Piltdown Superman

A common claim among misotheists is that atheism is a "lack of belief" in God, which is intellectually lazy and self refuting. Rocks lack belief in God . Christians who believe the Bible presuppose it is true, and people have all the evidence they need but suppress it (Romans 1:18-22). This inner knowledge is seen in children and adults. A common argument for design is that a building has a builder, a painting has a painter, and the far more complex human body must also have a designer. That would be the Master Engineer of the Bible. Tracks on algae in pond, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen In the picture of a pond, something made tracks in the algae. I wonder what did it. People watch animals go through the motions to build something that seems like they are being creative, but they are really just acting upon what they were designed to do. This points back to the Creator. Indeed, it goes beyond reasoning things out. Sometimes there are emotional reactions like a sense of wond

It is not news that people throughout history have hated the Jews, and many want to eradicate them from their land. Especially Mohammedans, who have thugs working toward that end who murder men, women, and children. Modern Israel is a small strip land that most people would find unappealing. Yet the Hebrew people have survived persecutions and attempted genocide for millennia. The state of Israel testifies of fulfilled prophecy , which in turn indicates that the Word of God is true. The hand of God can be seen keeping Israel in existence. Israel Flag, Unsplash / Stanislav Vdovin Other peoples in the area inhabit historic lands, but modern Jews are genetically who they claim to be. Fanatical Islamic groups like Hamas and others want to join with the Palestinians (who have a flag but never had a country ) in destroying the Jews. Hatred for Israel seems to have been increasing in recent years, with the American Democrat party supporting terrorists! Hebrews have survived for thousands of y

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  We saw that scoffers play a "Gotcha!" game by pretending they found contradictions in the Bible . Another version of this game is to use ad hominem  attacks against creation scientists, such as claiming they did not graduate from credentialed colleges or Duane Gish used the "Gish Gallop" ( a falsehood that I refuted ). One creationist was apparently involved in wrongdoing. Biblical creationists must tread carefully so they do not give skeptics reasons to mock. More importantly, we want to glorify God by living and acting biblically in daily and professional lives. Here is an exception. Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge over Hudson River from Poet's Walk, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen In 1989, Russian creationist Dr. Dmitri Kouznetsov wrote a peer-reviewed paper for  International Journal of Neuroscience . There were some people who checked the references Kouznetsov used but several were not found. (Do the peers who review check references or ju

When scoffers play what I call the "Gotcha!" game (where they seek alleged errors and contradictions in the Bible), their efforts are pathetic. Indeed, the Skeptic's Annotated Bible  is an ambitious project but done without knowledge and logic. One pastor has refuted 300 of the alleged contradictions all by his lonesome. Some alleged errors are resolved with some basic thinking. Many can be defeated by considering the contexts of the passages under attack. Other questions need knowledgeable folks who know how to dig deeper into the languages and cultures of the periods. Bible open to Deuteronomy, RGBStock / Billy Frank Alexander People have wondered about the ending of Deuteronomy, as Moses was the author of that and the other four books of the Pentateuch — but it ends with his death. Naturally, the question arises as to how he wrote about his own death. Some with Atheism Spectrum Disorder act like the Bible authors and biblical scholars over thousands of years somehow m

Atheists and other unbelievers often attempt to find ways of negating the importance of the Bible. It is extremely common for them to say that the creation account is wrong because it is out of keeping with secular origins stories. Another attempt to negate the Bible by stating, "Your holy book condones slavery!" Restrain your equines, Erika. There is a great deal happening here, not the least of which is conflating slavery in the culture of the ancient Near East with the very different slave trade of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Woman in chains, PxHere Yes, slavery is discussed in the Bible, but manstealing was forbidden. Ancient Israel wanted to be like neighboring nations, so God gave strict guidelines for the treatment of slaves. Those slaves were given better treatment in Israel than elsewhere. Also, conquered people were often taken as slaves by Israel. If you study on it a spell, this is actually merciful because the men were killed in battle — women and ch

