“Trump’s re-election in 2024 is going to be the biggest “Fuck You” ever recorded in human history. Trump is a “human Molotov cocktail that people have been waiting for‚ the human hand grenade that they can legally throw into the system that stole their lives from them.” Wow pic.twitter.com/le3y9E2QJv — Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January […]

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The terror list is being abused to do favors for Iran rather than to protect America. The post Why Do We Have a Terror Group That Only Targets Iran on the List of Foreign Terrorists‚ But Not the Houthis appeared first on Frontpage Mag.

“We are doing this to protect you” from “radical groups.” The post Banning Jews for Their Own Protection appeared first on Frontpage Mag.

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Monday‚ 23 November [1654]. . . . From about half past ten at night until about half past midnight‚ FIRE. GOD of Abraham‚ GOD of Isaac‚ GOD of Jacob not of the philosophers and of the learned. Certitude. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace. GOD of Jesus Christ. My God and your God. So begins the famous “Memorial‚” Blaise Pascal’s account of his visceral‚ personal encounter with the living God‚ which led to his conversion to Christ. According to English comedian and author David Baddiel‚ Pascal’s “religious experience” was merely a projection of his deep-seated desire for a God-figure who could save him from rapidly approaching death. In The God Desire: On Being a Reluctant Atheist‚ Baddiel asserts that humanity’s deep-seated and hardwired desire for God proves not the existence but the nonexistence of God. His book inverts a common apologetic argument‚ and this offers a challenge and an opportunity for Christian readers to sharpen their thinking. Argument Against God from Religious Desire The book is less about a logical rejection of God’s existence than about a vibe. Though Baddiel puts himself firmly in the rationalistic camp‚ he argues apologetic debate is a “discursive space” that’s a “waste of time” (53). On the other hand‚ he’s surprised that “the God-doesn’t-exist-because-anything-so-deeply-desired-must-be-a-fantasy argument” doesn’t lead to believers abandoning the faith (21). The crux of Baddiel’s argument can be communicated in three short quotes: Don’t you want to believe in God? I said: yes. Desperately. That’s why I know He doesn’t exist. (5) I believe that humans cannot bear to look directly at the face of death‚ and so have invented the face of God as a shield. (12) The more . . . it is clear to me how fervent and desperate the God Desire is . . . the more I know‚ in my reluctant atheist heart‚ that there is nothing there. (94) Baddiel’s combination of rationalist language and demands for evidence with a dismissive attitude toward actual arguments makes it hard to take his approach seriously. Yet there are some points where Christians can engage—not just with Baddiel but with our skeptical friends and neighbors. For example‚ Baddiel rightly acknowledges the nearly universal human fear of death along with our desire for meaning‚ wonder‚ mystery‚ and love. He insists that in each case‚ our yearnings have led us to project a deity who can satisfy those longings. He admits to humanity’s psychological needs‚ many of which find expression in religious beliefs and desires. Like many of our skeptical acquaintances‚ Baddiel expresses a firm commitment to truth and claims to be willing to embrace even unpalatable implications of the truth. His consistency in these commitments‚ however‚ is questionable. Christianity Misunderstood Baddiel mishandles all religions in a way that’s embarrassingly ignorant for someone who claims to have reason and argument on his side. His presentation and perspective of “God” is childishly incomplete. Though he briefly considers other religions‚ for the majority of the rambling book‚ he clearly has the Western monotheistic tradition in view—particularly Christianity’s “rosy” picture of everlasting life. He critiques ideas he simply hasn’t bothered to understand. Baddiel’s “God” serves merely as a get-out-of-jail-free card and a stopgap explanation for what we don’t yet understand. He describes Jesus as “the cross-breeding of God and man” (69). Then he argues the founders of Christianity were geniuses because “a man on the cross who is there because he’s sacrificing himself for your sins is almost the perfect encapsulating of the modern idea of the hero” (69). It was good of the early Christians to anticipate the modern literary turn. Disappointingly‚ there’s no discussion of classical theism‚ no consideration of divine attributes like justice‚ mercy‚ grace‚ wrath‚ and love (let alone omnipotence‚ omniscience‚ and the like)—no exploration of a God whom we might find worthy of worship. Though Baddiel may pass his comments off as attempts at comedy‚ the impression left is of the college sophomore who has taken a philosophy class and is now certain of all his arguments. Yet he argues that Christians shouldn’t use logic because “God exists beyond logic and reason” and atheists shouldn’t bother using logic to critique theistic arguments because “it won’t change the opinion of those who believe because they can always fall back on the beyond logic and reason thing” (54). Though Baddiel may pass his comments off as attempts at comedy‚ the impression left is of the college sophomore who has taken a philosophy class and is now certain of all his arguments. In the end‚ Baddiel is running a rigged game. He argues that belief requires “something to exist for which there is no existential proof‚ and that no one has‚ in concrete terms‚ experienced” (20). But he neither mentions nor engages evidence presented by authors like Rudolf Otto (The Idea of the Holy)‚ William Alston (Perceiving God)‚ or Harold Netland (Religious Experience and the Knowledge of God). I wonder if there’s any evidence that could persuade him someone has truly experienced God. Is it possible that seeking “concrete” evidence of my (immaterial) soul’s encounter with a (incorporeal) transcendent God is simply barking up the wrong tree? This book shows that sometimes apologetics is a process of informing and pointing out logical inconsistencies rather than an evidential debate. Faith Fulfills Our Desire Baddiel’s The God Desire is a pithy‚ engaging read with plentiful humor and snark but scant logic and reasoning. It assumes a Freudian psychology and history of religion‚ which is reanimated through Baddiel’s acerbic pen with more wit but (almost impossibly) with even less evidential and rational force. This book reflects the way many people approach discussions of religion. It’s helpful to see his arguments in print and consider in advance how to respond. Fundamentally‚ Baddiel’s issue isn’t rational—it’s his resistance to the deep longing for the cosmos to have meaning. Human beings are unique in the cosmos in their possession of a longing for the transcendent. That ubiquitous religious desire has something to say about the nature of reality. But when combined with numerous independent and converging arguments for God’s existence and the plethora of visceral religious experiences like Pascal’s‚ the “God desire” clearly points toward the existence rather than the nonexistence of a transcendent personal being with whom we can be in relationship. Human beings are unique in the cosmos in their possession of a longing for the transcendent. That ubiquitous religious desire has something to say about the nature of reality. At the end of Baddiel’s book‚ I’m left simply with Pascal’s “FIRE!”—a real‚ visceral encounter with the living God that led to transformation‚ which would be hard to explain apart from the supernatural. Will we be able to persuade David Baddiel to reconsider his hard-hearted rejection of the existence of God and the evidence from religious desires and experiences? Probably not; most of us will never meet him‚ let alone interact meaningfully with him. We can‚ however‚ be prepared to engage friends and neighbors who have drunk deeply from similarly skeptical waters. That’s how reading books like The God Desire can help us.

