Pressure on secularism
I don’t know if secularism was ever as much a consensus position as we sometimes think. But I do think it’s weaker today. Consider some recent examples of conservative religious pushback against even rather mild secularist political positions. First, the United States. Take a look, if you can, at “In Defense of Religious Freedom A … Pressure on secularism
Messianic Prophecy – Update
On my own blog, I have begun examining eight alleged Messianic prophecies, presented by Peter Stoner in his book Science Speaks. I have reached a conclusion about the first of the prophecies and will share that here. For supporting arguments and details, you can read the posts at my blog.http://crossexamination.blogspot.com/ According to Peter Stoner, Micah … Messianic Prophecy – Update
Conservative anti-science
Chris Mooney has an interesting post, citing recent research by Gordon Gauchat that shows a noticeable decline in trust in science among political conservatives in the United States, over the past few decades. There isn’t much that I know of in this sort of research that would help me estimate what the contribution of conservative … Conservative anti-science
Swinburne’s Case for God – Part 4
Does the utterance of the words ‘God exists’ amount to a meaningful utterance? Does this utterance express a statement? Two considerations support the claim that this is a meaningful utterance:1. ‘God exists’ is a grammatical sentence.2. The word ‘exists’ has an established meaning. The main question to consider is whether the word ‘God’ has a … Swinburne’s Case for God – Part 4
Argument Against the Resurrection of Jesus – Part 19
One of the major alleged wounds inflicted upon Jesus during the crucifixion is a deep spear wound: DSW = On Friday of Passover week, just before the first Easter Sunday, Jesus received a deep spear wound to his chest (i.e. the tip of the spear penetrated at least 3” deep, measured perpendicular to the surface … Argument Against the Resurrection of Jesus – Part 19
Swinburne’s Case for God – Part 3
In the first of five phases of his case for God, Swinburne argues that the assertion ‘God exists’ makes a coherent factual statement. What is a coherent factual statement? More specifically, what is a statement? and when is a statement a coherent statement? First, it is clear that when someone says ‘God exists’, that person … Swinburne’s Case for God – Part 3
Argument Against the Resurrection of Jesus – Part 18
There are reasonable doubts about each of the major wounds allegedly inflicted upon Jesus. This in turn leads to reasonable doubt about the claim that Jesus died on the cross on the same day that he was crucified. Because the occurrence of each alleged major wound significantly increases the probability that Jesus died on the cross on the … Argument Against the Resurrection of Jesus – Part 18
More secular (and obnoxious, and stupid) Millennials
I’ve been looking at some social psychology research concerning the so-called “Millennial” generation, in their twenties today. (I figure it doesn’t hurt to know more about my students.) Often, the research finds that the Millennials are an obnoxious, shallow, and stupid bunch. (OK, that’s my take on it. But basically, reading the survey results, my … More secular (and obnoxious, and stupid) Millennials
Swinburne’s Case for God – Part 2
The purpose of the first of five phases of Swinburne’s case for God is to show that the statement ‘God exists’ makes a coherent factual (logically contingent) statement. He thinks he has accomplished this in his book The Coherence of Theism (revised edition, hereafter: COT) for a somewhat pared-down concept of God, that he calls a ‘contingent … Swinburne’s Case for God – Part 2
Secular Scandinavia
Well, I’m back from my trip to Norway and Sweden, and when you add this to my previous trip to Denmark, I can now pretend to be an expert on all things Scandinavian. Still, I did have a chance to ask locals (humanities and social science types, mostly) about whether the Scandinavian reputation for secularity … Secular Scandinavia