oddXian: Challenge the Consensus

see it here

Updated 7-23-2008: I have adapted the sheet for a 90 day or 1 year read through by quarter. Click here for the full sheet with links columns. Updated: I stalled out, but am committed to finish it up! Here is my tracking sheet on GoogleDocs - adapted from here : Here is the discussion thread on Puritanboard . One of the team members developed an iCal version that can be imported into Google Calendar:

Here is a "re-post" from my home blog - I repeat it around this time every year - Blessings! This was the Original Post (OP) in a thread on the Internet Infidels Atheist discussion forum - I thought this was worth capturing. Rational reasons to believe in Christianity by BadBadBad I was hoping that in this thread we could capture any rational reasons for believing in the Christian religion. Angela2 prompted this thread. She criticized athiests for "espousing atheism" for emotional reasons. I corrected her that for me anyway it's not promoting atheism, but criticizing religion. I do that for emotional and rational reasons. Yet I have yet to hear a single rational reason for believing in Christianity. So, hopefully we'll be able to sort through the best ones here and sort out emotion from rationality. Let's have the rational reasons for believing the Christian story as presented in the Bible. I replied that experience was one reason. The poster replied th...

The whole publication available here. As a former Anglican cleric whose faith was gradually whittled away by form-criticism, the philosophy of David Hume and the apparent success of science in explaining everything without reference to a Creator, and as one who spent nearly twenty years as an atheist including a brief spell as President of the National Secular Society, I was forced to re-examine the basis of my atheism, not least by the strident and increasingly unreasonable pronouncements of Richard Dawkins in his three most recent books.... A long correspondence with Tom Wright, the Anglican Bishop of Durham, led me also to reconsider the historical basis of Christian claims, in particular the resurrection of Jesus. And philosophers like the atheist John Earman, the Jesuit Thomas Spitzer, and Reformed Christians like JP Moreland, William Lane Craig and Paul Copan helped me break the power that Hume had exercised over my thinking for far too long. With the blinkers of unbelief thus re...

Reading this thread over on the PuritanBoard : What would you say to a person who claims that many stories in the bible are just particular versions of "generic myths" that turn up in mythology or legend all over the Mediterranean? ... There are other examples from Roman lore, such as the story of the false king of Latium who tried to kill Romulus and Remus, the true heirs to the throne (Herod and Jesus). They were put in a basket and sent down the river Tiber to die but eventually found in the reeds (Moses) by a shepherd. How should I respond to someone who uses such stories to discredit the bible? Which elicited this excellent response from the Rev. Bruce G. Buchanan: You could start by asking the person positing the "objection" to formulate his objection precisely, so that it can be analyzed. For instance, is the objector willing to say, "Ancient Lit. is full of similar sounding stories; stories that are similar (in one respect? two?) are obviously fictitio...

No one denies differences in some of the details between what has come to be known and recognized as the modern nativity and what actually occurred in Bethelem at the time of Christ's birth. Not only is it common in art for various elements of a certain story or occurance to be brought together but it's also not uncommon for some details to be added or distorted over time and tradition. However, that does not deny either the existence, reality or events of the actual occurance. For example, while some may think of three wise men, the Bible no where suggests that the number was three, but rather says that three gifts were presented (gold, frankincense, and myrrh). While in the current nativity, the number of wise men is often represented as three, that does not deny the presence of those who came from the east to visit the Christchild. Similar points can be made concerning all the rest of the details the media is perhaps trying to hype. It would be like suggesting that just...

Muslims now face a significant challenge which has become obvious to all ... a struggle that's being publicized worldwide on the "smiling faces" of Islamic women who violate the teachings of Sharia law in wearing western style dress, and a struggle that reveals significant division within the camp as a leader known worldwide such as Ghadaffi has chosen (as it has fit his needs) to flaunt such opposition publicly . The challenge, while on one level dealing more with secular and cultural issues such as whether it's okay to wear lipstick, make-up, to dress in western clothing, etc., actually strikes at the root of religion, the standards of righteousness(and how one obtains righeousness), as well as the claims and necessities of following Islamic law. The challenge is going to be exacerbated with time as more and more Muslims are exposed not only to the freedoms and free thinking in the west, but also to the sins and abuses of many in the west, for not only will there be...

