Promoting Science and Critical Thinking
A rather common claim often presented is that there is solid historical independently verifiable evidence that Jesus really existed, hence all the claims are true. To even make that last leap of logic is highly questionable, but let’s put that aside and ask ourselves this – outside of the bible, what references do we have? But first, … Read more
Francesca Stavrakopoulou is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Religion in the Theology and Religion department at Exeter University, but she is also perhaps better known for the BBC series that she has done. She presented a three-part BBC documentary series about the Bible and archaeology, called Bible’s Buried Secrets, broadcast in the UK on BBC 2 in March 2011. Here … Read more
You might, or perhaps might not be aware, that there exists a Museum in Kentucky that vigorously promotes the rather daft idea that the Earth is only 6,000 years old. Back in the 17th Century James Ussher, the Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland, sat down and calculated the age of the earth by using the genealogies contained … Read more
Can we ever really discover the facts here? We can perhaps gain some insights by looking at how belief systems portray their founders, and what the historical documented facts really tell us. When we look, we discover a rather consistent pattern. If we review belief systems that have recently emerged such as Mormonism or Scientology, we have … Read more
Does the Genesis story work as a metphor of our modern scientific understanding or is it at odds with even that?
If you have ever debated with a deeply religious person, then perhaps you have come across the picture below, or some variation of it … Initially, you might be tempted to counter with, “Ah so you simply believe that god did it all by magic“, or similar … but if you do then you will be … Read more