A blog of the writings and thoughts of free thinker, teacher, engineer and all-around knowledge buff. Topics covered include: Philosophy, Global Politics, Education, Physics, English Football and Speculative Fiction.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Lawrence Krauss - Another atheist charlatan
Atheist Evanagelist and all around know-it-all Lawrence Krauss is quick to write off the Old Testament (Tanakh) as a source of moral guidance (see Intelligence Squared Debate - Does Science refute God?). Such reasoning is both sloppy and intellectally dishonest. Charity, employee-employer relationships, assisting your fellow human being in times of need, ethical treatment of animals, dealing with the sick and the old are some of the many topics discussed at length in the Tanakh with solutions that are more Just than those in vogue today. A study of the Tanakh would reveal this immediately. The fact that Krauss chooses to denigrate such a line of thought and ignore the vast wealth of study associated with the Oral Torah, is further evidence of a mental bankruptcy that typifies his straw man approach to this important pillar of Western ethics. To the converted atheists his approach brings plaudits but to anyone aware of a deeper philosophy his line of attack is nothing more than fraudulent sophistry.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Atheist versus Theist Debates
I have seen several of these debates on you tube and after a while they become tiring (both sides rehashing the same dogma over again). As a theist I have my bias but I do admit that I miss those debates where the atheist viewpoint was espoused by the late Chris Hitchens. I did not agree with Hitch on several issues but he certainly livened up the discourse with his wit and his combative rhetoric. Sam Harris is the best of the remaining New Atheists and seems far and away a more deeper thinker than the over-hyped self indulgent Richard Dawkins. Lawrence Krauss is nothing special as is AC Grayling while Daniel Dennett is a tad on the dry side. Michael Shermer's approach is overly reductionist and he lives by the art of the false dichotomy. On the theist side I have no time for Chris Hedges, Al Sharpton, Deepak Chopra and Dinesh D' Souza but like listening to Ian Hutchinson, Dennis Prager and Rabbi Wolpe (all of whom are extremely logical in their arguments). The debate has lost some of its zest as of late but I am sure that it will resurrect itself when the Jihadists commit their next atrocity in the name of religion (something you can almost bet on).
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
A New Pope is Chosen
Its a bold move by the Vatican to choose a Pope from Latin America but in selecting Argentine Francis I the Holy See is reaffirming the international outreach of the Church and perhaps stop the post- modernist rot that has infected the faith in the Old World. Only time will tell if this was a shrewd move (which I suspect it is) but as I outlined in an earlier post the new Pope must place at the forefront of his agenda an activist approach that still sees Catholicism as a vital entity in the ongoing survival of Western Civilization.
The better candidate drops out
Marc Garneau has dropped out of the Liberal Leadership race clearing the way for Justin Trudeau to move one step closer to heading the Grits. This is a sad day for those looking for a meaningful candidate from the Liebrals. Trudeau is rich on cheap glitz (a glance at his silly comments and his naivety with respect to radical Islam are testament to this) but critically short on substance and so far looks like a less adept version of his father - arguably the most over-hyped politician in Canadian history. Still the Libs have a while to go before they storm Sussex Drive. They have much
sympathy in the Toronto area (who would vote for a muppet if he were a Liberal) but need to build goodwill elsewhere in Canada. Muclair and his socialists have a few minutes left on their fifteen but any Liberal leader needs to return to the pragmatism of Pearson if they wish to govern effectively . So far Trudeau being the latest incarnation of the party that gave us Dion and Ignatieff does not seem to be that man, Garneau from most accounts seems more likely to aspire to this role.
sympathy in the Toronto area (who would vote for a muppet if he were a Liberal) but need to build goodwill elsewhere in Canada. Muclair and his socialists have a few minutes left on their fifteen but any Liberal leader needs to return to the pragmatism of Pearson if they wish to govern effectively . So far Trudeau being the latest incarnation of the party that gave us Dion and Ignatieff does not seem to be that man, Garneau from most accounts seems more likely to aspire to this role.
