Better get you some screens!
Calvinistic Cartoons: Open Mind Open Window
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Israel’s Mission in the World | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way[e] all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now[h] receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.- Romans 10:25-32
Israel’s Mission in the World | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Friday, July 1, 2011
Faithful Thinkers: Video: Is Eternal Punishment Overkill?
Faithful Thinkers: Video: Is Eternal Punishment Overkill?
Atheism and Rape - Walter Sinnott-Armstrong Elucidates | True Freethinker
What makes rape immoral is that rape harms the victim in terrible ways. The victim feels pain, loses freedom, feels subordinated, and so on. These harms are not justified by any benefits to anyone.
My thing is that rape is objectively wrong because it's wrong. I've read that many men rationalize rape by thinking that their sexual prowess is so great that although a woman is initially resistant and in fact says "no", he can change her mind. Such men don't think they are causing women to suffer. In their twisted imaginations they think they are doing a woman a favor. How do you convince such a person that what they are doing is wrong?
Biblically, in ancient Israel, that is why rapists were executed. I don't think that executing rapists is what we need to do now, but I think just assuming that people know that its wrong to cause pain and suffering for others isn't going to work.
Atheism and Rape - Walter Sinnott-Armstrong Elucidates | True Freethinker
Answering Muslims: Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani Facing Imminent Execution in Iran for Apostasy and Evangelism
While CAIR complains about Islamophobia (in a country where Muslims are free to proclaim their faith from the rooftops), a Christian pastor is about to be executed by the Iranian government for leaving Islam and preaching to Muslims.
A news article is also posted, along with the following video explaining how Islam views apostasy and apostates
Answering Muslims: Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani Facing Imminent Execution in Iran for Apostasy and Evangelism
FacePalm of the Day #98 - Debunking Christianity: What Is Faith?
I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Atheists don't understand how the Bible defines "Faith".
Faith is pure wishful thinking, nothing more and nothing less. It offers a person a leap beyond what the probabilities actually lead us to think. For if something can be known to be the case we wouldn't need faith. Faith therefore is not a virtue when it comes to knowing the truth about anything. Skepticism isThere are two very important things to keep in mind. No one in all of the Bible was expected to just blindly follow something they couldn't hope to understand to any depth. That's not to say that we get to understand everything exhaustively. How can skepticism be virtuous when it comes to knowing the truth of anything? By definition skepticism is built on ignorance. One has no need for skepticism about something if you know something is true. The faith illustrated in the Bible is definitely wishful thinking or leaping in the dark. Biblical faith is built on past relationship with God. It is based on what God had really revealed. Does anyone really think that the first time Abraham heard God speak to him was Genesis 12? Nope. Same thing with each every righteous man or woman in the Bible. It's the same for us today. Faith is a trust in God built on past experiences and working knowledge. If you don't know God, how could you have any faith? You can't. Explains John Loftus' total misconception of faith.
Debunking Christianity: What Is Faith?
Thursday, June 30, 2011
When Scholars Collide....
Just as interesting is the back-and-forth between Dr Paul Copan and Dr Matthew Flannagan versus Dr. Hector Avalos on the morality in the Old Testament and how do do scholarship. Read Flannagan's latest post at his link
DC Comics Fans to Protest Superhero Relaunch at Comic-Con - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews
More than 200 fans have pledged to attend what organizers are calling the "DC Original Protest Walk" at Comic-Con International in San Diego. Unhappy with what they've seen of DC Comics' superhero relaunch initiative, which goes into effect this September, participants intend to make their feelings known in what's presumed to be an outdoor demonstration, perhaps not dissimilar in format to what we saw last year when the Westboro Baptist Church protested the "sinful idolatry" they believed was inherent at Comic-Con.I'm not sure but this article from Comics Alliance makes an insightful point:
Whatever you think about the practicality, dramatics or indeed madness of staging a political demonstration in response to decisions made about corporate-owned characters who do not exist, it cannot be denied that Comic-Con is the best place to do it. Although one must wonder why the protesters don't just attend the numerous DC Comics discussion panels that will be presented in the air conditioned comfort of the San Diego Convention Center, where they can put their concerns to the creators and editors directly, rather than stand outside and invite the abuse that we at ComicsAlliance will rain down upon them like a great and terrible fire from Heaven itself.
