I saw the image above on FunnyJunk and liked that it took the caricatures that some Christians and atheists offer of each other, and placed them side by side. I doubt there are many who would genuinely recognize either description as an accurate portrayal of their own worldview. But that doesn’t seem to prevent them from sharing caricatures of their opponents. But the fact that anyone stereotypes in this way is truly despicable, and contributes to the demonization and dehumanizing... Read more
Rebecca Trotter has a wonderful treatment (which I was reminded of recently) of the reference in 2 Timothy to people preferring those who “tickle the ears” to those who speak the truth. Here is a sample: Any clear headed assessment of the evidence would lead one to conclude that there’s nothing more common, more universally accepted and more fervently defended than angry, wrathful deities. You can’t throw a stone in a history book or at a map without hitting a religion or... Read more
This is a repost of something I wrote here back in the very early days of my blog, as an illustration of how the Bible is mythologized, personalized and in some cases deified by well-meaning but misguided Christians. I received a message from someone who disagreed with an answer of mine on Yahoo! Answers, and this individual said he isn’t interested in what I think but “what the Bible thinks”. The Bible isn’t a person, and even treating it as... Read more
The hotel we stayed at in Haifa ordered boxed breakfasts for us to take with us yesterday morning when we left, since we were departing very early in the morning, before the breakfast buffet would be open, in order to have enough time to do everything we hoped to do in the region of the Dead Sea, beginning with Masada some three hours away. The boxes contained a piece of quiche, a hard-boiled egg, a very small can of tuna,... Read more
Here are some signs that I have seen in Israel thus far on the trip I am currently on. First, here is a sign I saw posted in the Church of St. Catherine next to the Church of the Nativity: Next, one of my favorites, from the church at Gethsemane, ironic because of its two possible meanings (it is supposed to be a request that tour guides do their explanations outside so that the quiet, worshipful atmosphere can be maintained... Read more
Unless you're a fundamentalist Calvinist, in which case substitute “Arminianism.” Via Skipper Georg Warnecke on Facebook. Read more
The Onion had a piece about how the deity of humans evolved from a chimpanzee deity. While comical, the piece deserves some serious comment. First, in making a connection with biological evolution, it plays into the popular misunderstanding that human beings evolved from other primates which currently exist, whether chimpanzees or others. Second, there is a serious theological point to note. Whether or not “God evolves,” there can be no real doubt that humans’ thinking about God has evolved. On... Read more
There are many more photos on the trip blog (and now also a video on YouTube). Here on my own personal blog, I want to single out one of the places we visited today: Nazareth Village. This is a recreation of life in Jesus' time, as it happens on a site where they discovered, in the process of preparing the site for use as an open air museum, a vineyard and wine press from ancient times. I found the recreations... Read more
I like this quote from the Doctor Who episode “The Rings of Akhaten.” It illustrates many things – that one can find meaning in telling the story of the universe in a scientifically-informed way, that discussion of natural processes does not have to lead to the conclusion that life is meaningless rather than incredibly precious. But whichever stories people tell, the meaning they take from them is created by humans. I am sure most readers have seen this photo somewhere... Read more
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