A Reply to PZ Myers’ ‘Objective’ Moral Tools

I had posted an open letter to PZ and Skatje Myers regarding a subject that both PZ and Skatje have discussed at PZ’s blog, and that is the subject of bestiality.[1] PZ replied at his blog, but instead of answering the three simple questions I had asked, PZ launches off into rants with insults, twists my words, avoids my questions, changes the subject, and presents some subjective atheist 'moral tools' that are supposed to be the end-all of moral questions.[2] And, based on PZ's conclusion, all of these actions of his are supposed to imply that he is more objective than I am. Whatever.

An Open Letter to PZ and Skatje Myers

I realize that this may be a difficult subject to address, and I would not have written this letter unless compelled to, but an atheist commenter at my blog named Reynold has insisted twice that I write a letter to confirm your views on the subject of bestiality.[1] Seeing that you are both highly respected atheists and your views are highly regarded, Reynold’s interest in understanding your personal views in more detail is understandable. Reynold believes that I have not accurately represented your views and so I would like to comply with Reynold’s request in the interest of finally getting to the bottom of some basic questions.

Obama's Pastor: Obama Offered me Bribe and Threatened Me

Reverend Jeremiah Wright

Wherever he goes, President Obama's former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, gets nasty looks and comments from Obama supporters for not fully supporting Obama during the 2007-2008 election season. But now,  an explosive book by Edward Klein is outlining the truth of the situation. According to a recorded interview with Klein, Wright has stated that Obama basically tried to bribe him and then threatened him back in 2007 just prior to the 2008 presidential elections so that Wright would tone down the rhetoric of his criticisms.  

Dark Shadows is a Family Flop - Any Good Christian Movies?

Christian Cinema offers a brief review of a few new movies and family ratings are provided by the Dove Foundation. The movie, "Dark Shadows" doesn't appear to be a very edifying movie. Another new movie, "Divorcing God" is shown to be family approved, though probably not the most entertaining movie for younger kids. Other movies noted at the website are the new Janette Oke movie, "Love's Everlasting Courage" which has a good review, and 'Brother White," Which is a family-friendly comedy with some good-quality Christian actors. Some of these movies may not be available quite yet. If you are interested in lists of top Christian movies, there are a couple of lists below.

Can a Gentile Cook a Kosher Meal?

Kosher bison steak

If a gentile has a religious Jewish friend over for dinner and he wants to prepare something special, what can be done? If a gentile chef is interested in working for religious Jewish clientele, what's the answer? Are these things permissible according to the tenets of the Torah?  There are Jewish religious laws stating that only Jews can cook Kosher food. In order to make this a workable situation, a kosher supervisor will oversee the cooking project and participate in the act of cooking to some extent, even if that means simply turing on the heat source. The rest of the food preparation will be up to the gourmet chef.

Spectacular Evidence Confirming Reign of King David

(BCN) "This is the first time that archaeologists uncovered a fortified city in Judah from the time of King David. Even in Jerusalem we do not have a clear fortified city from this period. Thus, various suggestions that completely deny the Biblical tradition regarding King David and argue that he was a mythological figure, or just a leader of a small tribe, are now shown to be wrong." -Professor Yosef Garfinkel

(Jerusalem, Israel)—Professor Yosef Garfinkel, an archaeologist from Hebrew University, has reportedly uncovered "spectacular evidence confirming the reign of King David."

The Materialist Gambit: Purposeless in a Fine-tuned Universe

A gambit is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices a piece, most often a pawn, with the underlying goal of achieving an advantageous position. Similarly, many atheists are willing to sacrifice logically cohesive explanations of the universe in order to try and obtain what they believe to be is an advantageous position in life, one in which they are in control of directing their personal goals and pleasures. The actual result, however, will likely be a subtle underlying sense of purposelessness and logical self-contradiction.

Does God Need a Designer?

According to Richard Dawkins and some atheist visitors at my blog, if God were to exist then, theoretically, God would need a designer. Well, if this is true, then we're all set because God has one in Richard Dawkins. However, Dawkins' ideas about who and what God needs to be are a bit skewed. Dawkins' rationale for insisting that God needs a designer is as follows: If god exists, then God must be a pretty complex kind of guy. After all, God has made some pretty complex things. And, if God is complex, then God would certainly need an even more complex designer. Because, well, just look around and you'll see that complex inventions are invented by people who are more complex than their inventions, right?

There are a number of reasons why Dawkins' rationale isn't very viable. The main reason why Dawkins believes that God needs a designer is because Dawkins has created a god according to Dawkins' own image of a god, not according to the actual properties that the living and transcendent eternal God would exhibit. The God described in scripture, and the God that would be logically necessary as an eternal and transcendent being, is a God that has nothing in common with the straw-man figure that Richard Dawkins has designed.

Why is David Barton #1 in Google Trends?

CNN.com Religion Editor, Dan Giloff noted how David Barton has topped the Google Trends search stats for hot searches recently. David Barton is the founder of the Wall Builders organization, which advocates the teaching of true US history. The online interest comes on the heels of Barton’s appearance on The Daily Show on Tuesday May first.

David Barton has dedicated his life to what may be considered hot button issues today. He highlights the secular historical revisionism preeminent in academia, the religious intolerance in the public sphere and the need to get back to sensible moral principles as a country. His new book, The Jefferson Lies, has sparked debates related to these subjects.

The US Military Wants To 'Microchip' Troops

(Business Insider - 05/06/12) DARPA is at it again. This time, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has announced plans to create nanochips for monitoring troops health on the battlefield. Kate Knibbs at Mobiledia reports the sensors are targeted at preventing illness and disease, the two causes of most troops medical evacuations.

