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Showing posts with label Thinking Matters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thinking Matters. Show all posts

Thursday, 27 August 2009

Video of Matthew Flannagan Speaking on Moral Relativism

Matt spoke at Thinking Matters Auckland on 28 May 2009 on Moral Relativism.

A popular view of ethics holds that actions are right or wrong only if a person or a community believes that they are right or wrong, and that it is inappropriate to apply your own standards to others. This position is known as moral relativism. In this talk Matt looks at the common arguments for relativism, argues that relativism is a mistaken view of ethics and shows how relativism fails.



RELATED POSTS:
Video of Matthew Flannagan on Apologetics: Answering Objections to the Christian Faith

Wednesday, 26 August 2009

David Lindsey on “Politics, Religion and Morality”

You're invited to the final event in the Thinking Matters Auckland God, Morality and Society series:

What: David Lindsey on “Politics, Religion and Morality”
When:
Tuesday 1 Sept – 7:00pm
Where:
Lecture Room 2, Laidlaw College, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, West Auckland
Format:
Talk followed by questions, answers and discussion.
Cost: Free but donations are appreciated

Decisions made by government bodies are not created in a vacuum. Policies are a consequence of the influence of ideologies and worldviews. In New Zealand an increasing preference for secular ideologies since WW2 has resulted in government policies increasingly at odds with orthodox evangelical teaching. This seminar will discuss these changes and suggest that Christianity provides a firmer foundation for governmental action than the alternatives.

David Lindsey is uniquely qualified to speak on political issues due to his qualifications as well his career spanning both the private and public sectors. He holds an MA (First Class Honours) in Social and Economic Geography, aDWS (Diploma of World View Studies), a PGDip (Arts) (Political Studies) and is currently completing a PhD in Political Studies at the University of Auckland specialising in Governance. His thesis topic is “How Parliament Handles Moral Issues.”

After gaining his MA, he worked for 13 years as a consultant to the property development industry and as an advisor in local government. His work in strategic urban development led him to speak on the governance issues with key decision makers at all levels, including cabinet ministers, central and local government politicians, CEOs, and foreign diplomats.

David’s expertise in governance issues has been sought after by numerous media and he has made personal appearances on the network news for TVNZ and TV3, documentaries on Triangle TV and Shine TV, Radio NZ’s Morning Report, the BBC in Britain, bFM, the Dialogue page of the NZ Herald, articles in the Challenge Weekly, as well as many industry publications.

He has had numerous articles published in both academic journals and the mainstream media, including a chapter on moral issues in two editions of NZ Politics and Government, New Zealand’s foremost sourcebook on NZ politics. He has been invited to lecture in both New Zealand and the United States at the University of California San Diego and Loyola Univeristy Chicago and during his professional career was a sought after public speaker speaking to many industry and academic groups.

He is currently teaching courses on NZ Politics in both the Political Studies and Planning departments of the University of Auckland. He has presented at politics conferences in New Zealand, Australia and the United States, and for three months worked with Prof. Philip Cowley, an acknowledged world-expert on moral issues and parliament, in the United Kingdom. After making a mid-career decision to earn his PhD, he was offered four full doctoral scholarships in both New Zealand and Australia. Currently, he is the recipient of a Top Achievers Doctoral Scholarship, awarded by the NZ government to the top 5% of PhD students. David has also earned a Diploma of Worldview Studies, with a 92% grade average, from Laidlaw College.

Saturday, 8 August 2009

Jason Kumar and Stuart McEwing on “Do we Need God to be Good?”

You are invited to a Thinking Matters Auckland, God, Morality and Society, event:

What: Jason Kumar and Stuart McEwing speaking on “Do we need God to be good?”
When: Tuesday 18th August – 7:00pm
Where: Lecture Room 2, Laidlaw College, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, West Auckland
Format: Talk followed by questions, answers and discussion.
Cost: Free but donations are appreciated

In recent years we have seen a groundswell of belief that religion is a threat to society. God, it is said, is not necessary for an ethical life. But is that the case? Stuart and Jason will explore these ideas to see if we need God to be good.

Jason Kumar is a Bachelor of Arts student at the University of Auckland Student with a passion for philosophy and hermeneutics. Stuart McEwing holds a Bachelor of Design and is currently studying theology at Laidlaw College. Jason and Stuart are the founders of Thinking Matters NZ and recently debated the University of Auckland Atheist Club on the topic they will be speaking on above.

