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
Personal blog that will cover my personal interests. I write about Christian Theology and Apologetics, politics, culture, science, and literature.
Friday, September 2, 2011
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
Mariano reposted an interesting article in which Kyle Butt rebuts Dan Barker's arguments against God's existence on the point that Barker does not think that omniscience is compatible with free will. I totally disagree with Barker and it's interesting to read how someone else would interact with such an "argument".
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
Ever notice that the three major characters of the DC Universe have messianic implications...including Batman?! Given that G4 ran this photoshopped picture, I thought that is might be interesting to consider the comments that was included on the article:
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
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Labels:
Batman,
Christ Jesus,
DC Comics,
DC Universe,
Gotham City,
Jesus Parallels
“Him that Pisseth against the Wall” | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Dr Claude Mariottini is beginning an interesting article regarding a phrase that appears 6 times in the Hebrew Bible: "Him that Pisseth against the Wall." Read part 1 at the following link.
“Him that Pisseth against the Wall” | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
1 Kings 21:21 … him that pisseth against the wall.
“Him that Pisseth against the Wall” | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
And here is another article on the subject
1 Kings 21:21 … him that pisseth against the wall.
Related articles
- Stop Mistranslating The Hebrew Bible (socyberty.com)
- Studying the Old Testament - the joys and pains (cesarsalad.wordpress.com)
- How do the Apocrypha and Septuagint affect the Bible (wiki.answers.com)
Labels:
Bible,
Christianity,
Claude Mariottini,
Hebrew,
Hebrew Bible,
Hebrew language,
Jews,
Old Testament
John Boehner’s “Obama Diss”: Obstructionism, Racism, Or One In The Same?
John Boehner’s “Obama Diss”: Obstructionism, Racism, Or One In The Same?
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- Boehner disses presidency, and Obama takes it (cnn.com)
Quote of the Week: Alister McGrath | Reflections
Thanks to Dr Kenneth Samples for posting this!
Quote of the Week: Alister McGrath | Reflections
Dr McGrath is correct!
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
This is a really good article on the Beggars All blog that addresses the age-old argument "The scholars who agrees with me are better than the scholars that agree with you!" This is a must read!
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
Labels:
Apologetics,
Brian Auten,
Interview,
Wintery Knight
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
FacePalm of the Day #121: The Bible Teaches That The Earth Is Flat
Today, I reposted a video here I got from David Woods blog regarding how some Muslims believe that Muhammad taught that the Earth is flat. Ryan Anderson posted the following comment.
This is obviously figurative language. Is Isaiah saying that people are grasshoppers? No.Compared to God, we are like grasshoppers like grasshoppers are just like us. Four descriptions are made in a single verse:
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
This is obviously figurative language. Is Isaiah saying that people are grasshoppers? No.Compared to God, we are like grasshoppers like grasshoppers are just like us. Four descriptions are made in a single verse:
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.
Labels:
Bible,
David Wood,
Exegesis,
FacePalm of the Day,
Flat Earth,
Ryan Anderson
ERIS: World's first realistic simulation of the formation of the Milky Way - YouTube
ERIS: World's first realistic simulation of the formation of the Milky Way - YouTube
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- First Glimpse Into Birth of the Milky Way (librarykvocf.wordpress.com)
Monday, August 29, 2011
Let me google that for you
Here is a pretty cool tool. Ever get tired of people too lazy to do their own Google searches? Send them a link like this: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Textual+Criticism
Let me google that for you
Let me google that for you
Related articles
- Let Me Google That For You (LMGTFY) (gunnalag.wordpress.com)
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Maximum PC | Future Interfaces: 15 Peripherals Straight Out of Science Fiction
This is a great article. 15 of the newest technologies that may replace the computer keyboards and mouse. Look at the whole article. Here is my favorite one:
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
Labels:
Art,
literature,
Peripheral,
Pranav Mistry,
science,
science fiction,
SixthSense,
Technology
Rise of 'Anonymous' Fuels Sales Of Time Warner's 'V For Vendetta' Masks - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews
This is an interesting article from Comics Alliance.
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
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- Time Warner Profits From Anonymous (buzzfeed.com)
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
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
FacePalm of the Day #120 - Debunking Christianity: Christianity Will Die From Embarrassment
John Loftus has posted the following comment:
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
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
Related articles
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Faithful Thinkers: Video: Loved Ones in Hell
Norman Geisler answers a question that many atheist/skeptics brings up: How will a believer feel about a loved one who goes to 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
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
Related articles
- Atheists run from William Lane Craig, but why won't Craig debate James White? (4simpsons.wordpress.com)
- Norman Geisler on Extreme Calvinism and Blaming God For Evil (evangelicalarminianism.wordpress.com)
- Norman Geisler on circular reasoning (zaknafein81.wordpress.com)
- Derek Flood: Questioning Faith: Where is God When We Hurt? (huffingtonpost.com)
Labels:
Apologetics,
Atheism,
God,
Hell,
Luke Nix,
Norman Geisler
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