Things that I've Written.
From Alpha to Omega
In case you missed it at the front page. This is my worldview, my system, my philosophy, my modus operandi, everything.
It is currently incomplete, and small parts of it will evolve in time. The above link will take you to the outline, and from there, you can go to the explanation or the notes.
My Trip to the East Coast
Last summer, I made a trip to the east coast to attend a wedding for my ex-roommate. Since I had never been in that area of the country, I decided to take the opportunity to visit Washington D.C., New York, and Philadelphia while I was there. Unfortunately I did not bring a camera with me, so there is little in the way of pictures to record my trip. But I did want something to remember this trip by, so I wrote this report.
Black, White, and Grey
In morality, we want to always be able to tell what's right and what's wrong. We want to see things in "black" and "white". But often, all we can make out is a shade of grey. What does this tell us about the nature of morality? Here, I consider two analogies which are insightful in our understanding of moral grey areas: The analogy between "black/white" and "right/wrong", and the analogy between the moral law and the laws of nature. Along the way, I come to several conclusions concerning how we should think about these grey areas.
In Defense of the Fine-Tuning Argument
This is a response to an article by Michael Ikeda and Bill Jefferys, which in turn is a response to the "fine-tuning" version of teleological argument. Hugh Ross, the principle proponent of the fine-tuning argument, claims that life could not have come about by chance in the universe, because of the incredible precision required by fundamental physical constants for life to exist. Ikeda and Jefferys claim that probability theory shows we cannot conclude supernaturalism from fine-tuning. They also mention some other objections to the fine-tuning arguments and design arguments in general. In this paper, I show that the analysis of Ikeda and Jefferys is flawed, that a proper application of probability theory supports the teleological argument, and answer the other objections mentioned in passing.
Rocks, the Biggest Rock, and Bigger Biggest Rocks
Surely, you've heard it asked, "Can God make a rock so heavy that he can't lift it?" But now I say to you, it depends. But it turns out not to matter. Find out why, find out how, and hope that we don't hear of this question again.
Ogun and God
What can be said about the morality of God? Is God good? Or evil? Does might make right? Is good God? This essay draws on the Book of Job and an ancient poem, that we may answer a few of the above questions. Addressed specifically to someone who believes that if God exists, then he is evil.
The Penalty of Sin
We know that Christ bore the penalty of our sins when he was crucified. But what precisely was that penalty? Was is the nails being hammered into his wrists? The crown of thorns on his head? Or the lashing of the whips that carved out his back? Or was there something more, something difficult to observe with our mortal eyes and impossible to comprehend with our mortal minds? Adapted from an email sent to a small group of Christians.
Questions from Seekers
A collection of questions from a group called seekers, who were mostly new Christians or nonchristians. They were asked anonymously over the course of a semester, and I have answered them to the best of my ability, while trying to keep the responses relatively short. Covers a wide range of topics, including evolution, hell, free will and predestination, and more. Edited a little to take out irrelevant personal references and accommodate small changes in my personal views.
Dealing with Moral Relativism
Moral relativism is a popular stance for the nonchristians in this age. While it should be debunked if for no other reason than for the sake of the truth, this is not necessary if your goal is only to persuade someone that he is a sinner. Normally, in order to convict the nonchristian of his sins, we present the absolute moral law of God, then disprove moral relativism, then show the him that he has transgressed against God's law. This process is fairly straightforward, but tedious if the nonchristian is not cooperative. Here, I offer an alternative to this standard method.
|