Monday, March 11, 2013
A Message for the New Pope
I am intrigued like many as to who the next Pope will be but part of me cannot help but reflect on the irrelevancy that the position has fallen to in the new geo-politics. The Catholic faith has been in retreat for some time and has certainly lost ground in the Americas not to mention Post-Modern Europe. While John Paul II led with authority in opposing the evils of Marxist-Leninism (especially in his homeland of Poland) the church has largely sat back while Islamist regimes continue to persectute Christians in the Middle East. The previous pope Benedict XVI whimpered a bit about the insanity of Islamism but appeared to back down under pressure. The Eastern Orthodox churches are just as stilted (although not as damaged by the cancer of liberation theology as are so many of the mainstream Western churches), while the Anglicans are caught in a never land crippled by the curse of accomodation, a dreadful doctrine espoused by the feel good philosophy of new agers such as the former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
Catholicism needs a strong pope who who will stand up to the belligerency of Islamofascism, call out moral relativism when he sees it and champion the Western Ideal against the impending barbarism that have moved too close to shore. Right now it is only the evangelical Protestant groups who carry this mantle - Catholicism is at a cross roads but to survive intact and continue its importance as one of the gatekeepers of Western Civilization (and indeed global history) it must rethink its pacifism and offer no apologies for opposing the all too many excesses of radical Islam. If it fails to do so then its inertia will carry it to obscurity along the road which it currently travels.
Catholicism needs a strong pope who who will stand up to the belligerency of Islamofascism, call out moral relativism when he sees it and champion the Western Ideal against the impending barbarism that have moved too close to shore. Right now it is only the evangelical Protestant groups who carry this mantle - Catholicism is at a cross roads but to survive intact and continue its importance as one of the gatekeepers of Western Civilization (and indeed global history) it must rethink its pacifism and offer no apologies for opposing the all too many excesses of radical Islam. If it fails to do so then its inertia will carry it to obscurity along the road which it currently travels.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Yawn...When is the EPL over???
I never thought I would say this (as a die hard English football fan) but I can't wait for the EPL to finish. No its not sour grapes over my team Liverpool's inconsistency (although I do think they are on the right path), but this season more than any in recent memory has lacked both excitement and high quality football that has defined the Premiership. Man U have pretty much led from start to finish playing the type of soccer which would barely garner them a fourth spot in La Liga or the Bundesliga. Manchester City have been anemic as is the case of Chelsea. While Spurs have have performed with style (perhaps more than any other team) its only a matter of time before their season unravels in typical faction allowing Arsenal (a euphemism for mediocrity) to edge ahead of them towards the last remaing CL spot (I hope that I am wrong on this account). Yes I have enjoyed the play of Southampton and that other minnow Swansea but the presence in the top half of the EPL of Stoke, Everton and West Brom (three team's genuinely lack creativity) does not auger well for a league that six years ago provided three out of the four CL Finalists. This year there will most likely be no English teams in the Champion's League Quarterfinals (Arsenal's chances of overturning Bayern are slim) and deservedly so. Spain, Italy and Germany all have stronger leagues and English footer needs a serious wake up call for right now it appears as though it has jumped on the wrong side of the salary/performance utility curve. Lets hope that it can stop the rot soon.
Chavez is Dead....but its too soon to be optimistic
One shouldn't celebrate the death of another human being but I for one shall not shed a tear for this passing of this South American demagogue. Chavez destroyed his country's economy, cavorted with the vile Iranian leadership, commited himself to a philosophy of anti-semitism and greatly curtailed freedom of speech in Venezuela. While admired by many on the left (the usual voices who continue to show affection for Mao, Castro and Che) Chavez represented a regional menace who used simplistic populism to boost his status with the poorest of the nation while championing a statism that has ruined many an economy elsewhere. He should not be missed but I am not optimistic that his successor will curb the folly's of Chavez's realized egoism. We will wait and see.
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