Jesus: True Prophet or False Prophet? – Part 3
I am arguing that it is not possible for Christian apologists to make a solid rational case for the claim that God raised Jesus from the dead (GRJ). My argument is based on the controversial claim that Jesus was a false prophet (JFP): 1. Jesus claimed to be a prophet. 2. Jesus was not a prophet. 3. … Jesus: True Prophet or False Prophet? – Part 3
Is the Religious Right Finished?
This week was a bad week for right-wingers. The Supreme Court (I hate the acronym “SCOTUS.” Sounds like a disreputable body part.) upheld the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) against a challenge that would have removed the federal subsidy for health insurance purchase in non-participating (red) states. Then, just yesterday, came an even crueler blow when … Is the Religious Right Finished?
Jesus: True Prophet or False Prophet? – Part 2
There are three main areas of evidence required to build a rational case for the resurrection of Jesus, for the claim that God raised Jesus from the dead (GRJ): I. General Background Evidence II. Prior Historical Evidence III. Posterior Historical Evidence A key claim that Christian apologists need to support in relation to Prior … Jesus: True Prophet or False Prophet? – Part 2
Why not a Fast from Religion?
I notice that Ramadan begins next Thursday. This, of course, is the month that Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. I am not sure that it is good for your health to abstain from water if you are working outside in 110 degree temperatures, as are common in many parts of … Why not a Fast from Religion?
Jesus: True Prophet or False Prophet? – Part 1
In his book The Resurrection of God Incarnate, Richard Swinburne argues that the case for the resurrection of Jesus must include three major components: I. General Background Evidence – evidence for and against the existence of God, and evidence about whether and why God would be likely to perform a miracle, especially raising someone from the … Jesus: True Prophet or False Prophet? – Part 1
William Rowe’s Fawn
I spotted this fawn this morning while walking my dog. Judging by the size and the wet fur on the top of the head, I’d guess it was born in the last day. It’s bigger than my cats but smaller than my dog. The mother was nowhere to be seen, presumably off foraging for food. Hopefully … William Rowe’s Fawn
LINK: The Jones-Parsons-Martin Exchange (1991)
Douglas Jones opens the interchange by sketching the argument for the Christian critique of non-Christian thought. Douglas Jones, an elder in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, is the editor of Antithesis and a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Idaho and Lewis-Clark State College. Keith Parsons offers the first of two atheistic responses to Jones’s essay. Keith … LINK: The Jones-Parsons-Martin Exchange (1991)
Link: Russell Blackford on Charity to Those We Oppose
LINK
Christianity: An Angel with a Dirty Face?
This is a greatly belated review of Paul Johnson’s A History of Christianity (New York: Athenum, 1977), 556 pp. I have had this book in my possession for nearly forty years, but have only read it through recently. As a representative of what we might call “scholarly popular history,” it is virtually unsurpassed, belonging in … Christianity: An Angel with a Dirty Face?
The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 7
It is one thing to make a solid case for the claim “Jesus rose from the dead.” (JRD), and another thing entirely to make a solid case for the claim “God raised Jesus from the dead.” (GRJ). Showing that (JRD) is true, would not, by itself, show that (GRJ) is true. The resurrection could have … The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 7