the early Christian converts he was writing to were scoffing at the whole idea of their god choosing to raise corpses.

Carr is right there were some early church members (not Christians) who did not entirely believe in the resurrection of the dead. Just like today. This is one of the reasons Paul had to write 1st Corinthians to se them strait. This wasn't the only thing they needed to be schooled on. Look at what Paul actually wrote:

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day—I mean that, brothers—just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
"Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die." Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. - 1 Corinthians 15: 20-34

The Reformation Is Defnitely Not Over


Catholicism is not a cult, but there are a few doctrinal and theological ideas that are held in Roman Catholicism that I must reject. There are many different ideas and beliefs in Catholicism because not all of the church follows the Pope and there are many Catholics that are saved as the Bible says and are in better or worse shape than Protestant believers. There is a vocal group of Catholic apologists who lay claim to the idea that all Christians should be Roman Catholic - to not just follow the Bible but all of the traditions of their church. Dr. James White has pointed out that an some Catholics have compiled a list of arguments Roman Catholics should not use when talking to Protestants. Here is what He wrote:

Benjamin Douglass and others have put together a list of common Roman Catholic arguments that, well, shouldn't be common at all. Now, posting something like this, given that it would decimate the arsenal of the most popular Roman Catholic apologists on the web and on radio today, can't make Mr. Douglass and his associates the most popular Roman Catholics around, but you have to give them a lot of credit for honestly recognizing these issues (issues I have been raising for many years). So kudos to Mr. Douglass and his associates! And a word of advice to Mr. Douglass: put on your asbestos booties and gloves before opening the resultant e-mails from the likes of Dave Armstrong and all the others who are so dependent upon these very arguments.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Lee Strobel's "The Case For A Creator"


Here is the documentary companion piece to Lee Strobel's book The Case For A Creator and it's great. It really makes me wanna read the book. Some interesting points is that evidence most of all of earth's lifeforms appearing quickly not slowly called the "cambrian explosion of life".



Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Deadliest Warrior: William Wallace vs Shaka Zulu

I watched the show last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. The truth is I thought that Shaka would win before I saw the show. I quickly changed my mind when I saw the sword that Wallace used to wield called the "claymore" - an 4.5 ft, steel sword! They did a test with the replica where they proved that he could have decapitated 3 people with one swing of the thing. I really wanted to believe Shaka could have won, but after that... Here is a video from the show:



More James White Analysis of William Lane Craig


Yesterday on his webcast, Dr. James White offered further analysis of William Lane Craig's attempt to harmonize libertarian free will of people with the sovereignty of God in matters of salvation. I can't harmonize them. You can seem to hold one or the other, but not both. You can hold on to complete human libertarian free will and reject scripture or you can embrace that God is in complete control and does whatever He desires to do and when HE decides to do it and follow scripture. The webcast is very helpful and should start a great deal of discussion. Here is the link.

New Atheism by Norman Geisler MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

I have found another gem on the Apologetic 315 blog. It's a lecture by Norman Geisler about the current forms Atheism that have cropped up. Please follow the link below for an audio and a video. I enjoyed the lecture. If you know little about other religions, this lecture will help you think about what you believe and why. Why are you following the religion you are following? This lecture will help you think about this.

Here is the video from YouTube





New Atheism by Norman Geisler MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 4 of 4

Here is the Fourth part of a great series from Atheism is Dead. It is brilliant! Check out my article on the same subject if you haven't seen it yet.

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 4 of 4

Proposition 8 - Upheld


When I woke up this morning and I was reminded from a news report that the California Supreme Court would be ruling on the constitutionality of Proposition 8 to day. The ruling came down about 10 AM, PST. I just read the results at the Huffington Post and SF Gate. Basically, the Court is going to let the Proposition stand as is. I was surprised. Considering that this was the same court that legalized Marriage between people of the same gender, I was surprised that they would go on and uphold the proposition that went against its earlier ruling because the majority of us Californians voted for it. I'm not going to get into the reason why I supported Prop 8 last year here because I argued in favor of it else where on this blog. What I do want to point out that this snuck up on me. I did not hear anyone talk about this event today or bring it up. I knew it was coming. I even heard that opponents of Proposition 8 are discussing whether to get their thoughts on the ballot either for the next general election in 2010 or the next Presidential election in 2012. Here is a quote from the final ruling made by the California Supreme Court today.

