a quick continuation from our conversation before the break. Our last commenter said, "I thought faith was belief WITHOUT evidence. I thought that was the point." That's exactly what I'm arguing against.  I think the reason for this definition, particularly from those within the church, stems from a misunderstanding of the verse from Hebrews 11: 1, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." First of all, whenever you read the English word "faith" in the New Testament, the original greek word is a form of the word "pistos", which really means trust. And by "what we do not see", I do not believe this means trust in the physically invisible, but trust in things that have simply not yet come to pass. So, rather than confidence in a promise from one who has proven themselves trustworthy, that verse could become a full rationalization for believing in any claimed supreme being/tooth fairy. I don't believe in the resurrection because I would like to believe in the resurrection. I believe in it because I am convinced it occurred.

Is faith a virtue, or just foolishness? I've recently seen a couple examples of TV characters touting faith as a moral virtue. In their definition, faith means believing in something with absolutely no evidence. But I will argue that faith not only doesn't have to be blind, but can not be. For instance, you have faith your car is not going to explode on the way to work this morning (trust in the manufacturers and its million person track record). You have faith that the elevator you're going to take to your floor is not going to free-fall and plummet you to your death (trust in the engineers and safety inspectors). You have faith that your spouse is not going to cheat on you today (trust in the person). These things aren't foolish things to believe in. There are loads of evidence to back up this faith. Now, is it foolish for me to believe in an omniscient spaghetti monster that's controlling the universe? Well, is there any evidence at all to back it up? Not that I'm aware of. This faith is blind. Subjective, personal and unconvincing. It almost seems silly to count on this. What about belief in a loving God? Well, is there any evidence at all to back it up? Hundreds of eyewitnesses claimed the resurrection of Jesus. Historical evidence and records that back up his supernatural life. Now, you may not have experienced first-person evidence to the life of Jesus. But, that doesn't mean believing requires blind faith. There is evidence. Same reason I believe in the Civil War without taking part in it. Therefore, comparing faith in an omniscient spaghetti monster and faith in Jesus is simply not appropriate. There's simply no reason to have confidence in the former. I'm going to be taking next week off. Comment with things you trust in that you know to be slightly foolish. And enjoy the break. See you next Monday.

I just realized this morning why I always go and pick up pizza rather than get it delivered to my door. I hate the tipping process. I hate the expectation. I hate to think what they might think of me based on what I give them. The only person I tip on a regular basis is whatever lady cuts my hair at Great Clips that day. A $13 haircut and I tip $5. Not because of the quality of their work, but because I'm confident that a 38% percent is good enough to avoid resentment.

Some families splurge on vacations. Some cars. Some clothes. Some electronics. Why aren't there ANY middle-class families who buy a butler? Just think of the hi-jinx!

The following quote is from a post I came across the other day. I found it to be a fascinating analogy, but I'm curious for your thoughts. "Christ taught that one can not live by the sword - I'd add that one can not give by the sword. If the Good Samaritan had robbed the priest in order to take care of the man in need and pay for his lodging at the inn, he would have been the Bad Samaritan. If he had fancied himself charitable while doing so, he would have been the Hypocritical Samaritan."

As of yesterday, more than $16 million dollars has been raised for Haiti relief...by individuals...through texting. Most popular is texting the word "Haiti" to "90999" to donate $10 through the Red Cross. But, there are countless other services doing the same thing. There's something very beautiful about that. When progressive advocates claim that things wouldn't get done without the big-government system, what they mean is, things wouldn't get done unless they're a top priority on the minds of the populace. But in a freer society, it becomes a persuasion game, rather than one of legalized theft through mandate. We all care about Haiti, because we understand the magnitude and the importance. It's your job to convince me what my next priority should be. Not work to make it illegal for me not to fund it.

You know how certain events in your childhood are very memorable? Just little interactions that really stand out, even after all this time? Sometimes I wonder if the only reason we remember things like that is because we're supposed to. But, I also wonder if there's a method to it? Is there a way to "manipulate" a situation to make it stick in someone's mind forever? Obviously, a traumatic experience will do the trick. But, what about really interesting wordplay? Is this something a teacher could capitalize on? Any ideas for methods?

You ever have a dream where you're a criminal, and you're passively aware that what you're doing is wrong, but you just do it anyway? I wonder if actual criminals feel like that, too?

Now that I have an apple corer, I eat apples all the time. How lazy must I be for that to make so big of a difference? And it makes me wonder if one's diet could be vastly improved simply by making better choices easier to make? Any ideas?

I am looking for a gateway drug to vegetables.

I like cold carrots and celery. That's about as far I've gotten. I like V-8 fusion, but don't think it really counts. They just hide some vegetable extract in the fruit juice. It's probably like taking a multi-vitamin.

Any suggestions?