"Philosophical" Article Items

Philosophical considerations concerning Christianity. There are arguments for Christianity which have developed over centuries that are often misrepresented or not understood correctly.

Religious Belief

The Big Bang is the creation event of the universe occurring 13.78 billion years ago. The theological implications are obvious.

Posted on December 28, 2019 by

Categories: Cosmology, Philosophical, Science

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Emerging cosmology is consistent with religious belief and not with atheism.  That is a remarkable statement only because it is correct. I have always loved astronomy. While I was in high school, I was President of the Astronomy Club for three years, ground my telescope mirrors, and seriously considered going into astronomy as a career.  Religious belief seems to be consistent with emerging new cosmology. I was the kid who would go to the public library and check out the books on astronomy. I got to the point where I had read all the popular astronomy books written for the… Read More »

Molecular Biology Confirms Intelligent Design

Molecular biology confirms intelligent design. Increasing complexity of life strongly suggests an intelligence.

Posted on December 15, 2019 by

Categories: Biology, Intelligent Design, Philosophical, Science

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The increasing complexity of life discovered by molecular biology confirms intelligent design theory. Molecular biology came of age in the 1990s with the development of new investigation tools. These tools for the first time in human history allowed the investigation of the inner workings of cells.  Advances in molecular biology confirm intelligent design theories rather than natural origins. It has been the hope of research scientists and their funding agencies that these new tools will enable new advances. The informed treatment of cancer and other genetic diseases becomes possible. The past thirty years has seen an explosion of knowledge about… Read More »

The Body was Taken

The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem - one of the traditional burial sites of Christ.

Posted on December 14, 2019 by

Categories: Biblical History, Philosophical, Resurrection

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Skeptics counter the Christian’s claim that Christ was resurrected with the assertion that the body was taken. It certainly seems a lot easier to believe that the body was somehow taken and disposed of somewhere rather than believe in a miracle. As David Hume, the famous Scottish philosopher of the 18th century noted, the resurrection might have happened, but it is much more likely something else occurred. We need to answer that skepticism before believing in a miracle of any kind. Modern scientists discount an Intelligent Designer in a similar manner. They would argue if we do not know how… Read More »

Resurrection as a Myth

Resurrection is thought of as a myth by modern skeptics. Osiris is an ancient Egyptian resurrection event after he was assembled from his chopped up body parts.

Posted on December 13, 2019 by

Categories: Biblical History, Philosophical, Resurrection

Skeptics describe the resurrection of Christ as a myth. Throughout history, there have been resurrection stories. Skeptics will believe the Christian resurrection story is just another one of them. Some of these stories bear little resemblance to the Biblical account of Christ’s resurrection. Some of the most famous such as the Egyptian deities Osiris and Horus, involve being chopped up into pieces and thrown into the Nile. Others from Greek mythology involve demigods and marital affairs. Other resurrection stories demonstrate a closer resemblance but trace their origins to after Christ’s resurrection. But why should the skeptic believe in a Christian… Read More »

Why Does God Permit Cancer

Why does God permit cancer which causes so much death, pain, and sorrow in our lives? These and other questions are answered in this post.

Posted on December 12, 2019 by

Categories: Philosophical

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So, why does God permit cancer? If God is so good, why is there so much disease, sickness, and pain in the world? If God is such a great designer, why is there so much cancer? And there is a lot of cancer in the world. About half of us will develop cancer at some point in our lives. That sobering statistic shows just how common cancer is today in our world. It affects us all whether in us personally, or whether in those we love. Cancer is so prevalent that it touches nearly every family on Earth. Cancer is… Read More »

God and the Problem of Evil

Evil

Posted on November 27, 2019 by

Categories: Philosophical

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God and the Problem of Evil One of the most difficult aspects of understanding God and the problem of evil is the amount of evil there is in the world.  Atheists often suggest the amount of evil present throughout the world strongly argues against the presence of a loving God.  They argue the intense suffering of so many people throughout the many thousands of years defies belief in any God they could rely upon or worship. Innocent children die from cancer; terrible tragedies occur all the time; natural disasters wipe out thousands of people, wars consume the treasuries of countries,… Read More »

Objections to the Resurrection

Christian Cross

Posted on November 25, 2019 by

Categories: Biblical History, Historical Evidence, Philosophical, Resurrection

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Some modern theologians have objections to the resurrection.  However, most historians – even the atheist and agnostic ones – agree on the historicity of the events surrounding the resurrection of Christ. The minimal facts approach proposes at least five facts which are generally agreed by everybody; Christ Died by Crucifixion The Empty Tomb There were Credible Witnesses to the Resurrection Many of the Original Skeptics were Converted to Christianity The Explosive Growth of the Christian Church There are still some imaginative excuses offered by skeptics who may not agree with some or all of the above noted minimal facts. These… Read More »

The Resurrection

The resurrection of Christ is at the center of Christianity; if not true, then Christianity is false.

Posted on November 24, 2019 by

Categories: Biblical History, Historical Evidence, Philosophical, Resurrection

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The resurrection of Christ is at the center of Christianity. While there may be different beliefs among churches as to exactly what Christ’s resurrection means for mankind, the historicity of the resurrection is a central belief shared by all Christian faiths. It is one of those non-negotiable beliefs that is required to be called a Christian. If there was no resurrection, then all the sacrifices Christians have made over hundreds of years, all the money invested in Christianity, all the time and service spent by countless millions of people, all of it would be useless. It would mean we are… Read More »

The Rolling Stones

The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem - one of the traditional burial sites of Christ.

Posted on November 22, 2019 by

Categories: Archaeology, Biblical History, Historical Evidence, Philosophical, Resurrection

According to the most popular Bible translations, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrived at Christ’s tomb and found the stone protecting the entrance to the tomb mysteriously had been “rolled away.” Most of the tombs in ancient Jerusalem had huge stones blocking the opening of the tomb in order to close it off from the outside world. The tomb was protected by these blocking stones for ritualistic reasons but also for practical purposes to keep wild animals out of the tombs. It has been a tradition to believe the stone that was in front of the opening to the… Read More »

Bible Translations

Bible Image

Posted on November 20, 2019 by

Categories: Philosophical

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People investigating the claims of Christianity are frequently confused by the multiple Bible translations in the English language.  The number of these versions can be truly overwhelming!  It would seem logical for something as important as the communication of God with mankind that there would be a definitive translation that gives the exact meaning of the oldest manuscripts. It seems like each generation produces at least one new Bible translations  This becomes important because some of the differences in Bible translations can change the meaning of the underlying text. To better understand how this confusion came about, it is important… Read More »