FacePalm of the Day #29 - Debunking Christianity: Quote of the Day, by exrelayman

John Loftus has posted another quote on his blog that made me sick. He seems good at that. Sick not because it carries any weight but sick because it  is devoid of meaning.

The natural world is all that we can detect with our 5 senses and instruments used to interact with those senses when the scale of perception surpasses the limitations of those senses. The supernatural world then would be that which we cannot detect with senses or instruments (at the present time). This means that at the present time there is no evidence which we can discern supporting the supernatural. If and when we become able to detect the supernatural, it will have moved into the realm of the natural, as we can then detect it.

Here is the part that causes growning:

This means that at the present time there is no evidence which we can discern supporting the supernatural. If and when we become able to detect the supernatural, it will have moved into the realm of the natural, as we can then detect it.

The problem is that it assumes that only things that can be observed by our 5 senses or scientific observation  are real or carry any validity. Does this make sense? Here is an example: How do I know you have a brain? Can I touch it? Can I see it? Can I hear it? Can I smell it? Can I taste it? No? Of course not. Can I scan it and detect it using an MRI or X-Ray Machine? I'd assume so, but it's only an assumption. Not everyone is going to have a scan or be able to test that assumption. So how do you know? Well, other people have had the revelation of seeing such scans so we take that evidence. You may have even had a brain scan yourself. It's no different when it comes to the Bible or when it come to the testimonies of what God has done for people. The marked difference is that you may not have the opportunity to  view brains scans of your or someone else yet you can experience a person revelation of God from God through Jesus Christ. While you may have accept your brain's existence by blind faith, you don't have to accept Jesus by blind faith.

Debunking Christianity: Quote of the Day, by exrelayman

Fistbump of the Day #11 - The Dunamis Word: Is Yet Another Church Emerging Out Of The Church Of God In Christ?

I found the following article really informative and necessary reading. Elder and District Superintendent Harvey Burnett has written an article tracing changes in the Church of God in Christ and makes convincing arguments that the church is changing and explains how it has changed over time. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. Definite fistbump

The Dunamis Word: Is Yet Another Church Emerging Out Of The Church Of God In Christ?

Today on a Special Radio Free Geneva

I really enjoyed the Dividing Line today. Radio Free Geneva is always informative and full of relevance. I highly recommend everyone give this one a listen. Here is how Dr. James White described the show.

So what prompted me to do a Radio Free Geneva? Well, first, the clips from the Ankerberg Show with Norman Geisler and his dismissal of the utter refutation of his horrific "farmer and the boys in the swimming pond" illustration (and the misquotation of Matthew 23:37 as well). But after spending the first half hour on that topic, I moved into the material posted by TurretinFan here on the blog (link). I cannot think of any clearer condemnation of the biblical gospel on the part of Rome than Clement XI's Unigenitus, and I explained that by reading major portions of it. The parallels between the condemnations of Rome and the arguments of Arminians like Geisler, Hunt, etc., are striking. You might want to listen to this one sitting down! Here's the program.

Tomorrow we will have another DL at the regular Thursday evening time (4pm MST). I will be reviewing portions of the debate that took place in Mexico City including William Lane Craig and Richard Dawkins.

Today on a Special Radio Free Geneva

Rejecting the Truth with Clement XI

TurretinFan posted the following the Alpha and Omega Ministries blog. It's really important and shows why the founders of the Reformation opposed the Roman Catholic Church with such ferocity. It's shocking to me that such ideas so fundamental to Biblical Christianity were ever denied by a Pope. I think the truth is that many Roman Catholics today are not aware of this list. I know I didn't know about it. I don't think that even most Catholics would agree that these things are wrong. I don't think I can paint all Roman Catholics with such a broad brush. I do think that there are some Roman Catholics who do think Clement XI was right but he wasn' and some of today's Roman Catholics realize. This certainly kills the rhetoric that the Roman Catholic church has always been consistent in teachang, doctrine, and practice.

