Josiah Concept MinistriesJosiah Concept MinistriesAn apologetics blog dedicated to using common sense and discernment to test what is good. I discuss Roman Catholicism, Atheism, and New Age religions. 
Articles
Great News
2008-06-08 01:22:00 Amid heartbreaking news that always seems to clog my RSS feeds, every once in a while a good one shines through. Finley Crampton was born to Jodie Percival and Billy Crampton weighing in at 6 pounds 3 ounces three weeks premature. An everyday occurrence, right? Not this baby: The couple had tried to ... More About: News , Great
PZ Myers and Hubris
2008-06-08 00:13:00 Atheist PZ Myers , who has an extremely popular blog, a fact which continually surprises me, has made a comment in this blog entry that shows he is the modern embodiment of Satan’s war on God. After describing the book of Genesis as a “little scrap of piss-poor poetry that half this country wants to make the ... More About: Atheism , Apologetics
Homosexual Agenda?
2008-06-07 13:30:00 I picked on him yesterday, too. Now I’m picking on him again. Odder Stories has this post, which I partially agree with: Anyone who is gay, knows gay people or has an ounce of common sense should realize that the Gay Agenda myth is ridiculous. . . . But those who preach the idea of a ... More About: Apologetics , Homosexual agenda
?Odder Stories? Accuses Me of Racism
2008-06-06 19:22:00 How, as a Christian apologist, do I gauge how well I’m doing? By this verse: If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (Jn 15:19, emphasis added) I ... More About: Stories , Morality , Racism , Apologetics
Terrible Advice from Atheist Revolution
2008-06-05 22:08:00 VJack from Atheist Revolution has given some terrible advice about witnessing to atheists. He says not to do it. I advocate ignoring that advice completely. VJack says: I know your church says you are supposed to do this and that you’ll win friends and magic Jesus points for your efforts. I know your bible makes you ... More About: Atheism , Advice , Morality
New Website
2008-06-05 09:25:00 I’ve decided to refute the unfortunate website Why Won’t God Heal Amputees point by point. The format will be similar to God is NOT Imaginary. I’ve already got two chapters done! Check out the new website at http://godandamputees.wordpress.com. Eventually, I hope to give God is NOT Imaginary and God and Amputees their own domain names. That ... More About: Site News , Website
We?re Back in Business at God is REAL!
2008-05-25 23:52:00 I’ve started posting again at God is NOT Imaginary with my answer to Brain’s so-called “refutation” of Pascal’s Wager. Click here to read it! More About: Business , Back , Real , Apologetics
Wisconsin Law Might Excuse Madeline Neumann?s Parents
2008-05-20 20:37:00 If my little girl is sick, she goes to the doctor. I pray for God to use the doctor to heal my daughter. I don’t pray and hope it all gets better. But that’s exactly what the parents of Madeline Neumann did, and now they are charged with reckless homicide. There may be a sang, however. Wisconsin has ... More About: Prayers , Parents , Excuse
Women in the Bible
2008-05-20 03:31:00 Many people charge the Bible with denigrating women. I’ve written and podcasted about how the Bible only elevates women. But I realize that I’ve missed something important–the concept of servant leadership. Ephesians 5:22, the famous “Wives, submit to your own husband as to the Lord” verse, the apostle Paul seems to be denigrating women. ... More About: Women , Apologetics , The Bible
Theodicy: God is Good
2008-05-19 05:46:00 In an article entitled “Good God?“, atheist Peter Singer addresses some usual answers that Christians forward when faced with the question of why evil exists if God is good. His answers reveal much about the shallow reasoning that atheists display when pondering the tough questions. I will discuss his answers. Singer starts by reasoning the following: ... More About: Atheism , Theology , Apologetics
We Missed You, Jeff!
