 Quote > CS Lewis on Apologetics"To be ignorant and simple now--not to be able to meet the enemies on their own ground--would be to throw down our weapons and betray our uneducated brethren who have, under God, no defense but us against the intellectual attacks of the heathen. Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered." Continued at top
Owned by Ensis Involucrus - Created on 02/12/2004 - Never edited  11/01/05 :: Folder :: Philosophy & Argumentation11/01/05 :: Folder :: Religion 08/01/05 :: Quote :: Thomas JeffersonShake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.
 11/09/03 :: Article :: Horseshoes and Handgrenades :: "Close enough" to what?11/01/04 :: Quote :: ensisHere's a random wondering I had a moment ago. I think it proves true but it may need some work.
The difference between a fool and an atheist is that a fool scoffs at things he doesn't know he doesn't understand, and an atheist scoffs at things he knows he doesn't understand.
:) I'll work on it. 09/04/03 :: Quote :: Edna St. Vincent MillayUpon this gifted age, in its dark hour,
Rains from the sky a meteoric shower
Of facts . . . they lie unquestioned, uncombined.
Wisdom enough to leech us of our ill
Is daily spun; but there exists no loom
To weave it into fabric. 06/11/04 :: Article :: The sky is about to fall on our heads! :: ... or wondering why some people are obsessed with getting to the end of the world.05/20/07 :: Quote :: Friedrich NietzscheThe most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it deliberately with faulty arguments.  03/15/09 :: Article :: God's Will :: My Take on how "God's Will" is used by christians03/03/04 :: Reference :: (link) :: Arguments for the Existence of God and their Refutation01/20/04 :: Reference :: (link) :: Logic and Fallacies01/20/04 :: Reference :: (link) :: How can you consider yourselves Christians when you are also gay?01/09/04 :: Quote :: George D. PrenticeMany a writer seems to think he is never profound except when he can't understand his own meaning.  11/21/03 :: Reference :: (link) :: Focus on the Family's review of Bruce Almighty 10/06/07 :: Reference :: (link) :: L0rdZ pR4y3r10/03/03 :: Quote :: Woody AllenTo you I'm an atheist; to God, I'm the loyal opposition. 09/28/03 :: Article :: Black Box Theology 1.2 :: Don't read it and it won't hurt you.09/08/07 :: Quote :: Bertrand RussellIf a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way. 09/04/03 :: Quote :: Terry PratchettGod does not play dice with the universe. He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players [i.e. everybody], to being involved in an obscure and complex variant of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time. 09/04/03 :: Quote :: Omar Khayam, 13th century philosopherHe who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool. Shun him.
He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is a child. Teach him.
He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep. Wake him.
He who knows, and knows that he knows, is a leader. Follow him. 09/04/03 :: Quote :: Aldous HuxleyMost human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted. 09/04/03 :: Quote :: Albert EinsteinReality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. 09/04/03 :: Quote :: Thomas ReidWe laugh at the Indian philosopher, who to account for the support
of the earth, contrived the hypothesis of a huge elephant, and to support
the elephant, a huge tortoise. If we will candidly confess the truth, we
know as little of the operation of the nerves, as he did of the manner in
which the earth is supported: and our hypothesis about animal spirits, or
about the tension and vibrations [...] 09/04/03 :: Quote :: Napoleon BonaparteHistory is a set of lies that people have agreed upon. 08/26/05 :: Reference :: (link) :: Inside Ronald Reagan07/28/03 :: Reference :: (link) :: Outrageous Christianity06/16/05 :: Article :: Christians & Hypocrisy - FAQ :: Abstraction of hypocrisy, application to Christianity, distinct lack of resolution, and some bits about something else06/12/07 :: Quote :: Bertrand RussellThe most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. 06/12/03 :: Reference :: (link) :: Focus on the Family05/28/06 :: Quote :: George Bernard ShawThe fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. 05/23/09 :: Article :: Three Million Dollars :: Entertainment to bait...I mean, convert... the masses.03/15/08 :: Quote :: Bertrand RussellThe greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution. 02/11/04 :: Reference :: (link) :: Handy Latin Phrases01/30/05 :: Quote :: Chuang-tzuAll men know the utility of useful things; but they do not know the utility of futility. 01/21/04 :: Reference :: (link) :: Anti-Semitism: A Practical Manual01/18/04 :: Reference :: (link) :: Free Will vs. Predestination in Islam01/03/04 :: Article :: Blood type :: A well-meaning preacher sticks his foot in his mouth ... 03/02/04 :: Image :: First Law of Thermodynamics :: 12/17/03 :: Article :: The three who didn't pray :: Four guys come out of a bar ...12/03/03 :: Article :: Tips for making your arguments unbeatable :: Just a few tricks of the trade you might want to avoid picking up, if you care about fairness. 12/01/03 :: Quote :: Abraham Lincoln
