Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist, pp. 35-48 The Tribulation Force, like every band of heroes, needs a tech whiz. That stock character is familiar because he or she brings a vital skill set — vital both for the team and for the writer. Somebody needs to be able to provide the know-how that can carry the team past any technological obstacle or carry the writer past any awkward gap in the plot. Every team needs someone who can step up... Read more
But we’re still a ways away … “Drive,” The Cars “Drive Away My Heart,” Ida Maria “Drive In, Drive Out,” Dave Matthews Band “Drive My Car,” The Beatles “Drive My Car,” Jonas Brothers “Drive South,” John Hiatt “Drive, He Said,” Steve Taylor “Driver 8,” R.E.M. “Drivin’ With Your Eyes Closed,” Don Henley “Driving Fast Through a Big City at Night,” Bright Eyes “Driving Sideways,” Aimee Mann “Driving South,” The Stone Roses “Driving the Nails,” Vigilantes of Love “The Engine Driver,”... Read more
Let me step back and explain where I’m coming from with today’s odd burst of posts. I’ve been butting heads with young-earth creationists for most of my life. This goes back more than 30 years, to the middle-school “science” classes wherein I was first, unsuccessfully, indoctrinated in “scientific creationism.” We studied “the controversy” — but in our case that meant learning about the “gap theory” and the “day-age theory.” These were treated as the primary alternative views, as though everyone... Read more
The Bible is a book. It’s a bunch of books, actually, a bunch of different books written at different times by different people for different purposes. A bunch of different books in different genres. The Dewey Decimal system acknowledges this, offering a classification for the Bible as a whole (220) and for a (somewhat inadequate) series of sub-categories, numbered 221-229. But if you didn’t know that the books of the Bible were the books of the Bible, the Dewey Decimal... Read more
This is no laughing matter. Your problem is a lack of faith. We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our minds. That means we must submit all of our intellect and accept the authority of the text. You’ve got it backwards. All that book learning has convinced you that your intellect should be applied to the text, when really it’s the other way around. And that is why you refuse to accept what the text plainly... Read more
The story is just stupid, OK? First off, gorillas can’t talk. Duh. So, like, what? You actually believe in talking gorillas? That makes you a moron. You and everybody else who tells this story. And everybody who listens to it. You’re all morons. Plus, do you realize how terrifying this would be? How dangerous? A gorilla could kill a room full of people by accident. Here you’ve got a huge, frightened, confused animal thrust into a strange situation it couldn’t... Read more
“Put your gun away; for all who take the gun will perish by the gun.” — Matthew 26:52 We were saddened to hear news of the shooting this morning at the offices of the Family Research Council. Our hearts go out to the shooting victim, his family, and his co-workers. The motivation and circumstances behind today’s tragedy are still unknown, but regardless of what emerges as the reason for this shooting, we utterly reject and condemn such violence. We wish... Read more
I’ve mentioned before that I love the story of Rainbow Crow, the beautiful Lenape tale of how the crow got its black feathers and hoarse, croaking caw. It’s a terrific story. But I do not want to see “Rainbow Crow: The Movie.” The story is perfect as it is — as a story that can be told in less than five minutes, 10 if you really milk it. It shouldn’t be turned into a 90-minute movie or into a three-hour... Read more
Hemant Mehta gleans a piece of news from the Templeton Foundation that must give us pause. Anecdotal reports of glimpses of an afterlife abound, but there has been no comprehensive and rigorous, scientific study of global reports about near-death and other experiences, or of how belief in immortality influences human behavior. That will change with the award of a three-year, $5 million grant by the John Templeton Foundation to John Martin Fischer, distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of... Read more
Recently in comments, we were invited to participate in a community of deception. The entry-point was a false statement: The healthcare mandate that passed and went into effect on August 1st does in fact compel abortion funding. This is not true. This is not arguably true. It is not ambiguous. It’s simply a false statement and a false statement that it is easy to confirm as false. The insurance mandate that went into effect on Aug. 1 covers preventive-care provisions... Read more
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