Evidence for God from Science

You are right, "legalize" wasn't quite the right word. It implies that all sin should be illegal. Essentially I was speaking of the denial of sin by the entire cultural zeitgeist. Although we have seen the legal codification of state approbation of some sin, this is merely a symptom, not t...

Skinner (or any determinist) would say that any experience of agency is illusory. Therefore, while one may think that one is expressing free will by choosing a favorite color, Skinner would say that that something in your history shaped your mind to choose that color. We would not be able to choose ...

Amen. Our culture has convinced itself that if we legalize sin then it no longer has consequences. Not so.

The fact that there is a tension between self-love and love for others does not imply any contradiction. If a person has a great love for another, they may be willing to sacrifice their self-love. It is that very tension that makes such an act admirable! John 15:13. If a person hated himself, he wo...

Hello again Spock. Thank you for your cordial response. Protector: "you acknowledge that the GR is merely a measure of the morality of certain acts" Your use of the word "merely" implies that the GR serves only as a test for what is moral and nothing else. That is not correct. I ...

Spock, Thank you for your kind and thoughtful reply. In some ways I think I understand your argument better, but in others I’m afraid I’m still not quite clear on where you stand. Please allow me to address the points you’ve made in your reply. If you feel you have addressed them elsewhere and I eit...

Spock, Thank you for your contributions. You have brought up some interesting points. I am still in the process of digesting it all, so again I must beg your patience. I have a couple of questions that I hope you can further clarify: Definition : A statement is objective if its truth value can be de...

Firstly, why this arbitrary distinction between "accidental" and "purposeful." An an atheist worldview (and here, again, I am assuming naturalism, so please correct me if I'm wrong), isn't ALL behavior "accidental" in a sense? Can ANY behavior truly be considered "...

To add to that, we all agree that the Golden Rule can be adopted as a foundation for one's own moral code, and for the most part I think we all agree that it would be a pretty good moral foundation to adopt. The difference between us, though, is that we theists can give a reason WHY this is so. We a...

Here's what I don't understand: what makes symmetry (or reciprocity) a moral good? And if the GR is objectively good because of its "symmetry," then why not "do unto others what they do unto you?" Something akin to eye for an eye? Call it the "Kharmic Code" if you like...

I think you have misunderstood the Golden Rule by the example you gave. You said the Vikings had issues with their own women being raped but had no problem raping other women; the Golden Rule has to do with treating others as you wish to be treated. An appropriate question to ask the Vikings who we...

I think you have misunderstood the Golden Rule by the example you gave. You said the Vikings had issues with their own women being raped but had no problem raping other women; the Golden Rule has to do with treating others as you wish to be treated. An appropriate question to ask the Vikings who we...

These last few posts have made it clear that people have taken this far too personally on BOTH sides, which typically means that the arguments have run their course and nothing more needs to be said since all have decided they are correct in their respective arguments and all that is left is "...

Greetings. May you all live and prosper. In reviewing this thread, I have noticed an adamant rejection of the idea that the near universal moral intuition of the Golden Rule could be used as the basis of objective moral values. This seems inconsistent with the argument put forth by the eminent Chri...

I think discrimination based on those kinds of things is wrong, because I believe all humans should have equal rights. Fine, I just hope that you understand that this is an opinion. You say the reason it is WRONG is because of what you BELIEVE. Well, I could easily say, I believe you are wrong. It'...