That is the question! I refer to the fallacy by that name which essentially means “you too” and is also known as the fallacy of “appeal to hypocrisy”. It is a diversionary tactic in debate, and it is a fallacy not only for that reason but also because the opponent’s alleged guilt is no proof… Continue reading»
This is my commentary on an article by the same name at American Thinker, a conservative political site. While I believe that religion must not be excluded as part of our culture and history as a nation, I also believe that unless God is directly running the government it should keep its nose out of… Continue reading»
Have you ever noticed that evil never creates or initiates, but only reacts? Recently there was a report of atheists un-blessing a highway with “unholy water”; the Christians do something and the anti-Christians try to undo it. The name “atheism” itself is a reaction, an anti-stance, a mirror image. Criminals destroy what others build up;… Continue reading»
That title is very familiar to Americans, being part of our Declaration of Independence. And we have added to the list of things that are deemed self-evident, to include the intrinsic equality of all human beings, regardless of race, sex, or creed. A human being, so identified by biology, has intrinsic worth as an autonomous… Continue reading»
This is for “the two of you”, and you know who you are. Sorry to everyone else for this bit of a scolding for them. I like closure as much as the next person, and I long for fellowship with civilized, rational people. But I draw the line at people bringing their issues here from… Continue reading»
When I gave birth the first time, I had no epidural. I felt everything. And my labor was 31 hours. (I was 37, fer literally cryin’ out loud!) But the nurse told me to do the most unintuitive thing: “push through the pain”; that is, the time to push is when it hurts the most.… Continue reading»
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” is the very familiar text of Prov. 22:6. Many sermons have been preached, and some (awful) books written, on what exactly that means for parenting. But all seem to treat it as some kind… Continue reading»
Back in November I wrote The Hamster Wheel, wherein I ranted about the poor treatment some Christians give others for disagreeing with them, and this being one of the reasons I no longer join their message boards. In the comments at that article, a particularly obnoxious member using the pseudonym “nobdysfool” was mentioned. Today I… Continue reading»
There’s a good and concise treatment of the issue of apostle regarding Junia here, including a list of all the other links in the series. I’ve written before that the essential meaning of apostle seems, from the examples we see in scripture, to be primarily that of what we now call a missionary, but more… Continue reading»
This oft-uttered bit of Christian jargon comes primarily from James 4:13-17 about people being too self-assured. But it has become an excuse to go to the other extreme: we do nothing, we decide nothing, we control nothing, we are responsible for nothing. It’s the ultimate fatalism, bearing its most ripe and obvious fruit in the… Continue reading»