Caleb's Path - Robin Schumacher's Blog

The Problems with Moral Relativism

2012-01-14T10:41:00.000-05:00

Moral relativism is a philosophy that asserts there is no global, absolute moral law that applies to all people, for all time, and in all places. Instead of an objective moral law, it espouses a qualified view where morals are concerned, especially in the areas of individual moral practice where personal and situational encounters supposedly dictate the correct moral position. Summing up

What is Agnosticism?

2012-01-07T08:17:00.000-05:00

I thought it would be good to follow up my recent post on atheism with one on a spiritual position many more seem to hold, which is agnosticism. Thomas Henry Huxley was an English biologist who was nicknamed “Darwin’s Bulldog” for his staunch support of Darwin’s theory of evolution. Huxley is also credited with coining the term “agnostic”. Following in his footsteps, his grandson Julian

A Few Reminders about “Evolution”

2012-01-03T22:22:00.000-05:00

Somebody sent me this news story from MSNBC on a type of shark recently discovered off the coast of Australia, which was found to be the offspring of two different types of sharks. The person who emailed me was concerned this find backed the theory of evolution, and ergo, disproved the need for God and threatened the credibility of the Bible. I think a few reminders about “evolution” are

What is atheism?

2012-01-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

I was recently asked by gotquestions.org to write an updated article on atheism, which is below. I thought I'd share it here as well. It's a little long so be forewarned, but the goal was to examine the basic claims and positions the faith of atheism takes, which I attempted to do. Atheism is a faith / worldview that denies the existence of any supernatural deity. The Oxford English

Tim Tebow – A Symbol of Anti-Christian Hate?

2011-12-29T07:17:00.000-05:00

I’m not a sports guy. At all. I don’t follow sports now and never really have. It’s not that I dislike it; I just never truly got into any sport from a TV/viewing standpoint, outside of the time I lived near Detroit (and lived to tell about it) and followed the Pistons a little. But, as a Christian I can’t help but take notice of Tim Tebow. I doubt you need me to review his personal or

So True...

2011-12-25T20:03:00.000-05:00

Ravi Zacharias has a way of succinctly stating a truth better than almost anyone else I know. In his latest email to supporters, he makes the following statement regarding those who feverishly work to suppress and revise the Christmas message: Is it not odd that whenever it has power, liberalism is anything but liberal, both in the area of religion and politics?

A Christmas Reminder of Jesus’ Divinity

2011-12-22T18:07:00.000-05:00

I listened to a message by Dr. R. C. Sproul the other day that focused on the incarnation of Jesus. He asked the thought-provoking question, “Did the baby in the manger know that the world was round?” How would you answer that? The Christian Church has always maintained the position that Jesus was fully human and fully God. Whereas God is three persons with one essence, Jesus, in His

Addressing the ‘Jesus is a Myth’ Crowd (yet again)

2011-12-17T21:41:00.002-05:00

Each Christmas and Easter, Christians can depend on organizations like the freedom from religion foundation (FFRF) to carry out their anti-Christian activist campaigns such as putting up large billboards that mock Christianity, or pretending they care about the laws of the land so they can sue anyone who dares to put up a nativity scene on public property, etc. The thing is, I’ve

Is the God of the Old Testament Ruthless and Cruel?

2011-12-04T17:57:00.001-05:00

In a recent Christian Post article, a number of atheists raised their voices once again to charge that the God of the Old Testament is a genocidal monster and murdered countless innocent people down through history, all of which is chronicled in the Bible. Are they right? I don't believe they are. In fact, I believe the Old Testament shows just the opposite and displays a God who loves,

Profile of a Hatetheist

2011-11-28T20:01:00.001-05:00

Over the past six or so years, I’ve engaged in many dialogs with individuals who claim that God does not exist. The typical label applied to such a person is atheist (“a” – no, “theist” – god, or belief in a god/deity). However, with all the conversations and interactions I’ve had, I see a distinct pattern emerging between an atheist and someone that instead I believe can be categorized as

Gambling - OK or Sinful?

2011-11-26T16:58:00.001-05:00

The subject of gambling is one that is multi-faceted and it something that can divide Christians. On the one hand, there are those who argue that it is only a game and like anything else (eating, drinking, etc.) it is acceptable as long as it does not become controlling and overly indulged in. On the other side of the fence are believers who argue that gambling on any level is morally wrong.

The Limits of Science where God is Concerned

2011-11-21T20:42:00.001-05:00

In a conversation I’m currently having with an atheist, I asked him what he believed in, and got back a standard answer that many atheists give: “I believe in science”. Because this is the standard fallback of so many atheists, I thought it would be good to review a few things at the heart of this argument and revisit some of the limits of science where God is concerned. First, let me say

Why are so many scientists atheists?

2011-11-20T13:16:00.001-05:00

Here's a question I was personally emailed recently that I thought would be good to respond to publicly: "Why are so many scientists atheists?" In 2007, researchers Ecklund and Scheitle questioned nearly 2,200 professors from 21 prestigious American research universities about their belief in God. About three-quarters of those contacted, responded. Overall, 31% disavowed belief in God.