Christian Charlie Daniels on Agenda 21 and US Tyranny

Christian musician and song writer Charlie Daniels has a new song out, Behold a Pale Horse, and this coincides with a movie he has produced by the same name. A brief movie introduction is available at this website: www.beholdapalehorse.tv

In his present music tour, Charlie has found time to support the National Day of Prayer and to call into news host Alex Jones. Daniels advises that "Everyone should be talking about Agenda 21." This is because its provisions demand the radical dismantling of the USA and the abolishment of basic civil rights, such as the right to self-sufficient family farming, without the fear of some obscure laws blocking these rights. Daniels confirms "I love the Earth, but the Earth is not my God," as he critiques the new totalitarian neo-paganism and ant-democratic US government collusion with the United Nations' Agenda 21 plan that is underway.

Alleged US Army document: Re-education camps aimed at activists?

(Digital Journal - 05/04/12) A U.S. military document has been uncovered which seems to detail a U.S. Army plan for detaining "political activists" at re-education camps. These camps would be staffed by military-hired "PSYOP" officers in both the U.S.A. and overseas. RT reports that the document has been unearthed by Alex Jones of Infowars.com and details can be seen on the PublicIntelligence.net website.

How the Circadian Rhythm Echoes the Ultimate Truth

A recent study at University of Colorado Denver outlined how strong sunlight and the human circadian rhythm help to allay risks and damages associated with heart attacks. "The study suggests that strong light, or even just daylight, might ease the risk of having a heart attack or suffering damage from one", according to Tobias Eckle, MD, PhD, an associate professor of anesthesiology, cardiology.[1]

They say that timing is everything. Maybe this has more significance than just telling a good joke. Apparently, understanding the circadian rhythm helps to inform a variety of health issues. You thought that you just ate too much pizza, but it could have been a seasonal affective disorder. How about your uncomfortable mattress? That may not be the real reason for your persistent sleeping disorder. And there are other issues, those pesky little philosophical questions about time and eternity. Are there signs that we have an internal metaphysical clock, even as we have an internal metabolic clock? And if we do have an internal, metaphysical clock, is it possible it is broken, or in need of serious repair?

New Cash Ban: The Trend Continues

Spain is now banning the use of cash for transactions over 2,500 Euros. The idea is to stop losses from a growing black market economy and tax evaders. This trend began in Greece. Beginning January 1, 2011, transactions above 1,500 Euros have been considered illegal if done in cash in Greece. All things considered, it seems that the world is heading towards an inevitable total ban on cash.

Stephen Law: EGC Illusionist Debunked

Stephen Law is a senior lecturer in philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London. At first, he seemed to me like a fairly likable guy. I have not met him personally, but I've engaged with him a few times at blog until he became irritated by my questions and eventually began deleting my comments.

The first comment of mine that Law deleted regarded the logic of his approach to philosophical questions. While Law will give lip-service to logic and reason, there is an evident under-appreciation for actual logical thought and logical arguments in his work. For example, Law once presented a 1.5 hour long analysis of Dawkins' book The God Delusion and did not once address "the central argument" of the book, as defined by Dawkins. This is probably somehow connected with the fact that Dawkins' central argument is illogical.

Whether conscious or not, Law seems to be well-practiced in the art of atheist acrobatics and logic avoidance. Law's philosophical challenge, the Evil God Challenge (EGC), seems logically unsound in my opinion and in the opinions noted at Thinking Christian and Patheos. In my critique, I outline why the challenge seems to have both false premises and an invalid logical form.

My encounter with Stephen Law reminded me of an encounter with the Ukrainian police department, in which I challenged the validity of a traffic ticket. Looking at me across his big desk with the little golden Buddha statue, the Ukrainian police officer said in his calm Russian voice, "I just want to tell you, I hear what you are saying, but I am not going to answer you." It may have been my notepad and pen. It may have been my cell phone sitting on the desk. It may have been my direct question about my traffic ticket. Something made for an interesting encounter.

When I use the word obfuscation in this post, I'd like to be clear that I'm not referring to deceitful sophistry. I don't know a person's inner motives. When a person avoids direct questions, however, and avoids using logical arguments and principles, these facts can be objectively pointed out. If you doubt anything in this article or disagree with it, then challenge it. Write a comment below.

Top Atheist and Christian Reasons to Home School Children

Is public school  anti-human?

Our family is presently living in Ukraine, where home schooling is technically legal but very rare. Now that my wife and I are planning to move our family to the United States, the question of education is a big one for our young children. I'd like to offer some of the top reasons for home schooling I've found in my research offered by both atheists and theists and then offer my own opinion.

Word Art Prints: Gifts for Christian Teachers

You may or may not be aware that Teacher Appreciation Day is coming up - May 8th in the US. You may also not be aware that Teacher Appreciation Day has become Teacher Appreciation Week - May 7th through May 11th. But even if Teacher Appreciation Day and Week were never initiated, it would be a good idea to show a little appreciation to teachers. This is also a biblical idea that applies to pastors, elders and teachers serving in the church.

1 Timothy 5:17 states,

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. (AKJV)

More Evidence That False Philosophies Lead To Sick Societies

Recently, a video was posted on YouTube displaying a tourist in Baltimore who was beaten up and robbed on a crowded public street as people just watched and laughed. And, as if that wasn't enough, the thugs stripped the clothes off the young man before leaving.[1] In February, an elderly WWII veteran had his car stolen at a gas station in Fairfield, Michigan and, as the wounded man slowly crawled through the gas station lot to the office, at least four people walked by at various times and not one bothered to help.[2] Society is becoming more callous. Why is this so? We are reaping what we've been sowing in society for years, though we can help to bring a bit of positive change in the sphere of our influence.