As anyone who pays attention to the origins controversy is probably aware, atoms-to-atheist evolution is far more famous than biblical creation science. Evolution is not simply a biological discussion, but a worldview that is diametrically opposed to biblical creation . Scientists are not ethical monoliths. Some have cheated and committed fraud to advance their careers and profit. Atheists have no consistent moral foundation, and some even appeal to evolution for morality . Humans want some kind of freedom outside of the Creator's boundaries like a goldfish desires freedom outside the tank. Girl and cyborg, Pixabay /  Gerd Altmann (geralt) Christians hear the word doctrine  quite often, but it is not a "religious" word. A doctrine is a set of principles in a framework that is given for belief or practice. There are military, political, and other doctrines. Although it is not likely to be found in a book of Christian doctrines, we need to consider the doctrine of creaturel

Every once in a while, there will be news about a gospel, Bible fragment, or other ancient text that purports to provide special insight. People get all a-twitter about these things, thinking that knowledge can be gained from texts that were omitted from the Bible. Here is an expensive word that may impress your friends if you use it: pseudepigrapha . Essentially, it is an ancient text that is falsely attributed to a famous person. There are quite of few of those things. An infancy gospel is credited to Thomas, and I doubt he would approve of it. Apostle St. Thomas / El Greco, ca. 1612 One of my suspicions as to why people like rejected writings is that people want to feel special, and having what appears to be knowledge that others don't have may give them that imagined superiority. Indeed, that also fits with Gnosticism . While Gnosticism does not really have one definition and has changed over the centuries, essentially it means special esoteric knowledge. Also, they tend to b

So, how about those Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, huh? Really impressive things worth writing home about... Except for one, all we have are stories and historical records. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon have been misnamed for more than one reason. According to traditional accounts, the gardens did not exactly hang, but were grown on roofs and things in the palace of Babylon. But the moniker did not get corrected. History is sketchy about them, and not written by eyewitnesses. Checking more closely, they were probably in a different location altogether. Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Wikimedia Commons / 19th century illustration (PD) People who bother to read their Bibles should recognize the name of Assyria. It was a kingdom. Vicious, nasty people at times. That was a reason Jonah did not want to obey God and call Nineveh, the capital, to repentance. He wanted God to punish them, and was disappointed that they did repent for a while. Later on, they went back to being bad dudes. Ass

Trevor "Red" Schnapper had just come back from fishing. We talked a spell in the general store while I was waiting for my order to be picked. He said that while sitting in his boat, he commenced to pondering how atheists claim to be "good without God" but their thinking is as deep as a saucer. There are atheists who lead moral lives and can be decent folks. However, their standard of goodness is relative. They may compare themselves to famous bad people and look good. These folks are moral according to the society in which they live. Some professing atheists (Rom. 1:18-23) realize they have a dilemma in accounting for an ultimate foundation. Christians know that our ultimate foundation is God our Creator; he makes the rules and we need to get into the Bible to find out what he has to say. Some atheists appeal to evolution. That idea collapses under examination. C.O. from the US wrote: Hello CMI team, Thank you so much for your ministry. I have a quick question- is

Although is is often interesting to learn about archaeological discoveries, it must be a tough job. Study on it. Not only are things very old and fragile, but archaeologists must study history, false narratives, shifting borders, languages — and modern political situations that may bring their work to a screeching halt. The Bible contains accurate history; nothing in it has been contravened by archaeology. Those of us who believe the Bible are not rattled by fallacious arguments from silence (something has not been found), knowing it is inerrant. Archaeology helps clear up certain things. Tablet from Nuzi, Wikimedia Commons / Zunkir ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) When reading the Genesis narrative around the time of Abraham, people may wonder, "What's that all about?" We know why Sarai told Abram to go in to her maidservant Hagar in Genesis 16, but it turns out that she is not the first person to suggest this. Also, why did Rachel steal her father's household gods in Genesis 31, a

