Ebook from KindlePaperback from Amazon Spanish ebook from KindleSpanish paperback from Amazon or from CLIE The 21st century, that digital arena where information and misinformation battle for our attention! To be sure, the internet can render up solid facts, for instance: “Who won Super Bowl XLVII in 2013?” But the very same medium also lures... Continue Reading →
Planet X? Planet 7X? Nibiru? Let’s not worry about it!
Note: we are not dealing with a hypothetical Planet X, a body that has been talked about for two centuries. It might be a large planet beyond Neptune, whose mass may affect Neptune’s orbit. Due to further data, since the 1990s such a Planet X has been widely thought to be disproved. I mention it... Continue Reading →
“I (still) don’t believe it!” Thoughts on truth and social media, Part III
I have written elsewhere: "set aside videos of cute kittens or adolescents cracking up their skateboards. Let's focus on those other things - political, social, religious, etc. - which get posted on social media and spread like wildfire!" I invite you to read the first two parts of this series before reading Part III: "I don't... Continue Reading →
Bible Prophecy, ch 1 – “Bible Prophecies” that are NOT found in the Bible
This article was originally posted in 2016 and needs updating, but the principles remain the same. The reader may prefer to download it in pdf form: Shogren_Bible Prophecy #1 Bible Prophecies that are NOT in the Bible I plan on at least two more articles in this series, in which I will describe End-Time expectations... Continue Reading →
My Favorite 5 New Testament Archaeology Discoveries in Recent Years!
Usually it’s the Old Testament that garners all the publicity for archaeological finds, and for good reasons: the Israelites inhabited the land for centuries and left behind all kinds of artifacts. Jesus and the apostles did not erect buildings or put up inscriptions or make special clay pots. Nevertheless, New Testament archaeology has yielded some... Continue Reading →
My Time with the Koran, April 2016
Read the whole file here shogren_my-time-with-the-koran My reading the Koran is like a rock-and-roller trying to figure out what in the world that jazz trio is up to. Still, if I will opine that the Koran is right, wrong, or indifferent, I feel I should have at least a basic, first-hand awareness of what it actually... Continue Reading →
Is the Earth a flat disc after all?
Is it just me, or is anyone else running into Flat Earth proponents lately? (Check this ARTICLE) People who think NASA is doing mind control over us, that no one has ever been to space, that the Bible teaches the earth is a disc? Yeah, it's a thing. It's conspiracy thinking at heart. Basically an... Continue Reading →
“I don’t believe it!” Thoughts on truth and social media, Part II
In Part I I began an extended-play rant against internet disinformation. I'm against it for two reasons: I don't like false information; I don't like to look foolish when I fall for it. Here are other areas where we need to show some healthy skepticism: ECHO CHAMBER EFFECT In 2015 the social media were packed with... Continue Reading →
“I don’t believe it!” Thoughts on truth and social media, Part I
"You must not pass along false rumors." Exodus 23:1 My friends know what a skeptical soul I am. Whenever I see a post on the social media, my first reaction is to shake my head and say, “Yes, but, how do you know this to be so?” And they know me as the one who... Continue Reading →
Christians and myths
[this is the 2012 version of the post, and some of these are outdated] Gullibility is not a fruit of the Spirit. Yes, Paul did say that a Christian “believes all things” (1 Cor 13:7), but what he meant was, “to whatever extent possible, believe the best about other people”. It’s important to establish this... Continue Reading →