Faith Seeking Understanding, Intellectual Witness and Spiritual Renewal
The Claim of Contradiction According to John Mackie (The Miracle of Theism. OUP 1982) the theist accepts a group or set of three propositions; this set is inconsistent. The propositions are (1) God is omnipotent (2) God is wholly good and (3) Evil exists. Call this set A; the claim is that A is an … Continue reading “A Solution to the Logical Problem (Alleged Contradiction) of Evil”
The Claim of Contradiction
According to John Mackie (The Miracle of Theism. OUP 1982) the theist accepts a group or set of three propositions; this set is inconsistent. The propositions are
(1) God is omnipotent
(2) God is wholly good
and
(3) Evil exists.
Call this set A; the claim is that A is an inconsistent set. But what is it for a set to be inconsistent or contradictory? Continue reading “A Solution to the Logical Problem (Alleged Contradiction) of Evil”
Kairos’ response to the mischievous article by Baradan Kuppusamy was published in The STAR today (25 Sept 2012) LINK See: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/9/25/focus/12075536&sec=focus
Kairos’ response to the mischievous article by Baradan Kuppusamy was published in The STAR today (25 Sept 2012) LINK
See:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/9/25/focus/12075536&sec=focus Continue reading “Kairos Disappointed with Misrepresentations in Baradan Kuppusamy’s Article”
The problem of evil is arguably the most intractable problem facing the theist. The first challenge for the theist is the logical problem of evil which says that the set of propositions comprising the following – (1) An omnipotent God creates this world, (2) God is perfectly good, (3) This world is not perfectly good, … Continue reading “The Problem of Evil and the Best of All Possible Worlds in Leibniz’s Theodicy”
The problem of evil is arguably the most intractable problem facing the theist. The first challenge for the theist is the logical problem of evil which says that the set of propositions comprising the following – (1) An omnipotent God creates this world, (2) God is perfectly good, (3) This world is not perfectly good, i.e. evil exists – is an inconsistent set. Holding to any two of these propositions requires dropping the third to avoid the problem of contradiction. For example, that evil exists demands either God is good but not omnipotent (since he fails to prevent evil) or that God is omnipotent but not truly good (since he allows evil despite having the power to prevent it). Continue reading “The Problem of Evil and the Best of All Possible Worlds in Leibniz’s Theodicy”
I. Kalam Cosmological Argument Without doubt the most well known argument for the existence for God today is the Kalam cosmological argument which features prominently in many debates between William Craig and atheistic thinkers. The Kalam cosmological argument in its simplest form goes as follows: 1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause. 2. The … Continue reading “Kalam Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God, Contingency and Principle of Sufficient Reason. Preliminary Thoughts.”
I. Kalam Cosmological Argument
Without doubt the most well known argument for the existence for God today is the Kalam cosmological argument which features prominently in many debates between William Craig and atheistic thinkers. The Kalam cosmological argument in its simplest form goes as follows:
1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
2. The universe begins to exist.
3. Therefore, the universe has a cause.
This is a strong argument precisely because it is logically tight (an unassailable modus ponens). Continue reading “Kalam Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God, Contingency and Principle of Sufficient Reason. Preliminary Thoughts.”
RELIGIOUS DIALOG AND DEMOCRATIC DELIBERATION Dialog does not take place in a vacuum. Recognition of contextual pressures and normative ideals Excerpt: J. C Murray once noted that what distinguishes civil society from a mass or a herd is its ability to engage in ongoing rational deliberative dialogue. Taking a quote from Thomas Gilby he wrote, … Continue reading “Quest for Covenant Community & Pluralist Democracy in an Islamic Context”
RELIGIOUS DIALOG AND DEMOCRATIC DELIBERATION
Dialog does not take place in a vacuum. Recognition of contextual pressures and normative ideals
Excerpt:
J. C Murray once noted that what distinguishes civil society from a mass or a herd is its ability to engage in ongoing rational deliberative dialogue. Taking a quote from Thomas Gilby he wrote, “Civilization is formed by men locked together in argument.” Conversely, without dialog, civility – and with it civil society – dies. The reason is that without a public consensus that is forged through public deliberation, there is no bond of solidarity to command allegiance to common values that hold civil society together.
