Ethics Class, Session 30: Sexual Deviance 1

Tonight’s planned material includes:

Pornography

You can get more information at http://andrewtallmanshowethics.blogspot.com.)

Dove Evolution Ad On Female Beauty (Excellent!)
The Photoshop Lie (Another Excellent Video)

The Stories And Icons Of Science

Since my dad is here and this was his idea, I thought I’d do it while I have his brain to help me. One of the easiest ways to identify and perpetuate a worldview is its stories. So today, I thought we could talk about some of the stories used for the science worldview and the images (icons) which surround science.

Links:
Science as storytelling by Serendip
Science and narrative by Steve Denning
The discovery of penicillin by Pantaneto
Teaching the nature of science by Serc.Carlton.edu
100 scientists who shaped history by Adherents

Theological Tuesday

~Should churches have performance reviews for members?

~Forgiveness.

~Do you fear “spiritual” books?

~What does Christianity cost? What has it cost you?

~What expression do you imagine on God’s face?

~Should children be encouraged to study Evolution?

~Does God reward and punish people in this life?

Ethics Class, Session 29: Sex, Dating, and Marriage 4

Tonight’s planned material includes:

~What’s so great about dating?
~Is there a viable alternative?
~Why is pornography a problem?
~How should I select a spouse?

You can get more information at http://andrewtallmanshowethics.blogspot.com.)

Miscellaneous Monday

There are a bunch of things I’d like to talk about today, but I don’t know whether any of them will necessarily occupy the entire hour. Here, in no particular order, is what’s on my mind:

~Adam Lambert and Lady Gaga at the AMA
~The Manhattan Declaration
~Dancing bunnies and Internet security.

Links:
Manhattan Declaration

Various Current Events

Enumerated Powers Act H.R. 450, S. 1319
Newsweek on Palin (Newsweek)
Newsweek cover (Newsbusters)
Original Palin photo (Notice other flag, photos) (Runner’s World)
MSNBC uses fake photos to mock Palin (MRC)
AP assigns 11 fact-checkers to Palin book (Fox News)
DeMint rips bogus stimulus claims (The State)
Hasan, not KSM, is our real problem (WSJ)
A breast cancer preview of Obamacare (WSJ)
When is a bow a bow? (ABC News)
Obama’s wow bow (LA Times)
Obama’s wow bow II (LA Times)
Critics of bow owe Obama an apology (The Guardian)
Radical cleric born in US instigating terrorism (NYT)
Holder defends trial decision (NYT)
Holder waffles with Graham (NPR)
Canadian parents win suit against homework (The Guardian)
Man forgives victim who wrongly accused him (WSMV)
CA bans energy hog flat-screens (Fox News)
Senate version taxes cosmetic surgery (NYT)
$55 million Silverdome sells for $583,000 (CS Monitor)
US infrastructure needs investment (Findlaw)

Wacky Wednesday--Premarital Sex Is A Wise Idea

Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.

~You don’t buy a car before you take it out for a test drive or two.
~You don’t buy a cow before you’ve tasted the milk.
~If you’re going to do it eventually anyhow, why wait?
~Sex is such an important part of a relationship that you really need to be sure it’s good enough before you get too serious with someone.
~The best way to see if you’re a good match is to try all the married stuff before you make a permanent commitment.
~The real reason for prohibiting sex outside of marriage was the children, but we’ve solved for that problem.
~Modern contraception takes away all the dangers of premarital sex.
~“Sex is natural. Sex is good. Not everybody does it, but everybody should.”
~How else would I prove my love to someone?
~Only prudes and the Amish think that you shouldn’t do this.
~If God really wanted us to not have sex, why did He make it feel so good?
~Who are you to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do with my body?
~The vast majority of all Americans do it, including Christians. So how serious are you about it being a bad idea?
~Most of the people who say it’s bad did it themselves before they were married. What hypocrites!
~Lots of people who have sex before they’re married have great marriages.
~Given the easy availability of sexual partners, the person who refuses this will not be able to retain a mate.
~Sexual repression is unnatural.
~You only get good at doing something by persistent practice.
~Men are going to find sex somewhere. What would you prefer, that they go to prostitutes?

Wacky Wednesday--The Constitution Doesn’t Matter

Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.

