Stormbringer's Thunder

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too."  2 Cor. 1.3-4 ESV — The Apostle Paul Edited for clarity and fixed links. Buona sera. Wow, I've been at this since May 30, 2007 and almost 600 posts. Should I have a party for article number 600, or my four-year anniversary? Both? So anyway. From the Ministry of Dreadful Analogies, I present: Frog Gigging. Basically, it's skewering the critters with a big fork-like spear in the middle of the night. (Some people think it's a fun sport and a variation on hunting, but I'm not fond of the idea for the most part. Perhaps if I had eaten frog legs I might feel differently.

Edited for wording. Buona sera. This article has been churning in the back of my brilliant mind for quite some time. It was going to be about two "special" atheists and their astonishing lack of thinking skills, but a third has joined their ranks. Since I indulged in some speculation and dared to ask if atheism leads to brain damage because of spiritual depravity, I have had plenty of supporting evidence. It is indeed unfortunate that I cannot take the time to spell it all out. By the way, I know that I have plenty of haters out there. It's all part of the job. Edit: Some of the links to the first atheopath's site are no longer good. Looks like he has something to hide. Two of these are Brits, the third is an American. I've noticed that there are very few atheists who are Conservative. For the most part, they take a leftist viewpoint and oppose almost anything for which a Conservative stands. (If something is from a Christian Conservative, watch o

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen For several months, I've been chomping at the bit to get this article written. There is an addendum belo w the video. Is it just my imagination, or has there been a marked increase in anti-vaccination material? (Perhaps they get worked up by anti-vax celebrities and politicians like Donald Trump , Jim Carrey , Jenny McCarthy , Bill Maher , and others.) There are many conspiracy theories linked to vaccinations, and there is a range of intensity, including "governments use vaccines to control the population". This troubles me. No, it actually gets me angry. (There are people who will take any innocuous comment and say that the writer is angry, but in this case, I'm telling you right out of the gate how I feel. I've even "unfriended" people for spreading the stuff.) This will not be a detailed pro-vaccine apologetic, since too many people have their minds made up from emotional appeals and terrible reasoning, but I want to make so

Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. - Sherlock Holmes I had better point out to my more vicious, childish readers that I know full well that Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character. But everyone would be enriched by watching the way Jeremy Brett portrayed him! But look, there is more to logic and reason than you may think. Some people think they know everything humanly possible. How do you deal with facts that do not fit your presuppositions? You must accept the conclusions of the evidence, whether you like them or not. There is something that I have to address with my critics. They are angry because I do not engage them in protracted discussion on other people's blogs. These arrogant atheist trolls demand that I reply to each and every comment they make, and even bring up material that I have written here , to be discussed there , even though I am commenting (or in some cases, absent from commentin

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen There is a connotation of science  where scientists gather information, make a hypothesis, test it, revise as necessary, it becomes a theory, and eventually a law. Somewhere along the line the thing gets put out to pasture if the facts are recalcitrant. Such a view is not only naïve, but ignores human nature. Scientists are human, after all.  Scoffing at new material One expression I have encountered when discussing the origins controversy is that "science corrects itself". Aside from the reification fallacy ( science  is not a living thing, but scientists may correct themselves), this has been shown to be false — often in areas of technology. Great inventors were laughed at, such as Robert Fulton and the Wright brothers. It was said that if people move too fast (aside from dangerous acceleration, change of direct, and deceleration), they would have physical problems or even die. Scoffers were silenced by results. Some people attribute this ridi

"It is true, that a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion; for while the mind of man looketh upon second causes scattered, it may sometimes rest in them, and go no further; but when it beholdeth the chain of them confederate, and linked together, it must needs fly to Providence and Deity." — Sir Francis Bacon I have to admit that I'm stumped about something. And I do not like writing an article of this nature, where I am responding to something said about me in the comments section of another Weblog. But I feel that I should. There was a comment about me at "Atheist Central", but I am reluctant to name the source. I'm thinking that he (?) may not want to be named outright, here. Well, if he (?) wants to leave a comment and claim it, then fine, I'll acknowledge it. But he will not, since he said (among other hateful things), "Thankfully, my atheistic moralit

For a long time, I have said that people are stupidified by hate. (Yes, I learned that word from Matt Slick .) They are so wrapped up in their hatred of people that there is little, if anything, that hate-ee can do that is "right" in their eyes. When it comes to atheism, the stupidification is a spiritual problem. Not only are they suppressing the truth about God (Rom. 1.20), they are unable to understand deeper spiritual matters (1 Cor. 2.14). This feeds itself and other areas of their lives are affected (Rom. 1.21-22), especially the ability to reason. Some refer to this as the "noetic effect of sin". This helps explain why the garden variety atheopath is unable to understand basic concepts of logic, even after they are explained. These proponents of "reason" are exceedingly irrational. (Click for larger.) This troll's assertion is helpful how, exactly? Since they are unable to defend their incoherent worldview, preferring instead

As usual, the more I examine logical fallacies, the more I see how people blend their fallacies into dreadful monstrosities. I have had many experiences where people will attack by asserting that they have a bad or ulterior motive, so be careful of Proof by Assertion because it lends itself to reinforcing other fallacies. " Proof by Assertion " (sometimes "Proof by  Repeated  Assertion", a relative of  Circular Reasoning ) is one of my favorite fallacies because I encounter it so  very  often. In its simplest form, Proof by Assertion happens when someone declares a "fact" without offering supporting evidence: This is similar to the mantra, "Evolution is science, creation is religion". An assertion with an excuse. I still say, "Disingenuous". That was a very strange assertion and cop-out. Another reason that I like "Proof by Assertion" is that it is conveniently linked with

Tweaked for wording later that same day. Buon giorno. How low can you get? Norman the irrational, hate-filled troll made a remark to another irrational, hate-filled troll , completely off topic for the purpose of taking a cheap shot at yours truly, or will leave comments on Weblogs when I am not the topic of conversation . (I think he's still angry that I am his intellectual superior. But that is not a difficult accomplishment worth my bragging about.) Anyway, I get that. Being attacked, having petty Weblog articles written about what a bad man I am &c. is all a part of the territory.  The screen shot below has one typical lie from Norman, that I am "unable to talk about non-Christians without venom". Readers with any degree of intelligence know that I have referred to and conversed with non-Christians without venom. But the ones that get back what they give out are sobbing in Mommie's aprons, so naturally, they use absolute terms to color the readers'