A Bit of Orange

A famous, As-Seen-On-TV atheist once said that teaching children that there is a hell is child abuse. Naturally this means that every Christian parent, pastor, or Sunday school teacher is an evil criminal who needs to be rounded up into concentration camps.

But not Muslims. They’re  a protected class right now.

Let’s consider the logic of his position. It makes a fair amount of sense that if you tell a child they will burn forever in the literal tormenting fires of hell, that they will not accept it as comforting news. They may (and I say this as a lay person who is not a child psychologist) dislike the idea rather strongly. In fact, it may frighten them almost as much as the seven foot tall Easter Bunny costume stuffed full of half baked community college liberal arts student which their parents force them to sit on to get their picture taken at the mall every spring. Continue reading →

People all the times be saying, “Faith means believing in things which ain’t so.” Or sometimes, “Faith means believing things without, or sometimes in the teeth of evidence.”

And from these quotes, we can learn that some people, despite having been born and raised in the Christian West, have NO IDEA what the Bible says or what the church has taught for 2,000 years.

I personally think 2,000 years would be enough time for everyone to find the time to see what the Bible says before they go off writing books about it, but apparently I am being presumptuous. Thus to help you, my friends, I will show you what the Bible says: Continue reading →

Whenever dealing with deep theological and philosophical issues, all wise persons tend to let their minds wander toward Star Wars, especially the original trilogy, Episodes IV, V, and VI (that’s 4, 5 and 6 for those of you who don’t speak ancient Greek).

I  recently heard a question which comes up frequently when people are pondering the existence, character, and nature of God, which is “How do you reconcile the peace and love talk of Jesus with the war and genocide actions of God in the Old Testament?”

Sometimes people will just frame this question about the “slaughter of the Canaanites” which always makes me want to ask them, “Why are you so concerned with the killing of the Canaanites? Do you even KNOW any Canaanites? OF COURSE NOT! They’re all DEAD! For all you know they were the biggest jerks in the universe which YOU would have killed given half a chance!”

But it is a fair question. In the New Testament Jesus says “Love your neighbor” and in the Old Testament He apparently told the Israelites to kill all of the Canaanites. Seems like a sticky wicket doesn’t it?

Hmmm… I think Wicket was the name of that one Ewok in Return of the Jedi… Continue reading →

Anyone who knows any math will know that the single most certain truth on earth is that the Cubs will never win the pendant. Or this was true for 108 years…

Wait, no, I was going to say, the single most certain truth on earth is “2+2=4”. It is completely indisputable. Except when it’s wrong. I’m just going to come out and say it:

2 + 2 =7.

Continue reading →