The Canaanite slaughter. Whether or not you’re a Christian fundamentalist or a strident atheist (or far from either), if it hasn’t brought a chill down your spine; you haven’t really thought about it deeply enough. Christian apologists like to ask who are you to judge God or give arguments on the greater good beyond a perceived abhorrent command by God (by taking their lives they were sparred from hell, for example). But how does this jive with the idea of a loving… Read more

Latin for “unconquered”, I remember hearing these incredible words for first time in the film Invictus, spoken by Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman). Mandela would reflect upon these words while he was imprisoned. The prose is actually from the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley. It’s worth sharing in its entirety: Out of the night that covers me,       Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be       For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance… Read more

It’s one of the most famous heavyweight debates in philosophy of all time on the question of God’s existence, Frederick Copleston (classical theism) vs. Bertrand Russel (atheism) in a 1948 BBC broadcast. Copleston opens up with the cosmological argument (expressed specifically with the argument from contingency): “in order to explain existence, we must come to a Being which contains within itself the reason for its own existence, that is to say, which cannot not exist”. Copleston defines God as the Necessary… Read more

As far as movies scenes go, it’s a gem in natural theology vs. religious fundamentalism in Christianity over the topic of slavery: There are some deep philosophical, political, and religious themes at play here; first and foremost, who counts as a human being – the debate actually started with Bass’ insinuation of irony on the concern for his well-being, but not Epps’ laborers. Epps’ position is simply that “they ain’t hired help, they’re my property”. As he bought his slaves, he is endowed… Read more