Some of Rome's rejections of Scriptural truth are more clear than others. One particularly clear set of examples comes from the dogmatic Constitution, "Unigenitus,"dated Sept. 8, 1713, and authorized by Clement XI. I've previously posted a full list of the 101 "errors" condemned (link to full list).

There many alleged errors identified. I've taken the liberty to highlight a few of them. Remember, these are what the Roman church has officially proclaimed to be errors.

Scripture

• 79. It is useful and necessary at all times, in all places, and for every kind of person, to study and to know the spirit, the piety, and the mysteries of Sacred Scripture.
• 80. The reading of Sacred Scripture is for all.
• 81. The sacred obscurity of the Word of God is no reason for the laity to dispense themselves from reading it.
• 82. The Lord's Day ought to be sanctified by Christians with readings of pious works and above all of the Holy Scriptures. It is harmful for a Christian to wish to withdraw from this reading.
• 83. It is an illusion to persuade oneself that knowledge of the mysteries of religion should not be communicated to women by the reading of Sacred Scriptures. Not from the simplicity of women, but from the proud knowledge of men has arisen the abuse of the Scriptures, and have heresies been born.
• 84. To snatch away from the hands of Christians the New Testament, or to hold it closed against them by taking away from them the means of understanding it, is to close for them the mouth of Christ.
• 85. To forbid Christians to read Sacred Scripture, especially the Gospels, is to forbid the use of light to the sons of light, and to cause them to suffer a kind of excommunication.

The Power of God in Salvation

• 30. All whom God wishes to save through Christ, are infallibly saved.
• 31. The desires of Christ always have their effect; He brings peace to the depth of hearts when He desires it for them.

Particular Redemption

• 32. Jesus Christ surrendered Himself to death to free forever from the hand of the exterminating angel, by His blood, the first born, that is, the elect.

Justification by Faith that Works through Love

• 51. Faith justifies when it operates, but it does not operate except through charity.

Faith as the Gift of God

• 69. Faith, practice of it, increase, and reward of faith, all are a gift of the pure liberality of God.

The Church

• 72. A mark of the Christian Church is that it is catholic, embracing all the angels of heaven, all the elect and the just on earth, and of all times.
• 73. What is the Church except an assembly of the sons of God abiding in His bosom, adopted in Christ, subsisting in His person, redeemed by His blood, living in His spirit, acting through His grace, and awaiting the grace of the future life?
• 74. The Church or the whole Christ has the Incarnate Word as head, but all the saints as members.
• 75. The Church is one single man composed of many members, of which Christ is the head, the life, the subsistence and the person; it is one single Christ composed of many saints, of whom He is the sanctifier.

Total Depravity

• 38. Without the grace of the Liberator, the sinner is not free except to do evil.
• 39. The will, which grace does not anticipate, has no light except for straying, no eagerness except to put itself in danger, no strength except to wound itself, and is capable of all evil and incapable of all good.
• 40. Without grace we can love nothing except to our own condemnation.
• 41. All knowledge of God, even natural knowledge, even in the pagan philosophers, cannot come except from God; and without grace knowledge produces nothing but presumption, vanity, and opposition to God Himself, instead of the affections of adoration, gratitude, and love.
• 42. The grace of Christ alone renders a man fit for the sacrifice of faith; without this there is nothing but impurity, nothing but unworthiness.
• 48. What else can we be except darkness, except aberration, and except sin, without the light of faith, without Christ, and without charity?

The Absolute Necessity of Grace

• 1. What else remains for the soul that has lost God and His grace except sin and the consequences of sin, a proud poverty and a slothful indigence, that is, a general impotence for labor, for prayer, and for every good work?
• 2. The grace of Jesus Christ, which is the efficacious principle of every kind of good, is necessary for every good work; without it, not only is nothing done, but nothing can be done.
• 5. When God does not soften a heart by the interior unction of His grace, exterior exhortations and graces are of no service except to harden it the more.
• 9. The grace of Christ is a supreme grace, without which we can never confess Christ, and with which we never deny Him.

