by Thomas Schenk Watching the sun rise over a large body of water – the slowly increasing illumination of the sky, the colors captured in thin clouds, the moment the top of the sun first appears and the minutes that pass as the sun makes what appears to be its journey from the waters into the sky – is something I will always take the time to watch. Ideally, that large body of water is the ocean, but living about... Read more
by Daniel Scharpenburg Shen-kuang was a man who was obsessed with knowledge. He read the classics widely, studying deeply the Confucian Classics, the Tao Te Ching, and many other texts. He found that these teachings weren’t quite what he was looking for. Then he learned about Buddhism. As soon as he learned about it he was hooked and he studied day and night. At the age of 33 he went and lived a mountain for 8 years, just practicing on his... Read more
by Eric Steinhart Truth Leading the Sciences To say that atheism is the denial of all gods and goddesses is just so broad that it doesn’t even make any sense. There are plenty of perfectly scientific ways to think about gods and goddesses. And those aren’t new ways – they’re mostly old ways. If the term atheism is used with any precision, it means a-theism, that is, the denial of theism. So atheists can’t believe in any theistic gods or theistic... Read more
by Thomas Schenk There is no agreement about a precise definition of the word “naturalism,” but I think the following captures the general idea: Naturalism is the idea that only natural principles and forces operate in the world, and these are the principles and forces that are studied by the physical sciences. In common usage, the word “nature” is opposed to the word “artificial,” or “man made.” However, if natural principles and forces are all that effectively exists throughout space and... Read more
by Jeff Worthy Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. –from “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” — Dylan Thomas It can seem today as though the light is dying. In truth, the light is returning, and has been doing so since the Winter Solstice. Though the days are in fact growing longer, sometimes having a longer day, given some... Read more
Credit to: https://homethods.com/ (This article is written by guest author Rob Wheeler. Information about the author below.) At first sight prayer would seem to be impossible or meaningless for someone who takes up a Naturalistic stance towards the world. The Naturalist believes there are no objectively existing deities ‘up there’ to hear or respond to our prayer and so it must be a pointless exercise. But I think that takes a too narrow view of prayer. Even realist theists do... Read more
by Thomas Schenk If you’ve ever visited the Grand Canyon, while gazing over its depths, perhaps you wondered about the time required for that little river to carve that vast chasm. As much as any place I’ve ever been, the Grand Canyon confronts you with the vastness of time. According to geologists, erosion of the canyon started about 6 million years ago, which by human standards is a very long time. But it’s a rather short time compared to how... Read more
(Article is by guest writer James Jarrett. See bio below.) After the twelve days of Christmas in the Christian liturgical year, January 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany. Also called Three Kings Day, this feast commemorates the visit of the magi to Jesus and Mary in Bethlehem as recorded in Matthew 2:1-12.(1) One message of Epiphany is that whatever love and good has been manifested in the world through Jesus of Nazareth, it is for everyone—not just a particular tribe;... Read more
by Dennis Oliver A Philosophy dissertation by a young friend, Roger Thisdell, has challenged me to think more deeply and broadly about how thought effects behaviour. Roger’s essay was about “The Ethical Impact of Thoughts1.” He acknowledges the utilitarian concern for outcomes (‘the greatest happiness for the greatest number’), as formulated by the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), but takes a different tact. Thisdell’s approach is rooted in ancient India, but watered by present-day neurological science and other contemporary research –... Read more
by Jeff Worthy I work as a high school literature and composition teacher. Every summer, I take the time to re-read and reflect upon a classic work of literature and all that it has to teach. I do this not only for my own benefit but so that I can pass the lessons on to younger people, encouraging them to read the work for themselves so they can process the issues it raises and then apply the work’s lessons in their... Read more
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