Henry Neufeld asks whether creationists are stupid. This is a key question that is asked too often. Plenty of intelligent people are creationists, and a not-insignificant number of those are young-earth creationists or proponents of intelligent design. Treating people as though they are stupid rarely helps the educational process. Many people are misinformed or uninformed, or even self-deluded, when it comes to these matters. But if one wants to deal with those issues, then one needs to begin with an accurate diagnosis of the problem.
Jim West notes a new Jesus film building on the old “Mary was raped by a Roman soldier named Pantera” tradition. I’ve published an article in the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus about why I find that historically implausible. But in terms of making a fictional movie, it has great potential. I hope they’ll include a scene where a young Jesus decides to vent his community’s frustration against the Romans by attacking a soldier stationed locally. As Jesus struggles with him, and manages to get hold of his sword, Mary pushes through the crowd and shouts “Jesus, don’t!…He’s your father!” For another fictional depiction of Jesus, try here. Or here.
C. Orthodoxy has a response to my blog entry about moral absolutism and relativism. Ken Schenck tells what he likes about the Enlightenment. Also worth a look is the Investigating Atheism web site.
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