~The Constitution is a living document, which means that we can work around it if the circumstances justify it.
~Is our government working or not at present, compared to other governments?
~If people keep voting for elected officials who disregard the Constitution, how can you really say the will of the people is being disregarded?
~The people who argue something is unconstitutional only do so when it reinforces their viewpoint. ~No one does it consistently.
~If even Senators don’t know it by heart, how much can it really matter? Do you know it by heart?
~It was written so long ago by people so unfamiliar with our culture and experiences that it seems silly to let them rule our country from a 200 year distance.
~Explain to me how some guy in 1789 can cast a vote which will obligate me to a particular form of government 220 years later? I’ve heard of honor your father and mother, but this is ridiculous.
~If it were really so bad to violate the Constitution, then people who say we ought to honor it would have better success with their arguments, and they wouldn’t seem like wing-nut weirdos like Ron Paul.
~It’s far too hard to amend, which is why we just ignore it when necessity dictates.
~Are you really going to tell me that a silly little piece of paper is more important than saving someone’s life with medical insurance?

Theological Tuesday

~Is tradition good or bad?

~Why are converts more devoted than children of believers?

~What does Christianity cost? What has it cost you?

~What expression do you imagine on God’s face?

~Should children be encouraged to study Evolution?

~The Little Prince and idolatry.

~Does God reward and punish people in this life?

Tradition
Bible References: Exodus 20:12, Deut 5:16, Isaiah 28:9-10, Isaiah 29:13-16, Matt 15:1-9, Matt 16:17-19, Matt 18:15-20, Matt 22:29-33, Matt 28:16-20, Mark 7:1-13, Luke 1:1-4, Luke 4:1-13, John 10:34-38, John 16:12-15, John 21:24-25, Acts 5:27-32, Acts 15:15-21, Acts 17:1-4, Roms 10:17, 1 Cor 11:1-3, 2 Cor 10:8-12 , 2 Cor 11:12-15, Gal 1:11-19, Col 2:5-8, 1 Tim 3:14-15, 2 Tim 2:1-3, 2 Tim 3:13-17, 2 Tim 4:1-4, 1 Thess 2:13, 2 Thess 2:1-4, 2 Thess 2:15, 2 Thess 3:6-9, Heb 5:11-6, 2 Peter 1:16-21, 2 Peter 3:1-2, 2 Peter 3:14-18, 1 John 2:4-7, 1 John 2:18-19, 3 John 13-14, Rev 22:18-19

Links:
Bible, Tradition, and Church (Catholic)
Scripture and Tradition (Catholic.com)
Tradition and the Bible (Church of God)

Various Current Events

Dem warned by White House for going on Fox News (LA Times)
Obama sits out Berlin Wall anniversary (Fox News)
Man fired for challenging gay “marriage” (Fox News)
Neo-Nazis rally in Phoenix (AZ Republic)
Why the Berlin Wall fell (WSJ)
The Berlin Wall, 20 years later (CS Monitor)
Abortion at the heart of health care wrangling (NYT)
Sen Reed: “Obamacare just like the draft” (CNS News)
Sometimes an extremist is an extremist (LA Times)
US knew of suspects radicalism ties (NYT)
Lawmakers criticize day-care rate hike (AZ Republic)
Officials: Ft. Hood attack not terrorism (AZ Republic)
Property valuation appeals soar (AZ Republic)
Church loses appeal, can’t feed poor (AZ Republic)
Plan to imprison 9-year-old prompts outcry (AZ Republic)
Kids arrested for food fight (NBC)
Dr. Phil and the Fort Hood killer (WSJ)
What the Pelosi bill contains (WSJ)
Why we need a strong individual mandate (WSJ)
Prejudice, denial, and Ft. Hood (WSJ)
Justice Kennedy demands prior restraint (WSJ)
Go forth and multiply a lot less (Economist)
Falling fertility makes economists happy (Albert Mohler)
Earth still absorbing carbon dioxide (Telegraph)
Mjr. Hasan’s lecture on Islam (Wash Post)
Army not told of Hasan’s emails (WSJ)
Dare to call it terrorism (National Review)
Why the DC sniper case moved so quickly (CS Monitor)
When home ownership is the wrong choice (LA Times)