Monday, 3 August 2009

This Week in Auckland

Don't forget:
Tomorrow night's Thinking Matters Auckland Seminar: Dr Matthew Flannagan speaking on "In Defence of Divine Commands"at 7:00pm in Lecture Room 2, Laidlaw College, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, West Auckland

Thursday night's Auckland Bloggers Drinks from 6.30pm at Galbraiths, 2 Mt Eden Road, Mt Eden, Auckland.
See you there :-)

Saturday, 25 July 2009

Hear Dr Matthew Flannagan speak on “In Defence of Divine Commands”

You're invited to a Thinking Matters Auckland, God, Morality and Society, event:
What: Dr Matthew Flannagan speaking on "In Defence of Divine Commands"
When: Tuesday 4th August – 7:00pm
Where: Lecture Room 2, Laidlaw College, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, West Auckland
Format: Talk followed by questions, answers and discussion.
Cost: Free but donations are appreciated
Are God's commands irrelevant when we discuss moral and ethical questions? Many claim that this is the case and offer the following as an argument against Divine Commands: either an action is right because God commands it or God commands it because it is right; the latter renders God's commands superfluous, if they are right independently of God then God is unnecessary; however, the former renders God's commands arbitrary, if God commanding an action makes that action right then any action could conceivably be right. Given this, they conclude that God and the commands he issues, should be kept out of consideration of our ethical and moral questions.

In this talk Matt will challenge this line of thought and will demonstrate that this attempt to dismiss God's commands from our consideration of ethical and moral issues is flawed and will explain, in layman's terms, why a Christian should not be intimidated by this argument.

Matt holds a PhD in Theology, a Masters degree in Philosophy. His area of expertise is Philosophy of Religion, Theology and Applied Ethics. He is an adjunct lecturer in Philosophy for Laidlaw College and Bethlehem Tertiary Institute and is currently re-training to be a high school Religious Studies/Philosophy teacher. He has formally debated the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand’s Dr Zoe During and the New Zealand Association of Rationalist Humanist’s Dr Bill Cooke and his publications appear in international journals of philosophy and ethics. He writes for MandM and has nearly 15 years experience teaching, engaging and challenging secular culture both in New Zealand and internationally.

Tuesday, 14 July 2009

See William Lane Craig and Christopher Hitchens debate: Does God Exist?

You are invited to a Thinking Matters Auckland, God, Morality and Society, DVD screening:

What: William Lane Craig v Christopher Hitchens debating Does God Exist?
When: Tuesday 21 July – 7:00pm
Where: Lecture Room 2, Laidlaw College, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, West Auckland
Format: DVD followed by discussion.
Cost: Free - donations appreciated.

DVD Screening If you were not one of the 4,000 people who got to see it live in April this year at Biola University's Talbot School of Theology and you do not own a copy of the DVD, this is your chance.

Atheist commentator, Christopher Hitchens, author of the best-selling God is Not Great and Christian Philosopher and Theologian, Dr William Lane Craig, author of too many things to list here, who packed Auckland University during his debate with Dr Bill Cooke last year, debate the topic: Does God Exist?

Do not miss this screening - you cannot rent this debate at your video store and this debate is not available online so organise your friends, bring your youth group but most of all be there!

Thinking Matters' resident Philosopher of Religion and Theologian, Dr Matthew Flannagan, will be available for Q&A and discussion after the video.

Wednesday, 8 July 2009

Weight Watchers and the Historical Atrocities Argument

We've all heard the slogan that atheism is superior to theism because of all the atrocities committed in the name of religion. If you flick through the pages of the new-atheist publications by the likes of Dawkins, Hitchens, Loftus, Harris, et al you'll probably find some version of this assertion in each.

Setting aside the dubious factual claims, I could list a stack of atheist atrocities that could outnumber the theist ones just from the last century alone, last night at Thinking Matters Tauranga, I heard another way of addressing the slogan. Rodney Lake simply said well if a person joined Weight Watchers, got the points book, the pamphlets explaining how the program works and began attending weekly meetings to fellowship with others on the same journey but instead of following the instructions began to bend the rules, invent new ones and ignore others and as a result began to gain weight, could that person justifiably claim that Weight Watchers made them fat? That Weight Watchers should be rejected as a weight-loss program, in fact, attempting to lose weight in and of itself is a bad thing, because this person gained weight whilst ostensibly being a follower of the program?

If you can see how ridiculous it would be to blame Weight Watchers and to abandon the pursuit of weight loss because someone who cheated on the program had a bad outcome then why can't you see it when the same reasoning is applied to atrocities committed in the 'name of' Christianity?

Wednesday, 10 June 2009

Video of Dr Glenn Peoples speaking on Religion in the Public Square

If you missed Dr Glenn Peoples speaking on Religion in the Public Square for Thinking Matters Auckland you can now watch it online.

