What is a person? What is the self? Who am I? People have this conception of the self. They have this idea that they exist and behave in this universe. All of our actions and thoughts and beliefs presuppose this reality. We exist. Other people exist. I exist. The question that has puzzled philosophers for centuries is, what am I? Are my physical parts all components of my “self”? If that is the case, then if I were to become an amputee, would I still be myself? Scientists have pointed…
Month: May 2015
Can Goodness Exist If God Does Not Exist?
The eye untainted by the contemporary western lights may gaze through the nights’ sky and in the distance, at the right angle and during the right time, may see the red sphere in the lower echelons of space. As our technology has elevated, we gained more perspective of our cosmic neighbor, and fiction writers like CS Lewis created entire civilizations resting upon what we call Mars. But as we learn more, as our rovers traverse the terrain of the planet, we learn that it is a red waste. There is…
Did The Islamic Jesus Fail?
In a labored attempt to appeal to Christians, Muslims will often tell us that they believe in Jesus just as we do. They will tell us that they revere and adore Jesus as a prophet of God. They will tell us that there are two faiths that historically believe in Jesus and believe in what he says, and they are Islam and Christianity. The difference, so they will tell us, is that Christians have distorted the teachings of Jesus through the centuries so that now we worship him as God,…
In Defense Of The Moral Argument: A Response To Dan Linford
Dan Linford recently published an article about the moral argument, stating that it was guilty of the is/ought fallacy. While I was interested in the topic, I did not respond directly to Linford because I was more interested in rendering a general response to the argument. So I did some research on this objection and composed an independent article. Thinking that it was a response directly to him, Linford made a point to take time and respond to my article and demonstrate that despite my objections, the moral argument is…
My Visit To Saddleback Church
Having not been in Los Angeles for long, I am non-committal to the churches that I have visited. However, I have attended a few small group meetings, which are quite nice because they offer an outlet to meet and get to know new people who happen to kindred spirits; Christian by faith. Among those small groups that I have attended, one is a subset of Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church. This morning was the first day that I had the opportunity to go to Saddleback Church. Although, it was in Los…
Is The Moral Argument Guilty Of The ‘Is/Ought’ Fallacy?
It is often said by Christian apologists that the atheist cannot live consistently within the framework of their worldview. They will adhere to their ethical convictions and act as though they really were binding. They will object to the evil in the world and labor to make the world a better place. As such, atheists and non-believers are often good and moral people. That is not contended. The contention of the Christian apologist is rather that atheists have no right to make ethical claims. So the argument goes, if one…
How Could Jesus Be Both God And Man?
One of the most primitive of the theological quagmires that have arisen in the Christian movement is: how could Jesus be both God and man? This question has come as both a mystery that the theologian would meditate upon or a serious challenge the Christian faith. After all, the Islamic theologian will protest that God could not become a man. God could not be a baby in a manger. God could not suffer death on a cross. How could God reduce himself to such a status? How could Jesus be…