An Unlikely Apologetic

2011-10-29T10:43:00.005-04:00

Continuing on the theme of my last blog post, which was on the resurgence of interest in the supernatural, I found an article recently written by William Peter Blatty to be very interesting. If you don’t recognize the name, Blatty is the author of the blockbuster book and movie The Exorcist, and October 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of that work. In the article, Blatty discusses his

Generation Hex

2011-10-28T07:59:00.000-04:00

In case you haven’t noticed, the occult is back from the dead. In the 1980’s, there was a large surge in occult involvement that ranged anywhere from participation in what was/is called the New Age movement, to spiritism, horoscopes, and even open satanic worship. After some years, however, the interest in the occult seemed to give way in the world to an attitude that favored philosophical

Beware the Clown in the Pulpit

2011-10-22T14:59:00.002-04:00

The Danish Christian theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard told the story of a festival big top that was filled with people prepared to see a circus. A fire broke out behind the scenes and began to spread quickly. A clown was told to run out to the main arena and tell the audience about the fire and instruct everyone to leave. The clown quickly raced out from backstage and began

No Compulsion in Religion?

2011-10-08T10:16:00.002-04:00

Islam's Qur'an, in Sura 2 verse 256 says this: "There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong." If Muslims truly believe that the Qur'an is the word of Allah, then it seems clear they would live out what that simple verse says and not force people to convert to Islam or punish people when they leave that religion.But yet, that is

Dawkin's New Book for Children

2011-10-07T08:08:00.005-04:00

Richard Dawkins may be ducking debates with William Lane Craig while Craig is in England right now, but he is out talking about his new book for children. The below clip is from Bill O'Reilly's show where O'Reilly takes Dawkins to task for some of his claims in the book.Watch the latest video at &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.foxnews.com"&amp;amp;amp;

How can you know you're really saved?

2011-10-01T17:08:00.003-04:00

It's been a LONG while since I've written any new entries here. I'm sorry about that, but between writing columns for a variety of other places, I haven't had any time to post any new topics here. I have, however, had a number of questions put to me from others and I'd like to share a few of those, starting with this one:I’m concerned about my salvation as well as some family members. How can a

The Insecurity of Atheism (Redux)

2011-06-30T21:04:00.002-04:00

A while back I wrote an entry on the insecurity of atheists, and now I’m wondering if this just needs to be an ongoing series as examples keep coming in. The most recent illustration is the protest atheists kicked up over the “Seven in Heaven” road sign put in place to honor seven fallen firefighters who died on 9/11. If you’re unfamiliar with the issue, you can read a quick article about it here

Cisco Systems Act of ‘Tolerance’

2011-06-29T20:59:00.004-04:00

Dr. Frank Turek is an alumnus of the seminary where I received my Master’s degree, Southern Theological Seminary. Frank has authored many Christian books, including one of my all time favorites I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, with Dr. Norman Geisler. In addition to running a successful ministry, Frank also has a secular career that involves corporate motivational speaking and

Who Cares about Congressman Weiner’s Actions? I Do and so Should You.

2011-06-17T16:58:00.003-04:00

I normally enjoy listening to Bill Lamb’s comments on my local Fox41 News’ Point-of-View TV clip, but I have to say I was very disappointed in his analysis of the Congressman Weiner scandal. In his opinion piece that aired on June 16, 2011, Lamb stated: “Congressman Weiner developed a dialog with a few women on the internet and sent them some suggestive pictures. So what? That stuff is really

The Best Argument Against Christianity - Part 2

2011-06-15T19:27:00.007-04:00

For Part I of this post, click HERE. Some Recent Examples from Personal Experience This issue of Christians not mirroring Christ's teachings/Scripture in general of has confronted me time and again throughout my Christian walk, both in big and small ways, and where I’ve either been the offender or when I’ve been on the ugly receiving end of professing believers. Let me shared just a few

The Best Argument Against Christianity - Part 1

2011-06-14T20:13:00.004-04:00

This may be the riskiest article I've ever written. It's risky because it can be taken the wrong way; as a disillusioned rant against Christianity or something worse. It's not. Instead, it's just something I've been thinking about and experiencing for a long time. And everyone I've talked to about it has nodded their head in agreement so I think I'm not alone in my thinking. With that said,

Response to Stephen Hawking's Comments on an Afterlife

2011-06-05T23:00:00.001-04:00

In late 2010, the physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking released his book The Grand Design, which was written to explain where our universe came from. Hawking does not believe in God and states in the book: “Some would claim the answer to these questions is that there is a God who chose to create the universe that way. . . . We claim, however, that it is possible to answer these questions

Cheer Up Harold. Everyone Makes Mistakes. It’s not the End of the World

2011-05-23T20:41:00.005-04:00

If you haven’t already noticed, May 21, 2011 came and went without the rapture of the Church taking place. Other than a variety of Harold Camping followers, no one was surprised. Camping himself said he was “flabbergasted” that the rapture didn’t happen and some of his ardent disciples were “disappointed”, but that’s all that’s come out of Family Radio at the moment (UPDATE: Now Camping says he

An Answer to the Question: What is Faith?

2011-05-16T19:45:00.014-04:00