The Irresistibility of Grace

• 10. Grace is the working of the omnipotent hand of God, which nothing can hinder or retard.
• 11. Grace is nothing else than the omnipotent Will of God, ordering and doing what He orders.
• 12. When God wishes to save a soul, at whatever time and at whatever place, the undoubted effect follows the Will of God.
• 13. When God wishes to save a soul and touches it with the interior hand of His grace, no human will resists Him.
• 14. Howsoever remote from salvation an obstinate sinner is, when Jesus presents Himself to be seen by him in the salutary light of His grace, the sinner is forced to surrender himself, to have recourse to Him, and to humble himself, and to adore his Savior.
• 15. When God accompanies His commandment and His eternal exhortation by the unction of His Spirit and by the interior force of His grace, He works that obedience in the heart that He is seeking.
• 16. There are no attractions which do not yield to the attractions of grace, because nothing resists the Almighty.
• 17. Grace is that voice of the Father which teaches men interiorly and makes them come to Jesus Christ; whoever does not come to Him, after he has heard the exterior voice of the Son, is in no wise taught by the Father.

Unjust Excommunication

• 91. The fear of an unjust excommunication should never hinder us from fulfilling our duty; never are we separated from the Church, even when by the wickedness of men we seem to be expelled from it, as long as we are attached to God, to Jesus Christ, and to the Church herself by charity.
• 92. To suffer in peace an excommunication and an unjust anathema rather than betray truth, is to imitate St. Paul; far be it from rebelling against authority or of destroying unity.

Yes, folks, those are things that Rome has officially taught are errors - yet many of these teachings are the truth, as I think will be obvious to most of those reading.

Rejecting the Truth with Clement XI

Misquoting Matthew 23:37---Even in Writing!

On his blog, James White has posted another portion of Norman Geisler on the John Ankerberg Show. Dr. White also posteda graphic from the show that displays how Matthew 23:37 was misquoted. Here is what the text actually says:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing." - Matthew 23:37

Misquoting Matthew 23:37---Even in Writing!

ATP Synthesis Video

In 2009, James White debated Dan Barker. It was an interesting debate. One of the subjects was talked about was how ATP is synthesized, Dr White posted the following video. When I look at things like this I got to wonder how far does one have to go to deny the undeniable: nothing this elegant can develop undirected.




ATP Synthase Video

FacePalm of the Day #30 - Debunking Christianity: Science Saved My Soul

I for one agree science is wonderful and I love it. However I disagree with John Loftus about how science relates to Christianity. His post deserves a Facepalm because science, when it is not biased by naturalistic materialism,points to God - His presence, intelligence, and power. And finally how can science "save" a soul given that the majority of materialists deny the existence of the human soul.





Debunking Christianity: Science Saved My Soul

Chavah - Messianic Music

I was doing some research for how to use Silverlight to create websites and I came across an article about how to create a Pandora-like site. The example caters to Messianic Jewish music! How cool is that? I learned two things for the price of one click! I learnewd the technical aspects of doing such a thing in Silverlight plus learned about and heard about a whole genre of music I didn't know about! And I like it!



Chavah

The State of Digital Comics: Censorship, Price, Distribution, and More - ComicsAlliance | Comics culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

David Brothers' article on Digital Comics isd awesome. It's worth reading even if you dislike comic books. Why? Simple. It's about distributing and selling intellectual property digital format over the internet. The implications are enormous for everything: newspapers, magazines, movies, books, and music. Much of the points discussed have applications well outside of comic books. Brothers wrote:

Right now, digital comics are like a rock sitting on top of a hill, just inches from tipping over the edge. Digital comics are full of potential energy that's just waiting to explode into something new, but it will take nurturing, careful choices, and a willingness to break from tradition to make it work. Full penetration for the market is going to require relatively cheap reading devices, an audience that has been educated about the pros and cons of digital comics, a price point that customers and publishers find appealing, and some kind of standard format that scales across platforms and provides a chance for an open source solution to prevent monopolies.

