Author Archives: jackpelham

Impossibility

Posted on March 27, 2015 by jackpelham

In the entire history of the Planet Earth, not once has any person done an impossible thing. The truth of that statement should be self evident. The real trick is in figuring out what it should mean for us. For … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Religion, Science | Leave a comment

All-Or-Nothing Judgments About Ourselves and Others Are a Bad Idea

Posted on March 26, 2015 by jackpelham

Everybody knows that Joseph Stalin was infamous as “the Butcher” who directed the slaughter of 25 million people during his reign, but who knows that he would regularly and lovingly spend hour after hour with his daughter, Svetlana, listening to … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Philosophy, Politics, Religion | Leave a comment

If You Knew God Really Well, Would You Like Him?

Posted on March 26, 2015 by jackpelham

Sure, loads of folks think they like God, but do they know him well enough to be sure?  And some folks don’t like God, but do they know him well enough to be sure? Here are some things that a … Continue reading →

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Are We Obligated To Follow the Constitution?

Posted on March 25, 2015 by jackpelham

Here’s a philosophical question for your pondering:  When the US Government has abandoned obedience to the Constitution, are you and I still obligated to obey it? Our nation’s government was designed in the document we call our Constitution.  While the … Continue reading →

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The Christian Predicament: Dealing With The Bible During The Rush to Belief

Posted on March 25, 2015 by jackpelham

It’s interesting—the unintended consequences that occur when a piece of one’s religious foundation is laid in the wrong way.  It causes all manner of predicaments and there’s really no way to correct for them all unless you strip down to … Continue reading →

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Could We Please Get Over This Ignorant Literal/Figurative Debate About the Bible?

Posted on March 24, 2015 by jackpelham

I hear it practically every day—someone confidently affirming that “the Bible is literal” or that “the Bible is figurative”. Let me go ahead and state quite unapologetically that both are rather ignorant positions that bring this passage of scripture strongly … Continue reading →

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The Unthinkable Christian Exercise

Posted on March 23, 2015 by jackpelham

You can tell a lot about people by observing the patterns of their behavior.  You can figure out what they think about things, and even how they do that thinking. What is surprising is to discover what things people don’t … Continue reading →

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The “Stupid!” Bias

Posted on March 8, 2015 by jackpelham

I’ve been studying cognitive science for the last three years or so, trying to understand why it’s so hard for people to correct their beliefs when those beliefs are demonstrated to be wrong.  It is fairly obvious from the research … Continue reading →

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The Stupidest Thing

Posted on March 8, 2015 by jackpelham

Perhaps the stupidest thing I’ve done routinely in my life is to try to argue the facts with people who do not care about the facts. To this very day, I still find myself surprised at how someone can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Fallacy, Logic, Politics, Religion | Leave a comment

What Would Happen in a REAL Church Revival?

Posted on March 6, 2015 by jackpelham

Before we get started talking about church revivals, let’s establish just how common a thing it is in our culture. If you do a Google search for [church revival], you get 192,000,000 returns.  (In case you aren’t familiar with this … Continue reading →

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