The screen shot is from a post made on X here. I though the question was worth blogging… including my responce.
My reply….
If you are an ‘Ex-Believer’ then you know your statements are false.
At best It may be said that God set up the conditions whereby Rebellion and sin were *possible* but not *actual*. This means God granted the Angels (and humanity) *real* freewill… so that their love and ongoing relationship with God *was truly volitional*… not mechanical.
We have no idea how ‘long’ this harmonious relationship lasted *until* Satan… puffed up with his own greatness (pride) became envious of God’s exalted status and conspired to make himself like the most high… thereby corruption the holy order of things.
So it is false to say *God created* Satan.
God allowed Satan to make his own choice… of his own accord.
*That this transpired* is one of the most *likely* speculations on our part because the existence of evil… both externally in the world, and within our own personal conduct is one of the most stark realities we experience and grasp.
I argue in an article (link below) that Satan’s existence is a logical necessity today… given the facts.
Read it. I offer up a challenge for anyone to try and rebut my reasoning….
Above Dr William lane Craig expounds a rationalist approach to ascertaining the trustworthiness of the Bible.
This requires the texts to be treated like any other historical document to which scholars apply certain tests.
Watch the clip above to appreciate that process.
I however pointed out that as a Bible believing Christian I do not consider the Bible to be ‘just another ancient text but a special case in which it has been divinely inspired and preserved… This provoked a debate with a rationalist who took me to task for my position.
Below is the dialogue that followed. It includes several instances in which Grok AI was called to mediate and weigh the validity of each of our positions as the conversation progressed.
It’s an important subject and the conversation is worth reading and preserving… as I justify the legitimacy of trusting the scriptures in the face of supposed Rationalist critique which seeks to destroy the Christians confidence in the Bible.
I appreciate Nietzsche for enunciating the ramifications of Atheism.
Humanity is cast adrift…. anything and everything is permissible because there is according to atheism no moral standard for conduct.
This is a devastating blow to all the Atheists who posture as moral.
If Nietzsche is right… then there is no standard by which Freedom can be said to be morally superior to Socialist tyranny.
The Atheist Bentham called Rights ‘Nonsense on stilts’
Unfortunately for Nietzsche he went mad and never realised that Atheism was false, and therefore so too such conclusions drawn from the premises of Atheism are also false.
There is a Divine Moral code of conduct binding upon humanity. So there is a right, and correct way for us to conform to.
And We humans *really do* have God given inalienable rights.
My commentary…
I don’t believe Muhammad flew to heaven on a winged horse… yet Dawkins argument is horribly inadequate and demonstrates his own *anti-scientific* mythology.
*Scientism*.
You see Dawkins is still arguing like an 18th century materialist who believe the Universe is eternal and that the laws of physics are absolute. This is when the idea that *science* forbids mythical creatures and miracles.
The trouble for Dawkins is that science has moved waaaay past those erroneous assumptions. *Now* the Universe is known to be temporal and the Laws of Physics merely contingent… not absolute… so their *power* to deny truths and realities that don’t obey them *has evaporated*. *Now science admits there is plenty of scope in reality* for phenomena that defy Physics.
This is a simple scientific reality.
Science can no longer claim to be absolute.
So while Dawkins (and myself) strongly doubt the claim that ‘Muhammad flew to heaven on a winged horse’ he cannot invoke ‘science’ as his authoritative definitive Slam dunk.
So in this argument, The Muslim really does have a legitimate gripe against Dawkins.
‘Miracles’ (Defined as real events that do not conform to the laws of physics) are very possible… and probable… for example the Creation of the Universe.
The creation of Life. The creation of Humanity.
These are transcendent facts about our Natural world that we know have happened.
Then there are the Biblical miracles such as the resurrection of Jesus Christ for which there is strong evidence to believe happened in real time and was witnessed by hundreds.
Sorry Neil!
*God* is the correct answer… and it is pure logic… ask Aristotle… the Father of Logic.
Your ‘God of the Gaps argument’ is fallacious.
It appeals only to tards.
Tyson is talking out his arse!
Why?
*Both Newton and Kepler were devout Theists!*
Science underpinned their faith in God!
God was integral to their Natural Philosophy.
I dare anyone to fact check my claims above about logic, Aristotle, Newton, Kepler, and their philosophy of science.
*Tyson himself actually ascribes to ‘Atheism of the gaps’!*
(If you can’t fathom this… go ask Grok what that might be!)
Oh and Jesus died for our sins and rose again the third day! Those are what are called *historical facts*.
And they are Good News! God Loves you and has provided a way to forgive our sorry arses *for Free*. You only need to receive his gift… by believing it… putting your trust in God’s Grace.
It’s that simple. Trusting in Christ is the wise move people. He’s the greatest figure in human history.
Tim Wikiriwhi.
Christian Libertarian.
Here’s what Grok AI says about Kepler… which also perfectly describes Newton’s thinking as well…
“Yes, Johannes Kepler was unequivocally a theist. He was a devout Christian who believed deeply in God as the creator and rational designer of the universe.Kepler’s religious views were central to his scientific work. He viewed astronomy as a way to understand God’s geometrical plan for creation. He famously described his efforts as “thinking God’s thoughts after Him” and saw himself and other astronomers as “priests of the highest God in regard to the book of nature.”Here are some direct indicators from his own words and historical accounts:He wrote: “Geometry is one and eternal shining in the mind of God. That share in it accorded to men is one of the reasons that Man is the image of God.”
