Initial Impressions on the Andrews-Schieber Debate: Part 2
(Continued from Part 1) Justin Schieber’s Case against Christian Theism Schieber presents three arguments against Christian theism: (1) the GodWorld argument; (2) the soteriological argument from evil; and (3) an argument about the possibility of divine lies in the Bible. Let’s each argument in turn. The GodWorld Argument Schieber defines “GodWorld” as “that possible world … Initial Impressions on the Andrews-Schieber Debate: Part 2
Initial Impressions on the Andrews-Schieber Debate: Part 1
Christian Max Andrews and Atheist Justin Schieber recently had a debate on the existence of the Christian god. Both audio and a transcript are available online. I think it’s well worth listening to or reading. In what follows, I want to offer my initial impressions of both debaters’ opening statements. Max Andrews’ Case for Christian … Initial Impressions on the Andrews-Schieber Debate: Part 1
Did Jesus Exit? – Part 12
Back in Part 10, I took a look at Mark and (in the Comments section) Q, and determined that they both represent Jesus as a flesh-and-blood person. Now I’m looking into the M-source, the unique material used by the author of the Gospel of Matthew, to see whether M also represents Jesus as a flesh-and-blood … Did Jesus Exit? – Part 12
Darwin Proofing
Students say the darndest things. In their exams, no less. In one of my classes students were required to read selections from Darwin’s Origin and Descent of Man. Here are some comments from one exam: “I found Darwin’s The Descent of Man hard to read and hard to understand. As a Christian I have always … Darwin Proofing
God as a ‘Necessary Being’ – Part 4
Previously, I argued that it is not possible to become eternal. Recall that a person P is eternal if and only if P has always existed and P will always continue to exist. Here is a step-by-step proof showing that it is impossible for a person to become eternal: <————|———–|————–> …………….t1………..t2 1. At time t1 … God as a ‘Necessary Being’ – Part 4
Richard Schoenig’s New Paper: “Objective Ethics Without Religion”
Abstract: Theists frequently aver that atheism is incompatible with moral realism (the view that there are objective moral facts). This paper defends a justifiable objective moral code, termed ethical rationalism (ER), that does not depend on the existence of any supernatural being. ER is a seven-principle moral code comprising two general prescriptions: do not harm … Richard Schoenig’s New Paper: “Objective Ethics Without Religion”
Rob Lovering’s New Book: God and Evidence: Problems for Theistic Philosophers
God and Evidence: Problems for Theistic Philosophers (Continuum, 2013). Here’s the blurb: God and Evidence presents a new set of compelling problems for theistic philosophers. The problems pertain to three types of theistic philosopher, which Lovering defines here as ‘theistic inferentialists,’ ‘theistic non-inferentialists,’ and ‘theistic fideists.’ Theistic inferentialists believe that God exists, that there is inferential … Rob Lovering’s New Book: <I>God and Evidence: Problems for Theistic Philosophers</I>
Craig’s Defense of Moral Objectivity in his Moral Argument for God’s Existence
William Lane Craig’s moral argument for God’s existence is as follows. (1) If God does not exist, then objective moral values and duties do not exist. (2) But objective moral values and duties do exist. (3) Therefore, God exists. In defense of (2), Craig offers an appeal to intuition. Here’s an excerpt from one of … Craig’s Defense of Moral Objectivity in his Moral Argument for God’s Existence
Piece Of Jesus’ Cross Found? Archaeologists Discover ‘Holy Thing’ In Balatlar Church In Turkey
I loved this quotation of John Calvin in the article: “if all the pieces that could be found were collected together, they would make a big ship-load,” referring specifically to the cross. LINK HT: EF
Another Paper by Moti Mizrahi: “New Puzzles About Divine Attributes”
European Journal for Philosophy of Religion (forthcoming) Abstract: According to traditional Western theism, God is maximally great (or perfect). More explicitly, God is said to have the following divine attributes: omnipotence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence. In this paper, I present three puzzles about this conception of a maximally great (or perfect) being. The first puzzle about omniscience … Another Paper by Moti Mizrahi: “New Puzzles About Divine Attributes”