I recently viewed the exhibition entitled "God and Man: Angels in Italian Art" at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Of interest was a bronze sculpture entitled "Single Winged Angel" by Sandro Chia featuring a single winged angel looking toward the heavens. There have been two explanations given for the sculpture. First, at the museum, the audio tape given to viewers described the artwork as an representing the quest and longing of man to hear and know if God exists. It was described as a single winged angel demonstrating it could not fly, with it's feet firmly planted on the ground, looking up as if it were waiting and continuing to wait, not receiving an answer but perhaps asking the question "God, if you are really there, can we know you and how can we be sure?" And it continues to wait as if waiting for an answer, all the while holding out what's most precious to him, his own heart. What made this more striking was the explanation that artwork...

In an article at OneNewsNow, in a post entitled "Lawsuit argues expert biologist fired for refusing to believe in evolution", it's stated that "The Christian Law Association will be defending a biologist who it claims was fired from a prestigious institution because he believed in creation." Of interest in the article is the following: "And what the scientific community seems to be saying to creationists or [those who hold to] intelligent design is if you're going to hold that belief, keep it in the closet -- hide it," says Gibbs. "[They are saying] if you let someone know that you hold that belief, we will indeed, in this case, shun you, terminate you, punish you for having that religious belief." In the evolutionist world, it's not immorality but truth and independent thinking that's legislated against.

We live in a unique time and yet simultaneously at a time that's not so unique. I'm grateful for the Web and for science and for the deeper and more informed levels of exposure and communication man is able to have now. Yet, as I stop and reflect on where all this has taken us, it's clear that while the advancements that have been made by humanity are great, and the matters that we now consider are greater than in times past; we find the ultimate questions, the ultimate concerns, the ultimate issues, the ultimate problems, and the ultimate sources man can look to for hope and rest have not changed. Consider that in centuries past, while man's struggles may have been to put food on the table and whether it was going to rain or not, or what a war or a nuclear weapon might do,etc. (through which man came to understand his weakness and vulnerability), though we now know of things like the " death star galaxy " and discuss issues like global warming (and what a ...

Qoheleth once said of God "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end ." (Eccl 3:11) Dennis Overbye's article Laws of Nature, Source Unknown has generated a great deal of interest and comment. It's interesting that with all the knowledge, experience and science of men, man - while he recognizes law and order in the universe, has not been and is not able to discover the source of law. Not surprising that man finds himself not only with circular reasoning but in a circular bind in trying to explain law apart from God. (law from no law... but that's still a law; laws emerging "higgledy-piggledy" from primordial chaos... so that scientists should be looking "not so much for the ultimate law as for the ultimate program" ... but where did the program come from and who's the programmer, etc.) But at the same time, isn't the ackno...

Fox News reports an email of a teenage member of the Church of Satan was turned over to the FBI by one of the church's leaders because the teenager wrote in the email he intended "to kill his grandparents and steal their money and car"... and that he had access to an arsenal of weapons and wanted to "kill in the name of our unholy lord Satan." Whether the teenager's present claim now that "it was a joke" is true or not I'm not sure, but what I find interesting are the statements found at the end of the article - "Gilmore said members of his group are atheists who believe Satan is a symbol of freedom, not evil. "To the Satanist, he is his own God," reads a statement on the group's Web site from Gilmore." Question: If each Satanist (in their account "Atheist") is his own God, then why did one of them have his desire (/will/power/rights/etc.) stripped by another one? [i.e., the God who led the church prevented the...

