The universe we live in is logical. It is moral. We comprehend it as conscious, rational beings. The most important aspects of reality are the things we cannot see, taste, touch, hear, or smell. These are the things that make life meaningful. This section will explore consciousness, ethics, values, the soul, and what it means to be a “spiritual” being operating in the world in accordance with the words of Scripture.
When it comes to spiritual issues, I am always amazed that people will accept and defend things that they would never, ever accept when addressing any other subject. People will convince themselves (and try to convince you) that the most illogical, nonsensical claims make perfect sense as long as they are attached to religion, spirituality,…
Yesterday I completed a project that I have been putting off for months when I finally brought in some topsoil to regrade a spot in our backyard, seeded it, covered it with straw, and set up a sprinkler to water the new grass to life. As you can see, the shape of the area in…
Two and a half weeks ago, my dermatologist performed a Moh’s surgery procedure on me to remove a patch of squamous cell skin cancer from the inside of the bridge of my nose. It really is more of a nuisance than a serious threat but the healing process has not been fun. It was painful…
If you’re as old as me, you may remember the annoyingly catchy commercials for Chiffon Margarine that assured us that “If you think it’s butter, but it’s not … it’s Chiffon!” The gist of the ad was that the synthetic Chiffon margarine was even better than nature’s butter. In fact, Chiffon was so good that…
I have been challenged recently (on several fronts — some just internally) about the purpose and usefulness of Christian apologetics. I don’t take the challenge lightly. Some who have challenged me have given me some food for thought about how I approach my Christian convictions and I take their critiques seriously. I know for a…
If you turn your TV on these days, you can’t avoid hearing about the Casey Anthony trial going on down in Florida — the details of which are horrifying and disgusting. The case reminds me of a study I read about and am re-posting here because Casey Anthony is a poster child for this topic…
Moses, the writer of the Genesis creation account, used the word nephesh (Hebrew: soul, self, life, creature, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion) to describe the creation of the most advanced animal life next to man. These creatures are sometimes described as the “soulish” animals; those that display a mind, will, and emotion. They differ…
Sam Harris despises religion — so much so that he has blinded himself to an intellectually honest assessment about the differences between them. To put that claim in context, Harris (as discussed earlier here), misunderstands the concept of condemnation to hell and, because of that misunderstanding, believes his in-your-face his chest beating has some force…
Hitchens’ Childhood Epiphany Christopher Hitchens begins his screed against God and religion by recounting his awakening, as a 9-year old “insufferable little intellectual,” to the “overreaching” comment of his grade school teacher, Mrs. Watts. The statement that is burned into Hitchens’ memory from that day is this: In an attempt to … fuse her two…
On My (Qualified) Agreement With Sam Harris To restate from the last post on this topic … Assertion: Sam Harris was compelled to pen The End of Faith on September 12, 2001 and wrote his Letter To A Christian Nation a few years later. He is one of a growing number who equate the travesties…
