By TheRedneckProfessor ~ T he concept of hell, on its surface, seems pretty straightforward.    Sin, evil, injustice, inequity, and all manner of human depravity are eliminated in one final stroke of god’s divine retribution.    It appeals to our own sense of morality; because there is some part of humanity that earnestly believes in, seeks out, and, indeed,  needs , justice, fairness, and equality.    Hell seems to provide that.    Even when no justice is ever served on earth, in this life.    Hell provides the suffering for those who made us suffer.    We want the Hitlers and the Dahmers of the world to be punished; yet, at the same time, hell provides the incentive for kindness when mercy, compassion, and humanity fail.    Simple, straightforward retribution for the crimes and atrocities of the worst of us.   Yet, as a christian concept, hell is extremely difficult to defend, when viewed in relation to...

L ately, I’ve noticed an interesting trend at the fitness center I frequent: as the years tick by, an existential panic seems to be driving many of the older regulars  into the welcoming arms of a trendy "Faith over Fear" version of Christianity. Meanwhile, my own enthusiasm regarding life after death has waned, much like my childhood fascination for Foot Loops that long ago lost any appeal to my more mature  palate. I refrain from openly scoffing at the comfort faith may provide to some; I appreciate the very human desire for safety and assurance in the face of the unknown. But while some people see the horizon of mortality approaching and find solace in the idea of something beyond the grave, I’ve found a peculiar kind of peace in simply accepting that one day I won’t exist. And strangely enough, that doesn’t bother me. Understanding mortality from a naturalistic perspective means letting go of the idea that I need a cosmic encore to make my time here meaningful. The fac...

By DissentOfMan ~ S ince becoming an exchristian thirteen years ago I've searched for answers to make sense of things. Mostly, searching for answers pertaining to why we are the way we are, why we behave/believe the way we do? I believe I've found the answers in determinism. What convinced me was the book Determined: A Science Of Life Without Free Will : by scientist and author, Robert Sapolsky. Here are some quotes from him. "All we are is the end product of what came before". "If you really believe this stuff, and take it to it's logical conclusions, were nothing more than the biology and environment over which we had no control." "If you really believe that, blame and punishment never make any sense, either intellectually or ethically." "Likewise praise and reward never make any sense, and those are the logical conclusions that come from this". How could we possibly have free will? Here is a video of him explaining in great...

I magine for a moment scrolling through your favorite social media feed, only to find that every post is a selfie—with a divine twist. That’s Paul the Apostle for you. His letters, replete with the singularly majestic "I," might just qualify him as the original poster obsessed with himself, albeit with heavenly credentials. The Many, Many “I’s” If Paul were alive today, his Instagram bio might read, “I, me, and I—delivering divine revelations one letter at a time.” A quick glance at his epistles reveals an unabashed love affair with the first-person singular. In a literary world where collaborative spirit is often celebrated, Paul’s incessant “I received,” “I saw,” and “I declare” almost reads like the ancient equivalent of a Twitter feed completely dominated by his own thoughts. Is it narcissism, or is it just really, really, really confident storytelling? One might joke that if self-absorption were a sport, Paul would have been the undefeated champion of the apostolic ga...

R ecently a Christian believer contacted me with the following request: "I received an assignment for a Christian Apologetics course. We were asked to ask someone who is not a Christian to present their worldview. Would you be willing to help me? I would be very grateful." To make the exercise a bit more interesting and perhaps thought provoking, I decided to answer the posed questions here as if we were having an actual discussion. Using the Socratic method, I answer the questions, and ask my own questions in return.  Sometimes my questions go unanswered.  Evangelical: Let's begin our discussion with a fundamental question: What do you think happens after we die? Skeptical Former Evangelical: That's a profound question. But before I answer, may I ask—what assumptions do you make about the nature of the soul and afterlife? Evangelical: I see life as having an eternal dimension—a continuation with God. How do you view the possibility of an afterlife? Skeptica...

By TheRedneckProfessor ~ I magine, if you will, a seedy hotel room in the dirty part of town.    In the corner there is a small table, the drawer of which contains a Gideon bible.    A garishly ornate lamp casts a pool of dingy yellow light upon the wall behind it, covered in peeling wallpaper, the fading floral pattern now more a study in browns after decades of dust and cigarette haze.    In this room we have a 10-year-old girl: a singular expression of innocence and unfettered hope.    Beside her, on the bed, is a 39-year-old pedophile rapist: the epitome of sociopathic sadism, a monster.    He is neither her father, nor her uncle.    He is, in fact, no one with whom this little girl should be alone.   We know what is going to happen in this room; there is no need to provide further detail.   This is the essence of meaningless, purposeless, gratuitous suffering inflicted upon innocence, examples of which can be s...

By Webmdave ~ A short discussion with a Christian believer Question: What do you mean when you say “free will.” Christian Believer Answer: Free will is the ability to make choices without external constraints. Q: Does God possess free will? CBA: God has the capacity to make choices, does not answer to any authority, is not limited by any external constraints, and cannot be coerced. God is unconstrained by all natural laws; He in fact established those laws and is sovereign over them. God most certainly possesses free will. Q: Then, In the same way, is God also unconstrained by moral laws? Since he established those laws, then he must hold sovereignty over them as well, right? CBA: There are certain things that God is incapable of doing because His perfect and holy nature disallows it. For instance, Titus 1:2 says that God “cannot lie.” God’s perfection prevents Him from lying and identifies an intrinsic property of God’s own character. God cannot be unfaithful to Himself; H...