Trading women’s rights for political power (NYT)
Progress on Luke getting the F-35 (AZ Republic)
Grocery strike looms for Safeway and Fry’s (AZ Republic)
Man impersonates Marine at reunion (Smoking Gun)
District nixes cash-for-grades fundraiser (News Observer)
Black prof punches white woman in argument (NY Post)
Black prof not charged in assault (Norfolk Examiner)
Obama rejects war options (Boston Globe)
Anita Dunn resigns (Townhall)
Muslims, mass murder after Ft. Hood (Steve Chapman)
Sen. Nelson punts on Constitution question (CNS News)
Sen. Alaka punts on Constitution question (CNS News)
Dems reject being put under Obamacare (CNS News)
Constitutional contempt (Walter Williams)
Viruses can store illegal material on your PC (Denver Post)
Publicly, a whole new lewdness (Wash Post)
AZ struggles with 9-year-old killer (USA Today)

Wacky Wednesday--Christians Should Only Read The Bible

Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.

~If the Bible is the Word of God, why would you want to read anything else?
~Everything you need to know is contained in it.
~Everything else is corrupted by people or sin.
~If you have the Holy Spirit guiding you, you don't need other information.
~Look at how many Christians haven't even read the entire Bible once.
~Ever heard of "Sola Scriptura?"
~How seductive is every other source of information?

Wacky Wednesday--Zero Tolerance Policies Are Wise

Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.

~They’re really popular among administrators, so there must be something to it.

~You can’t make exceptions without undermining the whole concept of having rules.

~People just take advantage of leniency.

~This protects authorities from the consequences of making disparate decisions.

~You must treat all people the same.

~This is a really good example of the rule of law in operation.

~Some things are so awful that there can be no tolerance of them at all.

~The safety of our kids has to come first.

~If there’s any wiggle room, people will think they can talk their way out of whatever it is.

~Doesn’t God sort of have a zero-tolerance about sin?

~You have to draw the line somewhere. Why not draw it before any evil at all?

.

Links

The trouble with "zero tolerance" (NYT)

Theological Tuesday

~Should we capitalize “God?”
~Why are converts more devoted than children of believers?
~Do you fear “spiritual” books?
~Is $130 million too much for a church complex?
~What does Christianity cost? What has it cost you?
~What expression do you imagine on God’s face?
~Should children be encouraged to study Evolution?
~The Empty Pot as Gospel narrative.
~The Little Prince and idolatry.
~Does God reward and punish people in this life?
~Should Christians with Muslims fast during Ramadan?

Links:

Converts more devoted than non-converts (Christian Post)

Dallas megachurch to build $130 million complex (Christian Post)

God or god? (Atheism.about)

Uppercase (Secular humanism)
Fasting during Ramadan (Christianity Today)

Ethics Class, Session 27: Sex, Dating, and Marriage

Tonight we are going to try to get through the first of the applied ethics sections, having already finished all 70 of the Criteria in the ethics syllabus. (You can get more information at http://andrewtallmanshowethics.blogspot.com.) This means we will be talking about sex ethics and related topics.

Miscellaneous Monday

There are a bunch of things I’d like to talk about today, but I don’t know whether any of them will necessarily occupy the entire hour. Here, in no particular order, is what’s on my mind:

~Why are we reluctant to tell people what we make?

~Are metal-detector users creepy?

~What is government good for?

Various Current Events

Abortion clinic leader quits after seeing procedure (Fox News)
Gore’s profit from global warming (NYT)
Down syndrome births down in US (ABC News)
Text of Obama’s education speech (White House)
East Valley Tribune going away (AZ Republic)
Cell phones and illicit lovers (NYT)
Aborted fetus cells used in beauty product (Wash Times)
Obama’s health plan outline (White House)
Voters deny Valley schools budget increases (AZ Republic)
Gay marriage rescinded in Maine (NYT)
Maine voters repeal gay marriage (Christian Post)
Unhealthy America (NYT)
Climate change ruled a religion in Britain (Telegraph)
Rich get richer, Yankees win 27th title (LA Times)
Uganda makes gay behavior a crime (Christian Post)
The health care disaster in Canada (Dick Morris)
GOP releases health reform alternative (Breitbart)
Judge tosses mortgage - bank can’t prove it owns it (NYT)
Programs help empower parents to teach kids (Boston Globe)
Flu danger from employees without sick days (NYT)
Can yoga classes be taxed? (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Obamacare would fund Christian Science (LA Times)
Dems seek to limit payday loans (Politico)
Racist La Justice of the Peace resigns (USA Today)
RI closes 30 year prostitution loophole (Providence Journal)
Cabbie ejects gay couple in NYC (NY Post)
Verizon doubles wireless cancellation fees (Wash Post)
Fix Health Care Policy.com
Tuesday election results (NYT)
GOP sweep, big wins (Findlaw)
Census might not count illegals? (LA Times)
People in US want texting and driving illegal (NYT)
Neighbors sue over backyard smokers (Sacramento Bee)
Dem law changes add up (WSJ)

