Author Archives: Dave Winstead

By Got Questions Positivism is a term for a specific philosophical claim: that we can only be sure of those things directly perceived by the senses. Under this restriction, only purely empirical categories such as science can be considered to offer truth. According to the positivist, all other categories, such as religion, are by definition impossibleContinue reading “6/7/2024 What Is Positivism?”

By Got Questions Alvin Plantinga, born in 1932, is a philosopher and has been a professor at both Calvin University and the University of Notre Dame. He is credited with formulating the most robust and well-respected response to the “logical problem of evil.” This response is known as the free will defense. The logical problemContinue reading “6/5/2024 What Is Plantinga’s Free Will Defense, And How Does It Address The Problem Of Evil?”

By Got Questions PETA is an acronym for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. According to their website, PETA is an international organization formed in 1980 that is “dedicated to establishing and defending the rights of all animals. PETA operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment. PETAContinue reading “6/2/2024 Can A Christian Support PETA?”

By Got Questions As with many words, the term particularism carries different meanings in different contexts. Particularism has been applied to sub-categories within diverse subjects such as politics, literature, history, ethics, and religion. Each of these topics brings a separate meaning to particularism, heavily influencing whether or not the idea is biblically justified. There are three areas inContinue reading “6/1/2024 What Is Particularism?”

If you cannot attend your usual home church this coming Sunday, please use this Worship Service Plan to conduct and enjoy a service on your own. This Worship Service Plan is useful for anyone anywhere, whether individuals, shut-ins, your family gathered in the den, a nursing facility of sick & elderly, you and your neighbors sitting in the backyard, or any group of believers who share a need to gather and praise and worship The Lord God.

By Got Questions Occam’s Razor (or Ockham’s Razor), named after 14th-century logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham, is one of the most misunderstood and misused concepts in philosophy. Occam’s Razor can be stated this way: “Plurality ought never be posited without necessity.” This is really just a fancy way of saying, “Simpler is usually better.”Continue reading “5/29/2024 What Is Occam’s Razor?”

By Got Questions Objectivism can mean many different things, so examining it depends on what definition is used. Some of those interpretations are consistent with the Bible; others are not. Ayn Rand’s version of objectivism reaches some of the same conclusions as Judeo-Christianity, but for different reasons. Some of Rand’s views are patently unbiblical. Knowing theContinue reading “5/28/2024 What Is Objectivism?”

By Got Questions If something is objective, it has correspondence with reality. Objective truth is something that is true for everyone, whether they agree with it or not. At one time this was simply called “truth.” Objective is the opposite of subjective. If a person says, “The 1966 Ford Mustang is the coolest car ever made,” heContinue reading “5/27/2024 What Is Objective Truth?”

By Got Questions The philosophy of ethics is the study of how humans act and why they act the way they do. Metaethics is the study of the terms and metaphysical considerations of ethical concepts, and is usually too esoteric and academic to actually be useful. Applied ethics is at the other end of the spectrum; it is relevantContinue reading “5/26/2024 What Is Normative Ethics?”

By Got Questions A nontheist is someone who does not believe in God or gods. According to the construction of the words, atheist and nontheist mean exactly the same thing. Theists believe in God. The prefixes a- and non- are both negators; therefore, a-theists and non-theists share disbelief in God. However, language is dynamic, and connotations of certain words tend to change over time. TheContinue reading “5/25/2024 What Is Nontheism?”