Virtually everyone knows that it's hard to square the differences between the Genesis account of creation and what we now know through science. For centuries, people believed that the earth was less than 10,000 years old, because the Bible doesn't seem to go back any further than that. Now, geology, biology, chemistry, anthropology, archaeology, and… Continue reading How Genesis Views Our Universe
Category: God
Matthew 24: Let’s Hear All the Theories
In the comment section of my last post, several points were made about Matthew 24. It's not the easiest passage to come to terms with. When I was a believer, I had trouble nailing down exactly what was being talked about in this chapter, because much of the language is figurative, and... well... a straight… Continue reading Matthew 24: Let’s Hear All the Theories
It Just Fits Together So Well!
Not long ago, fellow blogger John Zande wrote an excellent post titled "Jesus Christ: Just Not Worth a Sheet of Paper." It's actually not as derogatory as the title suggests. Some apologists have suggested that the reason we have no contemporary accounts of Jesus' life is that paper was so expensive. That's the argument John… Continue reading It Just Fits Together So Well!
Collateral Damage
Yesterday, the discussion on this thread got into the subject of the problems of evil and suffering. One of the participants in the discussion suggested that the dilemma could be resolved if God had reasons for allowing evil and suffering to exist, even if we don't know what those reasons are. On the surface, this… Continue reading Collateral Damage
A Similar Journey
To my friends that read this blog, I've run across another that you should check out. I haven't actually read his blog entries yet -- instead, his landing page is an intro to his journey out of faith. And it consists of multiple pages, much like reading a book. The layout is brilliant, and the… Continue reading A Similar Journey
Never Going Back
I value open-mindedness over most other things. When I was going through my deconversion and having frequent religious discussions with my family, I often felt that they weren't being open-minded. I know that it's hard (perhaps impossible) to judge how open-minded someone else is being, so I hesitate to even pass that kind of judgment.… Continue reading Never Going Back
Winning Isn’t Everything: Evolution Rewards Altruism
Ran across an interesting video today that discusses a new study from Michigan State University which found that being selfish is not advantageous from an evolutionary perspective. Sometimes evolution-deniers claim that if evolution were true, then compassion is a weakness. We would be better off if we were completely selfish -- if we swindled others… Continue reading Winning Isn’t Everything: Evolution Rewards Altruism
6 Types of Atheists
This article's been out for a week or so, but I hadn't seen it until today. Two researchers at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have just published a study they've compiled from a survey of 59 atheists and agnostics. I recommend reading the article (it's not long), especially because it has a slide show… Continue reading 6 Types of Atheists
Discussion: What Did Jesus Teach?
This post is not going to be in the standard format. Instead of laying out what I think about a particular issue and then possibly getting into a discussion afterward, I really just want to ask a series of questions that I hope readers will answer in the comment section. My background with Christianity is… Continue reading Discussion: What Did Jesus Teach?
How Convincing Are Miracles?
I like the above image, because it's so absurd. Not that the miracle itself is absurd, but that someone could see such a thing and still dismiss it. A while back, we had a discussion on this blog about the effectiveness of miracles. Not the "oh, my aunt has a friend that knows someone who… Continue reading How Convincing Are Miracles?
Finding Truth 