Christianity

Eyewitness Testimony is Unreliable

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WHERE WE ARE In a series of posts about the Hallucination Theory (the view that Jesus’ disciples had experiences of the risen Jesus because they had hallucinations of Jesus), one key point that I argued for is that eyewitness testimony is unreliable. This point is also of general relevance to the question: Did God raise … Eyewitness Testimony is Unreliable

Evaluation of Definitions of the Word “Miracle”- Part 5: A Good Definition

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WHERE WE ARE In my initial post on miracles, I analyzed eight different definitions of the word “miracle” into seven different elements: IMPACT – the emotional or psychological effect of a miracle GENUS – the most general category to which a miracle belongs SPECIES – the sub-category (of the most general category) to which a miracle belongs AGENT/CAUSE – … Evaluation of Definitions of the Word “Miracle”- Part 5: A Good Definition

Evaluation of Definitions of the Word “Miracle”- Part 4: The Element of Purpose

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WHERE WE ARE I have previously analyzed eight different definitions of the word “miracle” into seven different elements: In Part 1, I examined the elements of Impact, Genus, and Species. In Part 2, I examined the elements of Cause/Agent, Exception, and Baseline. In Part 3, I argued that we should eliminate the Exception and Baseline … Evaluation of Definitions of the Word “Miracle”- Part 4: The Element of Purpose

Evaluation of Definitions of the Word “Miracle”- Part 3: Aquinas & Hume on Miracles & Nature

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BASELINE AND EXCEPTION ELEMENTS I have analyzed eight different definitions of the word “miracle” into seven elements: Two elements found in most definitions are what I call the “Baseline” and “Exception” elements: BASELINE – the ordinary or normal circumstances from which a miracle departs EXCEPTION – the way in which a miracle departs from ordinary or normal … Evaluation of Definitions of the Word “Miracle”- Part 3: Aquinas & Hume on Miracles & Nature

Evaluation of Definitions of the Word “Miracle”- Part 2: Agent, Exception & Baseline

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WHERE WE ARE In my initial post, I analyzed eight definitions of the word “miracle” into seven different elements. I am not satisfied with any of these definitions, so in my previous post I began to evaluate these definitions to make clear the problems I see with them. In this current post, I will continue … Evaluation of Definitions of the Word “Miracle”- Part 2: Agent, Exception & Baseline

Evaluation of Definitions of the Word “Miracle”- Part 1: Impact, Genus, and Species

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WHERE WE ARE In my previous post, I analyzed eight definitions of the word “miracle” into seven different elements. I am not satisfied with any of these definitions, and in this post I will evaluate these definitions to make clear the problems I see with them. In a later post, I will attempt to construct … Evaluation of Definitions of the Word “Miracle”- Part 1: Impact, Genus, and Species

Ashamed to be an American

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I am, once again, ashamed to be an American. We had a clear choice between a pair of decent, intelligent, democracy-loving, competent leaders (Harris and Walz) and a pair of racist, sexist, fascists who are incompetent (Trump and Vance), and yet we Americans made the wrong choice. There are two main possible reasons for this … Ashamed to be an American

Another Reason Why Peter Kreeft’s Case for the Resurrection of Jesus FAILS

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In Chapter 8 of their Handbook of Christian Apologetics (hereafter: HCA), Christian philosophers Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli make a case for the resurrection of Jesus, and they claim to PROVE that Jesus rose from the dead. Here is a summary of their case: 1. IF Kreeft and Tacelli refuted the four alternative (skeptical) theories, THEN … Another Reason Why Peter Kreeft’s Case for the Resurrection of Jesus FAILS