Posted by Anthony on November 13, 2009
Ok, catchy title aside, in fact I mean to demonstrate only that it proves that the transcendent exists and is real- further argument would be required to get to the conclusion that there is a God as Christians understand him. 
We are all aware of the placebo effect. This is often described as being the result of ’sham’ or ‘fake’ treatments or pills with the fact being that the body would have ‘healed itself on its own’ or has its effect because the illness was ‘only in their mind.’
All of these attitudes represent a materialistic outlook, if not outright reductionism. This hard core atheistic outlook has been at the bottom of scientific development in all fields since the early 1900s, and this has certainly spilled over into medicine. This has sometimes been to the detriment, and even the embarrassment, of scientific progress as described in a book that is still one of my favorites, Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz’s The Mind and the Brain
. The book charts the history of brain science up to the point where it was finally admitted that thought itself appeared to be able to shape the matter of the brain.
The placebo effect, or if we wanted to call it the ‘belief effect,’ seems to be a real effect. It would appear that there is a real ability of the thoughts of the mind- which are at bottom, immaterial, to change the physical brain and body.
It is here that I put forward my fundamental point: these thoughts are immaterial. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Anthony on November 10, 2009
So ABC’s “V” was on again tonight. I enjoyed it. It lacked the same punch as the first episode but I still liked it. It seems a little hurried to me. Maybe there are too many commercials? I’ve seen other hour long shows that seemed to really carry a narrative so I know its possible. I can’t put my finger on it with “V” but it isn’t enough (yet) to push me away from future viewings.
In my previous post on the “V” series, I hoped that I would see some metaphysical conversation. Perhaps its too early in the series, but there wasn’t much in that regards. Ie, unlike the first episode, this one seemed to lack substance. It still got me thinking anyway. I will now outline some of those thoughts.
The visual effects are far superior to the previous incarnation of the series. Indeed, far superior to any show from the 80’s and earlier. The miracle of CGI!
But isn’t it interesting that we are able to recognize that just because the space ships we see hovering over American cities in this show, despite their incredible life like detail, are fictional? This uncanny ability (most) people have is interesting given our “Seeing is believing” society. There is a great deal on television, movie, and computer screens that appears to be absolutely real. Yet, we know it isn’t.
I’m sure that there are numerous ruminations to be explored there but I would like to make a point that I’ve made before but I think bears repeating. A tad bit of background will help.
It is sometimes argued by skeptics that an all knowing God that wanted everyone to know him would reveal himself indisputably to all and submit himself to modern inquiry. This can be disputed at a number of points but the one I’d like to focus on is this stunning truth: ironically and counter-intuitively, today’s modern technology makes it all the more difficult to ‘believe what we see.’ We all know that technology is amazing and can create amazing illusions. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Anthony on
As of this writing, I am facilitating a course/discussion regarding the decline of Christianity in America. Someone made a point in the discussion that is similar to one I’ve made previously… but I can’t find where I made it so I’m making it anew.
The question begins with a look at the measured increase in self-identified ‘religious nones’ in America since around 1990. (This data can be found linked to here.) In 1990, some 8% of Americans identified themselves as having no religion. Today, that figure has doubled. In the meantime, there has been a drop in those identifying themselves as Christians, from about 86% to 76% of the nation’s population. Some back of the napkin calculation suggests that some 30,000,000 fewer people call themselves Christian than did in 1990 with a significant portion of these falling into the ‘religious none’ category.
However, of note, the number of outright atheists has seen only a moderate increase. Even many of the ‘religious nones’ say they believe something.
You would hardly know this in a survey of the content on the Internet. The hard core atheists and secular humanists are over represented in blogs, forums, and the like. In the meantime, atheist apologists such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, etc, have a firm hand on the direction of dialog. Throughout this, the evolutionary party line is enforced in almost every place, except for the private consciences of the individual (for now). WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Anthony on September 5, 2009
This essay is long- some 2,000 words. But I think it is worth reading. Print it out if you like if that makes it easier.
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‘Individualism’ has a bad rap, even among Christians. To be fair, there are things in ‘individualism’ that I think are unhealthy or even immoral, too, but the key thing to remember is that any opposite of ‘individualism’ is not necessarily preferable. If we’re going to raise up ‘inter-connectedness’ (a neutral term, I hope) it must be done thoughtfully, and it cannot obliterate that which is moral or good in ‘individualism.’
The only folks that I’ve ever heard defend ‘individualism’ are the Objectivists- the offspring of Ayn Rand, that spunky atheist who escaped the clutches of communism. Rand’s views on the individual seem to be expressed most succinctly, and passionately, in her little book Anthem
, which is a favorite of mine. There is a flaw in her book however: the intrinsic value of the individual is assumed; no basis for it is provided.
And no wonder. In atheism, no basis for the value of the individual human can be provided. At best, the individual human values himself, and then out of concern for his own interests forges a social compact with other individual humans not hurt him. That is secular humanism at its core. But this can only go so far. Once ’social compacts’ are on the table, the ‘good of society’ becomes an obvious next step. “The most good for the most people.”
