Chapter 6
Betty Crocker and other corporate mascots don’t exist despite having biographies, named family members, etc. Since most corporate mascots don’t exist, we should assume any corporate mascot we hear about doesn’t exist unless proven otherwise. Colonel Sanders is a corporate mascot who did actually exist, but we know this based on evidence. We’d be wrong to simply assume he existed when so few corporate mascots are historical people. Continue reading
Chapter 5
In order to understand Jesus, a lot of historical background knowledge is required in order to know what’s expected or normal for the time. Any theory about who Jesus was must account for all the background information. Chapter 5 continues the list of background elements begun in Chapter 4. Continue reading
Chapter 4
In order to understand Jesus, a lot of historical background knowledge is required in order to know what’s expected or normal for the time. Any theory about who Jesus was must account for all the background information.
Terms like messiah, crucifixion, and resurrection were used very broadly in antiquity. Modern definitions are more specific, but we mustn’t mistake our definitions for theirs. Also note that ancients believed air extended all the way to the moon with ether beyond that. Continue reading
Chapter 2
Haile Selassie, who died in 1975, is considered a god by the Rastafarians, despite his objections. Here we have an example of a historical person being deified and myths about him being invented quite rapidly. If the historical record were lost and we were only left with the myths, we couldn’t be sure if Haile Selassie existed or not. Is this what happened with Jesus? Continue reading
“The purpose of this book is not to end the debate but to demonstrate that scholars need to take this hypothesis more seriously before dismissing it out of hand, and that they need much better arguments against it than they’ve heretofore deployed. A better refutation is needed, and a better theory of historicity, which, actually, credibly explains all the oddities in the evidence. If this book inspires nothing else, I’ll be happy if it’s that. But this book may do more. It might inspire more experts to agree with the possibility at least that Jesus Christ was born in myth, not history.” Continue reading
It’s become a cliche to say “the book is the better than the movie”, but it’s a cliche for a reason. The Girl with all the Gifts is better as a book than as a movie because the book goes into much more detail than the movie can given its medium. How boring would it be if a movie just showed someone thinking for thirty minutes? And yet whole chapters of books are filled with nothing but the thoughts of characters and it remains fascinating. Continue reading
In her introduction to The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2012, editor Paula Guran says “dark” can mean different things to different people, thus not every story in this collection will necessarily be considered “dark” by every reader. Fair enough. Most of the stories in this collection are horror, although we do get a couple humorous pieces and even some romance. Continue reading
“A wise man once observed, ‘You’re never upset for the reason you think.'”
The Secret of Ventriloquism by Jon Padgett is a collection of interrelated short stories, as well as a play. It’s incredibly creepy. Continue reading
“Even a single day, on a single world, can contain both atrocity and kindness, storm-tossed seas and burning deserts. On such a world, lives may never touch and yet still give solace by the reminder that one’s own troubles are not universal.” Continue reading
Certain Dark Things takes place in an alternate version of Mexico City in which vampires are known to exist. There are ten different types of vampires listed in the glossary, each with their own strengths and weaknesses (somewhat reminiscent of the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade). Only three different types of vampires appear on screen which is for the best as trying to keep track of ten different species would have been confusing. The fact that there’s a wider world of vampires out there does leave plenty of room for a sequel or even a series. Continue reading
Mania Delight 