Although many Western countries developed from Christian principles, they are becoming increasingly secular. Even so, there are still some undercurrents of those ideals in society. A woman announces that she is expecting a child and people celebrate. Ultrasound pictures are shown. Expectant parents love this person they have never met in the flesh. Evolution devalues humanity and atheists desperately cling to that myth. It is not just a biological subject but a worldview. Evolutionists consider all forms of life to be related — and equally meaningless. But they cannot consistently live with such beliefs. Woman showing ultrasound, Unsplash / Christin Noelle People with a secular (indeed, anti-Christian) worldview celebrate death. People like this are usually on the political left, and it has been said that abortion is like a sacrament for them. They celebrate the killing of unborn babies! And yet, they get involved in conservation efforts and want to save the baby seals. The Christian

First, a look behind the scenes. I did not title this using the singular possessive because of the way titles and certain other things are rendered. In this case, Noah's Ark. When challenging a position someone holds, rational people try to understand the opponent's point of view. The material should be examined to see if it is internally consistent and not chock full o' arbitrary assertions. Scoffers presuppose atheism, naturalism, deep time, evolution, and so on. To them, Noah's Ark and the Genesis Flood are just stories and not historical narratives.  Noah's Ark at Answers in Genesis, Unsplash / Elias Null Misotheists do not honestly examine what biblical creationists say for consistency and plausibility, instead writing it off because they filter what they say through their own worldview. Essentially, a straw man argument. They like to put Christians on the defensive and expect us to defend views we don't hold. We don't have to. You savvy that, Pilgr

Several countries have special days set aside to pay tribute to those killed in the service of their countries. Today is ours. One tradition is to put American flags on graves of the fallen, and people tend to blur Veterans Day (which honors living people in the armed forces) with Memorial Day. It is a good thing to have holidays to prompt us to remember the fallen, and also for other noteworthy times in a culture or individual lives. We do something similar with birthdays and anniversaries. Establishing reminders is found in the Bible. Memorial Day flags and cross / Pxhere God instituted symbols and feasts to prompt Israel to remember him and what he did for them. The most obvious in the Old Testament is the rainbow, which is God's promise to never flood the entire earth again. Another famous reminder is  Passover , which had detailed instructions for the observance. Yesterday at church, we had Communion (the Lord's Supper). Passover was a strong foreshadowing of the time when

Dating methods are fraught with problems. Secular scientists admit it on occasion. Also, the conflicting results and poor reasoning are brought to the fore by biblical creation scientists. Historical records are suspect because victors often write history, and in ancient times, often embellished the stories. Archaeometric dating is a reasonable idea at first glance. Ancient artifacts often contain bits of iron, and when it is heated (such as when cities were burned), the conditions of Earth's magnetic field are shown. Sounds like a plausible way to calibrate a dating method. Clay brick inscribed with the name of Nebuchadnezzar II, WikiComm / Dr. Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) It doesn't work. Secular scientists make a number of assumptions, primarily uniformitarianism ("the present is the key to the past") and deep time. The magnetic field of the earth was stronger in the past, but there were times of great changes in it. Observations and models of bibli

In some ways, being born homosexual is a "gotcha" situation to condemn God. That is, if he created people that way, then he is wrong to say that their lifestyles are sinful. Proponents say that gay behavior that appears homosexual is seen in animals, so a hasty generalization is made to justify it in human behavior. People have long wondered what causes homosexuality. Many speculations have been proposed, including a "gay gene" — which does not exist (look it up). Perhaps it has a basis in biology? There has been a great deal of research in this area. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, no gay gene, based on Sidney Paget (1893) with Clker clipart added It is not surprising to this child that research and studies were faulty. Geneticists tried to pinpoint a cause, and studies were undertaken regarding biological causes. The studies were poorly conducted, the best results being that more research is needed but with larger sample groups. The word  gay  was appropriated f

