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Showing posts with the label logic

Bad Reasons to be a Creationist

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Biblical creation science is in a special niche of evangelical Christianity, and is not extremely popular. Many people who do follow it are enthusiastic and attentive. Because creation science is more intellectual than other areas that interest professing Christians, many people have little use for it. Take a look at the name: It has Bible, creation, and science. Another name that is commonly used is young-earth creation (YEC), but many of us are using that much less than before because we follow what the Bible teaches, and are not trying to force-fit science into Scripture. Creation, Pixabay / Karin Henseler It seems reasonable to assume that those involved in a smaller area of interest would be glad to have other people join us. Sure, it's great to fellowship with like-minded individuals, but this is not just a religious social club. Someone who identifies as a creationist isn't necessarily a Christian. In fact, there are a few reasons that people shou

Big Space, Little Planet, and God

It is indeed unfortunate that Christians can have their faith negatively affected by atheists spouting things that sound sciency, but are essentially hooey-laden personal opinions. Although other people make fact-free assertions, most of those are not directed at our faith. One of these speculations involves our place in the universe. When misotheists say things like, "We know the universe is unfathomably huge. Religious people believed it was small, but Earth is actually insignificant. If God exists, he would not care about it, or us." There are several problems with such remarks. ISS above Earth, NASA (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) First of all, it is prejudicial conjecture; the scoffer already suppresses the truth of God (Rom. 1:18-23) and uses this presupposition to spread unbelief. He or she has no logical basis for thinking that the Creator of the universe would not care about us. Next, the claim that people thought the universe was small is errone

Dinosaur Feathers and Discerning Creationist Teachings

Something very important and practical in many areas of life that biblical creationists encourage people to do is use discernment and critical thinking. We cannot accept someone's say-so because we like them, they profess to be authorities, are creationists, are Christians, or other reasons. While the leadership in the secular science industry has an atheistic agenda, what about Christians and creationists? There are indeed wolves among us (such as theistic evolutionists who identify as "evolutionary creationists"), sometimes mistakes are made. We have to watch for deceit as well as errors. Feathered dinosaur, Flickr / Aaron Gustafson ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ), modified at PhotoFunny In many instances, trust has to be earned. Do you trust me? If so, why? It could be that you like my writing style, accept my Statement of Faith , agree with much of the content, approve of linked sources, or whatever. Perhaps you apply those criteria other authors. But you must still use discernment

Intriguing Facts about Eve

Much of our knowledge about the first woman seems to come from tradition, with a little Genesis mixed in. The Bible does not tell us much about Eve, but we can deduce some things from Scripture. We can also learn a bit from science. Things we may have assumed turn out to be incorrect in the light of further examination. Some may not matter at all (such as my unsupportable opinion that both Adam and Eve were both exceptionally attractive). Most of these opinions and traditions are not worth fighting over. Poster of Eve in frame, from James Tissot (ca. 1902), modified at PhotoFunia Tradition has it that the forbidden fruit was an apple, but that has nothing to do with the Bible. Also, she gave it to Adam, who was with her (Gen. 3:6). Was he entertained? When people create artwork, they do so from their own perspectives and cultures. Famous European paintings portray Adam and Eve as white people, so those undoubtedly influenced our opinions years later. But the first parents were not whi

The Proper Worldview is Imperative

Something that this child learned several years ago is the importance of worldviews, including how they are made and the way they impact our lives. I bring these things up every once in a while because they are crucial, especially for Christians. Many professing Christians do not know what and why  they believe things, and are essentially heretics. They are riding to perdition in a handcar. We must not only make sure of our salvation , but have a proper worldview and submit to the authority of God's Word. Spectacles by kkiser at FreeImages Everyone has a worldview. It's how we interpret reality and respond to life. People may not know that word, and I doubt that they have analyzed the components and developed their own. Worldviews are mostly built on our presuppositions — those things we take as basic truths, though they are not tested or proven true. For more about this, see " What’s Your Worldview? " Unfortunately, many Christians are into tribalism, a kind of &quo

Truth Claims and the ASK Method

While everyone has an opinion, most people can tell the difference between an off-the-cuff remark and a truth claim. A truth claim seems to carry knowledge, and it is often said with authority and confidence. One aspect of critical thinking is to have healthy skepticism instead of simply accepting statements. It is very important to have a foundation in the truth, and knowing where to find answers to questions (which is one reason sites like this point to resources). An excellent starting point is ASKing. Pixabay / Justina Nagy Before I turn you over to the featured article, there are a couple of points I want to make. When someone comes along and makes a statement that sounds authoritative, some folks get all het up if it threatens their beliefs. Proof of evolution! The tomb of Jesus was found! Life on Venus! Pull back on the reins there, pilgrim. Think! I had someone who panicked when evolutionary pronouncements were made. He would ask, "This can be refuted, right?" He did

