Apologetics to the Glory of God

Tag: skepticism

  • But They’re All The Same

    It is often alleged by many atheists that all religions are the same, and all religions are false, and since Christianity is a religion, therefore Christianity must also be false. They will answer our defense of Christianity by saying we’re merely engaging in special pleading. This issue is similar to that in a previous post of mine wherein I quoted Stephen Robert’s statement regarding the alleged equivalence of all “gods.” If it is true that both the quantity and quality of evidence attesting to the truth of all particular religions or gods are the same – that is, if each …

  • When It’s OK To Walk Away

    Giving up is never fun, nor is it ever easy. Generally, it’s a sign of weakness. It shoves a sharp blade into the heart of one’s pride. But there is an irony involved here: those with a firmer internal constitution tend to give up sooner than those with a softer internal constitution. What do I mean by that?

    I’ll begin by defining my terms. Since this site is centered around apologetics (and consequently, debate and discussion), so will the definitions and examples be.

    By “giving up,” I mean to cease or to bring an end to discussion. I don’t mean …

  • On the Failure of Christians to be Christians

    Christianity is a process. It is a commitment, a vow, a pledge. It is a complete overhaul and reformation. The creatures of God, created for the purpose of living and breathing the truth and glory of their Creator: that is Christianity. The scandal of this scheme lies in the fact that these creatures have invariably disqualified themselves from fulfilling this purpose, and in fact fulfill only those requirements by which they are justly consigned to eternal retribution. Indeed, these very creatures can never hope to possibly fulfill the purpose for which they were created, themselves.

    But God, according to His …

  • One Less God?

    With the recent controversy over McFormtist’s recent post, I figured this video might be a good reminder that this subject is nothing new, nor does it lack a prior context. Ignoring this context does nothing to advance the discussion, nor does a simple mention of Roman references to Christians as “atheists” get to the heart of the matter. The heart of the matter is that the claim being expressed is, at base, an appeal to neutrality which we both do not and cannot accept – an insistence on the equal footing of all “gods” where the atheist is rejecting …

  • Answering the Evidentialist Objection

    Introduction

    Oversimplification. The unbeliever, and the New Atheist in particular, thrive on it. The situation is no different when it comes to the strong demands for “evidence” in the context of apologetic debate. “Not enough evidence, God, not enough evidence” was the plea Bertrand Russell planned to use when he came face to face with God. I suspect it did not go over well.

    Yet the loudest non-Christian voices among us continue to parrot Russell’s silly sentiment. It has even been given a name. The “evidentialist objection.” It is quite frequently captured in the contention that Christians should immediately provide …

  • Dear Atheists: Please Get Better Objections

    Joe is an atheist who takes issue with my asking another commenter about supporting evidence for his claims. When I asked the other visitor, “what’s your evidence that only evidence matters?” Joe responded, “Sir, you may not be stupid, but this phrase is nonsense. YOU use evidence to support everything.”

    Apparently Joe buys into the idea that only evidence matters, that everyone uses evidence to support everything, and even that every claim must be supported with evidence. But if every claim must be supported by evidence, then the claim, “every claim must be supported with evidence” must also be supported …

  • Chris Bolt on the Skepticule Record Podcast

    Atheist Paul Baird recently invited me to come on Skepticule for an informal discussion pertaining to a number of topics. I would like to thank Paul once again for a delightful time.

    You may listen here – http://www.skepticule.co.uk/2012/07/skeprec-013-20120613.html…

  • “If the existence of God is so obvious, then why do we debate it?”

    Atheists sometimes make the rhetorical point that if the existence of God were so obvious as many Christians hold it to be, then we would not have to hold debates about His existence. We don’t go around having debates about the existence of particular people, or certain types of animals, or various aspects of the world that are immediately present to our sensory experience, so why do we have them about something or someone who is supposed to so obviously exist? Is God just incapable of revealing Himself clearly enough that we might believe in Him the way we believe …

  • Islam: Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai on the Knowledge of Allah (1)

    In Shi’ite Islam, Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai (hereafter ASMHT) attempts an argument for “The Necessity of God” through natural theology (123). There are many different understandings of what exactly natural theology is and what it actually accomplishes, but in this particular passage ASMHT attempts to prove the existence of the Muslim god Allah through a simple, straightforward natural theological proof (123). This attempt is made at the very beginning of a chapter on the knowledge of ASMHT’s god, so it is clear that the argument he presents is pre-dogmatic in nature and possesses even an apologetic function. Since …

  • Perspicacity and Ignorance

    If I assert that there is a black cat in the closet, and you assert that nobody knows what is in the closet, you have virtually told me that I am wrong in my hypothesis. So when I tell Mr. Black that God exists, and he responds very graciously by saying that perhaps I am right since nobody knows what is in the “Beyond,” he is virtually saying that I am wrong in my hypothesis. He is obviously thinking of such a god as could comfortably live in the realm of chance. But the God of Scripture cannot live in

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