I was in my mid-20s living in San Diego. I joined some people from a nearby church and went to a Pride parade to pass out water, give hugs, and hold signs saying “We are sorry the church hasn’t loved you the way Jesus would” (or something along those lines). All of a sudden, I […]
By Melissa Dougherty You know something I never see? I never see the average person say that Buddha was made up from stories of ancient pagan gods. Or that Gandhi was actually a Jewish mystic who was misunderstood. Or that Mohammad was an atheist. There’s usually only one historical figure that is distorted more than […]
The word “soon” can be quite ambiguous, if not misleading. When asked about homework, a teenager might reply that they expect to finish sometime soon. In my family, that word could equal 30 seconds for one child or 30 minutes for another. But despite these variations, the word “soon” still conjures up an idea of […]
“No one is above the law.” So the popular saying goes, and no truer thing was ever said in a mere six words. This thought, and our Western system of justice which sprang from it, stands as a testament, and a tribute, to the philosophy that gives humanity its best chance for self-government and ordered […]
God created humans in a state of sinless perfection, but all of that changed when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord […]
I know what you might be thinking. “Tinkerbell, Melissa? Seriously?” But stay with me here. The pre-woke movie era had some good stuff in it that’s surprisingly relevant and counter-cultural by 2023 standards. Tinkerbell (2008) So first, here is a brief movie synopsis for those who may not have seen the movie: The first Tinkerbell […]
People always tell me not to look at the comment section of a social media post. I didn’t listen. We just promoted the new kid’s curriculum Let’s Get Real: Examining the Evidence for God, based on Turek and Geisler’s best seller: I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. I anticipated backlash. I know […]
Most people believe in God. The question is, which God? Who is this God? Is He personal? Impersonal? An “it”? A vague source or amorphous energy? It’s important to think this through because if God exists, then there are spiritual ramifications for this. Christians understand God to be personal. They’re not pantheists or panentheists where […]
Christian apologists are accustomed to dealing with the “straw man” fallacy. This is where the skeptic paints a false picture of a theistic position, making it easier to ridicule or defeat, and then concludes, triumphantly, that his skeptical view prevails. But not every challenge that misstates our views is intentional. At times, the challenger simply […]
Imagine arriving at the lake each Sunday at 10AM to capture the mad skills of a gifted fisherman as he captures your lunch for the day. In doing so, do you think you’d learn to fish for yourself by simply marveling at his skills? Not likely. Sure, you’d learn some ins and outs about the […]