“Why didn’t the Christian God ever explicitly and clearly condemn slavery?” This was John Loftus’ question in his book, Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity. He posed it after sharing the following chilling account of slavery as practiced in the antebellum American south, He took her into the kitchen, and stripped […]
Entries Tagged as 'Philosophy of Religion'
Contra Mundum: Slavery and the Old Testament
April 3rd, 2010 33 Comments
Tags: Contra Mundum · Investigate Magazine · John Loftus · Old Testament Ethics · Slavery · Theology
“Has Science Disproved God?” The Podcast (Fixed!)
March 16th, 2010 13 Comments
If you missed the “Has Science Disproved God?” panel discussion at Auckland University last week and you just cannot wait for the video to be edited, formatted and uploaded to You Tube then simply follow this link: “Has Science Disproved God?” to listen to the podcast of the event. In the first hour the speakers […]
Tags: Events · Jeff Tallon · MandM on Video · Matthew Flannagan · Neil Broom · Richard Dawkins · Robert Mann · Science and Religion · Thinking Matters
Christianity on Trial – Tuesday Night
March 15th, 2010 1 Comment
Just a reminder to come to tomorrow night’s event at the University of Auckland where Matt will be part of a panel along with scientist Dr Jeff Talon, theologians Joe Fleener and Michael Drake, whom you can fire questions at around the topic “Christianity on Trial – is belief in God delusional, is it a […]
Tags: Events · Faith and Reason · Jeff Tallon · Joe Fleener · Matthew Flannagan · Michael Drake · Religion in Public Life · Thinking Matters
Has Science Disproved God? Thursday Night
March 10th, 2010 7 Comments
Just a reminder that tomorrow night, Thursday 11 March, at 7pm, in OGGB 4, at the University of Auckland, Matt will be part of a panel along with scientists Drs Neil Broom, Jeff Talon and Robert Mann, whom you can fire questions at around the topic “Has Science Disproved God?” The organisers – Thinking Matters, […]
Tags: Events · Jeff Tallon · Matthew Flannagan · Neil Broom · Richard Dawkins · Robert Mann · Science and Religion · Thinking Matters
Can State Expropriation of Minerals be Justified? Part II
March 9th, 2010 6 Comments
In Can State Expropriation of Minerals be Justified? Part I, I set out a common law property rights argument drawing from the writings of jurists Blackstone and Locke as well as contemporary philosopher Ed Feser. I looked at what circumstances, if any, might justify the state taking of real property, looking specifically at minerals from […]
Tags: Case of Mines · Crown Minerals Act 1991 · Edward Feser · James Parcell · John Locke · Kevin Counsell · Lewis Evans · Neil Quigley · Property Rights · Rights and Freedoms · Sub-Soil Land Rights · Takings · William Blackstone
Can State Expropriation of Minerals be Justified? Part I
March 5th, 2010 22 Comments
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 […]
Tags: Crown Minerals Act 1991 · Edward Feser · John Locke · Property Rights · Rights and Freedoms · Sub-Soil Land Rights · Takings · William Blackstone
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.
Guest Post: No Official Religion in God’s Own?
April 6th, 2010 124 Comments
David Simpkin is a Hamilton based lawyer with an interest in church-state issues. He studied law at the University of Auckland and holds a BA majoring in history and political studies. David is married to Susan and has a infant son, Caleb. He attends Whitiora Bible Church in Hamilton. David writes: As a holiday weekend that coincides with […]
Tags: David Simpkin · Freedom of Religion · Guest Post · Human Rights Commission · Religion in Public Life · Religious History · Rights and Freedoms · State Religion