I am going to engage in a bit of logic chopping now. But for those who do not have an appreciation for logic chopping, do not despair; my close examination of the bark on one tree will lead me to make some broader points that have significance for philosophy of religion, ethics, and serious thinking about God. The broader points might even have some relevance to evaluation of William Craig's argument from the Existence of Objective Moral Values (Let's rearrange those words a bit: "Moral … [Read more...]
Why God did not raise Jesus from the Dead
March 29, 2013 By 142 Comments
The evidence for the claim that Jesus was alive and walking around on the first Easter Sunday is weak. Overall, the evidence indicates that the first post-crucifixion appearances of Jesus probably occurred in Galilee several days after, perhaps several weeks after, the crucifixion of Jesus. Although there probably were some sort of 'resurrection' experiences or visions or dreams by some of Jesus' followers, it is difficult to determine what those experiences consisted in based on the … [Read more...]
A Simple Post about Transubstantiation
March 16, 2013 By 53 Comments
With all the news about the new Pope, I've been thinking about the doctrinal differences between Catholics and Protestants. I do not come from a Catholic background, but one thing I've never understood is the doctrine of transubstantiation. First, other than Catholic tradition or dogma, what reason is there to think the doctrine is actually true? Second, since Catholics do believe it is true, why don't they also consider themselves to be practicing cannibalism--the eating of the flesh of … [Read more...]
This Knee Won’t Bow
March 6, 2013 By 59 Comments
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philipians 2:9-11 (NIV) I don't think so. Not this knee. This knee will NOT be bowing at "the name of Jesus". My knee will remain straight and unbent, because I know and understand "the name of Jesus". I … [Read more...]
The Polemical Medic on Why You Shouldn’t Believe the Resurrection Happened
February 13, 2013 By 1 Comment
LINK … [Read more...]
Cavin and Colombetti on the Resurrection of Jesus Part 2: The Failure of the Resurrection ‘Explanation’
February 11, 2013 By 37 Comments
What I want to do in this post is to summarize (and offer my own interpretation of) Cavin’s second main contention in his debate with Michael Licona on the Resurrection of Jesus: CC2. The Resurrection Theory is a dismal failure as an explanation of the empty tomb and postmortem appearances of Jesus—being ad hoc and almost completely devoid of explanatory power and scope. 1. Explanatory Power In order to properly assess CC2, it’s crucial that we first clarify what “explanation” … [Read more...]
Cavin and Colombetti on the Resurrection of Jesus Part 1: The Anti-Resurrection Prior Probability Argument
February 5, 2013 By 5 Comments
As I reported earlier, Greg Cavin has graciously allowed us to publish the slides for his debate with Michael Licona on the Resurrection of Jesus. While only Cavin debated Licona, both Cavin and Carlos Colombetti (C&C) co-authored the slides used in the debate, so I’ve mentioned both C&C in the title. What I want to do in this post is to summarize (and offer my own interpretation of) Cavin’s first main contention in his debate with Michael Licona on the Resurrection of Jesus: … [Read more...]
Video of Licona-Cavin Debate on the Resurrection of Jesus
February 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Here is the video of Licona-Cavin debate on the resurrection of Jesus. (HT: Wes) I hope to blog about this debate in detail in the future. … [Read more...]
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