Tag: Science

Why does the universe exist? God vs science?

The Cosmological argument for the existence of God has been around for millennia, and is still much debated. Christian philosopher William Lane Craig has used various versions of it for years in debates with atheists, generally very successfully. So when an agnostic cosmologist with an interest in philosophy examines it, we are sure to learn […]

The Big Picture – reasons for an atheist to change his mind

People believe in God, or disbelieve, for many different reasons. What convinces one person makes no impression on another. So I am always interested in what convinces people, or not. And I am very interested in attempts people make to give an integrated and holistic explanation for belief. Fellow blogger (Minimalist Christian) Phil Hemsley was […]

A brief addendum on climate science

Further to my rave on climate science yesterday, here is a website where a geochemist reports he reviewed thousands of peer reviewed articles on climate science, dated November 2012 to December 2013. Of 2258 papers, with a total of 9136 authors, he found only one paper and one author who denied that human-caused global warming […]

World climate 2013: honest disagreement, wilful blindness or deliberate deception?

I have looked at Australia’s climate in 2013. Now, how did the world’s climate fare in 2013? And what does the recent “polar vortex” in the US say about climate change?

“While I can’t definitely say that gods don’t exist I am more certain that they don’t than I am that the sun will rise tomorrow.”

My friend Gordon is an atheist and a reader of this blog. Recently in a comment on a previous post, he made the above comment. It is still holiday time, I’m a nerd, and I enjoy a challenge, so I wondered whether I could analyse the science, and the belief. People with dedicated serious minds […]

2013 – that was the year that was ….. hot!

The Daily Telegraph in Sydney has been mounting an extensive disinformation campaign on climate change for years now. The tactic is simple, and apparently effective, if not truthful – latch onto any isolated “fact” that seems to show some evidence of a cool world, ignore all the facts, evidence and reports to the contrary, and […]

The star of Bethlehem

It’s almost Christmas, so it’s a good time for a look at something interesting but not so serious. What was the star that the wise men followed to lead them to where the baby Jesus was in Bethlehem?

Religion is a mind virus and our society needs healing from this faith pandemic?

I have commented before about the “atheist-christian wars“, and how courtesy and common sense sometimes seem to be the victims. I think it is likely to get worse before it gets better.

Are we not men? 1

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms “faith” in the dignity and worth of the human person and declares all humans are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Is this true, or is it just a legal fiction?

Christians, atheists and confirmation bias

“Confirmation bias …. is a tendency of people to favor information that confirms their beliefs or hypotheses. People display this bias when they gather or remember information selectively, or when they interpret it in a biased way …. [or] interpret ambiguous evidence as supporting their existing position.” (Wikipedia) Atheists often accuse christians of confirmation bias, […]