2008-05-07 05:14:00 Jeff Haws, the proprietor of The Atheocracy, is always a pleasure to answer for several reasons. First, he’s much friendlier than his counterparts. He is nothing but professional and polite. Second, he’s a journalist. He’s doing what I want to do for a living, so I can take a page out ... More About: Apologetics , Jeff
Day 2b: Unshakable Faith
2008-05-04 04:29:00 It seems as though the audience favorite was Dinesh D’souza tonight. The lanky scholar received thunderous applause after his speech on New Atheism. D’souza had several tough acts to follow, including a very enlightening speech on the bodily Resurrection of Christ from Dr. William Lane Craig and a lecture on inerrancy of Scripture from Dr. Norman Geisler. I have only one regret for this conference. I probably won’t ever get the chance to do it again. After all, how often do I run into William Lane Craig? I wish I had challenged Dr. Craig’s view of Calvinism. Dr. Craig fell into exactly the same trap that I describe in my post on predestination, only he runs into it with God’s sovereignty. Dr. Craig assumes that the Calvinist and hyper-Calvinist views of human freedom are one in the same. Dr. Craig affirms the Molinist view of God’s middle knowledge while attacking the Calvinist view of God’s sovereignty as deterministic. Whil... More About: Faith
Day 2a: Unshakable Faith Conference
2008-05-03 18:47:00 The high point of the first half of day 2 of Unshakable Faith was Dr. William Lane Craig’s presentation of Leibniz’s argument for the existence of God. It goes like this: Everything that exists must have a cause, either as an intrinsic necessity or from some external source. If the universe has a cause, it must be ... More About: Personal , Theology , Prayers , Apologetics
Day 1: Unshakable Faith
2008-05-03 03:15:00 It is day one of the Unshakable Faith Conference put on at Landmark Cincinnati. The pastors hope that this will become an annual event, but they don’t think that they can top this first year. I’m inclined to agree. First on the menu this evening was Dr. Norman Geisler presenting a talk that the program title ... More About: Personal , Atheism , Prayers , Apologetics
Parents Charged in Death of Madeline Neumann
2008-05-01 10:04:00 As a father and a Christian, I would never leave my daughter’s health up to fate. Look at that sweet face, beautiful eyes, and that smile that can melt your heart! She is one gorgeous baby, that is certain. I couldn’t look into the face of this child who trusts me implicitly with her very ... More About: Personal , Prayers , Death , Parents , Madeline
Final Objection to Predestination
2008-04-28 09:00:00 I’ve posted much on the topic of predestination lately. I have posted a general definition here, on its definite nature according to the counsel of God’s will here, and finally on the two-edged sword of double predestination here. The two primary objections to predestination are the hyper-Calvinist error of double predestination, and the ... More About: Theology , Final , Apologetics , Calvinism , Predestination
Interesting Thought…
2008-04-26 08:50:00 I wish I could take credit for this thought, but I can’t. It originated with John Crane from The Daily Detour. It is a deep thought, and one worthy of consideration by everyone on each side of the abortion debate. Why is it that when an outside party causes the death of unborn children, it is considered murder whereas if the mother causes the death of the unborn child it is considered a choice? Here’s the situation: a pregnant teller was shot during a bank robbery. She was pregnant with twins and she lost both babies. The shooter is no longer considered a bank robber–he is now a murderer. He rightfully should be! He caused the death of two innocent children. But what if the mother had decided to terminate the pregnancy? Well, that wouldn’t be murder for some reason in the eyes of the law. It would be considered a choice. The children have the same rights as a full-blown human in the first scenario. They have no rights–they are simply f... More About: Interesting
Let Sleeping Saints Lie, Please!
2008-04-25 04:28:00 Fifteen thousand people attended the Mass this morning that exposed the remains of Padre Pio for public veneration. I think that this is disgusting, personally. Already 750,000 people have made reservations to venerate the remains of the most popular saint of the twentieth century. More than a million people are expected to file past a glass casket holding his restored corpse between now and the end of the year. Catholic practices allow for the remains of saints to be exhumed, checked for their state of deterioration, and put on display as relics for veneration. (source) What are they venerating? Old flesh and dried bones. This is the object of their veneration. Jesus has said that the flesh is no help to us (Jn 6:63). It is His Spirit that gives us life. Jesus, therefore, should be the object of worship–not flesh and bone that can do nothing for us. More About: Sleeping , Saints
Scientology Hard at Work Suppressing Its Critics
2008-04-19 06:42:00 Recently, reports have circulated that actor Jason Beghe, a former Scientologist, has denounced his religion. Beghe is reported as saying that “Scientology is destructive and a rip off.” He goes on to say “[Scientology is] very, very dangerous for your spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional health and evolution. I think it stunts your evolution. If Scientology ... More About: Work , Hard , Apologetics , Critics
Did I Contradict Jesus?