"Proposition 8 does not by any means "repeal" or "strip" gay individuals or same-sex couples of the very significant substantive protections afforded by the state equal protection clause either with regard to the fundamental rights of privacy and due process or in any other area, again with the sole exception of access to the designation of 'marriage' to describe their relationship."


So to summarize, Proposition 8 stands, but the Same-Sex Marriages that have already taken place in California wiull still stand.

Jesus: Legend, Teacher, Critic, or Son of God?



Dr. Robert Price and Dr. Greg Boyd debate on who Jesus is. I admit that Price was very articulate, but wrong. Price argued that Christianity worships a legendary Christ. Boyd argued for the Christian teachings of Jesus. Price tried to argue that the Jesus of Christianity is a product of legend. He tried to argue that there have been cases where people have become exalted and deified and augmented by legend while the person is still alive or within 20 to 30 years of their deaths. He used the example of a Jewish Messiah in 1660s, Sabatai Savi, who centuries ago was thought by many to be the messiah, but had eventually converted to Islam. He also used the example of Charles Mansion. Both men even had miracles ascribed to them. Price's idea is that Jesus' miracles are legendary. The problem is that unlike Jesus...no one thinks of these other guys as messianic. We can show and prove that they are not deity. After 2000 years, Jesus' claims and those that his followers made about him still stand. I wish Boyd had spent some time refuting Boyd on this point. But Boyd still did a great job. The debate is below.



Monday, May 25, 2009

Answering Monica Dennington

TurretinFan has done an excellent job refuting a person who has no idea what theologians do or what Calvinism is. He is referring to the video that I mentioned in an earlier post: Reasoning with William Lane Craig




Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 3 of 4

Here is the third part of a great series from Atheism is Dead. Check out my article on the same subject if you haven't seen it yet.

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 3 of 4

Truthbomb Apologetics: An Apologetics Arsenal

Truthbomb Apologetics has a great post that summarizes and bookmarks a great deal of apologetic information. This is a great place to start for any religious questions.

Truthbomb Apologetics: An Apologetics Arsenal

The World Seem to Love It When Christians Fail

All Christians are people and we fail sometimes. This is why we have to put our complete trust in Jesus...He never fails. As you have probably heard that Father Alberto Cutie has been caught breaking his vows. Here is the link to an article.

Also those racy pictures of Carrie Prejean, Miss California, have turned up more dirt which enemies of anyone who confesses to be a Christian have been trying to use to destroy her. Four semi-nude pictures she posed for have come to light. It had been stated that she was 17 at the time, but now it's being reported that she had taken them last January after breast augmentation. Some people because of this think she should loose her crown because she broke the rules. Fine. But that does not mean that she is not a christian or that church people should condemn her. Here is the link to an article.

We need to hold up these people in prayer and not judge them. It could have been anyone else caught up in mistakes and poor decisions that we have made. We must never forget two very important facts: I am the worse sinner than I know. You are the worse sinner that you know.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Jesus' Resurrection: Gary Habermas and Antony Flew



I found another debate Anthony Flew (right) was in before he became a theist. He debated Dr. Gary Habermas (left) in 2003 at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. This was more of a discussion that a debate. It looked like as if Anthony Flew was given a chance to ask his own questions about Jesus' Resurrection and have them answered by Habermas. It's very informative.





Gary Habermas pointed out that the Resurrection is a more probable explanation of Jesus' post-crucifixion appearances than multiole groups of people sharing a vision of seeing Jesus because we don't have any examples of multiple people sharing the same vision.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Reasoning with William Lane Craig

I had the opportunity to listen to James White's webcast from Thursday, May 21, 2009. It was extremely interesting. I think James White summed up the contents of the webcast on his blog. I've pasted it below because I want to make sure readers read it.


We did a Radio Free Geneva today, starting with a few minutes reviewing an example of really bad argumentation (from Monica Dunnington) and then moving on to the serious stuff, that being the comments of William Lane Craig on the topic of man's freedom, Romans 9, Roman Catholicism, etc. Important documentation that "theology matters." Here's the program.
Now here is another gem from the wacky world of those suffering from Calvin Derangement Syndrome. A new book from a Southern Baptist deacon from Florida titled Calvin the Psychopath. Anyone want to take a wild guess as to how fair, and accurate, this scholarly work might be? If you are wondering, here are some whopper quotes from the author's website:
The written history of John Calvin dramatically reveals that he was a premeditated murderer, a heretic, a blasphemer, and a liar. He forced his beliefs by fear, punishment, terrorism, and had his own inquisition. He beheaded children and justified it with an extensive discussion of the Fifth Commandment. (Honor thy father and thy mother.) Calvins temper was described as the wild beast of his wrath. In my opinion Calvinism is a cult. Like all cults it has picked those things they want to believe and eliminated the others. By this they have created their own religion with the usual half-truths. They have reinterpreted the Scriptures in an unorthodox way, and used them in an orthodox way. It is a sinful spiritualizing exegesis.

Calvinists are increasingly coming out in the open. The president of one of our seminaries, who is a Calvinist, has been quoted in Time magazine recently and if true it is absolutely a lie. The seminary president as quoted said, The moment someone begins to define Gods (being or actions) Biblically, that person is drawn to conclusions that are traditionally classified as Calvinist. This statement is Biblically Illiterate! He says when one seeks God they find Calvinism! At the very least this is sacrilegious or gross irreverence. To me this is a dissent from Biblical dogma and is therefore heresy. We need to speak up and out against this man. He is dangerous to the minds of our young people.
Well, there you go! We all stand refuted once again! Truly, Calvin Derangement Syndrome is a sad thing to observe, it truly is.
We will continue with Radio Free Geneva next week!



I have found the presentation by Monica Dennington that White referenced. It's on YouTube just like he said.





The truth is that I think Dr. White's commentary on Dennington's words were way more charitable than they deserve. He laughed...but I think it was to keep from crying. I'm not even sure how to respond because her ideas are so...I almost want to say stupid but that's not right. "Ignorant" is better. As Dr. White points out she could not have obviously studied church history or listened to other viewpoints on what scripture says but instead holds on to her own traditions.

As far as Dr. White's comments on Dr William Lane Craig's presentation I found myself disappointed with Craig's presentation. He seems way more concerned to me about human dignity and free will than just admitting that God is sovereignly in control of all of reality. The truth is that if God did not supercede human will, no one would ever be saved. I really would like to hear more of Craig's presentation but I think I could find the first part. I think Jame White is correct he should debate William Lane Craig.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 2 of 4

Here is the second part of a great series from Atheism is Dead. Check out my article on the same subject.

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 2 of 4

To Dick Cheney, No one likes a sore loser!

You can just hear the bitterness in this clip:



The Four Horsemen


I have found a series of videos on YouTube that have some of the largest named atheist in a round table discussion. Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennet, Samuel Harris, and Christopher Hitchens sit around and talk about Atheism and talking to Christians. Here is the video playlist:





I'm amazed by that they really seem to think that those who believe the Bible are deluded and arrogant. They would tell us that if there really is a divine, ultimate intelligence that we can't possibly know what that entity thinks or desires. They reject the Bible because they don't accept it as true. To talk to people with this mindset I can see how showing that the Bible could not come from men is a good tactic. The Bible is authoritative because it comes from God. From there then we have a platform on which to talk. It's alo an important point that they must use the Christian Worldview to argue against us. The very name they chose to refer themselves come from the Bible. I know some people think that it's just irony but let's take it up a notch. Which of the four horsemen does each man represent? This is my guess (just for fun - I mean if they want to be the four horsemen of the Apocalypse - "the unveiling" - this is what they are claiming for themselves; absolutely no offense is intended):


War - Christopher Hitchens because he is kind of belicose and angry against God. He doesn't want to be beholden to anyone but himself.


Pestilence - Richard Dawkins because he is a biologist and we can conncet it to studying germs and diseases.


Famine - Sam Harris because I think he represents "spiritual" famine. He searched the world and several religious experiences and came up with nothing.


Death - Daniel Dennet because if you equate religious experience with natural phenomenon there is no way you can get life out of your worldview. By its very nature, being regenerated and being tranformed fdrom being hostile to the things of God to a believer requires an act of God - outside of natural expectations and processes.



