Science

Response to a Skeptic about Biblical Cosmology, part 1: Big Bang and Creation Day 4

Posted by on March 7, 2014 at 10:47 pm

Look what I found! Another apologetics-oriented exchange from several years ago (2005). It was in the comments of the blog over at Stand to Reason (aka STR, www.str.org). Unfortunately, it is one of those where I only preserved my response(s) and not the other person(s) initial comments. (So, technically, this is only half of the […]

Quasi-Postmortem on Nye vs. Ham Debate

Posted by on February 6, 2014 at 12:51 am

The debate is over, and the contestants and their audience have all gone home. But, of course, the debate still rages on, especially on the “interwebs”. I have been reading various comments by people who watched it. There are the devoted naturalists/evolutionists who are sure that Bill Nye “won”, maybe even kicked butt. There are […]

Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham: Battle for the Ages?

Posted by on January 26, 2014 at 8:27 pm

Ain’t nothin’ like a good debate about a controversial issue! In case it has not already come to your attention, Bill Nye “the Science Guy” and Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis (a young-Earth creationist ministry) will be having a public debate this February 4th, just a few days from now. According to the press […]

Informal Logic 101: How to Think and Argue Better, Part 10

Posted by on January 19, 2014 at 8:40 pm

Part 10: Scarecrows, Decoys, and Invisible Elephants We get three lessons today, boys and girls, as we head into the home stretch for this series (sort of)! Straw Man Everyone has heard of this one. You don’t have to be involved in debates and discussions on controversial topics for long before someone accuses someone else […]

Water, Water Everywhere…

Posted by on January 12, 2014 at 8:58 pm

“Water is the driving force in nature.”  — Leonardo da Vinci We often hear claims that the human body is “mostly water”, even as high as 90%. But the truth is a bit more modest. According to Dr. Anne Marie Helmenstine,  “The average adult human body is 50-65% water, averaging around 57-60%. The percentage of […]

ACLU Targets “Creationist” Archery Program

Posted by on January 5, 2014 at 6:47 pm

Did you see this? Even if you read the same stuff I do, you may have missed it last month amongst all the holiday prep and the Obamacare/Healthcare.gov mess. It seems the anti-religionists at the ACLU have found another target for their “righteous” wrath: a church-run archery class. The controversy began when a reporter for […]

9 Things You Might Not Know about Christmas

Posted by on December 24, 2013 at 9:34 pm

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 […]

Informal Logic 101: How to Think and Argue Better, Part 9

Posted by on December 15, 2013 at 11:49 pm

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 […]

Informal Logic 101: How to Think and Argue Better, Part 8

Posted by on November 17, 2013 at 11:53 pm

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!! […]

Informal Logic 101: How to Think and Argue Better, Part 7

Posted by on October 20, 2013 at 11:23 pm

Part 7: Causes and Comparisons “Correlation does not equal causation.”  — many people, including me (‘cuz it makes me sound smart) We’re baaaaaaack, and we have a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get started! Clear thinking & reasoning require at least a basic understanding of causal relationships. Unfortunately, it’s also easy to make […]