Tag Archive

Top 5 Non-Fiction Authors Who Impacted My Life & Thinking

Published on November 12, 2023 By sirrahc

It is not uncommon for bloggers and other article-writers to put out a Top 5 (or other number) list for something. I have done a few myself. A “Top X Books …” is a favorite — both to read and to write — for those of us who like to read books. A few years […]

NASA's JPL vs. Intelligent Design

Published on April 25, 2010 By sirrahc

You remember that documentary called “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed“? That was the one that came out a year or two ago, hosted/narrated by Ben Stein, that looked at incidents where educators and scientists were ridiculed, denied tenure, and sometimes fired simply for believing that there might be evidence of design in nature. Well, here’s another […]

Bad Bongo!: Are Chimps Moral? (Part 3 of 3)

Published on April 13, 2010 By sirrahc

Last time (Part 1 & Part 2), Beckwith & Koukl demonstrated how the evolutionary approach to explaining morality actually denies it. Now, for an even bigger problem… Why Should I? This third observation uncovers the third and most serious objection to the idea that evolution is adequate to explain morality. One question can never be […]

Bad Bongo!: Are Chimps Moral? (Part 2 of 3)

Published on April 12, 2010 By sirrahc

In my last post (Part 1), Koukl & Beckwith explained why morality entails more than mere conduct; motive and intent are also parts of the equation. Denial by Neo-Darwin This leads us to the second problem, which runs much deeper than the first. When morality is reduced to patterns of behavior chosen by natural selection […]

Bad Bongo!: Are Chimps Moral? (Part 1 of 3)

Published on April 11, 2010 By sirrahc

Every once in awhile, you hear someone trying to describe how evolution/Darwinism — really, the Neo-Darwinian Synthesis — explains “morality”. Often the explanations involve recent observations of “morals” (or the rudiments thereof) among one or another type of animal — elephants, whales, birds, cats, dogs, apes, etc. But, IMHO, there is always something missing. The […]

I'm Not One of 'Em

Published on April 4, 2010 By sirrahc

Have you ever been a member of a group (e.g., Boy Scouts, Democratic Party, teachers’ union), or do you self-identify with some group (e.g., skeptics/ agnostics, Christians, political conservatives)? I suspect the answer is, “Yes, several.” Now, have you ever seen or heard someone from your group — or, at least, whom outsiders associate as […]

The Town that Lost (er, Temporarily Misplaced) Good Friday

Published on April 2, 2010 By sirrahc

Usually at this time of year, the “attacks” center on Easter Sunday, or, more appropriately, Resurrection Day. This time, however, Good Friday got some extra attention. The memo went out to municipal employees last week from Craig Malin, City Administrator for the town of Davenport, Iowa. From now on, Good Friday was “history”. In its […]

On the Origin of Religion

Published on March 9, 2010 By sirrahc

Modern theories abound… Whether based on the latest evolutionary hypothesis or sheer outrage at the thought of a God who is both loving and demands justice, modern conclusions about the origin of religion run the gamut. They include “Religion is Good”, “Religion is Bad”, “Religion Doesn’t Matter”, and “Religion Can Be Explained by X”. In […]

Cambrian Explosion Continues to Stymie Materialists

Published on March 7, 2010 By sirrahc

In a paper published in BioEssays journal last year, the authors admitted that the event known as the “Cambrian Explosion” still has no plausible explanation within a materialistic paradigm. The Cambrian Period is the name given that time in geological reckoning that spanned from roughly 542 million years ago (Mya) to 488 Mya. The period […]

Holy Smoke!: Common Sense Prevails in British Hindu’s Plight for Proper Cremation

Published on February 28, 2010 By sirrahc

Davender Ghai, 71, a devout Hindu from Newcastle, northern Britain, just wanted to “clarify the law, not disobey or disrespect it.” Back in 2006, he had requested a permit from the Newcastle City Council for an open-air cremation site in remote Northumberland county. But, they denied the request, citing the Cremation Act 1902’s prohibition of […]