Tag: Rationality
A Public Apologia to James White
The Plea for an Apology “That particular argument I find deeply offensive. It is grossly unbiblical! It is not derived from any kind of biblical thought whatsoever. It is a philosophical trap that should not suggest itself to any biblically literate Christian. So yes, Dr. Stratton, I call upon you to recognize the foolishness of … Continue reading A Public Apologia to James White
Rationality Argument Against EDD: A Matter of Life and Death
It is far too common to see many former church-goers today identify as an “ex-vangelical” or proclaim that they have “deconstructed” from the Christian faith. These are folks who were raised in the Church, but are now leaving the Church. This is a concern. There are several factors contributing to this movement.[1] I believe, however, … Continue reading Rationality Argument Against EDD: A Matter of Life and Death
Practical Rationality & Middle Knowledge
In a forthcoming paper entitled Does the Purpose Theory of the Meaning of Life Entail an Irrational God, I defend the Purpose Theory (PT) of the meaning of human life. PT is the position that God’s telic creation of human beings is a necessary condition for human life to be objectively meaningful. My defense of … Continue reading Practical Rationality & Middle Knowledge
What Professor Asma Doesn’t Give Us About What Religion Gives Us
Abstract: In this paper, I critique Professor Asma’s article What Religion Gives Us (That Science Can’t). I raise a three-fold objection to his claim that religion is irrational, followed by three related points of assessment. In short, I argue that his claim that religion is irrational is unwarranted. Introduction In What Religion Gives Us (That Science … Continue reading What Professor Asma Doesn’t Give Us About What Religion Gives Us
Deliberation Requires Liberation
The Freethinking Argument Against Naturalism is a staple at FreeThinking Ministries and a great way to show naturalists that we have good reason to think there is more to reality than just the stuff scientists can test and discover. The original 8-step argument is also a good conversation starter about free will. Several versions of … Continue reading Deliberation Requires Liberation
The Vanishing “I”
Question: Tim, you suggest that the determinist would probably think, or be committed to thinking, that either God or nature evaluates our beliefs (one of these is “the ‘thing’ evaluating and judging” our beliefs). But at the same time, you allow that on determinism we have mental states, presumably including these evaluative mental states (about … Continue reading The Vanishing “I”
Why Should Christians Care About Logic?
I was at a Christmas party a few years ago and someone walked up to me and began talking to me about my views on God. At one point in the conversation he asked the age-old question, “Can God make a rock so heavy that he himself can’t lift it?” Among other things, I mentioned … Continue reading Why Should Christians Care About Logic?
The Price of Denying Free Will
Every time I turn around I find someone else denying that humans have free will. From scientists to philosophers to theologians, it’s the cool new trend. We aren’t actually making free choices. We have been programmed either by God or our DNA to act in a certain way and have no choice but to follow … Continue reading The Price of Denying Free Will
Robots & Rationality
Determinists determined to defend determinism often counter the Freethinking Argument by proclaiming that computers seem to be rational and they do not possess libertarian free will. They state this is sufficient refutation of premise (3) of the Freethinking Argument, and therefore, the conclusions: free will exists, the soul exists, and naturalism is false, do not follow. This article exposes … Continue reading Robots & Rationality
Can Evolution Account for Rationality?
The topic of my master’s thesis while at Biola University focused on what it means to genuinely be a “freethinker.” This argument — called the Freethinking Argument Against Naturalism — deductively proves that not only does libertarian free will exist, but so does the human soul. If the human soul exists, then the worldview of naturalism goes … Continue reading Can Evolution Account for Rationality?