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
Tag: god
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
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?
How It Happened: My Deconversion Part 2
Part 1 can be found here. In studying the doctrine of Hell, I found some interesting things. First, Hell is not talked about in the Old Testament. The King James Version mentions "Hell" a number of times, but that's just a translation issue. The actual word used in the Old Testament is Sheol. Now, we… Continue reading How It Happened: My Deconversion Part 2
My View of Jesus
This began as a response to unkleE in the comment thread of my last post. However, I decided that I was getting too wordy for a comment and decided to turn it into a post. But I'm also pretty lazy and have left the post as though I'm talking directly to unkleE. Here it is:I… Continue reading My View of Jesus
Tecumseh the Prophet
I just finished reading The Frontiersmen by Allan Eckert, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't realize how little I knew about this period of American history, until I read this book. Eckert's book is not historical fiction, it's an actual history covering the settlement of the areas around Kentucky and Ohio. It centers mostly… Continue reading Tecumseh the Prophet
Finding Truth 