I am a mother of 4; I am currently doing the last few papers of my law degree at Auckland Uni, I voted “no” in the referendum, I voted for you to govern at the last election. I am sure you are getting a lot of emails, however, as you deliberate as to how to […]
Entries from August 24th, 2009
Sunday Study: Does the Bible Teach that Children Should be Executed for Swearing?
August 23rd, 2009 3 Comments
One command in the Old Testament which is frequently lampooned by sceptical readers is Leviticus 20:9, If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his own head. Some contend that that this passage commands the courts […]
Tags: Capital Punishment · Hermeneutics · Old Testament Ethics · Sunday Study · Swearing
No
August 21st, 2009 102 Comments
The results of the anti-smacking referendum are in. In answer to the question “Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?” 87.6% of voters said “no.” Fairly resounding. Vote No seem happy. We are too. Now it is time to sit back and see how the government […]
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The Freedom of Association Bill
August 21st, 2009 51 Comments
Fantastic news! Yesterday the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill 75/1 was drawn from the ballot. Sponsored by ACT’s Sir Roger Douglas, the explanatory note states: The purpose of this Bill is to uphold students’ right to freedom of association, by ensuring that no student is compelled to join a students association. Section 17 of […]
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Contra Mundum: A New Column in Investigate Magazine
August 20th, 2009 8 Comments
MandM have officially joined the ranks of New Zealand blogs with print columns; Kiwiblog’s David Farrar writes for the NBR, Cactus Kate writes for The Dominion Post and now MandM write for Investigate Magazine – you can now get your MandM fix both online and at your magazine stand! Pick up this month’s edition of […]
Tags: Contra Mundum
Philosophy Carnival XCV
August 18th, 2009 1 Comment
The Philosophy Carnival XCV is now online. Matt’s post on Walter Sinnott-Armstrong on God, Morality and Arbitrariness was featured, albeit with a rather questionable introductory write-up; keep an eye on the comments at both links for some interesting debate.
Tags: Philosophers' Carnival
Sunday Study: 666 The Number of the Beast
August 17th, 2009 7 Comments
On 29 March 1982 Iron Maiden released the album The Number of the Beast; this album’s self-titled song was to become one of the most influential heavy metal songs of all time and stirred up a firestorm of controversy. Apparently Iron Maiden’s bassist, Steve Harris, had been up late one night watching Damian: Omen II, […]
Tags: 616 · 666 · Iron Maiden · Nero · Number of the Beast · Sunday Study
A common objection to belief in the God of the Bible is that a good, kind, and loving deity would never command the wholesale slaughter of nations. In the tradition of his popular Is God a Moral Monster?, Paul Copan teams up with Matthew Flannagan to tackle some of the most confusing and uncomfortable passages of Scripture. Together they help the Christian and nonbeliever alike understand the biblical, theological, philosophical, and ethical implications of Old Testament warfare passages.
