Reading Time: 4 minutes“There is at bottom no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pointless indifference…We are machines for propagating DNA…It is every living object’s sole reason for being.” Dr. Richard Dawkins, a famous biologist said that, and on atheism, it seems to me that while it’s sad, it’s also true. One weird aspect that atheism commits one to is the denial of design—design of any sort, not just of…
Reading Time: 14 minutesThis post covers a wide range of important topics. It details discussions that I had with a man who was once my commander. Enjoy. Introduction: They Called Us Nerds, Gary. Nerds. Every so often, a fellow nerd pops up and wants to discuss science and philosophy with me and my heavens am I thirsty for such discussion. Once, a former commander exchanged invigorating emails with me about God, science, free…
Reading Time: 2 minutes“You have to listen very carefully and tell the truth if you are going to get a paranoid person to open up to you.” —Jordan Peterson Paranoid people exist, and it’s not just Psycho Sam (Hunt for the Wilderpeople…see it!). People are paranoid about so many things these days—the news (fake?), the medical industry (killers?), Russians, instagram, and the list goes on. In addition, technology itself has changed us. In…
Reading Time: < 1 minuteLucas presents a lesson with some interactive polls about dishonesty. Do we think about what makes us cheat? Thanks to the marvel of modern technology, the assembly was able to answer questions in real time, and see everyone’s results. Briefly, we covered: —The cheating bug. (And is it contagious?)—How to avoid getting ethically ill.—Do we cheat more when we’re together? —Remember your mortality. —Conflicts of interest.—Prioritizing values, and would you…
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhen communicating with someone else, style and tone affect information delivery. As the saying goes, “You can be right, but wrong at the top of your voice.” In essence, when communicating with someone else, the person doing the talking/writing needs to construct their wording in such a way that the receiver accurately processes the information. Failure to do this is known in business English as incompetent communication, because valuable information was…
Reading Time: 4 minutesThis meme demonstrates the importance of critically examining our own beliefs; of being willing to put forth both the support and flaws that our beliefs might have—in this case, the statements in the picture are deeply flawed to the point of possibly seeming deceitful upon deeper examination. We need to be honest about our convictions and reasons for them. I’ve seen (and have done this myself in the past, to…
Reading Time: 3 minutesI once pointed out that most, scientifically minded atheists don’t believe in free will, and noted what one had said in a book. A few people remarked that I was just “quote mining,” which wasn’t really true—I just like to take notes while I’m reading, so I typically have them on hand. Regardless, this picture is pretty amusing, and I hope you’ll find the following quotes of some value in…
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAn old study keeps floating around the internet, claiming that children who grow up in religious households are less altruistic than those raised in a secular environment. The study, upon peer-review, was found to have incredible flaws. A recent meme—below—from my faith heritage shares some flaws. We utilize this meme during the class to look at the importance of presenting the strengths and weaknesses of any position you hold. With…
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhat causes us to lie? If money’s on the line, do we lie more? What if we can make a lot of money? How can we enhance our own honesty? Lucas leads a lesson using Dr. Dan Ariely’s book “The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone—Especially Ourselves.” You can find the slideshow’s download link hosted at slideshare here. The class starts at slide 34 and ends at…
Reading Time: 3 minutes❗Read the link towards the bottom.❗ Confirmation bias can be a tough thing to overcome, especially if it is combined with intellectual laziness, or simply an unwillingness to “think about our thinking.” I am habitually guilty of this, and constant vigilance is required to combat such bad habits. Read the article above. To this day, I still see it posted across the internet, and even, on occasion, from more reputable…
Reading Time: 5 minutesHow can God know the outcome of the world? How is it that we are predestined? Do we have free will? Above, I go over the three, big theories on this. The class notes follow: What are the three views commonly called? 1.______________, 2._______________, 3.______________ ________ JC, early-mid 1500s Often summed by “TULIP.” Total depravity—we are totally depraved and unable to choose good. Unconditional election—we are unconditionally elected to salvation…
Reading Time: < 1 minuteLucas goes through a fun lesson that’s interactive—you can play along as you listen, too! We learn about the lies we tell everyone, and especially ourselves, as well as how to overcome them, using scientific studies by Dr. Dan Ariely and others. Attached to this link is the slideshow in case you want to give the same lesson or just follow along.
