Can you be grateful for life if you're an atheist?
Can non-theists feel existential gratitude? Let's explore!
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theism
Explore " theism" with insightful episodes like "Can you be grateful for life if you're an atheist?", "Psalm 99: Holy, Holy, Holy!", "Is God All Powerful? A Conversation with Thomas Jay Oord", "Vincent Bugliosi: "Divinity of Doubt"" and "Episode 370: Spirituality - Dan and Lex" from podcasts like ""The Wisdom Of", "Text Talk", "A Pastor and a Philosopher Walk into a Bar", "Book Club with Michael Smerconish" and "Judaism Unbound"" and more!
Episodes (52)
Psalm 99: Holy, Holy, Holy!
Psalm 99 (ESV)
Andrew and Edwin discover a connection between Psalm 99 and Isaiah 6. In both places, we find the holiness of God declared in triplicate. Our hosts discuss the fundamental character of God: His holiness. This means more than just ethical morality. It is about the very essence of His being and existence.
Read the written devo that goes along with this episode by clicking here.
Let us know what you are learning or any questions you have. Email us at TextTalk@ChristiansMeetHere.org.
Join the Facebook community and join the conversation by clicking here.
We'd love to meet you. Be a guest among the Christians who meet on Livingston Avenue. Click here to find out more.
Michael Eldridge sang all four parts of our theme song. Find more from him by clicking here.
Thanks for talking about the text with us today.
________________________________________________
If the hyperlinks do not work, copy the following addresses and paste them into the URL bar of your web browser:
Daily Written Devo: https://readthebiblemakedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=13484
The Christians Who Meet on Livingston Avenue: http://www.christiansmeethere.org/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TalkAboutTheText
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/texttalk
Michael Eldridge: https://acapeldridge.com/
Is God All Powerful? A Conversation with Thomas Jay Oord
We speak with theologian and philosopher (and former pastor) Thomas Jay Oord about his new book The Death of Omnipotence and the Birth of Amipotence. We cover Tom's objections to the classical idea that God is all powerful, including that it's unbiblical, philosophically unsound, and makes the problem of evil impossible to solve.
It's a fun interview and Tom is a good sport about putting up with Kyle's objections and quibbles. We get into the weeds a bit on this one, but given the significance of Tom's thesis and its implications for the problem of evil and suffering (and theism itself), the weeds are important. We barely scratch the surface of these issues, and in some ways this is an introductory discussion to other aspects of Tom's thought about God, which we hope to explore more with him in future conversations. As always, let us know your thoughts!
In this episode, we tasted the exquisite Barrell Bourbon Batch 034. As Randy said, "Tasting this bourbon right now makes doing this podcast worth it." Grab a bottle if you see one. To skip the tasting, jump to 8:05.
You can find the transcript for this episode here.
Content note: This episode contains discussion of the problem of evil, suffering, and theodicy, as well as some mild profanity.
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Cheers!
A Pastor and a Philosopher Walk into a Bar
en-usJune 16, 2023
Vincent Bugliosi: "Divinity of Doubt"
Michael talks with the attorney who prosecuted Charles Manson among many others, Vincent Bugliosi, author of "Divinity of Doubt: The God Question." Mr. Bugliosi passed away in 2015. He was the Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County from 1964-1972. Original air date April 2011. The book was published in April 2011.
Episode 370: Spirituality - Dan and Lex
Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg offer their perspectives on spirituality, in the final episode of a 12-episode mini-series focused on Jewish spirituality, featuring a wide variety of thinkers, practitioners, writers, performers, and more. They also announce some exciting news, for Judaism Unbound and for the Jewish collective as a whole!
Access full shownotes for this episode via this link.
Learn more about Judaism Unbound's UnYeshiva -- a digital center for Jewish learning and unlearing -- by heading to www.judaismunbound.com/unyeshiva. And if you're enjoying Judaism Unbound, please help us keep things going with a one-time, or monthly, tax-deductible donation -- via JudaismUnbound.com/donate.
Ep 12: Theism, nontheism, etc explained
Have any of the spiritual terms related to theism, nontheism, or atheism confused you? This episode is for you! There are a lot of terms explained here (nontheism, atheism, agnosticism, apatheism, theism, monotheism, polytheism, pantheism, animism, monism, nondual monism, dualistic monism, qualified nondual monism, absolute monism)
New episodes post Monday and Friday!
Listener questions and business inquiries: tqrpodcast@gmail.com
Personal IG: www.instagram.com/rikidementia
Thank you for listening!
Atheism! (Part 1/2)
In this first of two episodes, I discuss the big bad A word - Atheism!
Absentee Heavenly Father
Deism may sound a lot like theism, and while they’re etymologically the same, the belief systems are more nuanced.
