I would like this book list to correspond to a sort of roadmap, a progression from, say, a mainline Christian to a full-blown ethical progressive atheist and humanist, who has a sure foundation for morality apart from religion. I’m not all the way there yet, as I have some books on my “to-read” list that […]
A Deconstruction Reading List Read More »
Since I began deconstructing my faith 10-12 years ago, I have been keeping notes in Evernote with various tags (later Notion, as I had to abandon Evernote due to its constantly-increasing fees and restrictions). I even made a Mind Map of all the points I had developed. Two of the the several organizing points were
Theodicy, Slavery, and CSA Read More »
They say: When God does good, it’s not because he’s conforming himself to some external morality; God’s actions are good because it is God doing them. Goodness is whatever God does and commands. This is the absolutist’s reply to Euthyphro’s dilemma. But maybe the absolutist is wrong. By way of illustration, what if we simply
Thoughts on Dystheism and the Sacrifice of Isaac Read More »
The problem of evil, or, “Why does God allow bad things to happen?” There are two categories that are really pivotal in my thoughts and opinions on theism in the last decade. These are “theodicy” and “dystheism”. The definitions of these terms are very similar, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were people out there
Dystheism vs. Theodicy Read More »
Theodicy is the attempt to vindicate God when we see so much evil in the world. During the first phase of my deconstruction, my own theodocious issues weren’t quite the same as others. For me, the problem of evil was addressed with by Calvinism and the doctrine of Original Sin. I think the big issue
The Odyssey of Theodicy Read More »
All truth is God’s truth. —Augustine A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence. —David Hume Bertrand Russell said, “Perhaps you may say that it would be rather a pity if Christian education were to cease, because you would then get no more Rationalists.” I concur (though I admit I can’t tell if he
How Reformed Theology taught me to be a Freethinker Read More »
Some of these events have been addressed in previous blogs, such as my drift towards a mainline liberal church. I thought that was a destination, but “The road goes ever on and on, whither then I cannot say…” I am the son of a worship leader, and I spent 15 years of my own life
A Chronology of Deconstruction Read More »