Slavery, Darwin, and the Bible

Misotheists and other unbelievers frequently try to find errors in the Bible, or to simply make God a bad guy. One of these is found in the annals of atheistic  soi-disant  reasoning, equivocating on the definition of slavery . For people today, the word generally has connotations of Antebellum slavery in Southern American. We have seen that context is vitally important for properly interpreting and understanding the Bible. A cursory reading ancient texts translated into modern languages does not provide all the necessary information to do this properly. Pharaoh clipart by Free Christian Illustrations What we can call harsh slavery  has been around for millennia. It was often a consequence of losing a war or battle, but the children of Israel were born into it (Exodus 1:8-13). Such slavery spanned years, cultures, ethnicities, and languages — which means no group can make a pretense at exclusive victimhood. Also, harsh slavery exists today, especially in Communist China and North Korea

Unexplained Paranormal Activities 1 — Those Videos

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Since this article is long, it is also available as a PDF to view or download here . There have been numerous reports of supernatural activities throughout most of recorded history, but most have been laughed off. Many can be dismissed as the result of hysteria, imagination, mental illness, hoaxes, double exposures in old photographs, and more. Nobody believes in ghosts or other spirits today because we are rational people, right? Not hardly! Interest in the paranormal has been on the rise, and even some professing atheists express belief [ 1 ]. With modern recording techniques, videos are plentiful. Unsplash / Zachary Kandolph [ 2 ] (modified) People have said that TikTok itself is demonic because there are so many spooky videos recorded with it. I disagree. Smartphones and apps are ubiquitous, and apparently that one is easy to use. What we are seeing is not a demonic app, but a reflection of the increase in supernatural activity on Earth. I have spent a great

The Appeal to Augustine Fallacy?

The article featured below makes a couple of points, both of which are important to Christians. Apologists and those who value rational thinking should take note of them. One is a common error in logic called appeal to authority . The other important point extends from the first: old Earth compromisers claim that Augustine and other church fathers were "on their side", and people just assume that they are being truthful. People who want the facts can check things out nowadays. Original image: St Augustine in his Study , Sandro Botticelli, 1490 Don't be disunderstanding me here, citing authorities in their areas is necessary. It becomes fallacious when there's an emotional component that is manipulative. Also, getting an opinion from someone who is unskilled in an area is a fallacy, such as quoting Clinton Richard Dawkins, an angry atheist, on matters of theology. Referring to him on zoology or animal behavior might be more accurate. Matt Slick of CARM says, "My

Misotheists and the Blue Pill

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen This article has several related sources that refer to the movie The Matrix , which has made its mark on modern culture. It added to discussions about living in a computer simulation , and the red pill/blue pill concepts have been quite interesting. The popular "What if I told you...?" line in the "memes" was not used in the move. In a previous article, I wrote about how narcissists, sociopaths, narcissistic atheopaths, and the like manipulate other people for their own purposes . This is somewhat related because many are attempting to create their own reality. One of my references was the YouTube channel of Matt Cross and "Alpha Male Secrets". While most of his content about how to get the girls and be the most interesting man in the room have no appeal to me (Christians should sanctify Jesus as Lord in their hearts and seek to please him more than anyone else), Matt has some interesting things to consider. In this video, he discuss

Internet Debates with Atheists are Seldom Useful

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Christians are supposed to be ready to give reasons for the hope that is in us, and many feel they are witnessing for the faith in various online forums. However, one has to discern when time is being wasted. Made at Pablo , quote source is here As I have stated several times in the past, the word  debate  is used very loosely. Nowadays it can mean a screaming match, a structured exchange of points and rebuttals, an exchange of comments in various online forums, and all sorts of things. Let's consider internet activity. Minerals-to-mocker evolution is a cornerstone of atheism and for other rejections of the authority of God's Word. Although what is presented as scientific evidence is based on faith, assumptions, redefining words, circular reasoning, and poor research, evolutionists prefer to defend it no matter how foolish it looks. That is because admitting that evidence supports the Bible is infandous. Readers of my other sites may recall that I have d

Matrix-Illusion and True Knowledge

Occasionally, apologists encounter discussions that all of reality is imaginary, as envisioned in several science fiction stories. (In one,our reality was the result of another being's dream, and it was waking up. They had to lull it back to sleep.) Sometimes the s elf-refuting Boltzmann Brains thought experiment is used. Another concept is drawn from The Matrix . How do we experience reality? Credit: FreeDigitalImages / Stuart Miles Presuppositional apologists will often ask unbelievers how they know what is real, and how they can account for their epistemology ( the study of knowledge ). How can we know that what we perceive through our senses is real or are we in a Matrix-like reality? Atheists appeal to their senses, but even without those imposed Matrix-illusion scenarios, this is not reliable as a universal principle. For example, someone with a mental illness or other altered state of consciousness may "see" and "experience" things that do not act