As the saying goes, “there but for the grace of God go I.” People typically evaluate their moral standing based on what they’ve done. But that is a faulty measure because your standing rests ultimately not only on what you’ve done but on who you are. For example, you may never have betrayed a friend, […]
morality
Morals, God, and Other Absolutes
Part Three of my continuing conversation with Eric Murphy. This is a good one, folks!
Is Morality Objective or Subjective? A Debate
Is Morality Objective or Subjective?
Last week, I was on Eric Murphy’s show to talk about moral arguments for God’s existence. We didn’t get very far but we had a lot of fun doing it, so we tried again this week. And lo and behold, in the last two minutes, we finally got around to talking about God! The rest […]
Would you kill your child if God told you to?
If God told you to kill your child as an act of faith, would you do it? — Tentative Apologist (@RandalRauser) December 20, 2018
Which sins are the most serious? And why?
Which of the following dark revelations would most undermine your trust in a respected religious leader? 1. He had an affair.2. While a patron at a restaurant, he used a racial slur after becoming angry at the waiter.3. He is charged with tax evasion.4. All are equally bad. — Tentative Apologist (@RandalRauser) October 12, 2018 […]
Does Objective Morality Need God? A Christian and Atheist Debate
Last week I moderated a debate on morality and God between my main man from Dundee, Christian apologist Andy Bannister and atheist philosopher Howard Nye. I disagreed with Andy’s attempt to argue a necessary link between atheism and nihilism. I also don’t agree with his claim that objective ethics requires theism. That said, he was […]
Do atheists get their moral values from humanism?
This morning I came across the following tweet from Counter Apologist: Humanism is where Seth & most of the atheist community gets our morals, and what Sargon has done runs way against ithttps://t.co/EJS4MtLT9J — Counter Apologist (@CounterApologis) September 18, 2017 I think this is mistaken. For the most part, it seems to me that atheists […]
What Christians (and everyone else) can learn from Peter Singer: A Review of The Most Good You Can Do
Peter Singer. The Most Good You Can Do. Yale University Press, 2015. When I was a kid I once endured the indignity of traipsing door-to-door selling raffle tickets for my school. Most neighbors obligingly purchased a ticket for a prize they didn’t really want (an old donated car). But after listening to my sales pitch, one […]
Cultural Relativism: at least they meant well
When I was in university twenty plus years ago, cultural relativism was very popular. The essence of cultural relativism is that ethical judgments (good and evil; right and wrong) can only be made from within cultural frameworks. The truth of various ethical judgments are constituted relative to the socially embedded practices in which they are made. […]
91. Andy Bannister on Atheism, Morality, and the Meaning of Life
In his famous essay “A Free Man’s Worship,” Bertrand Russell describes the plight of our species in a godless universe with a haunting eloquence that ranks among the most memorable passages of twentieth century philosophy. As Russell puts it, man’s “origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome […]
The Popularity of Donald Trump as a spiritual exam of conservative Christianity
While I’ve already blogged from the bandwagon of those appalled by Donald Trump’s popularity, I think it is worthwhile reflecting for a moment on Trump’s popularity among conservative Christians. In particular, it is worthwhile reflecting on that popularity as a spiritual exam which reveals how spiritually unhealthy large tracts of conservative Christianity are. The catalyst […]
Ten things that are more disturbing than gay marriage
Over the last couple days evangelical Christians (at least the ones I’ve been hearing) have expressed a lot of outrage over the US Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage. With that in mind, I thought I’d offer a short list of ten things that seem to me to be more disturbing than gay marriage. Here […]
God and Moral Obligation: A Review
C. Stephen Evans. God and Moral Obligation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. John Rabe was a German businessman working in Nanjing, China in 1937 when it became clear that the advancing Japanese army was soon to overrun the city. Given the notorious reputation of the Japanese for brutality, the obvious course of action beckoned: flee the war-torn country by retreating […]