DC Comics Fans to Protest Superhero Relaunch at Comic-Con - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews
The History of English [Video]
The History of English [Video]
An Image of the Apostle Paul | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
An Image of the Apostle Paul | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Quote of the Week: Cornelius Plantinga | Reflections
“This [Christian worldview] vision derives from Scripture, centers on the person and work of Jesus Christ, and grows rich from the contributions of ecumenical creeds, church confessions, and the thinking of such heavyweight theologians as Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and Barth.”—Cornelius Plantinga, Engaging God’s World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), xv–xvi.
Quote of the Week: Cornelius Plantinga | Reflections
Faithful Thinkers: Article: Interpreting Creation: Hermeneutical Principles
Faithful Thinkers: Article: Interpreting Creation: Hermeneutical Principles
In Defense of the NIV 2011 | Bible.org Blogs
In Defense of the NIV 2011 | Bible.org Blogs
NIV 2011: Every Last Change
Molinism from the Horse's Mouth: Reviewing Craig's "Only Wise God" - Part 2
Molinism from the Horse's Mouth: Reviewing Craig's "Only Wise God" - Part 2
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Author Interview: David Lamb - God Behaving Badly - Apologetics 315
Author Interview: David Lamb - God Behaving Badly - Apologetics 315
Answering Muslims: Why Did Jesus Say, "The Father Is Greater Than I"?
Answering Muslims: Why Did Jesus Say, "The Father Is Greater Than I"?
Molinism from the Horse’s Mouth: Reviewing Craig’s "Only Wise God" – Part 1
Molinism from the Horse’s Mouth: Reviewing Craig’s "Only Wise God" – Part 1
FacePalm of the Day #97 - Debunking Christianity: What Jesus Christ Had to Say About the Outsider Test for Faith!
This is my chosen title for a guest sermon I'll be preaching for the "One True Church of Jesus Christ That Has Ever Existed in History." The preacher is away on vacation. This church meets in a little building on "Faith" Street in a town called Saint Paul, Missouri, the "Show Me" state (never-mind the oxymoron). They have a membership of 10 people, all related to each other in some way. Here are my chosen texts. How should I develop my sermon?
I find it interesting that Loftus never identifies the exact name of the church or the pastor of that church. Loftus doesn't show the people or their Pastor any respect whatsoever. I hope he'll be kinder in person. And on top of that I think that considering how Jesus would apply the OTF a great idea.
Matthew 7:1-12
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye...So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.Loftus says he was once a preacher. I wonder how much time will he have. He says he is going to use 12 verses from Matthew 7 but on the post he only quotes verses 1-5, and 12. This is one of my favorite passages of scripture because I think it does explain how we are to interact with one another. So many people think Jesus meant that "judging" means calling others to a standard. The OTF itself requires making judgments. So I don't think that Loftus is taking the view so many mistakenly take. Let's instead ask if this passage can be used to validate or invalidate Christians? If anything it validates Christianity and makes it plain how far we have fallen short in keeping it. It shows us what standard we should be living up to and we know that we haven't. Which is what Christianity teaches.
And then this one from Matthew 23:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!...“Woe to you, blind guides!...You blind fools!...You blind men!"...“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!...You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel"...“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’...“You snakes! You brood of vipers!;-)
It seems to me that John Loftus thinks that these passages are some sort of slap in the face of Christians. It cuts Atheism to the quick. Any one who teaches that Jesus isn't who He said He is and that they are without sin and that we don't need God or His gift of salvation is that "brood of vipers". They are hypocrites and "white-washed tombs",. In other words it describes atheists who try to turn people away from Jesus. The passages prove that Christianity passes Loftus' Outsider Test for Faith.
Gee, I wonder why Lofus didn't point out that Jesus also said the following:
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." - Matthew 18:6
Debunking Christianity: What Jesus Christ Had to Say About the Outsider Test for Faith!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Common Sense is Tingling: Debunking Christianity: On Rejecting the Gospel Because of Sin
That's the Christian claim, that non-Christians reject the gospel because we prefer to sin (or do wrong). Let's try to put this canard to rest.
That's not what Christians believe that is what the Bible says:
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.- John 3:16
Do you, Christian, reject the Mormon faith merely because of its requirements? Do you reject the Muslim faith, the Buddhist way of life, Jainism, or the Jehovah's Witnesses because of their proscribed religious and moral duties? Some of them have much more strict requirements than your faith does. A Jainist does not eat meat. A Buddhist attempts to achieve a state of consciousness whereby he does not have any desires. A Jehovah's Witness refuses blood transfusions. A good Muslim woman will wear a burka. A Mormon wears magic underwear.