We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness o [...] 11/13/03 :: Quote :: Michael PaineAn important art of politicians is to find new names for institutions which under old names have become odious to the public. 11/05/03 :: Quote :: Arne TiseliusThe distinction between true and false appears to become increasingly blurred by... the pollution of the language. 10/19/03 :: Quote :: Winston ChurchillI am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the
great ordeal of meeting me is another matter. 10/18/05 :: Article :: Stub - Evolution &c :: 10/06/07 :: Reference :: (link) :: Are There Demonstrable Effects of Distant Intercessory Prayer? A Meta-Analytic Review10/03/05 :: Quote :: Henry KissingerWe must learn to distinguish morality from moralizing. 10/03/03 :: Reference :: (link) :: Godwin's Law09/29/07 :: Reference :: (link) :: Millet system of law09/04/03 :: Quote :: Arthur C. ClarkeYou can't have it both ways. You can't have both free will and a benevolent higher power who protects you from yourself. 09/04/03 :: Quote :: Albert EinsteinIf most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies. 09/04/03 :: Quote :: Aldous HuxleyFacts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. 09/04/03 :: Quote :: BerliozTime is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils. 08/27/05 :: Quote :: Mark TwainIf it is a Miracle, any sort of evidence will answer, but if it is a Fact, proof is necessary. 08/01/04 :: Article :: Don't ignore differences! :: The Vatican reminds us that women are different from men, hurray! 07/06/03 :: Article :: It's not my fault! :: ......*grumble*.....06/09/05 :: Quote :: [unspecified]The more we disagree, the more chance there is that at least one of us
is right. 05/20/04 :: Article :: Holding back :: Laws are only for the lawful?05/12/06 :: Quote :: AristotleA tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side. 05/07/04 :: Article :: Beware the demonizers :: How to spot crap on sight04/02/05 :: Reference :: (link) :: The War Prayer03/23/05 :: Quote :: Dale HancheyNever be too proud to steal a good idea. 03/12/04 :: Quote :: Victor HugoAn invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.
(Translated from "On résiste à l'invasion des armées; on ne résiste pas à l'invasion des idées.") 01/20/04 :: Reference :: (link) :: Text of the Dead Sea Scrolls01/12/06 :: Reference :: (link) :: Butt Seks for Jesus01/09/04 :: Reference :: (link) :: How to deconstruct almost anything 04/07/04 :: Article :: Moral Authority? :: 02/26/05 :: Article :: On teaching evolution in public schools :: 02/12/04 :: Article :: Boobygate :: New and improved! Now easier to skim and ignore!!12/15/08 :: Quote :: Bertrand RussellEverything is vague to a degree you do not realize till you have tried to make it precise. 11/26/03 :: Article :: Which god? :: Is my god better than yours? It is even a different god?11/08/06 :: Quote :: Thomas JeffersonIn matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.  11/06/05 :: Article :: Why should christians be surprised? :: 09/04/03 :: Quote :: Sam BrownNever offend people with style when you can offend them with substance. 08/13/03 :: Reference :: (link) :: Queer 'Aye' for Marriage07/03/03 :: Article :: A God by any other name...(V1.2)?? :: Some differences are more important than others05/02/04 :: Article :: South Park and The Passion :: Thoughts on the movie's impact02/11/05 :: Quote :: Bjarne StroustrupCuriously enough, the volume of interest and public debate is often inversely proportional to the importance of a feature. The reason is that it is much easier to have a firm opinion on a minor feature than on a major one; minor features fit directly into the current state of affairs, whereas major ones - by definition - do not.
[Editor's note: while this was in the context of C++ language featur [...]  02/06/04 :: Article :: Some Points to Ponder for the Ecclesiologically Perplexed :: How's the church doing?02/02/04 :: Article :: I'm thinking in plaid! :: We strive to make sure our editorials are as trendy as we can.01/17/05 :: Reference :: (link) :: Jon Stewart on Crossfire |
