The 16th-century European Reformation was a reformation from the blind faith expected by Roman Catholicism. Blind faith is believing something because someone else has said it, rather than examining the evidence for oneself. It is encouraged by dogmaticians, who regularly use "proof by assertion" to "establish" their point. Instead of believing what the Roman Catholic …
Month: May 2025
Prepare to meet thy God
Today the Scottish Parliament will debate an Assisted Dying Bill promoted by Liam McArthur, a Lib Dem MSP. It is the first of several parliamentary stages, which can be viewed here. The debate can be viewed live and retrospectively. The death culture – from birthdays to manmade deathdays. Why are people so ready to rush …
VE Day
I have posted this at 3 pm. Exactly 80 years ago today, on 8 May 1945, at 15:00 British Summer Time, the British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill announced Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender, ending the Second World War in Europe. This date is known as VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day. Some veterans are …
Church courts or helpers?
In Presbyterianism it is common to hear of church assemblies being described as church courts. Why? This terminology promotes legalistic thinking, and this is too commonly found in dealing with cases of conscience or cases of discipline. This legal thinking needs to be balanced with the biblical teaching about office-bearers in the Church of Christ: …
Politics teaching about false religion
Many people want nothing to do with religion, but politics will introduce them to religion whether they want it or not. Do they recognize this, and can they recognize the difference between false and true religion? Today's cataclysmic results in the English Council elections showed not only that Reform UK is breaking the two-party dominance …