In this episode, we deep dive into Deist belief and its rise to popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries. We explain the core belief of the initial creator, but he’s not around anymore—kind of like the dad that left for a pack of smokes.
The Enlightenment made deism a popular belief system as people looked to logic, reason, science, and observation to explain the world around them, rather than revelation. Deist philosophers believe in a God that created the universe, but they also believe in science to explain how things work.
If you’re an American history buff, we also talk about the founding fathers and their religious beliefs. While we don’t have great records for all of them, it’s clear that some were Deists, most notably Thomas Jefferson and his book The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, aka The Jefferson Bible.
That’s right, Deism is a spectrum, and we talk about the different deism types and how they overlap with other faith groups.
Support us at Patreon and Spreadshop
Join the Community on Discord
Christian theism and nature of apologetics with Dr. Gavin Ortlund
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Gavin Ortlund, pastor and author of a recent book titled Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn’t. Today, we talk about Christian theism and the nature of apologetics.
Meet Dr. Ortlund:
Gavin Ortlund earned his PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary and serves as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Ojai in Ojai, California. He is the author of several books, including Anselm's Pursuit of Joy and Retrieving Augustine's Doctrine of Creation. Gavin and his wife, Esther, have five children.
Resources:
- Why God Makes Sense in a World that Doesn't by Gavin Ortlund
- The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
- Making Sense of God by Timothy Keller
- Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin
- Pensees (Thoughts) by Blaise Pascal
It's biblical—God, politics, and morality
It is a serious error to assume that tyrannies are a consequence of “atheistic” philosophies.
Donate: www.Paypal.me/JustRightMedia
0018 - Three issues with religions today, and how we can solve them.
In the modern world, there are three broad kinds of issues we face when it comes to perceiving and talking about religion, god and spirituality.
Join me as I walk you through these three problems and how we can go about solving them. After all, the greatest merit in pointing out problems lies in at least trying to put forward solutions too. That’s exactly what I’m doing in this episode.
The content here is not specific to any single religion, or even any specific train of thought. I claim that it is applicable to all the religions out there.
Is that too much to claim?
Only one way to find out.
Dig right in.
Here's the podcast playlist (about understanding god, religion and spirituality) that I talked about in the episode:
https://chetannarang.org/understanding-god-true-religion-true-spirituality/
<Outline>
(00:00) Prologue
(01:04) I believe
(08:43) I don't believe
(12:08) I don't care
(13:55) Why say all of this?
(18:03) How to understand God?
(19:16) A short zen story, coz why not?
(20:48) Ending
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Check out all of my work on my website -
https://chetannarang.org/
For one-on-one personal sessions for philosophical mentorship & counselling with me -
https://chetannarang.org/nondual-philosophical-counselling-mentorship/
Connect with me, Chetan Narang, on Instagram here -
https://www.instagram.com/nrng.chetan/
Checkout The Unlearning Playground YouTube channel here -
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheUnlearningPlayground
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Credits for the beautiful soundtracks:
"Dreamer" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Hebrews 11: God Is and God Rewards
Hebrews 10:39-11:7
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Andrew and Edwin investigate what faith we need to have to please God. There are two issues at stake in this context. 1) Believe God is. 2) Believe God is a reward of those who seek Him.
Read the written devo that goes along with this episode by clicking here.
Let us know what you are learning or any questions you have. Email us at TextTalk@ChristiansMeetHere.org.
Join the Facebook community and join the conversation by clicking here.
We'd love to meet you. Be a guest among the Christians who meet on Livingston Avenue. Click here to find out more.
Michael Eldridge sang all four parts of our theme song. Find more from him by clicking here.
Thanks for talking about the text with us today.
________________________________________________
If the hyperlinks do not work, copy the following addresses and paste them into the URL bar of your web browser:
Daily Written Devo: https://readthebiblemakedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=10187
The Christians Who Meet on Livingston Avenue: http://www.christiansmeethere.org/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TalkAboutTheText
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/texttalk
Michael Eldridge: https://acapeldridge.com/
World Views Truth and Evidence Part 2
Continuing in our series on World Views, Truth and Evidence, Ed Croteau walks us through popular religions, cultures and philosophies we see today. Ed is the leader of FSE University at Abundant Life Church Lee’s Summit, MO, classes are every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM, located in room 1024 of the main building.
Different world views defined in this episode are: Deism, Pantheism, Atheism, Secular Humanism, Panentheism, and Theism. How people process information is reflected in culture as modernism, only believing in what one can see or reason out for themselves, post-modernism, believing there is no absolute truth, and Christianity, knowing the truth that’s revealed by God in the bible. This leads to differing philosophies: objective truth vs. subjective truth, and relative truth vs. an absolute truth.
Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” When someone chooses to reject believing in God, at the core, their reason isn’t evidence-based. There is something else going on in their hearts. It is difficult to let go of your original worldview and accept a totally new one.
As Christians, we are called to be a witness, sharing what we’ve seen and learned. It’s important to speak the truth in love. There is immeasurable meaning and purpose in this life that God created, and our hope is that people’s world views would change, and they would come to the saving knowledge and hope found in Jesus.
Abundant Life Church Website: livinggproof.co
FSE Website: https://fse.life
God
What is GOD?
In episode 3 we're tackling this question, and good news, we totally solve it once and for all.
Ryan starts us off with the idea of God as the "ground of all being" and we discuss trying to connect that framing to a sentient God that intervenes in human affairs.
Useful references from the discussion:
- Jordan Peterson - is a Canadian clinical psychologist, YouTube personality, author, and professor emeritus of psychology
- John Vervaeke - is a professor of cognitive science at the University of Toronto, who has published a series on Youtube, called "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis"
- Søren Kierkegaard - was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher
- Paul Johannes Tillich - was a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher and Lutheran Protestant theologian who is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century
- Rene Descartes - was a French philosopher, mathematician, scientist and lay Catholic who invented analytic geometry
To join the discussion, visit us on Instagram @meaninginthemiddlepod or in our Meaning in the Middle Facebook group.
Cheers!
E46 The problem of evil (with Pat Flynn)
Level: Expert
In this episode I talk with Pat Flynn about the problem of evil.
Pat's channel:
Philosophy for the People - YouTube
If you enjoy this content, please leave us a review!
Intro: Robin Mitchell - purple tide (intro)
Outro: Robin Mitchell - purple tide (intro)
Epic Trailer by Scott Holmes Music
E38 Atheism and Apophaticism (with an atheist convert)
Level: Expert
In this episode my friend Pablo and I talk about Faith and doubt, Atheism, and the negative way to God.
Link to Pablo's blog post:
Prelude: the Atheist and the Believer - Faith Meets Doubt
If you enjoy this content, please leave us a review!
Intro: Robin Mitchell - purple tide (intro)
Outro: Robin Mitchell - purple tide (intro)
Narrative and Soul Building Theodicies
The narrative theodicy is something that has caught my attention recently.
In this discussion, Zac and I discuss Oppy's formulation of the POE and provide a brief discussion of the narrative theodicy and the soul-building theodicy.
I hope you enjoy this discussion and if you want the entire video, check it out on Zac's channel Adherent Apologetics.
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To check out more about my content feel free to go to my YouTube Channel Apologetics for All to access clips and extra discussions
Support the show--------------------------
If you would want to support the channel and what I am doing, please follow me on Patreon:
www.patreon.com/christianityforall
Where else to find Josh Yen:
Philosophy YT: https://bit.ly/philforall
Education: https://bit.ly/joshyen
Buisness: https://bit.ly/logosedu
My Website: https://joshuajwyen.com/
Ep. 14: A Personal Testimony
Dr. Oord shares about his faith journey to Open and Relational Theology.
What about the suffering caused by religion? | A Response
Religion makes good people do bad things. How can we respond to this?
I think there are two obvious responses, one from an empirical statistical view and another from a theological perspective. In this video, we examine both of them and see how they successfully overcome the critique raised by the atheist.
--------------------------
To check out more about my content feel free to go to my YouTube Channel Apologetics for All to access clips and extra discussions
Support the show--------------------------
If you would want to support the channel and what I am doing, please follow me on Patreon:
www.patreon.com/christianityforall
Where else to find Josh Yen:
Philosophy YT: https://bit.ly/philforall
Education: https://bit.ly/joshyen
Buisness: https://bit.ly/logosedu
My Website: https://joshuajwyen.com/
5 Animals that Disprove God: A Response to The Truth Hurts
Do these 5 animals DISPROVE the existence of God?
Recently, I saw a video on my recommended named “5 animals that disprove God.” Made by atheist YouTube The Truth Hurts, I have been recommended his videos to respond to in the past and I have never gotten around to do it. However, with the video being more applicable to my views and also with more time on my hands, I decided to do a response.
--------------------------
To check out more about my content feel free to go to my YouTube Channel Apologetics for All to access clips and extra discussions
--------------------------
If you would want to support the channel and what I am doing, please follow me on Patreon:
www.patreon.com/christianityforall
Where else to find Josh Yen:
Philosophy YT: https://bit.ly/philforall
Education: https://bit.ly/joshyen
Buisness: https://bit.ly/logosedu
My Website: https://joshuajwyen.com/