If you disagree with the parallels I've drawn feel free to suggest others in the comments.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 1 of 4

I was shocked to find the following post from my brother-in-Christ Mariano on the same topic I had planned to post on for tomorrow. We didn't set this up. His is a thoughtful series of articles on the so-called "New Atheists". I highly recommend his series. Feel free to check out my post on these same guys tomorrow.

Atheism is Dead: Atheism - The New (Emergent) Atheists, part 1 of 4

Open Letter to Christopher Hitchens


Christopher Hitchens, I've listened to several of your debates with Christian Theists. They have been quite....educational. I have to admit that I completely disagree with you but you are too intelligent to be just written off as a moron. I regret that many of your points against the Bible are important questions and never seem to be addressed in your debates. Most of your opponents offer good philosophical arguments but never address your points concerning the character of God and the reliability of the Bible. I hope that you will one day debate more people like Douglas Wilson (who did an awesome job debating you). I would suggest James White, Gary Habermas, or Ben Witherington. Along with Wilson, they can really challenge your views and give reasons why your conclusions are wrong.

You often issue the challenge of demonstrating a single moral act proscribed in religion that you can't come up with on your own. I'll take that bet. There are many examples but I will give you two:

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. - Romans 12:3

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. - Luke 6:35


I've been a Christian my whole life. I gave my life to Jesus as a child and while I agree that these verses are true and correct I have a problem with them. There is no way I would not have thought this up. It's completely opposite to my human nature and what I want to do. From what you have said, it's opposite from yours as well. You don't agree with this morality taught in the Bible teaches, without the power of God no one, espiecally me, could hope to live up to these verses. I'm still working on it.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

S.M. Lockridge's Famous Message - "That's My King" (Full Audio)


A couple of weeks ago I posted a small post on SM Lockridge's message "That's My King". That post had a link to transcript and had videos where people took his message and set it to music and images. Powerful stuff. But no way near powerful as just hearing the message in its entirety. It's been 33 years and it still beckons everyone to bow the knew to our Lord and Master, Jesus. Lockridge asks two profound questions that each of us must answer about who Jesus is:

1. Do you know HIM?
2. Is HE your king?

In just under 7 minutes, Lockridge manages to share gospel, invite anyone listening to make Jesus their king and explains why we should make him Lord over us. Here is the original post I did and here is the message in full audio mp3 format.


That Is My King.mp...

Zeitgeist


I'm sure many have heard of the Zeitgeist movie. It seeks to make an argument that because of all the corruption in politics in society in efforts to control the world including religion in general and Christianity in particular. It attempts to prove this by discrediting the Bible and Historic Christianity. It accuses Christianity and Bible of plagarizing other ancient traditions and personages. Also they equivocate everything about Jesus with ancient astrology. All lies. Here is the video




Here is the movie:



You can see a lot of problem with this film
1. You can't equate the "sun" with "son"
2. Jesus was not born on December 25
3. I have never seen the winter solstice fall on Dec 25
4. I have never seen the summer solstice fall on Easter
5. Joseph of the Old Testament had 11 brothers not 12

This movie has a lot of problems. A lot of conclusions are made that are not true. If you go and do some research yourself anyone can show that some of the facts in the films are lies. Listen to a real historian's viewpoint.




Here is a critique by historian Dr. Chris Forbes

Zeitgeist: Time to discard the Christian story? from CPX on Vimeo.

found it on YouTube




The truth is that if a person wants to reject Christ and ignore the Word of God...fine. That is their right. I think that it's completely stupid, but be that as it may. However, I have to draw the line at the truth. People don't lie to make themselves feel justified! The truth is if these film makers can get things so messed up concerning Jesus and Christianity, then that casts doubts on the assertions made and "facts" presented about the September 11, 2001 attacks and other terrorist actions.

Update: I did miss commenting on the fact that Forbs mistakenly said Horus did things that Osirus did.  Mary Jo Sharp's comments on her blog  clarify the mistake,. Read her post for more information



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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Truthbomb Apologetics: Apologist Profile: Mike Licona


In another great post from Truthbomb Apologetics, Michael Licona's career as a scholar is summarized in one place, including his credentials, publications, and some free audio to listen to. This is truly a great resource because Mr. Licona has done some some very interesting and important work.

