Windows XP is Getting Older [Pic]
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Faithful Thinkers: Video: Source of Evil
I don't really believe that Dr Norman Geisler is fully correct. He believes that people have free will and God allows us to make choices about our eternal futures without interference. I however, don't see how God does that if we are enslaved to sin and incapable of coming to God without God's drawing and power. If God draws everyone to the same degree, then how is it that some say "Yes" while others say "No." Is there something "Better" about those who say "Yes"? I don't think so. Not in the slightest. That's why I don't think we can set the origin of evil on "Libertarian Free Will". We can't even learn to tie our shoelaces without help, I wonder why some people think we can find God without Him.
Faithful Thinkers: Video: Source of Evil
Genetic Algorithm - A 'Walt Disney' Introduction - CodeProject
Introduction to Article
Genetic Algorithms(G.A.) are a way of solving problems by mimicking the same processes mother nature uses. They use the same combination of selection, recombination and mutation to evolve a solution to a problem.
G.A falls in the family of Heuristics (O my God... another big word… :D). Heuristics differ from “traditional” algorithms in that you don’t specify how exactly to derive the answer, rather you specify where to search for it. Here is an illustration/explanation by Faisal Sikder:
Here is an algorithm for driving to someone’s house:
"Take Highway 167 south to Puyallup. Take the South Hill Mall exit and drive 4.5 miles up the hill. Turn right at the light by the grocery store, and then take the first left. Turn into the driveway of the large tan house on the left, at 714 North Cedar."
Here’s a heuristic for getting to someone’s house:
"Find the last letter we mailed you. Drive to the town in the return address. When you get to town, ask someone where our house is. Everyone knows us—someone will be glad to help you. If you can’t find anyone, call us from a public phone, and we’ll come get you!"
Genetic Algorithm - A 'Walt Disney' Introduction - CodeProject
ID.Plus: British Humanists (Toynbee, Dawkins, Grayling) Run from William Lane Craig
Dawkins is not the only culprit in shying away from Craig's October 2011 UK Tour. He is but one of a Humanist Trinity who have all, in their own way, run away from William Lane Craig's willingness for open dialogue. Based on the press release from BeThinking.org. The example these BHA leaders are setting is disappointing, to say the least.
In case anyone is confused about why I am posting this, let me be clear: I think that most of these atheists are refusing to debate Dr William Lane Craig out of cowardice because they know they don't really have good arguments to stand on. In order to win, you'd have to really attack what Christianity is about: Jesus and Inerrancy of Scripture. Dr Craig wins because he really argues in favor of theism in his debates and then points to the God of Christianity. This makes it nearly impossible for Atheists because essentially, Dr Craig stays in Romans 1 and 2 and I think they unassailable. Romans 3 continues the argument but it's even more unassailable, but due to the limitations of an unregenerate heart, most atheists can't go farther in the discussion nor understand Dr. Craig's theological weaknesses.
ID.Plus: British Humanists (Toynbee, Dawkins, Grayling) Run from William Lane Craig
Friday, September 2, 2011
Git yer Joseph Stalin t-shirts! | True Freethinker
Mariano has posted an article about meeting a young man with a Stalin T-Shirt. He posted the following image but I'm not sure if this was the image on the T-Shirt
My question is: Is the following image what we want which was the result of Stalin's imagination without God?
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
I don't want that.
Git yer Joseph Stalin t-shirts! | True Freethinker
My question is: Is the following image what we want which was the result of Stalin's imagination without God?
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
I don't want that.
Git yer Joseph Stalin t-shirts! | True Freethinker
Him that Pisseth against the Wall – Part 2 | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Dr Mariottini has posted part 2 of his article on the controversial Biblical phrase, "Him that pisseth against the Wall". Take a look!
Him that Pisseth against the Wall – Part 2 | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Him that Pisseth against the Wall – Part 2 | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Bank of America fires Dr. Frank Turek for his religious and political views « Wintery Knight
I learned of this article from Brian Auten on the Wintery Knight blog. Yes, standing for what you believe in may cost you something in tangible ways. Dr Turek is a scholar and a debater. He's written and spoken all over the world. It's kind of amazing to me how he could be hired for a job and no one knew what he believed. I don't think his views would make him unable to his job. It's real sad. I don't agree with Dr. Turek on everything but he does show how Christians should stand by what we believe.
Bank of America fires Dr. Frank Turek for his religious and political views « Wintery Knight
Bank of America fires Dr. Frank Turek for his religious and political views « Wintery Knight
Dan Barker’s FANG Turn Out to Be a Milk Tooth | True Freethinker
Dan Barker’s FANG Turn Out to Be a Milk Tooth | True Freethinker
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Batman: The Redeemer Gotham Deserves - G4tv.com
These folks would be classified as Born Again Christian (Bale.)Something to consider that while Batman is indeed fictional Gotham's "Messiah". Jesus is the Messiah and Redeemer we don't deserve but can't live without. And by life, I mean the fully-expressed and abundant life the Bible promises us.
