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Items Posted In December, 2020

The Laws of Nature
The Laws of Nature are orderly, often in higher mathematics, and beautiful.

Posted on May 30, 2020 by

Categories: Intelligent Design, Philosophical, Science

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The Laws of Nature as defined by Antony Flew represent the great order of the universe.  That there should be such order from a universe that originated from the Big Bang defies explanation and is one of the reasons why the atheist philosopher who fought for most of his life for atheism came to belief in God. Antony Flew was a British philosopher who was a popular atheist philosopher throughout most of the twentieth century.  In that capacity, he taught philosophy at some of the best-known colleges in the United Kingdom including Oxford, Aberdeen, and York University in Toronto. Flew… Read More »

Spontaneous Generation
Biologist have known for decades that life cannot come for non-life.

Posted on May 19, 2020 by

Categories: Biology, Science

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Spontaneous generation is the belief that life can spring from dead material.  Belief in the spontaneous generation of life has been shared by many civilizations for thousands of years and took centuries to disprove.  It seems to be a common observational event that dead organic material can spontaneously sprout living things, like maggots and bacteria. Aristotle popularized the concept as noted in his fourth century BC work, History of Animals, With animals, some spring from parent animals according to their kind, whilst others grow spontaneously and not from kindred stock; and of these instances of spontaneous generation some come from putrefying… Read More »

The “Lost” Gospels
Bible Image

Posted on May 17, 2020 by

Categories: Biblical History, Biblical Names, Historical Evidence, Textual

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Television documentaries about Bible history often are aired during the major Christian holidays, especially during Easter.  These documentaries invariably include a spacial concerning the “lost” gospels.  These books are also known as apocryphal gospels from the Greek meaning “hidden book.” These “hidden” gospels purport to have been written by eyewitnesses to Christ’s ministry such as Peter, Judas, or Thomas – but they tell a story that is very different than the gospels included in Scripture.  These differences are not minor, but so substantial that they are “shocking” making them a frequent topic of discussion on popular outlets such as the History… Read More »

Hebrew Writing Prior to Babylonian Invasion
Recent archaeological discoveries show the ancient Hebrews had high rates of literacy and writing ability.

Posted on May 14, 2020 by

Categories: Archaeology, Biblical History, Historical Evidence

Skeptics have proposed the Old Testament story was written after the Babylonian Invasion.  They support this belief with the conventional wisdom that writing was not common until after the Invasion. The age of the Old Testament has been controversial between those who believe in the literal truth of the Old Testament versus secular scholars who believe it to be a relatively new invention. A recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests the Hebrew Bible is older than most believed.  The study was performed at the Tel Aviv University in Israel and analyzed multi-spectral images of… Read More »

The Gospel Authors
To know whether something represents truth, it needs to be read and studied.

Posted on May 5, 2020 by

Categories: Biblical History, Biblical Names, Historical Evidence

The identity of the gospel authors has been a topic of intense scrutiny for many years.  It would seem to be an open question as there is no eye-witness account to verify who wrote these important documents.  Liberal apologists argue they were likely not written by their namesake but instead were gradually authored over years or even decades by well-meaning early Christian scribes. The early “church fathers” provide interesting testimony as to the actual authors of these documents.  Some of them lived within a few short decades of the apostles themselves and some were personally acquainted with an apostle. They… Read More »

Jezebel’s Hometown

Posted on May 5, 2020 by

Categories: Archaeology, Biblical History, Biblical Names, Historical Evidence

The Biblical Archaeology Society wrote a nice piece concerning Jezebel’s hometown – the infamous Queen who led Israel into idolatry but later was eaten by dogs after being pushed out of a tower. She was the wife of King Ahab of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and was famous for her confrontation with the Prophet Elijah. Many have supposed this archenemy of the Israelite people was only a story, like the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz.  Recent archaeological evidence shows that she was a real character who left behind artifacts proving her historicity. Sidon Sidon was an influential… Read More »

Homeschooling
Homeschooling and Achievement Scores

Posted on May 4, 2020 by

Categories: Homeschooling, Social Values

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The question as to who has custody of children has become a central issue in the homeschooling controversy recently opened by a Harvard Law professor, Elizabeth Bartholet.  She is the faculty director of the Harvard Law School’s Child Advocacy Program who recently wrote an article which proposes a ban on homeschooling. This ban is predicated upon the belief that government knows best what is right for your child with the implication that parents do not.  The article alleges that some parents choose homeschooling with the express purpose of abusing their children and do this by providing religious instruction. The author… Read More »

Charitable Giving
Charitable giving helps both the giver and the recipient.

Posted on May 3, 2020 by

Categories: Charity, Social Values

Charitable giving has been part of the American narrative since its founding.  The average citizen of colonial America supported the church, helped build hospitals, libraries, and supported higher education. Charitable giving has also been important to some of the richest Americans who ever lived.  Rockefeller was one of those Americans. John D. Rockefeller was one of the richest men who have ever lived. He is reported to have said, “God gave me my money” in 1905.  This quotation has been used to show the callousness and insensitivity of men of great wealth.  It sounds like justification for his hoarding such… Read More »

Moabite Stone Altar
Close inspection of writing on ancient ceramic shards demonstrate very ancient writing.

Posted on April 30, 2020 by

Categories: Archaeology, Biblical History, Historical Evidence

The recently discovered Moabite stone altar attests to the historicity of an ancient Jewish conflict between Israel and the Biblical Kingdom of Moab. The Kingdom of Moab Moab was a country near ancient Israel founded by the descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham.  The Bible notes this country was frequently in conflict with Israel. This historical conflict started when the country impeded the crossing over into the Promised Land from the desert.  As a consequence, they were excluded from joining the Jewish nation for ten generations. The Book of Ruth in the Old Testament is story of a Moabite… Read More »

Fetal Ultrasounds and Abortion
Fetal ultrasound can determine the size, age, sex, and other characteristics of the pre-born baby.

Posted on April 29, 2020 by

Categories: Abortion, Social Values

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There is a relationship between improving fetal ultrasounds and abortion rates.  Three-dimensional fetal ultrasound is particularly useful in demonstrating the facial and body characteristics of an unborn child.  The earlier two-dimensional technology gave much less facial detail making the image look less human. In short, improving ultrasound makes the “lump of tissue” within the pregnant woman’s uterus appear to be just what it is – an unborn baby.  This helps to make the mother more informed about her pregnancy before choosing abortion. Planned Parenthood, Fetal Ultrasounds and Abortion The Washington Examiner recently had an article concerning the use of ultrasounds… Read More »

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