Random Rants from a Space Nut

It would be easier to believe that all the dollar-appointed Christian leaders who tell us that the Bible is best understood literally were on to something if they didn't all disagree on what that literal interpretation is . The Bible is an anthology.  Even a casual reading shows that it can't be said to speak with a single literary voice at all . But even ignoring that, once you are sure that your interpretation is the only possible correct interpretation, then your interpretation becomes the very word of God itself.  You do not stand to learn anything; you merely stand to see what other voices agree with your vaunted "understanding" and what voices do not.  You have authority for no other reason than that you confer it upon yourself .  That's the height of arrogance, since it confuses one's ideas about God with God Himself(*). And it doesn't even hold together logically.  Consider the following syllogism: P1 : If there are contradictions in the ...

Ah, Newsweek . This is a story that seems to enjoy popping up every once in a while.  Some explorers claim to have found Noah's ark.  They promise that they have evidence, evidence that will convince everyone , but which must remain secret for now.  In the meantime, they need money to continue their work, and are asking Christians to chip in so that everyone will be convinced of the joy of our faith Any Moment Now. It's always a scam. The same basic Biblical illiteracy that causes a respectable number of American Christian tourists wandering through the Judean Desert to ask every year if the Inn of the Good Samaritan is really the real inn from the real story of the real Good Samaritan.  In reality, it's not even an inn; it's a converted hostel that's been open as a souvenir shop since 2009.  But if you're looking for evidence of the "real" Good Samaritan, you're missing the point of the story . Of course, for a certain kind of faith...

Those outside Evangelicalism might be a little confused as to why certain Christians are really very excited about Trump moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  If you're a bit bewildered, let me try to untangle things a little bit for you. It has to do with "Bible prophecy" -- by which certain Christians mean pulling a meaning out of the Bible that it never clearly expresses, and has to be twisted out of the text as one hops around from passage to passage with no clear purpose other than to make the "prophecy" seem topical and current; and it has to do with "support for Israel" -- by which certain Christians mean accelerating the "prophetic" timeline derived earlier, so that Israel will be destroyed all the sooner.  (The sooner the better.) The "prophetic" scheme these particular Christians subscribe to is known in theological circles as "premillennial dispensationalism" (or "dispensationa...

How to get a profile of the Antichrist that the Bible foretells: 1. Find every passage in the Bible that talks about "the false leader" or "the false prophet" or "the false teacher". 2. Steadfastly ignore the fact that the First Amendment did not exist at the time the passages were written, and so authors might have had reason to refer to bad leaders they knew (and bad leadership they were exercising) in generic terms; insist instead that they all must refer to the future Antichrist. 3. Steadfastly ignore the fact that the Antichrist is never a singular person in the Bible, anywhere.  (The noun is always a common noun, and usually in the plural .) 4. Steadfastly ignore any similarities these leaders you've found described in Scripture have to historical leaders of the past, like Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, or any Roman ruler over any domain in the empire. 5. Reconcile the contradictions with the fervor of a Star Trek fan.  (Thi...

Creationists often assert that the only way a story can be true is if it is literally, historically, and scientifically accurate; here's a link to such an assertion .  This requirement for truth means, they claim, that Genesis must be scientifically accurate. I think this assertion makes God out to be much smaller than He is.  Let me see if I can explain by analogy. If your five-year-old kid asks where babies come from, it is entirely possible that your answer will not be literally, historically, or scientifically accurate.  You'll describe sex by analogy ("The mommy and the daddy came together in a special way"), body parts by proximity ("The baby grows inside the mommy's tummy"), and the birthing process according to the barest of details ("The mommy's body tells her that it's time for the baby to be born, so they go to the hospital").  You'll also focus on the parts that it's important for a five-year-old to know: The...