"Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate"
Plurality should not be postulated without necessity - the words of 14th century philosopher and Franciscan monk, William of Ockham.
As a heuristic guide, simplicity is the ultimate a priori evidence of truth. As such, Occam's principle can be described as a razor. Unnecessary complexity should be avoided or "severed" and simple theories are preferable to more complex alternatives, unless the alternatives offer more explanatory power. When it comes to God, which carries the greater weight – the added complexity or power?
When I lost my faith, it wasn't a decision. It was categorically different from any decision I've ever made. It was as if something about the world, rather than myself, had forever changed. The only choice left was whether to accept it or not.
Read MoreThough I do not believe in religion anymore, I am comfortable recognizing that I used to. I honestly don't believe in Hell. A part of me wonders if I ever did, if perhaps the struggles I faced as a Christian finally became a sort of catalyst that forced me to confront an ugliness that I was previously too fearful to face.
Read MoreI'm exploring the premise that universal human value is axiomatic and considering whether it's linked to the uniquely human attribute of self-awareness. The principle is simple: I value my own life and am able to do so because I recognize that I care how it turns out and that it not be snuffed out prematurely or in vain.
Read MoreIt could be argued that the emergence of sin as a concept and behavioral output is quite fortunate and inevitable, for it allows the possibility for a much greater, more robust and complex good. So forgive my blasphemy, but I have a sneaking suspicion: if The Fall ever did occur, I suspect God himself was the serpent.
Read MoreI read that a quality mountaineer will point out that any rock has multiple ascents. Some climbers prefer one ascent, others another. No one ascent is objectively best, though there may be a personal favorite ascent for any particular climber.
Read MoreBaruch Spinoza once wrote: I believe that, if a triangle could speak, it would say, in like manner, that God is eminently triangular, while a circle would say that the divine nature is eminently circular. Thus each would ascribe to God its own attributes, would assume itself to be like God, and look on everything else as ill-shaped.
Read MoreIf this Christ died for all sin, did he not also die for the sin of unbelief? What is the just reward for unbelief if not death? Then if death has been offered in a perfect sacrifice for sin, then how could the sin of unbelief not been atoned for as well?
Read MoreI have come to believe that God's love, as presented in Christian theology, is an empty, meaningless expression encompassing all possible interpretations of every subjective experience one ever has, and Job is the perfect illustration of this truth.
Read MoreHaving lost my faith, I'm confronting an intriguing effect of this shift in mental frame. When one accepts the foundational premise of a given paradigm, one's secondary, derived beliefs about the world naturally gravitate towards predetermined points of least resistance most commensurate with the foundational premise.
Read MoreI sifted through some old compositions from my days as a Christian, special ones my mom kept, and in them I saw the seeds that would one day grow and lead me to where I am now.
Read MoreIf theists truly believe it is impossible for a person to not believe in God, how seriously could they have considered other options besides believing in God? Have they ever given Atheism a fair hearing, providing themselves the opportunity to test this peculiar belief?
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