Category: Philosophy of Religion
The Weekly Roundup – 6.14.19
Candida Moss (University of Birmingham) wrote a piece back in March on Apollonius, the miracle-working son of God that is often compared to Jesus. In it Moss, a prolific writer and scholar, observes that many in the ancient Mediterannean were considered the son of this or… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 6.14.19”
The Weekly Roundup – 5.24.19
“For atheists, I would say your life is not meaningless even if you no longer believe you are for something like a hammer is for hammering nails- or even if you believe the universe is absurd! Just because you are not an instrument of… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 5.24.19”
The Weekly Roundup – 5.3.19
It’s gotten all mixed up, you see, as it was bound to after thousands and thousands of years of dogma and tradition. Religion doesn’t spawn morality. Intelligence spawns morality,which inevitably gives birth (in intelligent enough species) to religion.Now, some people find that religion helps hone… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 5.3.19”
The Weekly Roundup – 4.12.19
“Mark, wanting to make a theological point, locates the event in a place whose name is associated with casting out demons – the language, as Marcus points out, does kinda support this. This strengthens the exorcism theme of the pericope– seems legit. A few years later, Matthew, using Mark… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 4.12.19”
The Weekly Roundup – 4.5.19
“One would certainly not expect any literary reference to Christians or Christianity or Jesus himself in Roman authors of the first century. Christianity was simply a tiny (TINY) religious movement that no one had heard of. Most Romans would not even have heard the… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 4.5.19”
The Weekly Roundup – 2.22.19
“The stories of the ancestors of the Israelites do not come from any one period but developed over time. It is best to see the ancestors as composite characters.” – John McDermott Bart Ehrman asks and answers the question “Why does it matter if… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 2.22.19”
The Weekly Roundup – 2.1.19
“I propose the final edition of Genesis is the result of a similar process by an editor of the Holiness school of pre-exilic Israel, who combined and organized these various materials into a continuous and meaningful whole.” – Bill T. Arnold Over on her… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 2.1.19”
The Weekly Roundup – 1.25.19
Over on his blog Charles Payet has a post entitled “It’s the End of the World as We Knew It.“ Overall, it is a rather pessimistic piece and one with which I cannot help but sympathize. The very real threat of climate change, for example,… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 1.25.19”
A Conversation with @MiraScriptura
Today over on the Mira Scriptura podcast is a conversation I had with @MiraScriptura covering a wide range of topics including my journey from Christianity to atheism, views on the Documentary and Supplementary Hypotheses, love for the Gospel of Mark, thoughts on Bernard Lamborelle’s The Covenant,… Continue Reading “A Conversation with @MiraScriptura”
Book Review: ‘The Case for Miracles’ by Lee Strobel, part 5b
In part one of my review of Lee Strobel’s The Case for Miracles I covered chapters 1-3, a section featuring Strobel’s interview of the skeptic Michael Shermer. In part two I covered chapters 4-6 featuring his interview with Craig Keener. In part three I covered… Continue Reading “Book Review: ‘The Case for Miracles’ by Lee Strobel, part 5b”
The Amateur Exegete 