Posts and articles here will be sporadic for a few days or weeks until things get more under control. People are totally (heh!) excited about the February 8, 2024 solar eclipse, even more so than they were in 2017. Scientists can make observations, make predictions, test equipment, and so on. I'm happy for them. This one will be a bit different than the last one . It is not just for scientists, either. Just two days ago at church, I was talking with a couple of ladies who have friends in the area of totality. They are taking a trip there. Also, I saw people asking a worker at a big box store if they had the eclipse glasses. Get ISO 12312-2 from a reputable dealer to be safe . So I was surprised to hear that God's judgment on the formerly United States is part of the festivities. Total solar eclipse 2017, NASA / Aubrey Gemignani (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Bluntly, these people who see "signs" and "prophecy fulfillment" are embarras

With tears in my eyes, I know that my beloved wife is having her first Easter observance in Heaven; this is my first one without her after so many years together. Despite the pain, those of us in Christ do not grieve like those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). Our hope is not based on wishful thinking, but on the certainty of new life because Jesus was bodily raised from the dead (Matt. 28:5-8). Once again, I speak of the grand reunion with those who have gone before. The Resurrection Day , Jesus with Mary Magdalene, possibly by Heinrich Hoffman (public domain) Those who do not have Jesus as the Lord of their lives do not have that hope, that certainty, of salvation and of Heaven. Some cherish their sins on Earth too much and would rather have an eternity in Hell. That's right, I said it!  Others are resisting the call, but all of us are sinners (Rom. 3:23) and have earned death, but the gift of God is life with him (Rom. 6:23). You, too, can have hope and be adopted as a child of

There are many stories floating around about Nicolas Copernicus, but many are completely false. (Atheistic revisionists are partly to blame.) He was in fact a Christian who believed that studying the heavens glorified God. His views did not contradict the Bible. Copernicus is credited with the heliocentric view (the earth orbits the sun). He reluctantly brought forward his view. Church leaders were enthusiastic about it at first, and geocentric (the earth moves around the sun) scientists and philosophers opposed him. Copernicus in the tower at Frombork , Jan Matejko, 1872 His model was discussed for about seventy-five years, but it seems to have received some backlash from Galileo. Frankly (mind if I call you Frank?), Galileo was a bit of a jerk and brought trouble on himself . (Atheistic revisionists made up many things about him, too.) Galileo drew from the work of Copernicus, then brought physical evidence to the discussion of which objects orbits what; it was no longer just philoso

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Evolution News and Science Today  is run by the Discovery Institute, the leading proponents of Intelligent Design. Despite what propagandists for universal common descent evolution claim, ID is not  creation science in disguise. An article on that site, " Are Proponents of ID Religiously Motivated, and Does It Matter? " inspired this one. The author, Dr. Jonathan McLatchie, made some excellent points in his response to a critic, especially noting that logical fallacies were utilized — which is typical of advocates of evolutionism. Image by Cowboy Bob Sorensen, modified with FotoSketcher Dr. McLatchie pointed out that when the critic of ID claimed that they were religiously motivated, it was a genetic fallacy (also, it poisons the well) . What is too often ignored is the fact that secularists are religiously motivated themselves, as many have religions without deities. This screenshot from X (formerly Twitter) shows a religious attitude toward Dragon Ba

The other day, I heard a supervisor in a big box store telling an employee that his next duty was to work on fast track. Being in a meddlesome mood, I asked what that meant, since it clearly was not a quick way to management or something. Instead, it was the plastic strip at the base of a shelf that holds price labels. Something I have emphasized many times (and occasionally forget) is the importance of word definitions in discussions. Businesses, regions, and so on have their own special words. A problem exists when established words are redefined to fit an agenda. Dictionary Page, Unsplash / Romain Vignes The word evolution  has several different meanings, but the most frequent connotation is of particles-to-pedagogue evolution — Darwin's disciples gleefully exploit that connotation. Also, professing atheists become furious — furious , I tell you — when it is pointed out that atheism is a religion . They say, "We don't worship a deity!" as they cry in their beer . T