Ken Pulliam was a former evangelical minister who discovered that many of the things he had been taught and had believed about Christianity were untrue. His excellent scholarship and reasoning have helped many people to counter the nonsense put about by Christian apologists.
His blog contains some great posts: http://formerfundy.blogspot.com/
This Facebook page has been set up in his memory.
He will be sorely missed.
Belief is dead; long live orientation!
It's not just Christians who don't believe in God any more - check out Rabbi Jeffrey Falick's intriguing blog: http://www.theatheistrabbi.com
The "orientation model" of religion appears to be growing; fewer and fewer people adhere to the "belief model" (OK, they are still a majority). Perhaps this is due to better education. Perhaps it is a consequence of people being exposed to other viewpoints, and realising that what they previously held as "truth" is really just a societal custom, open to change.
The "orientation model" of religion appears to be growing; fewer and fewer people adhere to the "belief model" (OK, they are still a majority). Perhaps this is due to better education. Perhaps it is a consequence of people being exposed to other viewpoints, and realising that what they previously held as "truth" is really just a societal custom, open to change.
The ideal church?
Over at Irreducible Complexity, Ian has an intriguing post, This is my church, where he sets out his ideal Sunday morning church experience. Coffee, chat, a bit of education, breakout groups - it all seems very congenial. Maybe it'll catch on?
We're on Facebook
Oh peskies! It appears my earlier post (which has been edited and annihilated - happy now, John Stott?) did not correctly indicate how to get to the Facebook page. I admit to a little puzzlement as to how to make that work, but try this link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Church-of-Jesus-Christ-Atheist/128248970561284
Is Christian Atheism going to go viral? I would love to think so, but really I think that we will remain something of an underground movement, always trying to inject a bit of reason and freethought into a juggernaut that continues to accrete more and more nonsense as it goes on.
Be careful out there, people!
Is Christian Atheism going to go viral? I would love to think so, but really I think that we will remain something of an underground movement, always trying to inject a bit of reason and freethought into a juggernaut that continues to accrete more and more nonsense as it goes on.
Be careful out there, people!
Render unto Caesar
"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is God's."
One of Jesus's statements in support of a strict separation between Church and State. I imagine he would be horrified that the Pope is being accorded a "state" visit to the UK, but then the pope is pretty caeasresque too...
One of Jesus's statements in support of a strict separation between Church and State. I imagine he would be horrified that the Pope is being accorded a "state" visit to the UK, but then the pope is pretty caeasresque too...
Joseph and his amazing technicolor funboat
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| From www.thebricktestament.com |
As a novella, it is a real beauty, with (in my opinion) some strong stylistic linkages to Egyptian stories such as Sinuhe (much earlier - Middle Kingdom). It is clearly written in a novel-like form; my feeling is that this was an original Egyptian story that has been adapted for a Hebrew readership. Perhaps "Joseph" was originally a country boy from the North-Western delta, or he could indeed have been an Asiatic from the North-East. Little literary motifs in the story scream "Egypt!", and part of me wonders if somewhere in the desert there may be a jar with a hieratic document containing the original story. Maybe if we found that, we would know who the Pharaoh was (annoyingly, the bible mentions very few Pharaohs by name, making it difficult to contextualise some of the stories).
Any of you have any favourite stories? Incidentally, this is one story where I think an atheist can get just as much enjoyment as a theist. See? We don't *lose* anything - we *gain*! :-)
Be Thou My Vision
Essentially this captures what I'm trying to do here. Atheists can sing this hymn with just as much feeling, meaning and emotion as theists. Do add your favourite hymns to the comments; if you have links to any recordings you like, please share them, and maybe let us know a little about how you might interpret it in a non-theistic way. Or perhaps you just appreciate beautiful music and poetry...
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