December 30, 2013
That’s right, this is a list of lists. But, don’t worry — it’s relatively short. I didn’t actually read a lot of year-end lists, but these three were among the best I came across. They sort of go together, and I (obviously) felt they were worth sharing. Unfortunately, they (mostly) constitute a sad commentary on […]
Tags: 2013 year in review, 2013 year-end lists, cultural winners & losers, Democrat fail, Democrat politicians fail the People, President Obama's 2013 violations, winners and losers in 2013
Posted in Politics |
December 24, 2013
OK, something rather less weighty or theologically-oriented this year. This Christmas post has little to do with the biblical Nativity and more to do with Christmas traditions in general. (Maybe I should do another one someday with just Christian-oriented things?) But, I think you may find it fun and informative, anyway. It’s a sort of […]
Tags: Alcohol during December holidays, Christmas, Christmas cards, Christmas stockings, Christmas traditions, Christmas Tree, effect of chocolate, formation of snowflakes, fun facts about Christmas, history facts at Christmas, Hot chocolate, Ivy, Mistletoe, origin of Christmas card, Santa Claus, science facts at Christmas, Snow, St. Nicholas, White Christmas
Posted in Religion, Science, Science & Religion, Uncategorized |
December 15, 2013
Part 9: Apples, Oranges, and Character Assassination “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.” — Socrates Only two fallacies on the docket today, but they are biggies! Category mistake/error I’m sure you have heard the term, “It’s apples and oranges.” Maybe you have used it, yourself. When Person A says this […]
Tags: A World of Difference, abusive ad hominem, ad hominem, appeal to the man, apples and oranges, category error, category mistake, commercial ad hominem, guilt by association, informal logic, Kenneth Samples, logic primer, logical fallacies, logical thinking, reasoning skills, tu quoque
Posted in Politics, Politics / Science / Religion, Religion, Science |
December 1, 2013
A young Facebook friend (and fellow Christian) posted a status the other day, expressing his frustration with some legalistic Christian brothers who were giving him grief, telling him he was going to Hell because they deemed some of his speech and musical taste as unredeemably “unChristian”. One of those who (eventually) came to his defense […]
Tags: being a good ambassador for Christ, Christian jerks, following biblical teaching, good arguments vs bad behavior, good witness for Jesus, hypocrisy vs inconsistency, hypocritical Christians, judgemental Christians, judgemental skeptics, judging a worldview, misunderstanding Christianity, misunderstanding the Bible, proper Christian behavior, when "Christians" misbehave
Posted in Religion |
November 27, 2013
In previous years, I’ve reproduced and commented on Thanksgiving proclamations made by George Washington (1789) and Abraham Lincoln (1863). They are perhaps the two best-known such proclamations and very notable in what they have to say, particularly considering the difficult times that Americans were going through. I encourage you to check them out. If there […]
Tags: giving thanks to God for our many blessings, JFK speech, Kennedy's Thanksgiving Proclamation, national day of thanksgiving, President Kennedy's Thanksgiving message 1963, presidential remarks, Thanksgiving
Posted in Politics, Politics & Religion, Religion |
November 23, 2013
I know what you’re thinking. No, I didn’t stutter when I wrote the title of this post. You’ll see what I mean…. As an orthodox Christian, I obviously have many “problems” with Islam, and not just the violent, extremist version(s). Today, though, I specifically want to look at those addressed in Alex McFarland’s book 10 Answers […]
Tags: 10 Answers for Atheists, advantage of Trinitarian view of God, Alex McFarland, argument against Islam, begging the question, circular reasoning, Islam as a form of monotheism, Muslim rejection of NT gospel reliability, Muslim view of sin & salvation, philosophical weaknesses in Islam, problems with Islam, unitarian view of God in Islam, why Islam is not a reasonable worldview
Posted in Religion |
November 17, 2013
Part 8: Validity and Clarity “Most of the arguments to which I am party fall somewhat short of being impressive, owing to the fact that neither I nor my opponent knows what we are talking about.” — Robert Benchley, American columnist & actor Hey, folks! Ready for another lesson in logic? Of course, you are!! […]
Tags: A Universe from Nothing, A World of Difference, ambiguous wording, amphiboly, appeal to an untrustworthy authority, appeal to ignorance, Argumentum ad ignorantiam, Argumentum ad vericundiam, bad arguments, clear thinking, equivocation, good arguments, hasty generalization, informal logic, Kenneth Samples, Lawrence Krauss, logic primer, logical fallacies, logical thinking, reasoning skills, Richard Dawkins, validity and clarify in arguments
Posted in Politics, Politics / Science / Religion, Religion, Science |
November 10, 2013
“Solid female characters, not just superheroes, are essential for the Arab world at this time of unprecedented violence against women.” — Joumana Merhej, creator of female Muslim superhero “Malaak” (quoted by Salon editor/writer Prachi Gupta) A Facebook friend of mine posted an article announcing Marvel Comics’ new “Muslim Girl Superhero”, which will debut in January […]
Tags: controversial new comic character, girl superhero, groundbreaking new comic, Marvel's new female superhero, Marvel's new Muslim girl superhero, Ms. Marvel, Muslim superhero
Posted in Politics, Politics & Religion, Religion, Uncategorized |
November 3, 2013
“Statecraft is soulcraft.” — Aristotle I usually read during my “lunch hour”. Whether working at a job or taking care of stuff at home (or just hangin’ out), that’s a time I usually set aside to get through at least a few pages in one of the books I have in progress. Lately, I’ve been […]
Tags: 2004 DNC speech, Aristotle on politics, Christians in politics, Christians in the public square, establishment clause, Frank Beckwith, Free Exercise Clause, liberal democracy, moral relativism in government, myth of neutrality, neutral state, pluralist game, policies for the common good, Politics for Christians, religion in government and politics, religious citizens have the right to be heard, religious freedom, religiously informed policy, Robert Audi, Ron Reagan on embryonic stem-cell research, secular liberalism, secular reason argument, secular reasoning, secular vs religious reasons, Statecraft is soulcraft
Posted in Politics, Politics & Religion, Religion |
October 29, 2013
“But examine everything carefully, hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” — I Thessalonians 5:21 (NASB) I’m not really into Halloween. Haven’t been for years. Sure, in my early years, I did the whole trick-or-treating thing. I remember, when I was around 5 or 6, I went out dressed […]
Tags: All Hallows' Eve, are goblins and ghouls evil?, balanced approach to Halloween, can Christians participate in Halloween?, clear thinking about Halloween, Halloween, Harvest Festival, is Halloween satanic?, isn't Halloween a pagan holiday?, Reformation Day, should Christians let their kids trick-or-treat?, trick-or-treating
Posted in Religion, Uncategorized |