In the last post, we took a deep look at Romans 9, and I was quite critical of what Paul had to say. However, in many ways, I actually feel sorry for Paul. Let me start by saying I'm no scholar, so my assessment of Paul and his motivations is likely way off. But I… Continue reading Paul: An Assessment
Tag: christianity
Romans 9: A Divine and Fickle Dictator
It had been a while since I'd read Romans 9, but an email correspondence that I keep with a Christian caused me to read it last night. When I was a Christian, this chapter had always been difficult for me, but that's because I was trying to fit it within my own theology. Last night,… Continue reading Romans 9: A Divine and Fickle Dictator
Have a Little Faith
I spent a long time as a Christian. I'm able to look back on much of that time very fondly. I loved my fellow brethren, and I truly wanted to learn more about God's will and do my best to follow it. But there was also a deep fear tied to my belief. I think… Continue reading Have a Little Faith
A Curious Mix of Confidence and Low Self-Esteem
Since leaving Christianity, I've had time to reflect on why some people leave their faith when confronted with issues and why others stay. The reasons are quite varied, of course. And a large part of how people react depends upon how literally they take things in the Bible. I was raised in a very conservative… Continue reading A Curious Mix of Confidence and Low Self-Esteem
Interesting Discussion
Hello! So it's been a little while since I last posted. I try to do at least one post every month, but November completely slipped by. I've been very busy at work, which is a great thing financially, but not so great where my blog is concerned. Nonetheless, I hope to have another post or… Continue reading Interesting Discussion
Listening to the Old Prophet
I don't usually like to reblog my old posts, but this one is over two years old, and we've recently had some discussions here that relate to it.
How Genesis Views Our Universe
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
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
Finding Truth 