Clear Thinking | Human Flourishing and 5 Facets of Identity

Join Fazale “Fuz” Rana and Dr. Joe Bergeron as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. A Medical Analysis of the Hallucination Hypothesis Jesus’s disciples experienced something that made them believe Jesus bodily resurrected from the dead after a grisly death by crucifixion. As a naturalistic explanation to explain away the biblical narrative, critical scholars have proposed that Jesus’s disciples were hallucinating when they saw the resurrected Jesus. This has been referred to as the hallucination hypothesis. Dr. Bergeron provides a medical analysis of hallucination hypotheses and explains why they are unsupportable and inconsistent with current medical understanding. Links and Resources: The Crucifixion of Jesus: A Medical Doctor Examines the Death and Resurrection of Christ

New Comet Belt? Join Hugh Ross in this breaking News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God. Hugh describes an analysis by an international team of 44 astronomers of a survey of trans-Neptunian objects. This analysis reveals strong evidence for the existence of a sixth belt of asteroids/comets in the solar system. Here are some takeaways: The Kuiper Belt asteroids/comets orbit at 35–55 times Earth’s orbital distance from the Sun. The asteroids/comets in the newly discovered belt orbit at 70–90 times Earth’s orbital distance from the Sun. There appears to be a gap from 55­–70 times Earth’s orbital distance from the Sun where very few asteroids/comets exist. If this discovery of a new asteroid/comet is confirmed, it will enable astronomers to develop a much more detailed Grand Tack model for the early migration of solar system planets. A more detailed Grand Tack model will reveal even more evidence for the exquisite fine-tuning of the solar system that makes advanced life possible on Earth. Links and Resources:  Candidate Distant Trans-Neptunian Objects Detected by the New Horizons Subaru TNO Survey Hugh Ross, Designed to the Core

Join Jeff Zweerink and Kyle Keltz as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Modern scientists often dismiss Aquinas’s Five Ways as being outdated, irrelevant, or even invalid. However, when properly understood, the Five Ways show a remarkable similarity to how we think and approach science and they provide profound insight into explaining the universe. In this episode, astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink and philosopher Kyle Keltz clear up some misconceptions about the Fifth Way and design arguments while also showing how scientific advances over the last four centuries provide strong support for the premises of the Fifth Way. Links and Resources:  Dr. Kyle Keltz has written two papers on Thomas Aquinas’s Five Ways, focusing on the Second Way and Fifth Way. They will be available at reasons.org in early 2025.

Join Fazale Rana and Ryan Matthews as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Intersex Conditions and Transgenderism Are there only two sexes? Many people argue that intersex conditions are evidence that sex exists on a spectrum. Is this a valid argument? In this episode, medical doctor Ryan Matthews joins biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana to take on these questions and more. Along the way, Dr. Matthews makes the point that disorders of sexual development cannot be marshalled to normalize transgenderism. Disclaimer: Reasons to Believe is expressing our Christian beliefs on the issues of gender identity in the intersection of science and faith, as it’s an important discussion and many people have valid questions. This research showcases the expertise of select members of the Reasons to Believe Scholar Community on matters of gender identity. RTB is not offering medical or other professional advice. People need to consult with their own physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. We want to see everyone make informed, educated decisions.   Links and Resources:  Transgenderism and the Bible A Scientific and Medical Evaluation of Transgenderism

Does Light Tire and Does It Prove the Big Bang Wrong? Join Hugh Ross in this News of the Day episode of Stars, Cells, and God as he discusses a paper published by computer scientist Lior Shamir. Lior’s statistical analysis of redshifts of distant galaxies indicates that light may lose energy as it travels through space and that if light indeed gets tired, then a major revision of the standard big bang model is in order. Shamir’s claimed effect may be a statistical artifact akin to Bible code claims. Tired light is just one of several systematic effects that could explain the statistical bias discovered by Shamir. Direct distance measurements have affirmed that galaxy redshifts are entirely explained by cosmic expansion out to 470 million light-years. If light indeed tires, then images of distant quasars and blazars should be blurry but they’re not. If light indeed tires, then the cosmic microwave background radiation should cool at a different rate than what astronomers observe. The apparent maturity of some galaxies in the early universe does not challenge the standard big bang model if, as the Webb telescope has affirmed, many of the universe’s first stars are hundreds of times more massive than the Sun. LINKS AND RESOURCES:  An Empirical Consistent Redshift Bias: A Possible Direct Observation of Zwicky’s TL Theory Hugh Ross, The Creator and the Cosmos, 4th ed.

Join Jeff Zweerink and Kyle Keltz as they discuss new discoveries taking place at the frontiers of science that have theological and philosophical implications, including the reality of God’s existence. Modern scientists often dismiss Aquinas’s Five Ways as being outdated, irrelevant, or even invalid. However, when properly understood, the Five Ways show a remarkable similarity to how we think and approach science and they provide profound insight into explaining the universe. In this episode, astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink and philosopher Kyle Keltz discuss the philosophical background that led to Aquinas’s work—specifically in articulating the Second Way—and explore its relevance in light of scientists’ research to develop a quantum theory of gravity.   Links and Resources:  Dr. Kyle Keltz has written two papers on Thomas Aquinas’s Five Ways, focusing on the Second Way and Fifth Way. They will be available at reasons.org in early 2025.