Life Without a Net
God
The Story of Easter, Updated for 21st Century Readers
The Plan, Part 1: In the Beginning Approximately six thousand years ago, a magical being called “God” set a plan into motion. He’d been waiting and doing very little for several googols of googols of years, so this was a very important time. All that brain power had just been sitting around, formulating the most … Continue reading
Anger at God: The Scientific Facts
Anger at God is a difficult phenomenon to quantify. There are several limiting factors, including dogmatic stigma against admitting anger, which has been prevalent among theists in past research. Additionally, there are definition issues when atheists and agnostics feel anger. Can we discuss anger about God in the same study as anger at God? Finally, there … Continue reading
The Story of Easter. With Pictures.
The Plan, Part 1: In the Beginning Approximately six thousand years ago, a magical being called “God” set a plan into motion. He’d been waiting and doing very little for several googols of googols of years, so this was a very important time. All that brain power had just been sitting around, formulating the most … Continue reading
Prayer for the Nation
“In this hour I would ask of the Lord God only this: that, as in the past, so in the years to come He would give His blessing to our work and our action, to our judgment and our resolution, that He will safeguard us from all false pride and from all cowardly servility, that … Continue reading
One of these things is like the other…
“Many women who do not dress modestly lead young men astray and spread adultery in society which increases earthquakes.” (LINK) Compare and contrast with: “And you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French, you know, … Continue reading
This is What Faith Does.
Want to know why I’m opposed to religion? Watch this video. It illustrates the number one reason I believe religion is a horrible force in society. There are several things I think are noteworthy: At the very beginning, we can tell that these folks — homeless, begging for change in a Wal-mart parking lot, with … Continue reading
“Unconditional.” It Means Something Else.
“Unconditional” has a very simple definition. “Without condition. Absolute.” It’s pretty rare as English words go. We love getting our money’s worth, so we generally stack words with multiple meanings. The OED says that “set” has the biggest load to carry at 192 different meanings! But not so with “unconditional.” It means “without condition.” And … Continue reading
Religion, Politics, and Conflict: A Case Study
I found a fantastic example of the kind of religious pressure brought to bear on church-goers. READ IT HERE. What a horrifying example of what people in many parts of America must do to remain part of the community! Here are some salient excerpts: The final straw came when they emailed our entire congregation a … Continue reading
Hell and Free Will
Every once in a while, I hit a brick wall trying to think about Christianity. The one I just hit has to do with one of the oldest problems theologians encountered. IF all that happens is the perfect and unalterable will of God, THEN God wishes people to suffer on earth, and then suffer for … Continue reading
Pascal’s Fault #353
Among the faults of Pascal’s Wager is an oft-overlooked stumper. Pascal proposed a hypothetical reality and then calculated “odds” based on that reality. This is certainly fine for philosophical musing, but the very act of making the proposition gives others the same permission: Christian: If God is real, then it’s better to have faith, (IF … Continue reading
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