Truthbomb Apologetics: Apologist Profile: Mike Licona

Mt Saint Helens

Here is a video of the event of Mt Saint Helens' eruption from May 18, 1980 - 29 year ago. I actually remember when this happened - I was 5 years old and ash was actually falling in Oakland, California.




Dinesh D'Souza vs. Peter Singer Debate: Can There Be Morality Without God? MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315


The Apologetics 315 blog has recently posted a debate between Dinesh D'Souza and Peter Singer. Their topic was Can There Be Morality Without God. Singer, who is an atheist, argued that we can have morality with God. D'Souza argues that there is a God and we need God to understand Morality. Singer's approach is to just change morality to match the secular worldview. For example. Singer has proposed that a baby should not be considered to have human rights until it has lived about about 24 days to make sure its viable. I find that repugnant. Singer however attacked the Bible and I wish that D'Souza had defended the Bible in his arguments. I did like D'Souza's arguments.

Dinesh D'Souza vs. Peter Singer Debate: Can There Be Morality Without God? MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

Monday, May 18, 2009

Eugenics - Applied Dawinism


Here is a great podcast I found on the internet talking about the "science" of Eugenics. Applying Dawinian Evolution to human population is extremely evil. What right does any one of us have the right to decide who has the right to reproduce? This is worth hearing because it brings up questions of morality and who knows what is best for humanity. Remember Hitler used eugenics to "improve" the "German" race. Some real people died and civil rights violated in this country because of Eugenics. Listen to this. I would not say that Charles Darwin and other evolutionary biologists are responsible for Nazism and Eugenics but they did take those ideas of "natural selection" to its logical conclusion. I would love to know that if those who think that some people are worth more than others, are they willing to concede that there are people worth more than they? I'd be willing to bet that they don't.


Apologetics-DarkDa...

Atheism is Dead: From Zeitgeist to Poltergeist, Part 13 of 13



This post is the thirteenth and final post in Mariano's series of articles discussing Hitler's relationship to Christianity and Atheism. Check it out!

Atheism is Dead: From Zeitgeist to Poltergeist, Part 13 of 13

Obama Speaks at Notre Dame ; Abortion Comes Up

I just heard that this last weekend, President Obama gave the commencement address at Notre Dame this year and received an honorary Doctorate. Recall that Notre Dame is a Roman Catholic university and opposes Obama's abortion policies, so he did have some protests and negative hecklers, however he is not one to stop talking with those who disagree with him. That is one of the things I admire about him even though I do disagree with his abortion policies. However, the President is right: Pro-Life and Pro-Choice positions are antithetical to each other. Here are excerpts from that speech and the news article.



Sunday, May 17, 2009

Todd Friel Interviews Christopher Hitchens MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315


I just found this interview of Christopher Hitchens. Unfortunately, people listen to this guy so we need to know what this guy is telling people so we'll know how to refute him.

Todd Friel Interviews Christopher Hitchens MP3 Audio - Apologetics 315

Todd Friel did a great job. He basically approached Hitchens from a direction that I think most people think that he should be dealt with; namely people wonder could anyone really believe that anyone like Hitchens could truly exist. I mean we wonder has he really considered if he's wrong or not? Friel asked him pointed questions about how would he respond if the Bible was right and he wrong various ways. Hitchens did not bring out anything new. I didn't hear anything that I have not previously heard. Hitchens was only there to promote the farce he wrote God Is Not Great. He did not seem to take Friel seriously nor answer his questions. Hitchen's point was that even if God does exist he refuses to recognize God's right to rule over him and all humanity. Hitchen totally missed Friel's point when he read Romans 1:18-20

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.


Hitchens is blinded that the passage describe him and people like him to a tee.
I really think Hitchens response is rather telling. I kinda wish Friel had read further - verses 21- 23

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.


But I guess he decided that it would be overkill and just add insult. Still, I sure would have liked to know how Hitchens would have responded.

I have recently heard a song that is a great answer to people like Hitchens.



Hazakim - Brace Yo...




Check out Hazakim's Myspace.