I won’t explore the inevitable progression from there (“Someone must decide what that good is”) and discuss the history of abuse that consistently emerged within these systems. These are not the point of this post, but you can find comments on it on this blog and the issue is discussed in my fictional book series, Birth Pangs.
The point, here, is that within secular humanism and atheistic systems, the only thing that lasts from one generation to the next is the State. Society and the State become the ‘highest’ level organism, and the individual a mere cell within it. From the point of view of the State, the individual has as much value as a skin cell which can be scraped off and safely discarded. Naturally, more valuable cells you want to keep around- while they have utility- but the ‘brain cells’ never lose sight of the fact that the cell’s value is strictly in what it can contribute to the ‘body.’ WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Anthony on July 22, 2009
Recently, I wrote a post calling on Christians to step up to their own obligations and not delegate them to others, in particular to the government. A couple of months ago I wrote a post drawing the connection between taxation and freedom. The first post and today’s are directed ONLY to Christians and should be read in that context. I submit that the two posts above be read in conjunction with this one in order to better grasp my points.
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For Christians who take the Bible as the authority, one must accept that the government has a certain, God-ordained, role. This is explicitly affirmed in Romans 13. Written during the time of Nero, the first Roman oppressor of Christians, the passage makes clear that submission to even the harshest governments is called for. But not absolute submission. Christians must still follow their moral conscience as that conscience has been informed by the Scriptures.
In the United States we have a democracy of sorts which creates problems in interpreting Romans 13 since at least in theory submission to the United State’s gov means submitting to ourselves. In theory, power and authority is delegated to the government and it rules ‘by the consent of the governed.’ This puts Christians in a unique position that I don’t believe is fully envisioned by Romans 13.
In short, since we are permitted to attempt to shape the policies of the government and even the form of it, the Christian church in America will be held accountable for how it has fulfilled the duties and obligations specifically described in the Bible as belonging to it… and it will also be held accountable for the actions of the government wherever it could be said that Christians had enough influence on it so as to be responsible for its decisions.
The Scriptures are clear: governments too will be judged. So, to the extent that the Christian Church is part of the government (‘consent of the governed’) or actually in control of it, we will be judged for that, too.
With the weight of this responsibility on our shoulders, we Christians must seek to fulfill the duties given to us as Christians and also think carefully about how we will influence the government’s conduct. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Anthony on April 22, 2009
The Athanatos Online Academy spring session is beginning soon. The 2-3 week courses begin at $19.95.
On May 1st, Greek (part 1) will be available. This three week course will introduce learners to the alphabet, basic grammar and vocabulary, and Greek language reference tools. By the end of the three weeks you will be able to explore the actual Greek text our English translations are derived from. Greek 1 and 2 are being taught by Glenn Jones. His ministry site is www.indefenseofthefaith.org. He is pursuing his MA in Religion at Reformed Theological Seminary.
Here is the direct link to the Greek courses.
The portal page for the academy is:
http://www.academyofapologetics.com
To access the actual course area (where you register and sign up for courses):
http://www.academyofapologetics.com/courses/
Available courses with their Start Dates:
May 1. Basic New Testament Greek Part 1
May 10. Reliability of the New Testament Documents
May 11. Hitler and Christianity [FREE!]
May 13. Christ Promised in the Old Testament
May 18. Study in Alleged Bible Contradictions
May 18. The Problem of Pain and Suffering
May 25. Basic New Testament Greek Part 2
June 1. The Historical Jesus: A Survey
Promote the Academy:
Download and print this bulletin insert for distribution in church bulletins. It can also be used as a simple flier to be handed out or can be forwarded as an attachment.
http://sntjohnny.com/front?dl_id=20
Posted by Anthony on April 17, 2009
In my last post I tried to explain that there is always a connection between freedom gained/diminished when governments tax. I was trying to make the point that one can’t speak of an economic system- any economic system- as freedom neutral. It was not my point, as some wags have suggested, to argue that all government is tyranny. It was only to ensure that we realize there is a connection.
One fellah went so far as to argue that on my reasoning stop signs decrease our freedom, too. And what about the four walls in our house, don’t they constrain us?!?!? I am afraid this misses the point. I repeat, the point was not to argue that all such considerations were wickedly evil. The point was to make sure that we are all aware of exactly what we are doing. Naturally, I think this person’s reasoning was skewed… on it, I suppose we should also take issue with our fleshly bodies. Oh, if only we were a wispy ghost, then we’d have freedom! 
A Facebook Discussion of this Issue
I raise these issues again in order to dispute a current description of the Tea Parties that were held the other day. No doubt, ‘higher taxes’ were on the agenda and people did not like the idea of putting the next generation and the generation after that into debt. That is only part of the picture. Tea Party participants (and sympathizers) also recognize that freedom and liberty is on the line, too. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