He doesn't die for your sins. Instead, he grabs your sins, shouts at them in an intimidating, albeit comically grizzled voice, and proceeds to beat the crap out of them.
Batman: The Redeemer Gotham Deserves - G4tv.com
“Him that Pisseth against the Wall” | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
“Him that Pisseth against the Wall” | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
John Boehner’s “Obama Diss”: Obstructionism, Racism, Or One In The Same?
Here is a really good article reflecting on how the Republicans are treating the President. House Speaker, John Boehner, has shown profound disrespect. If you can't respect the man, at least respect his elected position. It's one thing to dislike a man because of his opinions and policies but I think it goes deeper than that. John Boehner’s “Obama Diss”: Obstructionism, Racism, Or One In The Same?
Quote of the Week: Alister McGrath | Reflections
The doctrine of the Trinity can be regarded as the outcome of a process of sustained and critical reflection on the pattern of divine activity revealed in Scripture, and continued in Christian experience. This is not to say that Scripture contains a doctrine of the Trinity; rather, Scripture bears witness to a God who demands to be understood in a Trinitarian manner.–Alister McGrath, An Introduction to Christianity (Cambridge, Mass: Blackwell, 1997), 193.
Quote of the Week: Alister McGrath | Reflections
Dr McGrath is correct!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Never Throw Rocks at Scholars in Ivory Towers
Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Never Throw Rocks at Scholars in Ivory Towers
Apologist Interview: Brian Auten - Apologetics 315
This is an awesome interview . If you missed it, you really missed something great!
Apologist Interview: Brian Auten - Apologetics 315
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
FacePalm of the Day #121: The Bible Teaches That The Earth Is Flat
Not sure how this doesn't equally apply to the Hebrew Bible (Isaiah 40:22 and 44:24-28*, 1st Samuel 2:8, Proverbs 8:27 and Luke 4:5).So why is this FacePalm worthy? Simple: If you examine each of the scriptures Ryan cites, you can see how you assuming that the Bible is teaching a flat earth is unwarranted.
Sure, you can cite Job 26, but that just demonstrates that it's a hodge podge mess.
*probably the inspiration for the very Koranic verse in question.
Isaiah 40:22
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
a. Above the circle of earth
b. People like grasshoppers
c. Heavens like a canopy
d. Heavens spread out like a tent
Why would you take a single description out of four and claim it's a truth claim while the others are figurative and all are making a point. Anyone who thinks this is the Bible saying the earth is flat, is missing the point.
Isaiah 44:24-28
24 “This is what the LORD says—
your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:
I am the LORD,
the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens,
who spreads out the earth by myself,
25 who foils the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners,
who overthrows the learning of the wise
and turns it into nonsense,
26 who carries out the words of his servants
and fulfills the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’
of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’
27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
and I will dry up your streams,’
28 who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’
Here Ryan cites 4 verses. In verse 24, how do "stretches" and "spreads" mean that the earth and heavens are flat? If you are going to think that it's saying the earth is flat then why assume that it is not saying that the heavens are flat too? Most people who misinterpret the Bible think it's teaching that the earth is flat capped by a sky dome. Obviously God is being poetic and not expecting you to literally imagine the image on the right. Perhaps if one understood verses 25-28, one would not make such a big mistake.
1st Samuel 2:8
8 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s;
on them he has set the world.
More figurative language. "Foundations" at this point means the underlying rules and source on which creation is based. This does not imply that the earth is flat.
Proverbs 8:27
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
This is in the middle of a discourse spoken by Wisdom personified as a woman. . Setting the "heavens in place" does apply to the earth or heavens being flat. Why make that assumption? It's merely stating that God put everything where it is. As for the horizon, a poetic description of the horizon is used and not a statement of science. The point is showing how much in control God is on everything.
Luke 4:5
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
I'd assume that Ryan and others look at this and think that what is being explained is that the Devil took Jesus to a mountain somewhere and showed him all the land that could be seen from the mountain. The problem is the text does not say that. The text states that the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in an instant. No one thought at the time that one could naturally go to a mountain anywhere and see all the kingdoms of the world. No one thinks that now, either - even if the earth was flat. Therefore I'd take it as a miraculous thing that happened - to see all the kingdoms of the world in a short time. Why not? The New Testament is full of miracles.
Nice try. But these verse fail to show the Bible teaching that the earth is flat.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Let me google that for you
Let me google that for you
Maximum PC | Future Interfaces: 15 Peripherals Straight Out of Science Fiction
SixthSense - MIT Media Lab
Pranav Mistry may have one of the coolest names around, but he's also a total genius. Mistry, a PhD candidate at the MIT Media Lab, spurs the invention of way cool PC-killing stuff. His most acclaimed innovation to date? "Sixth Sense," a "wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information."
