Jesus on Faith – Part 4
Stig Martinsen made a plausible objection to my argument for the idea that Jesus viewed giving EVIDENCE and ARGUMENTS as compatible with promoting FAITH: ============ I have seen the story of doubting Thomas in John 20 interpreted as an example of Jesus endorsing faith as opposed to belief grounded in evidence. I.e. 20:29: Jesus saith unto him, … Jesus on Faith – Part 4
Jesus on Faith – Part 3
Jesus talks about “faith” in Matthew Chapter 6 and also in Matthew Chapter 16 (Mat. 6:25-33 and 16:5-12). In both of these passages, Jesus tells his followers that they have “little faith”, and then Jesus puts forward an ARGUMENT or REASONS in order to INCREASE the FAITH of his followers. But this makes no sense if … Jesus on Faith – Part 3
Jesus on Faith – Part 2
In my previous post on this subject, I argued that the comments of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-33 concerning faith show that Jesus did NOT think that faith means firmly believing something for which one has no evidence (Bertrand Russell’s def. of “faith”) nor that faith means believing in the face of contrary evidence (A.C. Grayling’s def. of … Jesus on Faith – Part 2
Jesus on Faith
What does the word “faith” mean? According to my dictionary (The American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd College Edition), the word “faith” has several different meanings: Definition 1: A confident belief in the truth, value, trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. Definition 2: Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. Definition 3: Loyalty … Jesus on Faith
Faith and the End of PoR – Part 2
John Loftus referred me to Chapters 7 and 10 of his book The Outsider Test for Faith (hereafter: OTF), so that I could get a better understanding of what he means by the word “faith” in his blog post arguing for the End of Philosophy of Religion (PoR). Chapter 7 was of no help. The … Faith and the End of PoR – Part 2
Faith and the End of PoR
John Loftus has advocated the End of Philosophy of Religion as a discipline. In his post defending this proposal, Loftus repeatedly talks about “faith”. The word “faith” occurs 23 times in the post, and it occurs in 7 out of the 13 paragraphs that constitute the post. Some paragraphs have multiple references to “faith”: It … Faith and the End of PoR
Next Year
I wanted to retire this year, but that did not work out. I might be able to retire a year from now, though. There are a number of topics from this year that I plan to carry over into 2015: 1. The End of PoR? John Loftus has argued that public colleges and universities … Next Year
Don’t Criticize What You Can’t Understand
Recently, I found myself defending William Lane Craig’s reformed epistemology. I was defending it NOT because I believe it to be true or correct, but because his views were being presented as ‘stupid’ and obviously false. My impression was that those who were making these strong claims did NOT understand Craig’s views on epistemology, … Don’t Criticize What You Can’t Understand
Lowder-Vandergriff Debate on God’s Existence Now Out!
I’m pleased to announce that my debate on God’s existence with Mr. Kevin Vandergriff is now out! Here are the options for accessing the debate. Topic and Format The topic and format for our debate was as follows. Topic: Naturalism vs. Christian Theism: Where Does the Evidence Point? Format: Mr. Lowder’s Opening Statement: 20 minutes Mr. Vandergriff’s … Lowder-Vandergriff Debate on God’s Existence Now Out!
Questions Concerning the Existence of God
It does not look like I can retire this year, maybe next year (it could happen!). But I think I will start my ten-year plan to develop a multi-volume critique of Christianity in January, even if I’m still working my 9 to 5 job. Part of evaluating Christianity is evaluating the fundamental metaphysical claim that … Questions Concerning the Existence of God