Do beliefs have moral qualities?

With all the political hot topics being bandied about regarding things like abortion, religious freedom, same-sex marriage and health care, as well as recent SCOTUS decisions, I thought this would be a good time to write a new post. Although I have not prepared a lot of material to keep things going, this seemed like something which needed to be addressed.

I have heard a lot of talk on both sides of the issues listed above and have noticed how these conversations have a tendency to degenerate and lead to quarrels, threats and even physical violence! This has gotten me thinking about not only the topics, but the way they are engaged.

What does this have to do with God?

Well...nothing, really. Except to say that the articles that I had written months ago have finally caught up to me and I have not had enough opportunity to keep ahead of the calendar.

Not to worry. The research and ideas and study are continuing and there will be more content coming in the near future. I have several things on my plate that I will be researching, reading, cross-referencing, etc.

Some of the topics I am working on are:

• Authorship of the Gospels
• Disparate details of the resurrection accounts
• Slavery in the Bible
• Secular morality
• Extra-biblical writings
• The Trinity
• Sin in heaven
• Letting God be God
• Lot and the visitors
• Early manuscripts

If there are any specific things that you would like me to cover or expound upon, please leave your comments below and I will try to get to them as time permits. In the meantime, thanks for reading and I do hope that you have been somehow blessed or enriched. 

I will be back soon. Until then, keep searching, keep asking and keep learning!

Is Christian Exclusivity Arrogant?

One of the many common accusations against Christians is that we are arrogant in believing that we, exclusively, have come to know the objective truth about something such as our eternal destiny. With all the other religions, anti-religions and everything else out there, how arrogant it is for us to claim that our way is the right way and everyone who doesn't believe what we do is just wrong!

In one sense, I suppose I can understand how someone could feel this way. On the other hand, it seems to me that people who do so fail to understand that almost any particular world-view is held by individuals to the exclusivity of other world views. When it comes right down to it, just about everybody who holds to a world view of any sort is actually in the same boat. So, when making this charge against Christians, the detractor is essentially jack-hammering the very foundation that they, themselves, are standing on.

What if Someone Believes in God for Bad Reasons?

Do you believe in God? Why do you believe in God? Do you know anybody that would answer that question using a less than ideal answer? Perhaps something like, "My parents were Christians." Or maybe, "Everyone I know is Christian."

If you or somebody you know is a Christian for one of those kinds of reasons, you (or they) don't have a very good reason to be a Christian. There are lots of people all around the world, but particularly in United States, who are Christians for those kinds of reasons. In other words, lots of people are Christians for really bad reasons.  An important question to ask when this is the case is, "So what?"

Can we prove that God exists?

A common question posed to Christians, indeed to theists of any stripe, today is whether or not one can "prove" that God exists. While this is a legitimate question to ask, some precautions and clarifications are necessary in responding to theses inquiries.

The first thing to point out is that the term "prove" must be clarified. Technically, to prove something is to show that it is the case with mathematical certainty. In other words, proving something is like showing that we can be as certain of a claim as we are that 2 + 2 = 4. Often, however, that is not what many people mean by "proof" while many others may mean precisely that. This can cause a breakdown in communication.