We're living in exciting times, and digital comics may be the most important development in comic books since Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman. It has the potential to change everything, but if handled wrong, it will change nothing. Staying educated about the risks, rewards, and vagaries of digital comics can only be a good thing, especially when you decide to take the plunge yourself.

We're obviously very pro-digital comics at ComicsAlliance, but no one actually believes that digital comics will destroy print comics. What's more likely is that the two would exist in a mutually beneficial relationship. Maybe some monthly comics will turn a profit digitally and end up in deluxe trades down the line. Maybe digital comics will provide an easy way to enhance printed stories. Right now, we don't know. We can guess, but most of all, we can hope.

Very thoughtful indeed!!!

The State of Digital Comics: Censorship, Price, Distribution, and More - ComicsAlliance | Comics culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

Calvinistic Cartoons by Eddie Eddings

I've recently come across and interesting blog called "Calvinistic Cartoons". I like Eddie Eddings' humor and the art he posts. Who says Calvinists aren't any fun? I don't think his humor is meant to be offensive or combative in anyway to anyone. But I think it is funny. I've posed about three pictures he has posted and the links to find them. I'm going to be following his blog for a while. I pray God uses his work to encourage Christians, help us laugh at ourselves and draw us closer to Him.


Rick Warren and the Dark Knight

The Small Elevator

 Porn Again or Born Again

Armor Of God (Bible Reference) - Android

I really like this app! It would have gone great with my sermon: Armoring Up for Spiritual Warfare!

FREE Limited Time! Only Armor Of GOD on Market!

Creative interface. Select the portions of the body of armor for it to reference the associated bible verse.

*Helps remember the parts & how to put on the body of armor.

*Strengthen Awareness of Armor.

Armor Of God (Bible Reference)

Discover more Android apps

Armor Of God (Bible Reference) - Android

Looks Like it is Time for Another Radio Free Geneva!

I sure hope James White will bring this up and interact with this video. It's Norman Geisler on the John Ankerberg show discussing if its fair for all of humanity to be labeled sinners. I've been following the debate between Arminianism and Calvinism for a while now. I've read Geisler's book and I've read James White's book. I respect much of Geisler's work but I don't agree with him on many of the points given in the book. I look forward  to seeing James White respond to this video.






Looks Like it is Time for Another Radio Free Geneva!

Sunday Quote: G.K. Chesterton on Evils - Apologetics 315

Brian Auten had a quote today on Apologetics 315, that is too great! It must seen by as many people as possible!

"Men do not differ much about what things they will call evils; they differ enormously about what evils they will call excusable."

- G.K. Chesterton - ILN, 10/23/09

Sunday Quote: G.K. Chesterton on Evils - Apologetics 315

High Five of the Day #6 - Answering Muslims: Hazakim--Theophanies

I've blogged about Hazakim's music before. I love it! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has noticed their ministry. David Wood posted their video called "Theophanies" and complimented them with high praise they so richly deserve because of how God is using them.

Wow. Hazakim's rap lyrics contain more sound doctrine than the sermons of many popular churches.

The what was cool about this post David invites readers to compare Hazakim's song with a Muslim hip-hop song?!!? I didn't even know that there was such a thing! The difference is so big - the contrast so stark that it amazes me. Take a look at both videos to see the point David is making! This post as well as Hazakim most definitely deserve a High Five.



Hazakim's Theophanies


Muslim rap song, Dirty Kuffar





Answering Muslims: Hazakim--Theophanies

Fistbump of the Day #10 - The American Humanist Association’s new unholiday ads—remixed | True Freethinker

Mariano has post an awesome post on his blog that I think is always brilliant. There is a series of signs and billboards some atheists have come up with that tries to make Christianity look stupid and backward juxtaposed with their own ideologies. Mariano has turned the tables and remixed the signs showing how you can look at what atheists have come up with and how it doesn't measure up to the Bible at all. I picked one of my favorite ones below. First is the original and then Mariano's remix. This is brilliant and I've gotta give up the fistbump.