Continue reading “Quest for Covenant Community & Pluralist Democracy in an Islamic Context”
Speech Act Revelation: Bible and Quran Thesis – By definition, an agreement involves at least two parties. It would be a very odd covenant in which one party knows what the other party desires, but does not know who the other party really is. Just imagine entering a covenant with someone via faxed messages or … Continue reading “Speech Act Revelation: Bible and Quran”
Speech Act Revelation: Bible and Quran
Thesis – By definition, an agreement involves at least two parties. It would be a very odd covenant in which one party knows what the other party desires, but does not know who the other party really is. Just imagine entering a covenant with someone via faxed messages or the Internet…Put in religious language, divine revelation is deficient if it is only given as a textual message. Continue reading “Speech Act Revelation: Bible and Quran”
Pendahuluan Ibrani 1:1-3 Setelah pada zaman dahulu Allah berulang kali dan dalam pelbagai cara berbicara kepada nenek moyang kita dengan perantaraan nabi-nabi, maka pada zaman akhir ini Ia telah berbicara kepada kita dengan perantaraan Anak-Nya, yang telah Ia tetapkan sebagai yang berhak menerima segala yang ada…Ia adalah cahaya kemuliaan Allah dan gambar wujud Allah dan … Continue reading “Kalimat Allah”
Pendahuluan
Ibrani 1:1-3 Setelah pada zaman dahulu Allah berulang kali dan dalam pelbagai cara berbicara kepada nenek moyang kita dengan perantaraan nabi-nabi, maka pada zaman akhir ini Ia telah berbicara kepada kita dengan perantaraan Anak-Nya, yang telah Ia tetapkan sebagai yang berhak menerima segala yang ada…Ia adalah cahaya kemuliaan Allah dan gambar wujud Allah dan menopang segala yang ada dengan firman-Nya yang penuh kekuasaan. Dan setelah Ia selesai mengadakan penyucian dosa, Ia duduk di sebelah kanan Yang Mahabesar, di tempat yang tinggi… Continue reading “Kalimat Allah”
Summary: It is imperative for Christians to demonstrate that the Christian faith is not an escapism from the challenges of life. Indeed, Christian faith is world affirming, that is, it is a faith that values and promotes the flourishing of personal and social life on earth. In this regard, Christians need to recover two key … Continue reading “The Social Impact of Christian Salvation”
Summary: It is imperative for Christians to demonstrate that the Christian faith is not an escapism from the challenges of life. Indeed, Christian faith is world affirming, that is, it is a faith that values and promotes the flourishing of personal and social life on earth. In this regard, Christians need to recover two key teachings of the Bible: Creation order and the covenant community.
There is a popular hymn that goes, “This world not my home, I’m just a-passing through… My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore…”
The Glory of Eastern Christianity The story of the triumph of the early church over the Roman Empire continues to inspire Christians today. How can we not marvel at the courage of the martyrs who calmly faced the lions? The religion of the weak and poor literally conquered the empire – symbolized by the … Continue reading “Persecution and Destruction of Eastern Christianity Under Islam”
The Glory of Eastern Christianity
The story of the triumph of the early church over the Roman Empire continues to inspire Christians today. How can we not marvel at the courage of the martyrs who calmly faced the lions? The religion of the weak and poor literally conquered the empire – symbolized by the conversion of none other than Emperor Constantine himself. Surely Tertullian was right when he declared that the martyrs’ blood is the seed of the church. Continue reading “Persecution and Destruction of Eastern Christianity Under Islam”
“Are you looking for love?” For a moment, I was stunned . . . and flattered. Here I was alone with Roxy, a curvaceous lady. I had been with her for hardly a few minutes and she had whispered such alluring words to me. Shouldn’t I respond as any normal red-blooded male would and ‘play … Continue reading “Confessions: Temptations in Virtual Reality”
“Are you looking for love?” For a moment, I was stunned . . . and flattered. Here I was alone with Roxy, a curvaceous lady. I had been with her for hardly a few minutes and she had whispered such alluring words to me. Shouldn’t I respond as any normal red-blooded male would and ‘play along’? Who knows what possibilities lay ahead? Furthermore, my wife was not with me, which was to be expected since it was one o’clock in the morning. I wrestled with a momentous choice. Thankfully, my sanctified self gained the upper hand. Struggling to make a supreme renunciation of ‘love’ I could only managed a bland response, “how can we talk about true love if we cannot see each other face to face?” Continue reading “Confessions: Temptations in Virtual Reality”