We know the universe had an origin or a beginning. Science calls this singularity the "Big Bang" theory, a term originally coined by a very famous scientist (and atheist) named Fred Hoyle. Sir Fred Hoyle Hoyle was mocking the idea that our universe could have had an origin because at that time it was believed our universe was too complex to have had a beginning. The eternal or "steady state" universe was preferred by scientists and intellectuals because the universe with an origin required too much to explain. Hoyle had lots of company with him in agreement in their belief that the universe was eternal, including the atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell. Even very smart people are humans, and all humans make mistakes, both honestly and dishonestly. However, after seeing the evidence for the Big Bang, Hoyle drastically changed his tune and said this: "Some super-calculating intellect must have designed the properties of the carbon atom. Otherwise, the chance of my finding such an atom through the blind forces of nature would be utterly miniscule. A commonsense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super-intellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as chemistry and biology and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question." Hoyle, Fred, "The Universe: Past and Present Reflections. "Engineering and Science", November 1981. pgs. 8–12. I felt this quote by Dr. Hoyle was so important that I included it in my book The God … [Read more...]
The morality of God
Recently, a social media friend who is either an atheist or theistic evolutionist asked whether I believed Donald Trump was a Christian or not. He proceeded to offer his own opinion that Barack Obama and Joe Biden are sincere Christians, but Donald Trump is only a pretender. Because I prefer to give honest and direct answers rather than evasive or vague ones when someone asks my opinion, I told him the truth: I don't know if Donald Trump is a Christian or not. In my opinion, yes, Donald Trump is Christian. But I've never met the man in person. Judging what is in the heart and mind of another human being is a job only fit for a God, and that's WAY above my pay grade. I don't even see myself as some minor deity, unlike some people with pretentious (and contrived) last names, and an ego to rival my own. It is almost as big as Trump's ego. At best, I can sit on a jury and judge the actions of another person, but I cannot read their minds to better understand their motives. If someone wants to understand my motives, they only need to ask. Or, I might just come out and tell you, anyway. Why am I writing this short essay on morality and God? The short answer is, I feel compelled, which I shall explain momentarily. I won't earn a penny from writing it, unless one day down the road some magical little money tree sprouts from the fruits of my labor today, because to be brutally honest, ten years after beginning my career as a writing, I'm still trying to figure out the mystery of how to get paid consistently. I sell a few books and novels from time to time, especially … [Read more...]
Aron Ra, atheism’s rock star
If you've never heard of Aron Ra, you are probably not an atheist. Don't feel too bad. He's rather famous, but mostly limited to secular/humanist circles. If the "Four Horsemen" of atheism, meaning Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and the late Christopher Hitchens, represent the creme of the crop of people who have become famous for evangelizing atheism, then Aron Ra ranks only one notch down on the totem pole, in the second tier of revered atheists with Seth Andrews and Matt Dillahunty who are collectively known as the "unholy Trinity." Mr. Ra is the host of the "RaMen" podcast, a frequent lecturer, and creator of the Phylogeny Explorer Project. These people have successfully turned their talent arguing for atheism into full-time jobs with career opportunities. They travel all over the world, giving lectures to crowds of adoring fans. Not a bad gig, if you can get it. No wonder he's smiling. photo by R. van Elst via Creative Commons Now before I write another word, I would like to acknowledge that Mr. "Ra" (obviously not his birth surname) is quite an intelligent man, and I'm delighted to say he possesses an ego that easily matches and possibly exceeds my own. I personally find the guy quite entertaining. Mr. Ra has a Wikipedia biography that claims he studied paleontology in Dallas, but does not mention a college degree. Don't let that fool you. He's very clever and bright, as well as apparently smart enough to run away from a fight he was unlikely to win--an argument with me about the relevance of creation. During the course of our recent … [Read more...]
