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I have just been reading through Genesis for the first time in several years and I have a few questions. 1) Why does God switch between plural and singular throughout the first two chapters of Genesis? For example, Genesis 1:26 reads, "Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our...

I recently read the book "Why Buddhism Is True" by Robert Wright. In the book, he outlines why and how various ideas in Buddhism align very well with modern psychology and neurology. As we learn more about how the brain functions, it seems that science regularly confirms some basic notions of...

Rather than asking whether or not God exists, I instead want to focus on the epistemological criteria that we use to determine whether things in general exist and how that applies to God when someone says God "exists". My personal view is that the criteria should be consistent. If A exists...

I recently read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and came across the surprising passage: "The majority of the human race dies in infancy; of the survivors, a good many die in youth. It is obvious that to [God] human birth is important chiefly as the qualification for human death, and death...

Suppose you were living several thousand years ago in a village in the Near East. Put yourself in that context. You receive word from a messenger that a nearby village has recently been destroyed by another tribe who claims that they were told by their god that they are chosen people. The tribe...

Suppose that the Christian God exists. Suppose a non-Christian theist does not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, was crucified, and historically and literally resurrected. The non-Christian does not necessarily believe in the miracles of Jesus and does not view the Bible as a useful...

Miracles, by definition, are unlikely occurrences. If a miracle was a common occurrence, it would not be miraculous by definition; it would be common and expected. For example, spontaneous remission of an aggressive cancer is an unlikely event which happens infrequently. Estimates vary, but it...

This is primarily directed at non-literalists. I was listening to an online sermon on Noah's flood. The pastor avoided talking about the historicity of the flood (likely to avoid conflict among his congregation). The resulting sermon was essentially an interpretation and application of the...

Can someone give me a consistent methodology for determining the difference between God and an imaginary friend? Someone says that they have an imaginary friend who they talk to and who sometimes does things for them and who makes them feel happy and fulfilled and comforts them. How is this...

The US has a long history of peaceful transitions and fair elections. This is, as far as I know, the first election where 'rigging' has seriously been used by a candidate as an excuse for a potential loss. This somewhat worries me because I wonder if the the Trump supporters will acknowledge...

Tunnels. Has no one on Trump's campaign team mentioned this? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smuggling_tunnel#US.E2.80.93Mexico http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-border-tunnels-20150501-htmlstory.html...

We have man-made models, equations and theories which postulate the idea that a thing can both exist and not exist. For example, the classic case is one where an "atom or photon can exist as a combination of multiple states corresponding to different possible outcomes". The Copenhagen...

"I have faith in God" seems to always be able to be translated in two ways: 1) "I have trust in God because evidence suggests he is trustworthy" 2) "I have evidence which I find compelling for God's existence" Faith and evidence are closely linked. In the first case, faith is akin to trust in...

Let's say that Bob and Alice go to the beach and see someone walking on water. Bob comments, "Wow, I don't understand how this is happening as it appears to defy all laws of physics. I wonder how he is doing it?" Alice answers, "God is causing him to be able to walk on water." Bob says, "But...

Where do you fit? The taxonomy is adapted from here. For me, the only debate is between the last two options. Should government be involved or should free markets allow technological innovation to solve the problem? Regardless, that is a political debate while all the others are scientific.

The Bible is constructed out of words. Words are fallible. Words are open to multiple interpretations. Words are prone to poor translations. Every day, I see (on this forum, for example), the difficulty inherent in communication. Miscommunications abound. Meaning is lost. Words are misconstrued...

I specifically am putting this thread in Physical and Life Science because I am not here to discuss the morality or immorality of transgender feelings, actions, etc. My question: From a medical or psychological standpoint, do you agree or disagree that transgenderism has all the qualities of a...

Supposedly, if you seek, you will find. I have been poking at Christianity for many years and I have read a whole list of books from both sides. I have read the New Testament in full and all 4 Gospels multiple times. I have read Mere Christianity, Case For Christ, A Skeptics Guide To Faith...

Is it wrong to abort a fetus because the fetus is female? Why or why not? I find this question interesting because the stereotypical pro-choicer also tends to be more feminist-leaning. But sex-selective abortion is the awkward dilemma where giving women the choice to abort a fetus based on...

1) What makes a claim extraordinary? 2) Where's the line between requiring sufficient evidence for an extraordinary claim and requiring unreasonable evidence for a non-extraordinary claim? 3) How does one determine when sufficient evidence has been given to believe a claim? Isn't it all just...