hoping for redemption

"In terms of the study, you would have people who first score 9 or 10 dropping to 5 or even zero. But..."

Mon, 14 May 2012 22:57:57 -0400

“

In terms of the study, you would have people who first score 9 or 10 dropping to 5 or even zero. But they don’t report findings like that.

What they found instead is what you’d expect they found. People who initially answer in the intuitive mode, which is prone to easy, binary answers, will say, “Yes” or “No.” But when you engage their analytic side, they will say, “Well, actually, I do believe in God, but sometimes I’m confused by how God acts, and puzzled by some of God’s instructions, and distressed by some of God’s commands” and now the 9 or 10 moves to a 6, 7 or 8.

The great world religions have no problem with this phenomenon since none of them promote unthinking allegiance but instead provide an abundance of reasons why their system is credible while also allowing that there are challenges to belief no matter what system you adopt. The great traditions are about faith based on knowledge, or even about simply just seeing reality as it is, not about fanaticism that shuts its ears to any argument to the contrary.

”

- Analytic Thinking Promotes Qualified Belief, not Disbelief « Prof. John Stackhouse’s Weblog

Mon, 14 May 2012 22:29:21 -0400

Bible knowledge much?

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:00:22 -0400

Bible knowledge much?

Photo

Sat, 12 May 2012 23:49:12 -0400

christiannightmares: Baptist homophobes in North Carolina get...

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:12:28 -0400

christiannightmares:

Baptist homophobes in North Carolina get their wish (Found at Joe. My. God.)

“We Are Star Dust” - Symphony of Science (by...

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:48:34 -0400

“We Are Star Dust” - Symphony of Science (by melodysheep)

Preach, preacher.

Tue, 08 May 2012 21:50:12 -0400

Preach, preacher.

Thou shalt not commit logical fallacies.

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:50:10 -0400

Thou shalt not commit logical fallacies.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2012/05/05/the-big-four-markers-of-the-evangelical-tribe/

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:12:42 -0400

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2012/05/05/the-big-four-markers-of-the-evangelical-tribe/:

I’ve commended Jonathan Dudley’s excellent book, Broken Words, for his frank and insightful assessment of the four tribal markers that characterize the boundaries of American evangelicalism: abortion, homosexuality, evolution and environmentalism. Opposition to all four of those constitutes evangelical tribal identity.

Such opposition need not be active or particularly outspoken. What’s important is the “stance” of opposition, to use the lingo of the tribe. That “stance” must be “firm.”* When someone takes a “firm stance” against any of the Big Four, they solidify their identity as a member of the tribe in good standing. When the firmness of one’s stance against any of these four is in question, so too is one’s status, identity and membership in the tribe.

We need to hear these voices.

Thu, 03 May 2012 20:03:00 -0400

We need to hear these voices.

christiannightmares: An invitation from an incredibly...

Thu, 03 May 2012 19:56:26 -0400

christiannightmares:

An invitation from an incredibly progressive evangelical church (For a related post, click here http://christiannightmares.tumblr.com/post/2601211787/church-sign-the-peter-in-me-found-at)

"In Indonesia, the law guarantees citizens freedom of religion, but only as long as they adhere to..."

Thu, 03 May 2012 19:43:35 -0400

“In Indonesia, the law guarantees citizens freedom of religion, but only as long as they adhere to Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Confucianism or Hinduism. By expressing his atheism Aan - who posted the phrase “God doesn’t exist” on a Facebook page – is held to have breached Indonesia’s official state philosophy (known as the Pancasila), which requires citizens to have “Belief in the one and only God”.”

- http://blog.newhumanist.org.uk/2012/05/indonesian-atheist-faces-long-jail.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NewHumanistBlog+%28New+Humanist+Blog%29

A day late, but still good for several laughs.

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:32:20 -0400

A day late, but still good for several laughs.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/tonyjones/2012/03/28/a-better-atonement-jesus-dies-with-trayvon/

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:44:48 -0400

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/tonyjones/2012/03/28/a-better-atonement-jesus-dies-with-trayvon/:

“In other words, Jesus was with Trayvon, lying on the sidewalk, with a bullet in his chest. If Trayvon was able to cry out to God–and even if he was not–Jesus was there, with him, dying.

The call for us who live is to identify with Christ’s suffering and death, much as he has identified with us. In his death, we are united with his suffering. And in identifying with his resurrection, we are raised to new life.

In the crucifixion, God opens the Trinity to us. The eternal love of the Trinity is made available to us in the ultimately humbling act of death on a cross, and our experience of godforsakenness is overcome, for we are now welcomed into the relation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

"The homophobic Christian world should be applauding gay marriage. If it’s anything like the..."

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:51:36 -0400

“The homophobic Christian world should be applauding gay marriage. If it’s anything like the heterosexual variety, there goes the torrid sex it finds so disgusting.”

- http://www.faith-theology.com/2012/03/doodlings-another-sequel.html?m=1

Sounds about right.

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 21:02:18 -0400

Sounds about right.

I can’t think of a worse way to conceptualize serving...

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:15:43 -0400

I can’t think of a worse way to conceptualize serving one’s neighbor.

This guy spoke at my church when I was in high school. I had...

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:52:22 -0500

This guy spoke at my church when I was in high school. I had dinner with him a few times. That makes me embarrassed now.

Christian evangelists cost Dearborn 100k in legal fees.

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:48:49 -0500

Christian evangelists cost Dearborn 100k in legal fees.:

I don’t recall any of Jesus’ disciples suing the government when they were persecuted. Even if these evangelists are right legally, they are still wrong.

Retro video game version of the Last Supper. I love it.

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:27:05 -0500

Retro video game version of the Last Supper. I love it.