Reading Time: 2 minutesWe need to be honest about our convictions and reasons for them. I’ve seen (and have done this myself in the past, to my great discredit) people hold a certain view, and proclaim it, while at the same time ignoring any evidence to the contrary, or even sweeping the contradictory evidence under the rug. Presenting sloppy and weak arguments is negative, but giving someone a snow job is much worse….
Reading Time: < 1 minuteBe careful of how you spread the good news! “If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Cor 13:2-3) If we “win” someone to an angry, belligerent “gospel,” we’ve not…
Reading Time: 2 minutesKent West writes the following article. If you’d like to see more of his thoughts, visit http://kentwest.blogspot.com/ You would not use the word “baptize” in an unscriptural manner, to mean “sprinkle”. Neither should you use the word “worship” in an unscriptural manner, which most of us have done all of our lives. “Worship” simply means “to bow in submission”. It does not mean “sing”; it does not mean “pray”; it…
Reading Time: 16 minutesABSTRACT: Transgenderism has many challenges for the modern world. In sports, it is damaging the ability of genetic women to have physical success in competition, which also limits their ability to academically succeed through scholarships. Transbeing has been shown to be rising as a social construct and spreads memetically as a social contagion, with the recent inclusion of transitioning young children as supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The…
Reading Time: < 1 minute “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and…
Reading Time: 2 minutes I listen to a variety of podcasts, including ones which are highly secular. One podcast in particular features two people who join various religions and test out pseudo-scientific remedies, and then report back on their experiences. They’re atheists, and while I find that many of their metaphysical assumptions are poorly thought out, I’m always curious to hear such viewpoints. In Christianity, I’ve noticed that “worship” is an incredibly nebulous topic,…
Reading Time: 5 minutes“Since the brain cannot have thoughts about stuff, it cannot make, have, or act on plans, projects, or purposes it gives itself. Nor, for that matter, can it act on plans that anyone else favors it with. There are no plans. That’s just more of the illusion Mother Nature exploited for our survival.”
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDivorce 1 and 2 Discussion—You can probably skip to the 38-minute mark if you want to get straight to the real setup for the coming class, as the first discussion is much abbreviated for privacy. However, if you’d like to listen to both discussion portions, the 1st portion is about: -Historical church views of divorce.-Old Covenant reasons for which divorce was allowed.-A brief look at what unfaithfulness in marriage entailed….
Reading Time: < 1 minuteI love salt-and-vinegar chips, but when it comes to words, it’s better to leave the vinegar out. Often I’ve let my passion overcome me, and I’ve lashed out at an individual or group of people that I dislike. It’s easy for me to forget, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” —Proverbs 18:21 Noted atheist Richard Dawkins has…
Reading Time: < 1 minuteI was trying to film some bad turbulence when the pilots made this terrifying announcement. At first I thought…well, it wasn’t good. —BQ
Reading Time: < 1 minuteMy friend, Kent West, combined the audio from a lesson I gave on “worship” with some of my notes. I was pretty flattered and also surprised that I never even thought of that…not that I’d know how to do it! You can check out his wonderful blog at Westing Peacefully. He’s a pretty smart guy and I’ve learned a lot from his spirit.
Reading Time: 3 minutesOften one hears that the only reason that was ever listed as “acceptable” for divorce (note: not nominal nor desired, but acceptable and reasonable) is infidelity. NOTE: A LITTLE BIT PG-13! It can seem unfair to us when we read the Bible and note what seems to be an indication that divorce was only allowed for infidelity. Why is infidelity worse than, saying, stabbing a spouse with a knife a…
Reading Time: 4 minutesA disturbing trend I’ve noticed—especially online—is the decision to be neither charitable nor kind. It is instead replaced by a fervent love of anger and hostility. I hope that I’m not that way often, and please message me if I am; I promise I won’t bite. You see, I read a review of a movie recently, and in it, one cop said with some concern to another, “It’s not healthy…