Religious

Archive for Religious

The Sad State of Libertarian Discourse, and the Total Misunderstanding of Christianity

Part of why I am so disappointed in the Gary Johnson campaign is that his remarks on the wedding cake controversy lead Scott Sumner to say this: “Sorry, but bigots having their feelings hurt is not high on my list of problems…” I eventually realized that my critics on this thread truly had no idea […]

Is God a Tyrant?

That’s the question I will be tackling as a speaker at this weekend’s Libertarian Christians conference. Especially for you agnostic/atheist libertarians, can you give me your best arguments on this? Also, if you could give me quotes/citations to famous critics (like Hitchens) on this topic, that would be great.

Do you value justice higher than mercy?

I took the Briggs-Meyer test (due to peer pressure). (I am not telling you my score because that’s what the narcissists do.) The question in the subject is one that struck me as very interesting. (I think they should’ve said “more highly” than “higher”?) I thought for a bit and then decided that no, I […]

Hubris, Doubt, and Faith

I am pretty sure Richard Feynman once said something like, “In science, we have to have the courage to say, ‘We don’t know,’” and in context he was criticizing the religious mindset. (If someone knows the exact quote, let me know and I’ll update the post.) Believe me, having gone through an extensive period of […]

Sobran on Intrinsic Excellence of Christianity

Joe Sobran wrote this essay a while ago at Easter time, and it echoes what I was saying last week. Some of his particular statements I don’t find persuasive, but below are some of the good ones: Then there is the argument from comparative religion. Religions are a lot alike, they can’t all be true, […]

Jesus >> Zeus

People sometimes argue that believing in Jesus is as rational as believing in Zeus. Here are some quick thoughts on why that’s a silly view. (Disclaimer: I probably uttered a weak version of this statement when I was an atheist. When I say something is a “silly view” I don’t mean only silly people hold […]

Turning Men’s Evil Intentions to Good Outcomes

One of the most beautiful passages in Scripture is an adult Joseph forgiving his brothers (who, when he was a teenager, had literally sold him into slavery because they were jealous of him): 15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back […]

Matthew Henry on Exodus 1

From Matthew Henry’s Full commentary, on Exodus chapter 1. We were covering this tonight during my Bible study session, and I thought the analysis was very insightful. Sometimes it’s easier to see the obvious (and evil) motives of political rulers, when it’s ancient history. (Note that because the excerpt is so big, I won’t change […]