Exotheology
Although I have thought about the subject for years, I learned a new term today: “exotheology.” It is defined as the examination of theological issues related to extraterrestrial intelligence. Now lest you think I have completely lost my mind, let me point out that many gifted and creative writers have written on this topic. C.S.…
Continue readingSelf Reflective Faith
A few days ago I quoted Bradley Artson Shavit from a debate with Christopher Hitchens. In that same debate Rabbi Shavit noted that religion, like science, must be self-reflective. I would add that followers of a religion must constantly assess whether their understanding of God and faith fit with their experience of life. If we…
Continue readingPhilosophy Is Dead
Stephen Hawking says that philosophy is dead. In his new book, The Grand Design*, he asks questions like, “How can we understand the world in which we find ourselves?” “How does the universe behave?” Where did all this come from?” “Did the universe need a creator?” Then he states, “Traditionally these are questions for philosophy,…
Continue readingScience vs Religion
The Cardus website is featuring a review of the book Science vs Religion: What Do Scientist Really Believe? In this book Elaine Ecklund encourages us “to cross the picket lines separating science and religion” and join in appreciative discussion. The book presents several findings of Ecklunds research: 1.Despite stereotypes, scientists are not entirely irreligious or…
Continue readingVirtue
In The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky sets up two antagonistic theories of the way in which mankind seeks virtue and social order. The first is related by Pyotr Alexandrovich Miusov (a wealthy landowner) as he explains that Ivan Karamazov gave an address in which he stated that there exists no law of nature that man…
Continue readingScripture and Reason
Augustine (354 – 430 AD) had this to say regarding truth and our understanding of the Bible. If it happens that the authority of Sacred Scripture is set in opposition to clear and certain reasoning, this must mean that the person who interprets Scripture does not understand it correctly. It is not the meaning of…
Continue readingScience and Reason
As someone who holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and a Bachelor of Religious Education as well as several years of seminary training, I appreciate people who recognize the importance of both fields of study. I like this quote from Karol Jozef Wojtyla (also known as Pope John Paul II). It is a…
Continue readingA Verdict in Spite of the Evidence
More brilliant insight from Alister McGrath. There is no doubt that the debate over how we generate and justify our beliefs is immensely important . . . . In recent years, considerable attention has been paid to the way in which people sustain their belief systems. The evidence is disturbing, especially for those who continue…
Continue readingScience and Faith
I am again reading and writing on the interactions of science and faith. I have been reading Alister McGrath’s book, Dawkins’ God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life. Maybe one day I will write a book about my own journey relative to science and faith. It is an important topic and one that has…
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