Hossrex,Thank you so much for taking time to read ...

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21812013.post-70900189833759318942008-05-27T09:39:00.000-04:002008-05-27T09:39:00.000-04:002008-05-27T09:39:00.000-04:00Hossrex,Thank you so much for taking time to read ...Hossrex, Thank you so much for taking time to read my blog and reply to this post. It is very flattering to think someone would still pay attention to something I wrote almost 7 months ago. For clarity's sake, I'm going to place some of your comments in italics, and if I quote my original post I'll use bold type. First, I never said that I "thought it would be justified to ban Penn and Teller from their livelihood." I'm not out to put anyone out of work here. Although I found the video offensive, I don't have any desire to deny anyone a living. What I did say was, that if they had attacked any other group other than Christians, that would have been a likely result. Don Imus and Michael Richards come to mind, as does Mel Gibson. I bemoaned the fact that we live in a culture that is quick to pounce on racial, religious, or sexually oriented based hate speech, unless that hate speech is directed toward Christians, in which case free speech rights suddenly become more sacred than the rights of the group being criticized. Secondly I didn't "just say they were wrong." I did only deal with one area of their criticism however, and that was some of the supposed inconsistencies that they point out. I'm not going to rehash all that here, but the sum of the argument was that those "inconsistencies" are part of what give me confidence in the Bible. If different witnesses are questioned about the same event, one gets different perspectives. But when witnesses collude to lie in advance, they work on getting their "story straight" and often have very few inconsistencies between them. That said, Penn and Teller raise a lot of issues that I did not deal with. And you are right, I didn't refute them. My puny little brain is probably way too inadequate for that task. And even if my brain were up to the task, I'm frankly not willing to put in the time it would take to go through their arguments line by line and deal with each one. I have a list of priorities, and arguing with Penn and Teller, who haven't heard of me and wouldn't give the the time of day, isn't on the list. What I did do was challenge them to debate a Christian apologist or archeologist. There are plenty of Bible scholars out there who are much smarter than I am and would be glad to take them on in a debate. But rather than subject any of their suppositions (those things you call FACTS just because an insignificant little blogger like me hasn't refuted them) to examination, they chose to present a one sided argument. You said, "Yet to say someone is wrong, their stance is wrong, the things they say are wrong, and they shouldn't be allowed to say it because their wrong... without ever saying why they're wrong, or what they're wrong about... 1.I didn't say they were wrong. I said I disagreed, and challenged them to include informed scholars with a different opinion in the debate. "Penn and Teller pride themselves on being intellectuals that would never fall for the silly superstitions of scripture. I believe, however, that if they were as confident in their intellect as they pretend to be, that they would have included prominent Biblical scholars and Christian Archaeologists to provide a rebuttal." 2.Where did I EVER say they shouldn't be allowed to say it? I said I found it offensive. I probably won't ever watch them again, and that's sad, because I think they are funny and I've enjoyed watching them in the past. But I never said they were not entitled to have an opinion and share it. I did point out that other celebrities have been silenced for politically incorrect speech, but I neither condoned the treatment of Imus, Richards and Gibson, nor recommended the same for Penn and Teller. I'm a believer in the first amendment Hossrex. I think your right to voice your opinion trumps my right, or anyone else's right, not to be "offended." I simply asked why they felt the need to do so. I asked why our culture tolerates attacks on Christians but not on other groups. I hope you realize that the tone of your comments proves, albeit ironically, my point on that. "Well... Thats exactly the problem Penn and Teller have with your religion." Since I never said the things this statement is based upon, I'm guessing this is a moot point? "If thats the case, you can feel free to fall back on your faith, and forget you ever watched the show. No one would care." Well, I pretty much HAD forgotten about it until today, when your comment showed up in my inbox. Evidently someone cared. Its always disappointing to see someone who clearly thinks their well educated to spout pure ignorance. I'll have to plead guilty as charged on that one. Though God has blessed me to be able to receive a good education, I am well aware that my ignorance greatly exceeds my knowledge. If I have boasted in my knowledge or education I apologize. Thank you for keeping me humble. I hope you have a great day, and I thank you once again for taking the time to read and comment on my blog. Thank you also for disagreeing in a civil and respectful manner. You are always welcome here. MikeMike Hardinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01671989505311713274noreply@blogger.com