Maximum PC | Future Interfaces: 15 Peripherals Straight Out of Science Fiction
Rise of 'Anonymous' Fuels Sales Of Time Warner's 'V For Vendetta' Masks - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews
In a New York Times piece published this week, writer Nick Bilton makes the keen observation that the cultural ascension of hacker group Anonymous has been a financial boon for Warner Bros., the media company that owns the Guy Fawkes image that protesters wear as a mask. Based on the character "V" from Alan Moore and David Lloyd's classic graphic novel V For Vendetta (as well as the film based on the book), the Guy Fawkes mask sells over 100,000 units a year, with Warner Bros. -- the parent company of comics publisher Vertigo -- earning a licensing fee for each mask sold.
Having staged popular protests, acts of civil disobedience and well-documented hacks against such targets as the Church of Scientology, the Iranian government, Sony, credit card companies and many more, Anonymous is the world's most visible expression of anarchy and rebellion in the digital age. It is a curious irony that the group's activities necessarily fund the activities of the sort of establishment they might seem predisposed to dislike, Warner Bros. and its parent entity, Time Warner.
Rise of 'Anonymous' Fuels Sales Of Time Warner's 'V For Vendetta' Masks - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Does This Remind You Of Something? #1 Tablets
We are living in a day where things are being invented and marketed by engineers and scientists who were inspired by childhood fictional technology. Here's an example. What do these remind you of:
Above is a diagram of a generic tablet computer. Let's set aside for a moment what kind of tablet and just think about a technology.. These devices remind me of:
From....wait for it
From....wait for it
FacePalm of the Day #120 - Debunking Christianity: Christianity Will Die From Embarrassment
Take Exhibit A, Pat Robertson. Statements like the ones he makes will continue being an embarrassment to evangelicals who will gravitate more to the left, while the left will continue to jump ship. This will take some time but it's already taking place. Thank the ever-present almighty internet. Thank you, thank you very much.
If you click the "Pat Robertson" link you will go to an article that lists quotes that Pat Robertson has said that some of which are just plain stupid and un-defendable. Truth is that there is no reason to even try to defend them. Pat Robertson matters no more than you or I when it comes to defining what it means to be "Christian". Pat Robertson's words and opinion mean nothing. He didn't die for me. He wasn't "raised for my justification". Jesus was. Jesus is Lord and master. For John Loftus' sentiment to matter, Robertson would have to be speaking for Jesus. I wish I could say "Nice Try, Mr Loftus," but then I'd be lying.
Debunking Christianity: Christianity Will Die From Embarrassment
Faithful Thinkers: Video: Loved Ones in Hell
I liked Dr. Geisler's answer. However I think that he could have spent more time on the point he raised about God's absolute justice. I don't want anyone to go hell, especially someone I've known, loved, and/or interacted with. IT really comes down to the following question for a believer: "How much do you really trust God?" Do you trust him to go as far as believe that He is doing everything for the best - that he never makes a mistake or misstep? If you believe that then you don't have to worry about your loved ones. All we have to do is obey God and witness to everyone who we come into contact with - and if necessary use words! I would feel far worse realizing that I could have told someone about Jesus and they ended up going to hell without hearing about Jesus from me.
Faithful Thinkers: Video: Loved Ones in Hell
Saturday, August 27, 2011
FacePalm of the Day #119 - Debunking Christianity: Americans Have Lost Faith In Religious Leaders And Church Attendance
John Loftus has posted the following So says a new book.
I've got to ask: Even if this is true, so what? Does this mean that the Bible is wrong? No. Does it mean that there is no God? No. Does this mean we are not accountable to God? No. Given the nature of people and what the Bible says, it's exactly what I'd expect.
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. - 2 Timothy 4:3-4
And
18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. - 1 John 2:18-19
Debunking Christianity: Americans Have Lost Faith In Religious Leaders And Church Attendance
Minimum Wage and the Prices of Comics [Analysis + Opinion] - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews
For an in-depth discussion of the role of comic book pricing in the future success or failure of Direct Market comic book distribution, ComicsAlliance welcomes guest writer Von Allan, creator of the graphic novels Stargazer and The road to who knows.... In this comprehensive piece, which he graciously allowed us to republish, Allan tracks the prices and popularity of comics with the history of the minimum wage in the United States.Really interesting stuff! Especially since Allan also compares the price of movie tickets with the history of the minimum wage in the United States.
Minimum Wage and the Prices of Comics [Analysis + Opinion] - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews
Faithful Thinkers: Is Heaven Eternal?
Is Hell Eternal?
a. Is Annihilation a possibility?
b. Is Salvation after punishment an option?
He lays these out very well and compare what people are choosing to believe with what Scripture says.
Faithful Thinkers: Is Heaven Eternal?
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