Genesis 1: What does it actually say? April 13, 2009
Posted by Ian in Religion.Tags: Bible, Genesis
16 comments
Christian creationists claim that genesis trumps science for an explanation of origins. While the general claims of genesis are well known it has been a while since I sat down and actually read the thing so today I did just that. All of genesis 1 is repeated below along with my commentary on a verse by verse basis. Since all the versions of the bible seem to say similar things I chose the King James Version (taken from the bible gateway here) as the version to analyse. Some scholars say the original texts are the only relevant ones, while others say that the most recent are the closest to gods intention. The KJV sits right in the middle and seems to be quite commonly referred to. Not being a biblical scholar I don’t have much more basis for my choice than that but ultimately it shouldn’t make much difference – the story is pretty much the same. (more…)
The Paradoxes of God April 10, 2009
Posted by Ian in Religion.21 comments
One of the peculiar things about religion, and specifically about various descriptions of gods, is the number of paradoxes that seem to pop up when trying to have proper discussions about it. This post explores some of the ones I have come across in no particular order. While of course they don’t “prove” anything, they are fascinating to think about and also provide some interesting challenges for theists. (more…)
Foundational Falsehoods of Creationism April 7, 2009
Posted by Ian in Religion, Science.4 comments
This is another excellent video series on youtube by youtube user AronRa along the lines of the Made Easy and Why Do People Laugh at Creationists series I have blogged on earlier. This video series sets out to highlight fundamental falsehoods underlying creationism rather than addressing the specific claims of individuals. (more…)
Religion as a Club January 9, 2009
Posted by Ian in Religion.Tags: Clubs, Religion
4 comments
One of the biggest problems that I have with religions is not that they exist, but that they expect their existence to warrant special attention. There is not really any justification for this however despite a long tradition of society giving religion a special place in the world. This begs the question of why we do so, and whether or not we should do so. (more…)
The Evidence for Religion January 6, 2009
Posted by Ian in Religion.Tags: Evidence, God, Religion
10 comments
Time to kick off 2009 my blogging by diving in the deep end 
What evidence is there that Religion’s view of the world is correct? Leaving aside the trivialities of which version to believe (since they all seem to believe roughly the same thing) what are the basic claims about the way the world is that religion makes for which evidence is needed? The way I see it these fall into two basic claims around which the rest of the belief system operates:
- A supernaturally powerful god exists
- There exists an afterlife for humans
At first glance this might seem too short a list but I think everything else pins itself to these two fundamentals. (more…)
John Shook vs William Lane Craig Debate August 2, 2008
Posted by Ian in Religion.Tags: Debate, John Shook, William Lane Craig
62 comments
This debate preceded the Craig vs Cooke debate in NZ this year but unlike that nonevent, is actually a thoroughly enjoyable debate. The information from YouTube:
On Tuesday, January 22 2008, Dr. William Lane Craig (Theist) and Dr. John Shook (Atheist) debated the question “Does God Exist?” on the University of British Columbia campus.
“Made Easy” Video Series July 10, 2008
Posted by Ian in Religion, Science.Tags: Potholer54, Religion, youtube
20 comments
Another excellent video series on YouTube is the “Made Easy” series by YouTube user Potholer54. There are 12 videos in the series covering the science behind the origins of the universe, life, people and so forth. As well as explaining the concepts behind how we came to know what we do know about the world around us, it also directly addresses a bunch of creationist claims.
Dawkins and Lennox discussion July 9, 2008
Posted by Ian in Religion.Tags: Dawkins, Lennox, Religion
5 comments
A fascinating discussion between two very interesting characters. This is a great example of how polite direct conversation can achieve so much more in a shorter space than debates. All the clutter is gone and the two can interact as they want to make for a dynamic and potentially useful outcome.
Why do People Laugh at Creationists? July 1, 2008
Posted by Ian in Religion.Tags: Creationism, Thunderf00t, youtube
8 comments
Why do people laugh at creationists?
Only creationists don’t know why.
There is the punch line to a great series of 24 (so far) videos on YouTube entitled “Why do people laugh at creationists?” by a YouTube poster called Thunderf00t. They highlight the very worst logic that creationists have to offer and offer well thought out and insightful counterarguments to the nonsense.