Another: “Great is God our Lord, great is His power and there is no end to His wisdom. Praise Him you heavens, glorify Him, sun and moon and you planets.”
He saw the heliocentric system and the structure of the solar system as reflections of the Trinity and divine order.
Kepler was raised Lutheran, studied theology alongside mathematics and astronomy, and remained a committed Protestant (though sometimes described as “unorthodox” in certain doctrinal points, he never abandoned core Christian theism). He refused to convert to Catholicism during periods of religious pressure and faced exile partly because of his faith.In short, far from being an atheist, deist in the modern distant-clockmaker sense, or agnostic, Kepler’s entire scientific motivation was rooted in his belief in a personal, intelligent, and glorious God who created an orderly, knowable cosmos. His discoveries were, in his own view, ways of glorifying that God.”.
“When my husband died, because he was so famous and known for not being a believer, many people would come up to me-it still sometimes happens-and ask me if Carl changed at the end and converted to a belief in an afterlife. They also frequently ask me if I think I will see him again. Carl faced his death with unflagging courage and never sought refuge in illusions. The tragedy was that we knew we would never see each other again.
I don’t ever expect to be reunited with Carl. But, the great thing is that when we were together, for nearly twenty years, we lived with a vivid appreciation of how brief and precious life is. We never trivialized the meaning of death by pretending it was anything other than a final parting.
Every single moment that we were alive and we were together was miraculous-not miraculous in the sense of inexplicable or supernatural. We knew we were beneficiaries of chance… That pure chance could be so generous and so kind… That we could find each other, as Carl wrote so beautifully in Cosmos, you know, in the vastness of space and the immensity of time… That we could be together for twenty years. That is something which sustains me and it’s much more meaningful… The way he treated me and the way I treated him, the way we took care of each other and our family, while he lived. That is so much more important than the idea I will see him someday.
I don’t think I’ll ever see Carl again. But I saw him. We saw each other. We found each other in the cosmos, and that was wonderful.”
― Ann Druyan
…………..
My commentary…
These words (above) very much remind me of my beloved Uncle who passed away in recent years.
He was a committed atheist who believed life was ultimately meaningless and that death was the end.
I can be certain he never entertained any hope or expectation of ever seeing his beloved wife (my fabulous Aunty) ever again.
How tragic and empty.
They did not *know* they would never see each other again… that was simply an article of their faith… and what a hollow faith it is… devoid of meaning… devoid of hope… foolish even… given so many of us know the truth of the Bible.
The time of Sagan was tragically dominated by the delusions of scientism and materialism… both have been overthrown… yet sadly so many millions still cling to them because they cannot fathom or bear the alternative paradigm. They are Aliens to God… Aliens to the truth… They prefer the darkness of Nihilism.
I know this because I was once one myself… a militant atheist trapped in the delusions of materialism… despite the fact that it’s foundations have been utterly overthrown.
The Ultimate death nail being the fact that the Laws of physics have been proven to be contingent, temporal, and strictly limited… not absolute as was once believe as the foundation stone of Materialism. That has been Blown to pieces. I tell my Children that even though I shall die… I will see them again, as we have that Divine promise in the Gospel and the historic fact of the resurrection of Christ.
Christianity is a superior faith in every way over the paucity and delusions of Atheist materialism.
*******
Retort 1….
My reply…
Nihilism. Yes. For it follows from Godless materialism.
You don’t have to take my ‘whacky’ ‘crack pot’ theistic word for it.
No less than Nobel prize winner for Philosophy Atheist Bertrand Russell deems it so!
I myself had a wonderful and intelligent Atheist Uncle… I do not hesitate to say he was a good man. Kind, and charitable, yet he would be the first to admit that atheism has no foundation for morals.
I loved him very much and had many conversations attempting to sway him to realise his errors… He would no be moved.
He simply chose to be kind… displaying many atheists cannot bear to live consistently with their own professed world view, but instead mimic Christian values… as if morality really is objectively true. This evidences the inner conflict such atheists face… for intuitively we sense moral laws… yet they cannot be reconciled as objectively valid from Atheist premises. Instead they are often given ‘Darwinian Attributes’… ie that moral sentiments ’embed themselves’ biologically… not because they are *moral laws* in the Christian sense… but because they serve beneficial genetic survival properties…. so such rationalisms…
This is the tragedy of the delusions of Materialism… for such souls pass into eternity not accepting or admitting their own sinful fallen moral condition and need for Christ.
Tim Wikiriwhi.
Christian Libertarian.
King James Bible believer.
The idea that there are aliens out there is pure Atheist Evolutionary Myth. The reality is *Life cannot spontaneously generate* Mic Drop. We know this because There is no such thing as a ‘simple cell’… Cells are super-complex… that is why blind nature cannot make life…. Mic Drop. Which is also why The Firmi paradox is a death blow to Atheist evolution and why Brian is bothered by this truth.
