Ray’s Views Online …
Why Something rather than Nothing?
Despite human knowledge having steadily increased, there are still unanswered questions. Perhaps the first is, why is there something rather than nothing? Putting on our philosophical hat, we need to clarify what we mean by ‘nothing’. The SOED suggests “a non-existent thing”, which sounds like a self-contradiction, since the same dictionary defines a ‘thing’ as…
The Stories of Jesus …
There are always people who claim that Jesus of Nazareth was an invention. There’s mention of him, however, by ‘disinterested’ Jewish and Roman historians in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries. We also have Paul’s letters, written 20 to 30 years after Jesus’ crucifixion. Nothing however, so far as we know, was written down…
Rediscovering Death
The title of this post might cause some not to read it. That’s a pity, I think, since death is the one certainty in life, so why not think about it? It may well be that when we die, we’ll no longer exist. This universe in which we find ourselves will assuredly come to an…
Rediscovering “God”
As I’ve occasionally pointed out, one of the most profound statements about “God” in the Bible is this : “God is Spirit”. That should alert us to the nature of all the others things that the Bible says about “God”. What is spiritual is not material. It transcends what we call ‘matter’. It is, by…
It’s Nothing but a Witch Hunt !
You might’ve thought that ‘Witch Hunts’ belonged to, and ended with, the Middle Ages, but it appears that you’re wrong! First Donald Trump, and now Boris Johnson, are declared by themselves and their vociferously insuppressible devotees, to be the victims of ‘Witch Hunts’. Although, in these gender-sensitive days of ours, perhaps we should talk about…
Which Three Wise Men?
This is a follow-up to yesterday’s blog on Assisted Dying in Scotland ….. Three Wise Men came to Holyrood to support assisted dying in Scotland : Ethical experts from leading Scottish universities have backed assisted dying proposals for those with a terminal illness. The Philosophers’ Consortium on Assisted Dying in Scotland, is comprised of ethical…
Assisted Dying in Scotland
“Faith leaders in Scotland have met in Holyrood to voice their opposition to proposals which would allow assisted dying in Scotland. The Church of Scotland, the Catholic Church and the Scottish Association of Mosques all took part in the event in the Scottish Parliament.” (bbc.co.uk) The Humanist Society Scotland said, “The question arising from this…
Juxtaposition – Heaven and Hell
I couldn’t resist this eye-catching juxtaposition, sourced from themindcircle.com. If you’re interested in ‘after life’ matters, I thoroughly recommend the book “Heaven and Hell” by Bart Ehrman, (agnostic/atheist !) Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina. “The best selling historian of early Christianity takes on two of the most gripping questions of…
Intelligent Design?
I find interesting the “New Atheism” versus “Intelligent Design” confrontation (most trenchant in the USA), which can have the ‘appearance’ of science versus religion. Prominent new atheists are Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens, and on my shelves are “The God Delusion” and “God Is Not Great”, both superbly written, containing plenty I agree…
Open Mind, Free Speech, Science, Religion
A friend sent me a link (https:\\unherd.com) to an interview featuring Iain McGilchrist (a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar). I found myself in agreement with much of what I was reading so, for once, instead of inflicting my own scribbles on you, here is a grouping of selected and edited extracts from what…
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RAY'S VIEWS ONLINE 