2008-04-16 18:52:00 Christian, the keeper of the blog Free Thinking Joy, has accused me of contradicting Jesus : In my remarks about the Ten Commandments, I have come to the conclusion that their real content can be summarized as “Treat others as you would like to be treated by them”, also known as the Golden Rule. Jesus, as quoted ... More About: Atheism , Theology , Apologetics
Ten Commandments for Atheists, pt. 2
2008-04-15 23:13:00 The ironically named Christian, proprietor of Free Thinking Joy, asserts that the Ten Commandments are perfectly compatible with atheism. It is absurd on its face to think that any of the first four commandments, which center on man’s relationship to God, could be followed or even understood by atheists. Christian’s analysis is flawed, as ... More About: Atheism , Theology , Apologetics
Ten Commandments for Atheists
2008-04-15 09:17:00 “I guess that most atheists may not be aware of the fact that they observe the Ten Commandments better than many observant Jews and Christians,” says Christian, keeper of Free Thinking Joy. Let’s examine his post and see if that is true or if Christian is blowing smoke. 1. You shall have no ... More About: Theology , Apologetics , Atheists
Double Predestination?
2008-04-14 19:42:00 My church attendance has been absolutely lousy. Normally, I work an opening shift on Sunday–which means that I go in at 6:00 am and I’m off at 4:00 pm. This is not a good Sunday work schedule for a church goer, since it means that I’m working right through the service. This Sunday, however, ... More About: Theology , Double , Apologetics , Calvinism , Predestination
R.C. Sproul
2008-04-14 09:01:00 Christians In Context has been doing a series of “theologian trading cards,” where they take popular theologians and put their faces on baseball card-like graphics. Then they explain a little bit about who the theologian is and what he has done. The most recent entry into the series is a theologian that I respect very much, ... More About: Apologetics
Catholic Superstition
2008-04-12 09:53:00 Catholicism seems to lend itself well to superstition. Reference the St. Joseph statue. A Catholic bookstore near my house sells these little novelty statues of St. Joseph with instructions that if you bury it on the property that you’re trying to sell, it will beseech St. Joseph to help the sale along. Two articles ... More About: Apologetics , Catholic , Superstition , Roman Catholicism
Update on Monique Davis
2008-04-12 09:28:00 Illinois Representative Monique Davis , whose Christian witness has been forever tainted by misplaced remarks about atheists and atheism, has done what a Christian should do in her shoes–she apologized. Instead of a public apology, Representative Davis apologized directly to the one she offended. Personally, I think that this shows great humility on Davis’s part. It ... More About: Atheism , Update , Apologetics
Fear
2008-04-11 20:26:00 The recent comments made by Illinois State Representative Monique Davis reveal an unfortunate deep-seated fear that many Christians have regarding atheists. Representative Davis berated an atheist and told him that he had no right to testify due to his lack of belief in God. She even called the philosophy of atheism “dangerous” and said that ... More About: Atheism , Fear , Apologetics
Why be Moral?
2008-04-07 06:28:00 Why be moral if there is no punishment in the afterlife? Daren Jaques, of Just Atheists, answers the question like this: Well, there are lots of reasons. 1) I will not be as successful in life if others cannot trust me, and if all I ever do is look after myself, then people will not trust ... More About: Atheism , Morality , Moral
Atheist on Death
2008-04-05 20:34:00 Brian J. Sabel from Just Atheist s wrote a post that caught my attention. Since my grandma died, I’ve been thinking about death quite a bit for obvious reasons. Obviously, my view of death is that we who place faith in Christ go on to eternal reward, while the rest do not. “[I]t is appointed for ... More About: Atheism , Theology , Death
Update: Madeline Neumann?s Siblings Wisely Removed from Parental Custody
More articles from this author:2008-03-30 00:48:00 The three siblings of Madeline Neumann, the young lady who died tragically as a result of her parents praying instead of seeking medical attention, have been removed from their parents’ custody. In the original article, the authorities had not made that decision yet since there were no signs of abuse or neglect. I’m very glad that ... More About: God , Prayers , Update , Custody 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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