Convince me

"[The rich man] answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'"'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if ... Continue reading

Question authority

"Do not be scared by the word authority. Believing things on authority only means believing them because you have been told them by someone you think trustworthy. I believe there is such a place as New York. I have not seen it myself. I could not prove by abstract reasoning that there must be such a ... Continue reading

Are You Being Influenced?

Some pastors are known for their controversial political views, others for their less-than-orthodox teachings, but it’s hard to beat the Rev. Sheryl Ruthven when it comes to making attention-getting claims: she believes herself to be a prophetess who is the reincarnation of Mary Magdalene, one of ... Continue reading

Deconstructing Bart Ehrman

Back before cable and the internet, we used to depend on Uncle Walter for news. A consummate professional, CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite could always be relied on to get his facts straight and the questions of the day answered with precision.Today, the inescapable 24/7 news cycle and the ... Continue reading

Framing stories: Bias and truth

In a dusty pueblo not far from Gallup, New Mexico, the Zunis were noisily celebrating the end of winter. Costumed dancers wearing animal-skin cloaks, feathers and shells hurried through the dark streets, their faces hidden behind colorful masks, their bodies painted in ancient designs. The dancers ... Continue reading

What others have to say

In between fixing recalcitrant computers and answering my phone, I've been reading some great stuff on other blogs. BTW, I use Bradbury Software's excellent Feed Demon to collect the latest posts. Much faster than clicking down through a list of bookmarks. Julana writes at Life in the Slow Lane. ... Continue reading

When is lying justifiable?

Jeremy at Parableman has posted a very interesting essay, inspired by the 30th anniversary of President Nixon's resignation, on the subject of Lying.In this political season, we're hearing a lot about lying. Did President Bush lie about his motives for declaring war on Iraq? Did candidate Kerry ... Continue reading

Martian perspectives

The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is about to get down and dirty on the Red Planet, and what I want to know is, who's driving? Suppose you were the NASA engineer assigned to put that 400-million-dollar dune buggy through its paces. Imagine that it's your job to tool around a rock-strewn planet 38 ... Continue reading