One of the common mistakes that evangelists make is in using the bible as proof of its own authority. While this is acceptable when the common ground of faith has been established, it is not acceptable in outreach. When you are debating a person, the first thing you should do is ascertain which sources are considered credible by the person you are debating. Much of the Old Testament would be acceptable in discussion with a Jew or Muslim, but the New Testament is not common ground (it would he...

One of the most superficially compelling arguments of Christian apologists revolves around the violent, torturous deaths of many of the apostles. The argument protests that these people would not have died for a lie. While this argument plays upon emotions, it does not play upon reason. For, you see, if we want to see proof that people CAN and DO die for a lie, we need look no further back than September 11,  2001, when 19 evil men boarded 4 planes to go out and die for what most rationa...

This article is the first in a series designed to show the flaws of certain arguments of apologetics. My reasons for doing so can be seen in my previous article. One favorite story of mine is an apocryphal story that vets of many wars will swear was true of at least one man in their unit. The man wears a star of david, a crescent, a yin/yang symbol and every symbol of faith he can find. He goes to worship of every faith he can find. His rationalization is that, in the event he is killed in ba...

As most of my readers know, I am a Christian. In fact, in the literal definition, I am an "evangelical" Christian (but I don't like the term, as it has been grossly misappropriated and misrepresented...but I digress). That being said, I tend to dislike many of the methods of traditional evangelicals, most notably the idea of apologetics. This article is the introduction to a series of articles that will underscore the weaknesses of several arguments of those who practice apologetics. It's not do...

Now, I'm going to ruffle a few feathers here, but hear me out. It is my contention that an absolute position of atheism is poor science and that a scientist who holds it is operating from a preconceived bias that taints his research. Science is, in essence, the quest for knowledge. We attempt to discover more and more about our universe through a series of observations, hypotheses, and tests. And, through the course of history, we have discovered much. But each breakthrough discovery was t...

On Thursday, May 5, Islamic prayer warriors will be out in force. They will be gathering on the city square in America's largest cities, prayer mats in hand, to pray for our nation. This fictional news blurb was written to make a point. Most conservative Christians would be somewhat disturbed by the above statement, as they would a similar statement regarding Wiccans, Buddhists, or other nonChristian religious groups. Frankly, it doesn't disturb me. What DOES disturb me is that Christian g...

Islam has, especially in the years since 9/11, been eager to promote its faith as a religion of peace. They're not alone in this endeavour, as most religions wish to show themselves the standardbearers of peace. But what, precisely, does it mean to be a "religion of peace"? To my thinking, it means a religion that is active in trying to ease conflict throughout the world and to heal those affected by conflict. It is not enough, then, to ideologically align onesself against war and cloister on...

One of my pet peeves as a Christian is people who use their current distress as an excuse to berate God or to abandon their faith. I have seen it pretty often, actually: individuals who converted to Christianity because what the preacher promised them sounded better than AmWay. A quick perusal of the top ten lists in Christian nonfiction will show what I'm talking about here. Prosperity gospel preachers will bilk individuals out of their life savings on the premise of a ten-, hundred-, or tho...

As a longtime Christian, there is an attitude among my contemporaries that I can only describe as incomprehensible. Countless books have been written documenting end times theories based on probably the most misunderstood piece of literature EVER! And virtually all of them have revolved around a fear of the end times. This is silly. Christ will return when He chooses, and, according to MY theology, at least, that should be a time of JOY, not fear and dread, for Christians. The only w...

Well, the pope's gone,and the cardinals will meet next week to determine the next pope. I have come to grips with the fact that I won't be selected, but after much soul searching, I decided to endorse who I consider to be an equally qualified candidate. He is a longtime priest and spiritual advisor, and is almost singlehandedly responsible for the surging success of bocce ball in the United States:

I am not a Catholic. I have never been a Catholic. In fact, of the handful of masses I have attended in my lifetime, I have not been able to sit through one without smirking (no offense to those who ARE Catholic). But I confess: I liked Pope John Paul II, and feel the world is diminished by his demise. The pope was an influential man well outside of Catholic circles. Although I don't agree with many of his decisions, he was a man that spoke out against poverty, and urged Catholi...

I am far too late in writing this blog, as it has been in the back of my mind for probably a month since I saw a similar blog in a different vein. Things to consider: KKK attacks on innocent black men, women and children, especially during reconstruction through the 1950's were perpetrated largely by Christian militants ages 18 to 35 The shooting of Medgar Evers was perpetrated by a Christian militant ages 18 to 35 The shooting of John F. Kennedy was perpetrated by a Christian militant...

Note: I can't respond on the individual in question's thread (he has me blacklisted), so I will do so here. Don't get me wrong. I try to live a good life, and be a good Christian, and, in fact, would love to see most of my friends come to know and understand Jesus Christ. What Christian wouldn't? But I also respect and appreciate the fact that God made us individuals free to exercise our own choices FOR A REASON. Acknowledging God means acknowledging that He knows better than I, and ...

This is one of those things that got me to thinking. While I want to remain neutral in JU feuds, I did get a little intrigued by the charges against the Buddhist practices of one of JU's members. Not a Buddhist myself, I nonetheless have had to learn to understand why I shouldn't take "you're not a good Christian" charges personally, and feel the same principles apply. In my walk as a Christian, I have found there's no such thing as a "perfect" Christian; the closer one SAYS they are to ...

I responded in a recent blog that brought out the possibility that Jesus may have been married. While it's easy to dismiss this as just a piece of Dan Brown fiction, the fact is, there actually are texts dating back to the first century A.D. that make that claim. While these texts are not part of the canon, it DOES at least stand to reason that the folks that dismissed them from the canon may have done so with an agenda. So, I'm conceding the possibility of that point, as I conceded years ago...