No, Christians rejects other religions because they conflict with God's revealed word.
If these religions had sufficient evidence for them no one would reject them merely because of what they require of us. But when it comes to sufficient evidence it must include all of the evidence, and part of that evidence is the moral and religious duties it requires of us if we were believers. If we were considering a militant Muslim faith that called upon us to kill people who didn't believe, this would certainly be relevant to whether such a faith is true. And there are certain things Christians think are required of God that are relevant to whether such a faith is true too, currently but not exclusively, misogyny and heterosexuality. Some Christians do not want to take their children to a doctor. Others are snake handlers. Others do not believe in birth control. Still others think the world is going to end soon and so they don't care about the environment or the possibility of war (and they run our country!) Others defend the Jewish nation no matter what and thereby have helped contribute to world instability. And the history of these requirements are relevant as well. The church believed witches and heretics should be killed and the church did not think slavery or misogyny was evil.
I don't see how any of these arguments in the above paragraph bear any weight on what the Bible says. Misogyny, snake handling, shunning medical attention, and all the other complaints have nothing to do with Biblical teachings. Sounds like you he has a problem with the way people who claim to be "Christians" have lived and not with God. God has a problem with such stupidity too.
So if sin is defined as certain actions I reject out of hand, then that is a relevant factor to my rejection of Christianity. I am indeed rejecting the gospel (which is embedded in the Bible as a whole) because I do not agree with its requirements as part of the total case against Christianity.
Sin is not defined as just certain actions. It is a predisposition to miss the mark - the standard of deeds, thoughts, and attitude that God's holiness demands of us! In short, Loftus is saying he rejects Christianity because he does not want to be held accountable to those standards God has set for us. No one does. That is the problem and why the need for a Savior is unavoidable.
There is more.
There are specific religious duties to each religion and then there are moral duties people have to other people. I see no evidence that non-Christians behave any better or worse than Christians when it comes to moral duties to other people, obeying Jesus' second greatest commandment (if anything, religions cause more harm than good). This tells against Christianity because it is the one religion claiming God, the third person of the trinity, resides in the believer (in some sense) empowering them to be good to others.
God is not a person of the Trinity. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible calls each God! But no where does it say God is Jesus or the Holy Spirit is Jesus. Everyone falls short of obeying the second Greatest commandment - Loving your neighbor as yourself - that is sin. And if you never had the Holy Spirit indwelling you then I can understand how one does not understand how the Holy Spirit helps us grow so we can more closely live up to that standard. Of course if you never had it, you've never been saved. You have never been born-again.
When it comes to religious duties like tithing, evangelizing, praying, church attendance, Bible study, and so forth, which makes up Jesus' first greatest commandment, I see no evidence that Christians behave any better or worse than non-Christian religious people when it comes to these duties, once we translate them into comparable acts. This also tells against Christianity because again it is the one religion claiming God, the third person of the trinity, resides in the believer (in some sense) empowering them to obey Jesus' first greatest commandment.
If Loftus thinks that loving God with all you have and are equates just to "religious duties like tithing, evangelizing, praying, church attendance, Bible study, and so forth" it's no surprise how confused he is on what a Christian is. It's more than that. Its obeying God and putting Him first in every aspect of life. It's your lifestyle. I sure would like to know how an atheist has comparable acts.
People who do not believe in any religion look at this lack of evidence and conclude religion is man made. We simply dispense with Jesus' first greatest commandment as irrelevant and unnecessary for our lives.
Sure would like to know what Christians, Loftus has known. My experience has been opposite. I've seen God completely make over people. Turning their hearts to him. Making them better people. He's done it for me. Without the first Commandment (which by the way is the first of the 10 commandments), you cannot even begin to obey the second.
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:4,5
Debunking Christianity: On Rejecting the Gospel Because of Sin
Who Killed Goliath? – Part 3 | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Who Killed Goliath? – Part 3 | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Debunking Christianity: Dan Barker vs. John-Mark Miravalle
Debunking Christianity: Dan Barker vs. John-Mark Miravalle
FacePalm of the Day #96 - Debunking Christianity: The Ledge, a Pro-Atheist Movie to be Released July 8th
John Loftus has posted a clip from an upcoming movie called The Ledge.
Here's a clip with the standard Christian responses to reasoned arguments:
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