2009-09-01

Here’s a point by philosopher Roger Scruton that the reductionism in new developments of neuroscience misses quite a bit, having little to do with art, morality, philosophy, and even psychology. Part of the brain is associated with math, but this doesn’t tell us what numbers are, or answer the philosophical conundrum of the foundations of arithmetic. Neuroscience tries to reduce everything to neurons, tell the whole story in Darwinese, and create the impression that a mystery has been solved. It’s hardly earth-shattering to tell us that the love of God, neighbour, beauty, virtue, etc. are not dysfunctional from a reproductive point of view. Roger Scruton on Nonsensical Neuroscience

Interesting: “A new study by Angus Deaton uses an expansive dataset to analyze the determinants and benefits of religiosity around the world. Deaton confirms that women and the elderly are almost universally more religious. He also finds evidence that higher religiosity among the elderly may be due to aging effects as opposed to simply secularization of younger generations. Religious people view themselves as more fit, reporting better health, more energy, and less pain. (Perhaps prayer is a substitute for complaining?) They’re also less likely to smoke and more likely to be married, have supportive friends, and be treated with respect. Other economists have linked religiosity with voting and counteracting the effects of childhood poverty.” Worldwide Study on the Benefits of Religion

This clears up some myths about Galileo. i) Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, the source of controversy, previously had been read and approved by the Church’s censors; and Pope Urban VIII, who presided over the trial, was Galileo’s friend and admirer. ii) Galileo affirmed the inerrancy of the Scriptures in scientific matters, while Cardinal Bellarmine said that if it should be truly shown that the sun is at the centre of the world, etc. then the texts which may seem contrary must have been misinterpreted. Note that a geocentric view of the universe owed more to the Greek mathematician Ptolemy than to Scripture. Six Myths about Galileo and the Church

The interesting point is made here that while Obama’s health care plan may have behind it the greatest intentions, worse men may come to power in the following years, and the same government that runs the police, the armed forces, and the prisons should not also come to dominate medical choices. “Reasonable citizens must not plan for the saints who will govern us, but for the great sinners." Too Great a Good for Caesar. A la carte

T-fan notes that Greg Koukl’s statement, “Repentance has nothing to do with sin” is quite wrong. Repentance is a turning from sin to Christ. It has to do directly with sin. That the Greek term itself means a change of mind, and need not have to do with sin or God, these linguistic argument miss the mark. The kind of repentance that Christ preached is a turning from sin to God. T-fan cites numerous Scriptures illustrating this. Even when “repentance" does not refer to turning from sin, often the emphasis in those cases is normally on the negation of some prior course of action or behavior. Repentance is from Sin

Phillips notes this idiotic example of where the United States is heading. A judge orders a girl to be shipped to their government reeducation camps (i.e. public school) because, while she is excelling socially, has great marks, etc. in homeschooling, she’s just too Christian. Here’s the words of the ‘judge’: "Despite Ms. Voydath's insistence that Amanda's choice to share her mother's religious beliefs is a free choice, it would be remarkable if a ten year old child who spends her school time with her mtoher and the vast majority of all of her other time with her mother would seriously consider adopting any other religious point of view. Amanda's vigorous defense of her religious beliefs to the counselor suggests strongly that she has not had the opportunity to seriously consider any other point of view." Phillips concludes, “don't miss this as well: in the mind of the judge and the counselor AND the father, what's the best antidote to firm Christian faith in a child? Government reeducation camps”  Renegade judge to mom- Your homeschooled daughter is doing great, but she's too Christian

Creation.com notes that evangelical Christian leaders at four Christian training colleges (Laidlaw College, Carey College, Pathways College and the Bethlehem Institute) promote evolution, and reject Genesis 1-11, calling them myth. And the issue here isn’t whether they believe God exists. It’s whether God has spoken in the Bible, and if we’ll believe what He said. http://creation.com/christian-academics-promote-evolution-in-new-zealand

DeYoung quotes some conclusions from Charles Murray’s Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950. The book seeks to look at finding things you could put on a resume for humanity. Of note, he says (and he’s not a Christian) "Finally my position is not at odds with the obvious fact that great human accomplishment has been produced outside Christian cultures and, for that matter, in cultures where the creative elites are secular. I am treating Christian religious belief as one of the variables that help to explain how human accomplishment in the arts and sciences has been ignited. I am arguing that Christianity is an important variable, one of the most important in the story of modern accomplishment. I am not arguing that it explains everything–just as, for that matter, purpose and autonomy do not explain everything. But they do explain a lot (407-408)." Murray not only asks “Who has achieved the greatest feats in human history?” but “Why?” As we might guess, population, peace, and prosperity have a lot do with it, but so does Christianity. Christianity offers a reason to believe in one’s efficacy as an autonomous actor; it offers a purpose to have a devotion to a cause. Maybe then Christianity is not as mind-numbing and culture-degrading after all. Now, why are mostly men listed in his book? Becoming a mother is more profound for women than becoming a father is for men. “it is not so much that motherhood keeps women from doing great things outside the home as it is men’s inability to give birth that forces them to look for substitutes” Where Do Genuises Come From-