Tuesday, 9 June 2009

Tonight: Dr Matthew Flannagan on Moral Relativism

Don't forget tonight's event from the Thinking Matters Auckland series on God, Morality and Society, Dr Matthew Flannagan speaking on Moral Relativism at Laidlaw College at 7pm.

Not sure if its your thing? Check out the video of Matt's talk Apologetics: Answering Objections to the Christian Faith.



See you there :-)

Friday, 29 May 2009

Dr Matthew Flannagan on Moral Relativism

If you enjoyed the video of Matt's talk Apologetics: Answering Objections to the Christian Faith come and hear him live at the next God, Morality and Society Thinking Matters Auckland event:

What: Dr Matthew Flannagan speaking on Moral Relativism
When: Tuesday 9th June – 7:00pm
Where: Lecture Room 2, Laidlaw College, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, West Auckland
Format: Talk followed by questions, answers and discussion.
Cost: Free but donations are appreciated
A popular view of ethics holds that actions are right or wrong only if a person or a community believes that they are right or wrong, and that it is inappropriate to apply your own standards to others. This position is known as moral relativism. In this talk Matt will look at the common arguments for relativism, argue that relativism is a mistaken view of ethics and show how relativism fails.

Dr Flannagan holds a PhD in Theology, a Masters degree in Philosophy. His area of expertise is the interface between Philosophy and Theology, Applied Ethics and Worldviews. He lectures in History of Philosophy for Laidlaw College and in Sociological Issues in Education for Bethlehem Tertiary Institute and is currently re-training to be a high school Religious Studies/Philosophy teacher. He writes for MandM and has nearly 15 years experience engaging and challenging secular culture both in New Zealand and internationally.

He has formally debated the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand’s Dr Zoe During and the New Zealand Association of Rationalist Humanist’s Dr Bill Cooke; he has been published in several international journals of philosophy and has a personal reference from the then President of the Evangelical Theological Society in his resume.

Thursday, 28 May 2009

Video of Matthew Flannagan on Apologetics: Answering Objections to the Christian Faith

Matt spoke at the Thinking Matters Auckland Launch on 8 March 2009 on Apologetics: Answering Objections to the Christian Faith. If you missed it or wish to see it again or if you have been thinking about attending a Thinking Matters seminar or booking Matt as a speaker and you are not sure if he will go over your head then grab a cuppa and sit back and enjoy the below video.

This talk is a great intro into the subject of apologetics and addresses some common objections such as:
  • It is irrational to believe things that cannot be proven
  • It is arbitrary to believe that one particular religion is true
  • The existence of evil disproves Christianity
The question and answer section at the end is very good too.


Feel free to pop over to You Tube and rate this video.

RELATED POSTS:
Video of Matthew Flannagan Speaking on Moral Relativism

Monday, 25 May 2009

Tuesday Night: The Moral Cosmological Argument

Don't forget tomorrow night's event from the Thinking Matters Auckland series on God, Morality and Society, Trevor Mander speaking on The Moral Cosmological Argument:

tma005-trevor-mander

Saturday, 16 May 2009

Trevor Mander on the Moral Cosmological Argument

tma005-trevor-mander

You're invited to a Thinking Matters Auckland, God, Morality and Society, event:

What: Trevor Mander speaking on the Moral Cosmological Argument
When: Tuesday 26 May – 7:00pm
Where: Lecture Room 2, Laidlaw College, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, West Auckland
Format: Talk followed by questions, answers and discussion
Cost: Free but donations are appreciated

Trevor will argue that God holds the universe in existence. He is the ground of our very being and is the foundation for all meaning and value. As we come to know God better our understanding of the world around us also becomes clearer.

Trevor Mander holds a Masters of Divinity which he earned studying under Doctor Norman Geisler while studying at the Southern Evangelical Seminary in the United States. Trevor is one of New Zealand's foremost Christian Apologists and has a unique ability to communicate complex concepts making them easy to understand with humour and enthusiasm.

Monday, 11 May 2009

Tuesday Night: Religion in the Public Square

Don't forget tomorrow night's event from the Thinking Matters Auckland series on God, Morality and Society, Dr Glenn Peoples speaking on Religion in the Public Square:

Religion in the Public Square


Be there or be square!

Sunday, 3 May 2009

Lunchtime Forum: Bringing Faith and Logic out of the Closet

You’re invited to a lunchtime forum to get a taste of what happens at Thinking Matters' Tuesday seminars:

What: Dr Glenn Peoples and Dr Matthew Flannagan speaking on Bringing Faith and Logic out of the Closet
When: Thursday 7 May 12:30-1.30 pm
Where: Lecture Room 2, Laidlaw College, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, West Auckland
Format: Brief talk followed by questions, answers and discussion
Cost: Free but donations are appreciated

Dr Flannagan will speak on faith and logic, their compatibility and relationship to each other and why Christians should not fear them as secular, humanistic tools. Dr Peoples will speak on how to use these tools to defend Christianity’s place in public life and provide a sample of his coming Tuesday talk.