The American Humanist Association’s new unholiday ads—remixed | True Freethinker

If you think that Mariano is over-reacting, check out the links below to see the thinking behind such a campaign.

Related articles

• Atheists' Holiday Message - Join Us (nytimes.com)
• This Holiday Season, Consider Atheism! (daylightatheism.org)

What motivates morality? | True Freethinker

Mariano posted an article on his blog summarizing his series on what motivate morality on his Examiner.com site.

What motivates morality? | True Freethinker

Download - WHHWapp for Android

I've decided to add a mobile Android apps to my blogs. There will be at least one app for each blog. So far the main blog has a single app with more to follow. I plan to make them free for now since I am only beginning to begin to write Android programs. Eventually I'd like to branch out and write iPhone/iPad apps too. Please feel free to download the apps and comment. I'd also would like to make them available on the Android market. I'll be making announcements as they come up.

Android Software

WHHWapp version 1 - Free

This app is a simple app that allows a user to view the 10 most recent posts from the blog feed. It gives you just the first 200 characters of the post and title and the link to the post. You load the feed from the press of a button. The app also has another button that opens the blog up in the web browser of their choice. You can close the application by just shaking the phone. I like to use the taskmanager and Advance Task Killer to close apps when I am done with them.

The app was created using the Google App Inventor and the Google App Engine to parse the RSS feed using Python,. I want to extend the app by adding thumbnail images from the post in the feed and live hyperlinks for each post that takes you to the full blog post in the blog. I also would like to give the user the ability to end the app from the interface.

You can either download the program by e-mailing me or asking for it in the comments below  or use a QR reader like BeeTagg to quickly download the app to your phone or tablet.

Thanks!

Does the Universe Have a Purpose? Audio Debate - Apologetics 315

Well here is the closest we will most likely ever get to William Lane Craig debating Richard Dawkins in a one-on-one debate. This one was a 3 on 3 debate. Guess Dawkins knew he needed the help; not that it helped his arguments. It didn't. But at times you take what you can get and this debate is notable because neither side of the debate topic, Does the Universe have a purpose?, are light-weights.
It was William Lane Craig, Douglas Geivett, and Rabbi David Wolpe answering "yes" with Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer, and Matt Ridley on the other side. I really thank Brian Auten for posting the video and the audio and following his link I have also linked to comments from another brother-in-Christ I respect.



Does the Universe Have a Purpose? Audio Debate - Apologetics 315
Summary and Review of Does the Universe Have Purpose Debate (Dawkins v. Craig)

Mayor Bloomberg Helps Spider-Man Get a Job in New Free Comic - ComicsAlliance | Comics culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

Unemployment affects everyone! It's hit New York so hard that local government has teamed up with Marvel Comics to get the world out about current city resource for finding employment. Spider-Man is the perfect fictional character because he always needs a job.

Mayor Bloomberg Helps Spider-Man Get a Job in New Free Comic - ComicsAlliance | Comics culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

Introduction to Intelligent Design Theory MP3 - Apologetics 315

Brian Auten posted an audio from Dr Peter S. Williams lecture on what Intelligent Design Theory is. I agree with him.

Introduction to Intelligent Design Theory MP3 - Apologetics 315

Related articles

• Do people reject evolution because it unnerves them? (secularnewsdaily.com)
• Quiz a creationist (newhumanist.org.uk)
• Methodological naturalism: does it exclude the supernatural? (whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com)
• Pope Benedict XVI's astronomer: the Catholic Church welcomes aliens (telegraph.co.uk)
• In Louisiana Science Textbooks, Could Evolution Win Out Over Creationism? (education.change.org)