Well, unless you have been living under a virtual log, you have heard of the "World of Warcraft (commonly known as WoW ) - a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)" as well as the phenomenon known as Second Life ( abbreviated as SL ), an Internet -based virtual world . As I have observed the emergence of these massive virtual worlds, I am increasingly struck by the fact that these "games" are becoming, or have become, substitutions. Substitutions for genuine human interaction in the form of "fantasy". Substitutions for dealing with reality in a way that removes true societal regulation. Substitutions that, for many, have taken the place of religion. I will admit to a certain allure to join into these worlds, but the nature of WOW, with its dark nature and D&D origins and SL with its own problems , make me step back and consider these "worlds" from a Christian Skeptic perspective. At best, these "worlds" distrac...

– In a Sense, Of Course By Michael H. Warren, Jr. Interesting essay... Interesting worldview charts:

Interesting comments by one of two Muslims who pled guilty to waging war against the U.S.: "This incident is the first in a series of incidents to come in a plight to defend and propagate traditional Islam in its purity ... We are not extremists, radicals or terrorists. We are only servants of Allah."

Mohamed Elmasry of the Canadian Islamic Congress in responding to the situation where a Muslim father killed his daughter for not wearing a Muslim head scarf excuses the action by stating "I don't want the public to think that this is really an Islamic issue or an immigrant issue...It is a teenager issue." I trust that when it comes to the DEATH of an individual, even one's own daughter, for something of this nature, there has to be those of the Muslim heritage who question things not only taking place in the name of Islam but being justified by Islamic leaders, and even denying responsibility or relationship to their faith, perhaps even placing the blame for such a violent act on the deceased (who even they themselves say struggled with issues of dress common among teenagers, but must have deserved no forbearance or lenience.) Surely, such things must create dissonance in the lives of those in rising generations who have greater exposure to thought and examples outs...

Serving the Truth: The Pastor’s Privilege - Sinclair Ferguson 2003 Desiring God Conference for Pastors Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know Church History In Plain Language I just found this - Church History: An Essential Guide - it references Plain Language and is by one of my favorite authors, Justo Gonzales, so I will be purchasing it soon.

Read here: Richard Dawkins: the Atheist Evangelist

The shooter in Colorado explained his actions on a website prior to the shooting by stating "You Christians brought this on yourselves...all I want to do is kill and injure as many of you... as possible and "especially Christians who are to blame for most of the problems of the world ." I wonder if the reason he gave was limited primarily to his rejection by the school as a student, or if not, then WHERE DID HE GET HIS HEAD FILLED WITH SUCH THINKING, and is there any responsibility there? Secularists hoping to bring hate crimes/speech legislation need to understand it's not just Christians', but their OWN actions and speech which would come under the scrutiny and consideration of these laws as well. And who is preaching these type messages the most... but Hitchens, Dawkins, Dennett and the rest of their new militant atheistic cohorts. (Note: Some may suggest the shooter was a Christian, but he by his own words seems to distinguish himself from Christians ...

Ayaan Hirsi Ali showed great insight when responding to a question as to how to get others who struggle with false systems of belief to come out and leave those false systems said that in the same way she stuggled with the dissonance caused by the difference in what she felt and believed in her own heart and mind with what she witnessed with the false system of belief around her... she suggests: THE BEST MEANS of challenging and empowering people to examine their own position, beliefs and practices (along with their contentment vs. discontentment to remain or change their profession/position) is to CREATE AS MUCH DISSONANCE AS POSSIBLE for that person..." (my paraphrase) I submit to you THIS IS TRUE not only for those who want to convert people from false faiths to atheism, but to convert people from false faiths (including Atheism) to TRUE FAITH (Christianity)! DO IT!!! (Look for EVERY possibility. Take EVERY opportunity!) Ali's thoughts are not original here. The wis...

Ayaan Hirsi Ali spoke at AAI 07 . She is clearly one of the brightest and more eloquent speakers today among those who espouse living according to "reason rather than faith." At the same time, it's apparent that while her personal journey and experiences have resulted in her present thinking and positions with unique perspective, even with her bright intellectuallism and sharp mind along with her keen ability to communicate, her positions and expressions GO NO FURTHER THAN OTHERS (with less ability and charm) in providing the basis or foundation for setting reason over faith and living according to that framework. No matter how great the intellectualism, it cannot support and defend the very reason it seeks to stand upon! Here are questions that remain with Ali's statements (the same questions that cannot be answered by others): 1. Ali states "Without divine intervention, man is able to do good for his neighbor." Question: What is good? Who determines...