Drs Peoples and Flannagan both have years of experience defending the faith and dialoguing with sceptics, so bring a friend and bring your questions!
Thinking Matters

Friday, 1 May 2009

Dr Glenn Peoples on Religion in the Public Square

You are invited to the next Thinking Matters Auckland event in the God, Morality and Society winter series:

What: Dr Glenn Peoples speaking on Religion in the Public Square
When: Tuesday 12 May – 7:00pm
Where: Lecture Room 2, Laidlaw College, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, West Auckland
Format: Talk followed by questions, answers and discussion
Cost: Free but donations are appreciated

According to a number of influential thinkers, it is wrong for citizens to support policies because of their religious convictions because this would make those policies unjustified in a liberal democracy. Is this true?

Dr Peoples argues that the rules used to exclude such policies are simply not workable or reasonable. He explains that more sensible and fair models of public justification do in fact permit us to promote policies that we hold on the basis of our religious convictions. However, when the architects of these improved models realise that they have now opened the door to religious participation in public life, they change the rules, shifting the goalpost and inventing special exceptions in order to maintain that those with religious convictions should keep them out of the public square.

Dr Peoples graduated with his PhD in philosophy from the University of Otago in 2008 after completing undergrad and graduate degrees in theology. He runs New Zealand’s top Christian podcast, Say Hello to my Little Friend and is a very clear and articulate speaker.

Religion in the Public Square

Thinking Matters Winter Series: God, Morality and Society

Want something to do on those wintery Tuesday nights? Thinking Matters Auckland has lined up a winter series addressing apologetic issues around God, Morality and Society.

Dates, speakers and topics as follows:
Semester Break
As each event in the series approaches more information on each speaker and their topic will be provided.
Thinking Matters

Monday, 20 April 2009

Coming Events Reminder: JP Moreland on Faith and Reason

I trust those of you who started back at Uni today survived the shock. Now that you have your thinking caps back on, make sure next week's event is in your diary.

Next Tuesday come to our Thinking Matters Auckland DVD screening:DVD Screening

What: Dr JP Moreland on Faith and Reason
When: Tuesday 28 April – 7:00pm
Where: Lecture Room 2, Laidlaw College, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, West Auckland
Format: DVD followed by discussion (Matt will be available to fire questions at)
Cost: Free!

Dr Moreland is distinguished professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in California. In this DVD, he will talk about the importance of truth in religion, the evidence for monotheism and his own personal experience in coming to the Christian faith. ... more

Thursday, 9 April 2009

JP Moreland on Faith and Reason

You are invited to the next Thinking Matters Auckland DVD screening:DVD Screening

What: Dr JP Moreland on Faith and Reason
When: Tuesday 28 April – 7:00pm
Where: Lecture Room 2, Laidlaw College, 80 Central Park Drive, Henderson, West Auckland
Format: DVD followed by discussion (Matt will be available to fire questions at)
Cost: Free!

Dr Moreland is distinguished professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in California. In this DVD, he will talk about the importance of truth in religion, the evidence for monotheism and his own personal experience in coming to the Christian faith.

With degrees in philosophy, theology and chemistry, Dr Moreland has taught at several universities throughout the USA. He has authored and co-authored books including Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview; Christianity and the Nature of Science; Scaling the Secular City; Does God Exist?; Immortality: The Other Side of Death; The Life and Death Debate: Moral Issues of Our Times. He is co-editor of Christian Perspectives on Being Human and Jesus under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus. His work appears in journals such as Christianity Today, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, and The American Philosophical Quarterly.

Thinking MattersHe is a very good, clear and easy to follow speaker so bring your popcorn and don't miss this screening!

Friday, 3 April 2009

Thinking Matters Video: Dr Steve Kumar on Faith and Reason

As you know, Matt and I are now running the Auckland branch of Thinking Matters (TMA), a national apologetics network of professional and lay apologists dedicated to offering reasons to believe and answering objections to the Christian faith. TMA holds fortnightly seminars in Auckland showcasing New Zealand’s best Apologetic talents and screening DVD’s of the world’s top Apologists defending the Christian Faith.

On March 17 we had Dr Steve Kumar speak on Faith and Reason; for those of you who missed it or who just want to see it again, the talk is now online and you can watch it here.

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