As children‚ many of us sat around the dinner table or a crackling campfire‚ listening to our parents or friends tell us the creepiest stories. We’d surreptitiously glance over our shoulders‚ ready to run at the slightest creak of a twig or flutter of a curtain. The characters in these stories haunted us. They brought […] The post 10 Chilling Stories That Might Just Keep You Up at Night appeared first on Listverse.

Before 2007‚ more people lived in rural areas than in cities. Since then‚ humans have become more geographically concentrated‚ and many cities have grown in size as people have flocked to them. But some animal species have long lived in close quarters this way and for the same kinds of reasons that people do‚ such […] The post 10 Surreal Cities Inhabited by Animals appeared first on Listverse.

Sargon’s weapons and gear in Prince of Persia The Lost Crown aren’t enough to defeat the many enemies that roam Mount Qaf. Luckily‚ our hero has supernatural abilities that can make him a deadly and dynamic fighter‚ and you know what‚ good for him. In Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown‚ those powers can enhance his ability combos. Prince of Persia The Lost Crown: Best ability combos In the game‚ you have Athra Surges which can be attacks that you can add to a combo either during one or at the end. But be aware‚ that you can only equip two Autha Surges at the same time. To use them‚ do not get hit. He also has Time Powers that are both used for platforming and combat. Unlike Athra Surges‚ Time Powers become equipped automatically. Both his Athra Surges and Time Powers can be used defensively and offensively. However‚ not all are useful during combat.  Screenshot: PC Invasion Related: All syste...