Rachel Held Evans has spoken up again about Chick-Fil-A and offered commentary along the lines of “Can’t We All Just Get Along?” Sure. One group of people just wants to irrevocably change marriage, undermining the very fabric of our society. Another group believes that a baby is best raised by its biological mother and father in a stable commitment. Nothing worth really disagreeing over, right?
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Issues and Answers
Jul 13
Using The F-Word
Using The F-Word
Did you know that an old Christmas carol was supporting the homosexual movement? It sure was! Just look up “Deck The Halls.” You find in there the line of “Don we now our gay apparel.” There you go: the writer was supporting the homosexual movement.
“Nick,” you say, “that’s crazy! The word gay meant something totally different back then. It doesn’t make sense to put the modern meaning of a word onto its old usage.”
Jun 29
Why The Increase In Doubt?
Why The Increase In Doubt?
A recent survey by the PEW Research Center cited by The Blaze and recently discussed on CNN showed that in 2007, 83% of people under 30 never doubted God’s existence. Now in 2012, that number has been reduced to 68%. What do I conclude from this? The first is that the church is failing. The second is that atheism is now in even more danger than it was before.
Jun 10
When Logic Goes Fishing
When Logic Goes Fishing
One of my favorite TV series is Monk. One episode was known as Mr. Monk and the Red Herring. In this episode, Detective Monk dealt with a case that seemed to revolve around a fish until, lo and behold, it turns out it wasn’t really about the fish. I will say no more in case someone wants to watch it, but the title itself had given me a clue that this would be an episode focused on a distraction, which is exactly what a red herring fallacy is.
Jun 9
To Avoid The Couch
To Avoid The Couch
“Does this dress make me look fat?”
For those of us who are married men, this kind of question gets us thinking about what it will be like to sleep on the couch. If you answer with “Yes”, then you’re automatically in trouble and you will be sleeping there. If you answer with “No”, then you’re "just saying that" (aka, you're not honest) and you may be sleeping on the couch. Either way, this is a question that you hate to get.
Jun 8
Intellectual Sleight of Hand
Intellectual Sleight of Hand
Atheist magician Penn Jillette recently spoke at a Barnes and Noble about his beliefs regarding secularism as reported in an article by The Blaze. To start with a note of commendation, Jillette does believe that Christians should be out spreading their belief system. He does not support the idea that Christians should keep their beliefs private and even goes after fellow atheists for promoting that. We can certainly agree with Jillette and would hope that this would mean that he would be open to dialogue.
Unfortunately, there is more that Jillette got wrong than he got right.
May 31
It Must Not Be!
It Must Not Be!
Last time, we talked about the post hoc fallacy and why saying that something comes after an event is not the same as saying the prior event was the cause of said event. Today, we’re going to be looking at something similar that is called “the appeal to consequences,” which means there is disbelief based on the consequences not being desirable.
We’ve all been told that denial is not a river in Egypt. Yet, there are times that we do not want to believe that something is true because if X is true, then that means Y is true. Y would be a disaster if true. Since we don't like disaster, we will say that X is not true.
May 30
Rooster Causes Sun To Rise
Rooster Causes Sun To Rise
Have you ever met someone who has some weird ideas when it comes to sports? There are fans who believe that unless they do X, their team will not win. How do they know that? Because the first time they did X, their team won. Superstition is often involved.
May 13
Is Marriage Worth Fighting For? (A Response to Rachel Held Evans)
Is Marriage Worth Fighting For? (A Response to Rachel Held Evans)
Marriage is something a lot of us think about. When I was growing up and finishing high school, I was waiting to get married. I got through Bible College and was still unmarried. Around me, my friends were getting married. I went off to Seminary and lo and behold, I had established a circle of friends. In a twist, from that group I have been the first to get married.
May 2
Let’s Do Something Different. Equivocation!
Let’s Do Something Different. Equivocation!
When we’re growing up and doing math, we learn that both sides of the equal sign have to be identical. One side says “4.” The other says “2 + 2.” Neither side says the exact same thing, but both sides are saying the same thing since 2 + 2 is indeed equal to 4. That is the only way you can have an equal sign there.
This doesn’t just apply in math. It applies everywhere else in life. You cannot say legitimately that two things are the same if they are not the same. The equivocation fallacy however does that. It takes a term to mean the same thing when it’s used in two different ways and really doesn’t have the same meaning.
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