Wacky Wednesday--It's A Sin To Be Fat

Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.

~That’s no way to treat the temple of the Holy Spirit.
~Being unhealthy is a form of suicide.
~It’s bad stewardship of the body gift you’ve been given.
~It makes you less able to do things because you get winded so easily.
~Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit.
~Gluttony and sloth are both deadly sins.
~In this culture, it offends people and prevents them from hearing the good news you have to give them.
~Women should be attractive for their husbands.
~How can you be fat when people are starving?
~Our treasure is supposed to be Christ, not succulent food.

.

Links

Bible References: Deut 21:18-23, Prov 23:1-3, Prov 23:20-21, Prov 28:7, Daniel 1:1-21, Matt 11:16-19, Matt 15:1-20, Mark 7:14-23, Luke 15:22-24, John 2:1-11, Rom 14:1-23, 1 Cor 6:12-20, 1 Cor 9:23-27, Gal 5:19-26, 1 Tim 4:6-8, 2 Tim 3:1-9, 2 Peter 1:5-7, 3 John 2

Gluttony (Whitestone Journal)
Sloth (Whitestone Journal)
Seven Deadly Sins (Whitestone Journal)
Gluttony (Wikipedia)
Gluttony (Catholic Encyclopedia)
Sloth (Wikipedia)
Sloth (Catholic Encyclopedia)
Is it a sin to be fat? (Free library)
Is gluttony a sin? (Got Questions)
Is it a sin to be fat? (blog)
Should fat people expect to go to heaven? (Yahoo Answers)
Is it a sin to be fat? (Yahoo Answers)

Wacky Wednesday--Obamacare Is Constitutional

Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.

~It’s an essential way to improve the “general welfare” of the people.
~Insurance is a matter of “interstate commerce.”
~This plan is part of the “necessary and proper” facilitation of a health care marketplace.
~The current system creates inequalities which violate the 14th Amendment’s “equal protection of the laws.”
~Ensuring health care is merely an extension of protecting the “right to life.”
~Congress has the power to tax.
~Congress has the power to encourage behavior through tax policy, as the various deductions and credits of the 1040 show.
~Health care is an essential matter of national security, as shown by the legality of mandatory vaccinations.
~The Constitution imposes other positive duties on people, such as jury duty.
~Our duly elected officials believe that it will be a good thing.

.

Links

Con Health-care reform and the Constitution (WSJ)
Con Sen. Hatch questions Obamacare’s Constitutionality (CNS News)
Con All the President’s mandates (pdf) (Cato)
Con Obamacare vs. the Constitution (World Net Daily)
Con Obama admin. doesn’t care if Constitutional (First Things)

Con Constitution doesn't allow insurance mandate (Orrin Hatch)

Con Illegal health care reform (Wash Post)

Pro Health care reform is Constitutional (Politico)

Pro Constitutionality of Obamacare part 1, part 2 (Findlaw)
Pro Health care reform is Constitutional (DOJ 1993)

Theological Tuesday

~What does it mean to be a missional church in America?
~Should children be encouraged to study Evolution?
~The Empty Pot as Gospel narrative.
~Does God reward and punish people in this life?
~Should Christians with Muslims fast during Ramadan?

Links:
Missional Church (Tim Keller)
Fasting during Ramadan (Christianity Today)

Miscellaneous Monday

There are a bunch of things I’d like to talk about today, but I don’t know whether any of them will necessarily occupy the entire hour. Here, in no particular order, is what’s on my mind:

~Natural and acquired moral intuitions
~Are metal-detector users creepy?
~What is government good for?