New Zealand, like many nations, has a long history of the state taking real property, often without compensation. In this two part series I examine one sub-set of takings, minerals from the sub-soil of privately held property (although the argument herein could apply with equal force to any state taking). Drawing from common law, the […]
Entries from March 5th, 2010
Can State Expropriation of Minerals be Justified? Part I
March 5th, 2010 22 Comments
Tags: Crown Minerals Act 1991 · Edward Feser · John Locke · Property Rights · Rights and Freedoms · Sub-Soil Land Rights · Takings · William Blackstone
Christianity on Trial @ Auckland University
March 3rd, 2010 7 Comments
Thinking Matters have organised some free to the public Q & A seminars at the University of Auckland. Christianity on Trial Today, many best-selling atheists argue that belief in God is delusional and a roadblock to political, moral, and scientific progress. In this public Q & A event, several of New Zealand’s top Christian thinkers […]
Tags: Events · Jeff Tallon · Joe Fleener · Matthew Flannagan · Michael Drake · Science and Religion · Thinking Matters
Contra Mundum: Secular Smoke Screens and Plato’s Euthyphro
March 2nd, 2010 35 Comments
In “Religion: A Barrier to Clear Thinking,” the final article in the award winning series of lay philosophy articles published in the Christchurch Press, Canterbury based Philosopher Simon Clarke addressed the question, “what is the biggest obstacle to thinking clearly about social and political issues?” Predictably he answered “Several answers suggested themselves but time and […]
Tags: Contra Mundum · Euthyphro Dilemma · God and Morality · Investigate Magazine · Peter Geach · Plato · Simon Clarke · William Lane Craig
Auckland Bloggers Drinks – This Thursday
March 1st, 2010 Comments Off on Auckland Bloggers Drinks – This Thursday
On the first Thursday of every month, Auckland bloggers gather for the B3 (Bloggers Bar Bash). What: Auckland Bloggers Drinks When: Thursday 4 March from 6.30pm Where: Galbraiths, 2 Mt Eden Road, Mt Eden, Auckland The B3, as it is coined by regulars, is open to anyone who happens to be in Auckland. Past blogging […]
Tags: Bloggers Drinks · Events
Has Science Disproved God? @ Auckland University
February 28th, 2010 18 Comments
Thinking Matters have organised some free to the public Q & A seminars at the University of Auckland. Has Science Disproved God? Have the discoveries of modern science proved that belief in God is irrational and untenable? Does faith hinder or inspire scientific research? In this public Q & A event, several of New Zealand’s […]
Tags: Events · Jeff Tallon · Matthew Flannagan · Neil Broom · Richard Dawkins · Robert Mann · Science and Religion · Thinking Matters
Featuring MandM
February 23rd, 2010 3 Comments
This week both Matt and I have been featured in some blog carnivals: Matt’s pieces on biblical inerrancy, Inerrancy and Biblical Authority and Two Forms of Inerrancy, were featured in the Christian Carnival CCCXV at Ancient Hebrew Poetry. John FH gives Matt the following write up: Matt writes exceptionally well. He makes one good point […]
Tags: Garfield Herrington · Philosophers' Carnival · The Christian Carnival
Top 10 NZ Christian Blogs – December 09
February 22nd, 2010 1 Comment
The Top 10 New Zealand Christian Blogs for December 09 were as follows: [2.] MandM 12 (3 – 21) [1=] NZ Conservative 17.5 (8 – 27) [N.] Thinking Matters Talk* 21 (18* – 24) [1=] MacDoctor Moments 22 (21 – 23) [1=] Say Hello to my Little Friend (Beretta) 22 (5 – 39) [5.] The […]
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.