Oprah, in speaking on behalf of a political candidate, made the statement "You do know that is the reason we are on the earth, don't you, ... to evolve." It strikes me as interesting that now (at least in the popular mind) evolution is not just a change or a process, but an end in itself (...even the end of humanity's purpose and existence). With evolution as the ultimate purpose, it shouldn't surprise us when other absolutes become meaningless, for when change (/development) alone becomes the goal (or the ultimate absolute), anything without exception (short of the eternal and that which abides) will suffice and prove acceptable. Most funny was Oprah's attempt to try to look gravely serious when she said this... like she was not only an expert and authority on the matter, but that it would be wrong to even think about questioning her position and word. Equally funny, though not really, is it's not just day time talk show hosts who are clueless and invent ...

Got this in my Inbox: In case you missed the vigorous debate between CMI's Dr Jonathan Sarfati and an evolutionary detractor on a recent weekend feedback response you can still read it at Who designed the designer . Jonathan said that this man ‘was really spoiling for a fight'. But our responses have resulted in some really useful arguments that you could use if being asked a similar question. Article here

The guys over at The Domain for Truth have an atheist challenge going on. Some interesting interaction in the combox.

Skeptics of Christianity often ask the questions "Could God not do this?" or "Could God not do that?" or "Shouldn't God do this or shouldn't God do that?" All too often this is a diversionary tactic or point of irrelevancy. For example, one could ask concerning the birth of Christ, could not God have provided him a better place to lay his head? Or, concerning the cross, it's often asked could not God have delivered Christ or accomplished salvation another way? The point is it's not a matter of what God could do, or would do, or should do, but what God has willed to be done! Sure, God could have provided a lavish birth and a life of wealth to his Son, he also could have brought ten thousand angels and delivered Christ from the cross had that been his desire, his commitment, his promise, and his plan; but it was not. To ask the question "Couldn't God have done this or that?" is either to miss the point or to deter to the re...

Take a look at this post over on Al Mohler's blog. Surprise, surprise National Geographic is the sponsor of a hype hoax...after their fossil fraud , my "skepticism meter" is set to "stunned". Sad to think that folks still give them a lot of credibility.

Through a NYTime's article, I came across a website entitled " How it will end " by Stephen Kirsch (the man who designed the mouse with an optical lens). In it, he references the IPCC consensus report which suggests that " By 2100, there is a 5% chance that the average temperature of the planet will rise by more than 6.4ºC."; and the he states that "If we continue to act as we have in the past and as we are acting now, the scientific consensus is that there is now more than a 5% chance that human beings could be virtually extinct in as little as 90 years from now." He attributes the problem and lack of solution not only to greenhouse emissions, etc., but to human ignorance, greed, etc. He goes on to refer to a study of what a 6.4C increase of temperature would look like and the effects it would cause , including not only the mass extinction of all life, but "Ash and smoke would blanket much of the southern hemisphere, and nearly half of the worl...

The tone and rhetoric from the non-believer side has been increasing in its shrillness and hysterics ever since the trolling trio, Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens published their books. Trying to play the victim card, atheists are increasingly referring to Christians as "bigots", God as "evil", and religion as "bad", usually accompanied by a healthy dose of moral indignation, and barely disguised contemptuous outrage. Not satisfied with only insulting their fellow-evolved, ape-descended, randomly-generated-from-soup-by-thunderbolts-masses-of-hydrogen-and-carbon, non-believers also feel that they should have their own displays representing their secular faith, hence their need to erect their own "holiday" tree . But do they have an evolved foot to stand on? ...... All of these acts and insults are born out of a baseless moral outrage. Calling Christians bigots because Christians are "insulting" to atheists is simply stupid if you are an ath...