Truth and Religion
Relativism and the Search for Truth in Religion
The Don Johnson Show, 4-23-05 The reaction to the election of Pope Benedict has exposed the "dictatorship of relativism" that he disdains for what it is. Most people judge his positions based on their personal preferences rather than whether or not what he believes is...
FIGHTING RELATIVISM
Michael Novak has an excellent column about the new Pope and his battle against "The Culture of Meaninglessness."
THE SORRY STATE OF THE AMERICAN CHURCH
As we discussed on Saturday's show, the trend in American Christianity is to produce "followers" who simply don't follow. A large percentage of Christians openly disregard the plain moral teachings of their church. Catholic Pat Buchanan and Evangelical...
WHAT’S WRONG WITH AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY?
Today on the radio show: What is wrong with American Christianity that large percentages of those in both the Catholic and Protestant wings openly disregard the plain moral teachings of the church? Tune in - I'll post our conclusions here later.
MORE ON THE DECLINE OF ATHEISM
The Washington Times today offers this analysis on why atheism is in decline:Two developments are plaguing atheism these days. One is that it appears to be losing its scientific underpinnings. The other is the historical experience of hundreds of millions of people...
THE REAL REASON FOR ATHEISM
Alister McGrath has some excellent insight into why atheism is on the way off the world stage. He also offers a good explanation as to why it ever came about in the first place: not because people are rationally convinced that God doesn't exist, but because they don't...
The Next Great Awakening?
The Don Johnson Show, 2-26-05 Is the current increased interest in spirituality a good thing? Is it a an "awakening" in the traditional sense? This topic includes a conversation with a self-professed pantheist who objected to our handling of the topic from last week's...
A NEW GREAT AWAKENING?
Today's radio show will be about the state of American religion. Reports indicate that we may be in the midst of a some type of spiritual awakening, but what type of Awakening is it? Is the current trend towards "spirituality" a good development or not? Tune...
WHO IS MORE DANGEROUS: MARTIANS OR THETANS?
I see Tom Cruise has set up a Scientology tent on the set of his new movie War of the Worlds. It makes me wonder which story is more far fetched: War's tale of Martians invading Earth, or the fiction L. Ron Hubbard made up to start Scientology?
Why Pantheism is False
The Don Johnson Show, 2-19-05 Listener email: a response to pantheism from last weeks comments section. What acceptance of euthanasia says about our culture's view of the meaning of life.
FINDING (THE TRUE) RELIGION
David MiIller has started writing a weekly column at SFGate.com about people's spiritual lives. He interviews different subjects each week in an effort to understand the religious dimension of life a bit better. It's a good idea, and hopefully this type of thing will...
ASK THE PREACHER-MAN
This afternoon's radio show offers a chance to "Ask the preacher-man" or perhaps "Stump the preacher-man" as we deal with questions about, and objections to, Christianity. Some stories we may be referencing can be found here:Enough 'morality'...
OK TO BE CONSIDERED A FOOL
Some wise words from Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia last week in addressing a Knights of Columbus gathering. He told the crowd that there is nothing wrong with believing in traditional Christianity:"To believe in traditional Christianity is something...
INSECURE BELIEVERS
Tsunami relief agencies are being closely monitored in order to make sure they are not trying to proselytize the local Muslim population. I have to wonder what Muslims (an admittedly they are not the only religious group that frowns on evangelism from outsiders - the...
CAFETERIA RELIGION
Here is another example of how not to choose religious belief. In Saturday's LA Times, Roseanne Welch explains that, because of some bad experiences as a child in Catholic school, she came to be a Catholic who rejects large portions of what the church teaches:In the...
GOOD AND BAD RELIGION
Interesting take on religion from the New York Times today. It reports, in very thankful terms, that although religion seems to be on the rise in the world, "fundamentalism" isn't. According to the tone of the Times article, it doesn't really matter...
A RELIGIOUS LEADER WHO DOESN’T GET RELIGION
Add Desmond Tutu to the list of prominent religious leaders who apparently have no idea what religion is all about. In a Newsweek Web exclusive, he explains:I keep having to remind people that religion in and of itself is morally neutral. Religion is like a knife....
STILL BATTLING OVER THE PLEDGE
Atheist Michael Newdow is suing again. And, at least in regards to the eduction question (he has sinced branched out into trying to stop the inauguration prayer), I still think he's right.
BLOG ON
Added another blog site to my opinion list today: Between Two Worlds offers up cool stuff like an interview with the atheist turned theist I discussed below and some links to some good reviews of mega-selling books The Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life...
THE EVIDENCE POINTS TOWARD GOD (AND THEN SOME)
He always claimed he would "follow the evidence where it leads" and now that commitment has led one of the worlds most famous atheists to accept that there must be a God. AP is reporting:A British philosophy professor who has been a leading champion of...
THE ONE LIGHT
Newsweek offers up its annual Christmas cover story on Jesus this week, focusing on the virgin birth. Author Jon Meacham trots out the usual array of liberal scholars to try and debunk the historicity of the event, but (perhaps in a nod to the new power of the red...
A THEOLOGICAL DIVIDE
The press is still up in arms about how the election fell along moral, cultural lines rather than economic. My Google news search turned up thousands of stories. As I wrote yesterday, I think there certainly is a religious divide in America, although I would prefer to...
ABORTION, GOD, GUNS AND GAYS
It turns out that this election breaks down essentially the same as the last one - culturally conservative states in the middle of the country go Republican and culturally liberal states on the nation's fringe go Democrat. Even with all the talk of war, terrorism and...
TV AND THE LOSS OF REASON
You may have noticed that the presidential debates are no longer real debates, but rather dual press conferences in which each man is judged according to what “vibe” he puts across to the audience. In a real debate, people put forward linear, logical, well thought out...
HISTORY FORGING FORGERIES
Gene Edward Veith makes an interesting point regarding the Rathergate fake memos: This attempt to hijack the election and the democratic process is part of a long history of high-profile forgeries—one that includes fake documents with equally glaring faults but far...