In making their case against theism many of the “new atheists” (indeed many of the old) commonly appeal to historical atrocities allegedly committed by believers in God. I was discussing this phenomena recently with Doug Geivett in the aftermath of the Craig v Hitchens debate. I cited the need for Christian apologists to rebut not […]
Entries from April 11th, 2009
Maverick Philosopher on the Historical Atrocities Argument
April 11th, 2009 7 Comments
Tags: Alvin Plantinga · Apologetics · Atheism · Christian History · Christopher Hitchens · Philosophy of Religion · Walter Sinnott-Armstrong · William Lane Craig
The Foundations of the Alexandrian Argument against Feticide Part III
April 11th, 2009 3 Comments
This is the next installment in my series examining whether the Septuagint (LXX) translation of Exodus 21:22-25 is a mistranslation of the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT). See the previous posts beginning here for the context that this post falls in.Is the Harm to the Woman or the Fetus?The RSV renders the word ason> in v […]
Tags: Abortion · Ethics · Feticide · Philosophy of Religion · The Alexandrian Argument · Theology
Good Friday: Why Celebrate Easter?
April 10th, 2009 85 Comments
Last Sunday Christian, my eldest son, asked me “what is the point in baptism?” In the ensuing conversation it became clear that his real struggle was with the idea of ‘ritual ceremony’ and the symbolism involved. Christian has Aspergers Syndrome and is quite literal (which is is a typical Aspie trait). Ceremonies are often metaphorical; […]
Tags: Aspergers Syndrome · Easter · Good Friday · Theology
JP Moreland on Faith and Reason
April 9th, 2009 6 Comments
You are invited to the next Thinking Matters Auckland DVD screening: What: Dr JP Moreland on Faith and ReasonWhen: Tuesday 28 April – 7:00pmWhere: Lecture Room 2, Laidlaw College, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, West AucklandFormat: DVD followed by discussion (Matt will be available to fire questions at)Cost: Free! Dr Moreland is distinguished professor of […]
Tags: Apologetics · Events · Thinking Matters
The Foundations of the Alexandrian Argument against Feticide Part II
April 9th, 2009 9 Comments
In my previous post I gave a brief introduction to The Alexandrian Argument against feticide and noted Harrison’s claim that this argument is based on a mistranslation of the Hebrew by the LXX. In this post I will look at whether the passage refers to a miscarriage. Does the Case Deal with a Miscarriage?The RSV […]
Tags: Abortion · Ethics · Feticide · Philosophy of Religion · The Alexandrian Argument · Theology
The Foundations of the Alexandrian Argument against Feticide Part I
April 8th, 2009 2 Comments
Implicit, if not overtly explicit, in much historic Christian moral reflection on feticide is a simple three-premise position. Firstly, that there is a divine law prohibiting homicide, the killing of a human being without adequate justification; secondly, a formed conceptus, a fetus, is a human being; and thirdly, that in all or most cases of […]
Tags: Abortion · Ethics · Feticide · Philosophy of Religion · The Alexandrian Argument · Theology
How to become a Famous Blogger
April 7th, 2009 42 Comments
As MandM have recently been flagellated with the following non-sequitur [no link as the accusers righteously distance themselves from seeking readership from any source not purist enough to already follow their blogs for blogging solely for joy in their niche category and as we would hate to offend by increasing either’s Technorati ranking (is mentioning […]
Tags: Humour · NZ Blog Rankings · NZ Christian Blog Rankings
A common objection to belief in the God of the Bible is that a good, kind, and loving deity would never command the wholesale slaughter of nations. In the tradition of his popular Is God a Moral Monster?, Paul Copan teams up with Matthew Flannagan to tackle some of the most confusing and uncomfortable passages of Scripture. Together they help the Christian and nonbeliever alike understand the biblical, theological, philosophical, and ethical implications of Old Testament warfare passages.
