Did Jesus Exit? – Part 15
Part of MJH (the Minimal Jesus Hypothesis) is that Jesus was a Jewish male. Jesus was “Jewish” in both senses of the word: he was an adherent of the religion of Judaism, and a male descendant of the Hebrew people, according to MJH. We saw in Part 14 that Mark represents Jesus as both a … Did Jesus Exit? – Part 15
The Blue Folders Story: How Not to Defend Objective Moral Values
I think I first heard this story while listening to a debate between Michael Horner and Henry Morgentaler, but since then I’ve seen it or heard it repeated many other times. The story is supposed to illustrate that even people who claim to be moral relativists really do believe that objective moral values exist. Here … The Blue Folders Story: How Not to Defend Objective Moral Values
Scientific Discoveries, Theism, and Atheism: Reply to Wintery Knight
I’m going to offer some comments on a recent post by Wintery Knight. He writes: When people ask me whether the progress of science is more compatible with theism or atheism, I offer the follow four basic pieces of scientific evidence that are more compatible with theism than atheism. [italics are mine] The following point … Scientific Discoveries, Theism, and Atheism: Reply to Wintery Knight
Brigham Young: Racist Prophet of the Mormons – Part 3
In January of 1852, Brigham Young encouraged the Utah territorial legislature to pass a law that prohibitted sex between white people and black people, and publically declared that black people (or people with a black grandparent or great grandparent) “Cannot hold the priesthood”: ======================================= Mormon Anti-Miscegenation in Utah Law Brigham Young addressed the Utah territorial … Brigham Young: Racist Prophet of the Mormons – Part 3
Brigham Young: Racist Prophet of the Mormons – Part 2
It is not clear why Brigham Young followed the racist pro-slavery views of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery from 1836 instead of the more liberal-minded abolitionist views of Joseph Smith from 1842 to 1844. However, confronting the reality of mixed-race marriages and sex between black men and white women appears to have pushed Young further … Brigham Young: Racist Prophet of the Mormons – Part 2
Brigham Young: Racist Prophet of the Mormons – Part 1
Brigham Young was a racist white man who initiated racial discrimination into the official policies and practices of the Mormon church (more specifically: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement). One key racist policy of the Mormons was to exclude blacks from “the priesthood”. In … Brigham Young: Racist Prophet of the Mormons – Part 1
Did Jesus Exit? – Part 14
Mitt Romney is a lying sack of human excrement. Which is one of the reasons why he lost the election. Among MR’s many moral failings was his promotion of a racist religious tradition: Mormonism. MR grew up in a publically and openly racist Mormon church. As a young man he went to France to encourage … Did Jesus Exit? – Part 14
Initial Impressions on the Andrews-Schieber Debate: Part 4
In this post, I’m going to comment on Schieber’s’ first rebuttal. Schieber’s First Rebuttal In defense of his argument from divine lies, Schieber writes: As to my argument against Christian knowledge, Mr. Andrews replies that he knows God is essentially truthful – that it is impossible for God to lie because it logically contradicts his … Initial Impressions on the Andrews-Schieber Debate: Part 4
Initial Impressions on the Andrews-Schieber Debate: Part 3
In parts 1 and 2 of this series, I reviewed each debaters’ arguments for or against Christian theism. In this and future posts, I want to selectively comment on statements from their rebuttals which caught my eye. I’m emphasizing the word “selectively” because I’m not simply not going to be able to parse the rest … Initial Impressions on the Andrews-Schieber Debate: Part 3
Did Jesus Exit? – Part 13
I have taken a quick look at the L-source passages in Luke, and my conclusion is that the L source does represent Jesus as a flesh-and-blood person. So, Bart Ehrman is clearly the winner of the first round. But there are several more rounds to go before I will have enough facts and data to … Did Jesus Exit? – Part 13