Tim Wikiriwhi
Christian Libertarian.
Dispensationalist.
Transcript:
“There’s a thing called the Fermi- Paradox… and the paradox is… if we hadn’t seen anything… lets assume we haven’t seen any evidence of anything… That’s a paradox. We now know.
We didn’t when Firmi first posed it. by the way.
We now know there’s so many planets out there… so let’s say trillions of planets in the Milky way. The Milky ways been there for over 13 billion years. Pretty much the age of the Universe. So If there’s no one else out there, then the question is why?
Because there’s been so much Time and so many places for civilisations to become Space faring civilisations. We are very close to becoming a multi planetary civilisation. And once you have become a Multi planetary and multi Stellar civilisation, and you become that you’re immortal basically.
So the question is… the paradox is why does it appear nobody has done that.
So the first thing to say is…. I would not be surprised if a UFO landed here now in the parking lot. I’d actually not only would I not be surprised, I’d be relieved.
This is good. It would be a weight off my shoulders. because I’m worried [Joe Rogan: that we are the only ones… that’s a terrifying scenario] … and we are going to make a mess of it.
Brian Cox on Joe Rogan.
**********
There is a God.
He Created this Universe and Us.
We fell into evil and that is why he separated himself from us.
Yet he loves us and has provided a way for us to be forgiven and cleansed from Sin.
By believing the Gospel and receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Christ died on the cross for our sins.
He was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day in victory over sin and death.
Whosoever believes the gospel and calls upon the name of Christ… shall be saved from eternal damnation and instead will live forevermore in God’s loving presence.
My answer… off the cuff…
There are several levels of ‘Sovereignty’.
The most essential one’s being God’s Divine Sovereignty and from this Individual sovereignty.
Individual sovereignty is a vital concept for Human Freedom which is only possible from a theistic foundation in which the Human Individual is imbued with Inalienable rights to life and Liberty.
The fundamental argument being we are given our lives and Freedom directly from God Almighty and it is Theft for governments, or anyone to rob us of our God given life and freedom.
We Free Men then can form a National government which derives it’s *National sovereignty* from a collective of our individual sovereignty and right to form a government. The Government in this way is *Not sovereign*… but the servant of the Sovereign people.
Yet still the people cannot imbue their government with any greater rights or authority than they posses *as individuals*…. therefore no collective of people have the right to create a government that tramples upon the God given rights of Individuals or minorities. No such legitimate power exists.
Therefore the Government must be strictly limited in it’s power, scope, and function leaving the Individuals with their Liberty to follow their own consciences… practice their own faith…. exercise their own values… the only condition being they respect the rights of others to do the same thing… and that their actions do not transgress the rights of others. This is where such things as Private property and free speech are essential rights. Private property is where we may practice our faith. Free speech being distinguished from violence means we can speak out minds and openly evangelise our faith and political opinions… which even if others do not like them or causes them offence… do not constitute violence and so do not violate others rights… and as such are lawful.
Atheism has no foundation for the sovereignty of individuals… no foundation for individual rights in fact no foundation for objective morality at all.
Famously The atheist Jeremy Bentham called rights ‘Nonsense on stilts’.
Atheist Hobbes said their is no higher power than *Might*…. The Leviathan state.
This is why under the atheist materialist paradigm there is no defense against *The sovereign State* which then can treat individuals in any way they see fit.
This is the Atheist Marxist conception whereby Individuals can be sacrificed for the sake of the Collective… The State. There are no Higher Moral Principles by which The All powerful State can be deemed to be Evil. In The Marxist consception… whatever serves the benefit of the Party State is moral* …. That’s Lenin.
so you have a choice… God and Human Rights vs Atheist Nihilism and the subordination of human beings to absolute power.
Look at the state of this seething vile socialist hater of Christian values and Christ!
Molesters of Children’s minds.
See how Satan works.
Step one: Introduce inappropriate perversion into schools.
Step two: Silence any dissenting opinions by accusing Christian parents of being inappropriate and bigoted when they express outrage at the perversion they introduced.
Fact: This is a spiritual Ideological war being waged against our Christian foundations.
These people are destroyers and they are evil.
They are wreaking absolute havoc creating legions of lobotimised zombies who have been taught that Christianity is Nazizm…. all classic Marxist strategy for corroding overthrowing Nations.
Parents must stand up against them.
The Socialist onslaught is on many fronts… Critical Race theory, revisionist History, Gender Identity, Economics, Science… Climate change,… ie all the whack ideas the extreme leftist radicals screech and kick big tantrums about…. yet most of all… they hate Christianity and the Bible.
The fruit of Far left socialism…
These vile sentiments translate into crime and violence against white people.. If sh’e a mother and teaches those vile opinions to them to her sons they have a high probability of ending up in jail for Race hate crimes.
We cannot allow these Haters and Evil and Oppressive Extremists to control the public sphere.
We must boldly and forthrightly Oppose them.
Free Speech Champion!
Watch her Bold stand against a Woke School Borad that tried to censor what parents were allowed to say at Board meetings… here
There is no excuse for cowardly silence.
Everything is at stake.
