Stuart_gray

LATEST ARTICLES ( 298 )

• Evolution and the Origin of Information Problem

  

  My smartphone pings and the screen lights up. What do you do when you notice a message? Well, if I know the language it’s written in, I can’t help but read the... Read more

  Posted on 21 January 2020 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• 1917 as a Metaphor for Christian Commission

  

  This hits me hard. The unwavering commitment shown by Schofield and Blake to get the truth thru to the right people in time. If you are a Christian who has... Read more

  Posted on 19 January 2020 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• The “Faith” of Dracula

  

  In their new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have said they continued to respect the Christian themes that run through the... Read more

  Posted on 11 January 2020 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Is It “Special Pleading” to Propose an Eternal God?

  

  The Twitter conversation was a fun and polite exchange of opposing views. We had been talking about “fine-tuning,” the observation that many coincidences have... Read more

  Posted on 06 January 2020 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Best of 2019

  

  Hope you had a great holiday period, and I warmly wish you all the best for 2020. May this be a decade that is full of exciting new opportunities for you. This... Read more

  Posted on 31 December 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Does the Multiverse Theorem Solve “Fine-Tuning”?

  

  I have have been exploring the observations around cosmic fine tuning, and I’ve explained the possible explanations for it are either: Natural necessity Chance... Read more

  Posted on 16 December 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• How Can You Justify the Claim, “Nature is Fine Tuned for Life”

  

  Can you reasonably claim that nature is fine-tuned for the existence of life? I’ve been discussing this question with some folks this week, and I’ve noticed tha... Read more

  Posted on 13 December 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• It is the Most Spiritual of All The Trek Movies

  

  A vast cloud has been detected in outer space, and it’s heading toward Earth. Every being who has crossed its path has been lost. Read more

  Posted on 11 December 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Real Theistic Design Arguments Aren’t Circular

  

  I had a fascinating discussion with someone recently who posed an interesting argument. He said that theists who point to the incredible unlikelihood of the... Read more

  Posted on 09 December 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Is the Reported Birth Place of Jesus Fictional?

  

  Bethlehem. Skeptics have sometimes rolled their eyes at the claim that Jesus was born there … in Bethlehem. “There’s no good evidence,” they say. What’s their... Read more

  Posted on 07 December 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• An Astrophysicist Talks About the First Christmas Star

  

  Christmas is all about twinkling lights. It’s one of the special things that makes this season so magical for little ones. And – of course – every year, it mean... Read more

  Posted on 06 December 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• When Was Jesus Born?

  

  If Jesus wasn’t born on the 25th December (see https://respondblogs.wordpress.com/2019/12/04/was-jesus-actually-born-on-25th-december/), then when WAS Jesus... Read more

  Posted on 05 December 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Was Jesus Actually Born on 25th December?

  

  December 25th has, for so many people on the planet, been the date when the celebration of Christmas happens. The celebration of the birth of Christ. BUT – was... Read more

  Posted on 04 December 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Are the Gospels Trumpian – Getting Some Details Right, But the Story All Wrong?

  

  At Christmas time, the Christian churches return to the gospel accounts of Christ’s birth and re-read the events as they are described. Read more

  Posted on 03 December 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Five Conversations to Have With Your Kids After Seeing Frozen II

  

  Elizabeth Urbanowicz points out five interesting themes you could dig into after enjoying the movie. Of course…in my experience…EVERYTHING doesn’t always begin... Read more

  Posted on 30 November 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Why Does God Let a Child Die?

  

  When my wife miscarried our first child, we did not know why it happened. When I sat with my parents as my sister died of cancer, I saw in their eyes the same... Read more

  Posted on 28 November 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Can You Reject Christianity Based on Religion’s Possible Benefit to Survival?

  

  Sometimes I’ll hear people try to discredit Christianity by saying religion has only natural causes and, so it simply gives you survival benefit. That is why... Read more

  Posted on 22 November 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Machines, Personhood and Sarah Connor

  

  Contains mild spoilers. The latest Terminator movie has stumbled at the box office. I feel that’s unfortunate because this was a genuinely fresh and... Read more

  Posted on 20 November 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Rise of the Machines?

  

  This summer, I had lunch with Doctor Mihretu Guta at Biola University. Mihretu specialises in the areas of metaphysics and the philosophy of mind. Read more

  Posted on 19 November 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Faith of the Scientist

  

  I’ll often hear people say things like, “I have no time for faith. I live my live on reason, observation and evidence.” Really? I see. Well – let’s see how... Read more

  Posted on 15 November 2019 PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY