Author

Philip Kuchar

Philip Kuchar received his B.A. in Philosophy from York University in Toronto and an M.A. in philosophy from Queen's University in Kingston. He is currently working on a Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Western Ontario. See his other articles listed in the Secular Web Library.

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10 Articles

The Incoherence of Original Sin and Substitutive Sacrifice —( Philip Kuchar )

The punishment suffered by Jesus, that of the crucifixion, gave rise to multiple interpretations to explain how and why God allowed His Son to suffer so. The concept of Original Sin became one of the central tenets of the Christian religion to explain God's actions in sacrificing His Son. Jesus is said to have born the sins of the world in an effort to cleanse humanity from sin. The author explores the concept of Original Sin, the idea of sin transferal, while questioning the notion of whether Jesus' fate was indeed a sacrifice as claimed.

Published: 8/2/2000

Double-Talk in Defense of the Dubious —( Philip Kuchar )

The existence of both hell and God's love and mercy cannot easily be justified, and neither can the appropriateness of substitutive sacrifice. In wanting to hide or soften the repugnant ideas of hell and human sacrifice, the theologian resorts to "double-talk".

Published: 11/18/2000

A Defence of Pacifism —( Philip Kuchar )

"The question of pacifism might be thought never so irrelevant as at a time in which the most powerful nation in history considers itself in a state of permanent war. Terrorism is the new face of evil, which has dutifully replaced communism. I do not suppose that the war on terrorism will ever be won, just as there will never be victories in the wars on drugs and on poverty. In each case there is at best a metaphorical war. But, of course, the question of pacifism is not irrelevant, given the near universal skepticism outside the U.S. regarding its so-called war on terror. Daniel G. Jennings' brief article, "A Few Moral Problems with Pacifism," provides the occasion for my discussion. Jennings' objections to pacifism do not seem to me particularly strong. I first define "pacifism" and then deal with each of his three objections in turn. Finally, I discuss some background issues, specifically WWII and political realism."

Published: 6/23/2003

The Faith-Based War on Terrorism —( Philip Kuchar )

Kuchar suggests that the war on terrorism might be defined as "the opposition to organized, faith-based and indiscriminate violence." He goes on to suggest, however, that the war on terrorism is, itself, "an international, faith-based campaign of practically indiscriminate violence," and is thus, itself, terroristic, fostered by "blinkered administrations" who promote "patriotic allegiance to comforting slogans."

Published: 2/25/2004

Alien Theists and Demonization —( Philip Kuchar )

"As an atheist I sometimes feel like an astronaut on an alien planet, surrounded by creatures with strange customs and beliefs. There the theist is--perfectly human in a biological sense--but psychologically alien. Given that atheists are in a tiny minority, given that theism is normal on this planet, it is atheists who should see themselves as the aliens. Instead of demonizing the theist, the atheist needs to think like a character in a realistic science-fiction novel: the atheist needs to stretch her mind to appreciate the theist's alien thought-patterns."

Published: 1/28/2005

Are Christians Persecuted by The Da Vinci Code? —( Philip Kuchar )

In a recent column, Toronto Sun columnist Michael Coren labels Da Vinci Code "a disgrace," likening its criticism of the Church with the imprisonment, torture, and killing of Christians in countries where "there are concerted campaigns to eliminate followers of Jesus Christ." What Coren doesn't appreciate, however, is that Dan Brown's book taps into the widespread dismay with the early compromise of Christian ideals by the Church itself.

Published: 6/6/2006

Is the Evidence for Theism Ambiguous by Divine Design? —( Philip Kuchar )

A popular theistic "explanation" for why God would permit even a slim evidential basis for atheism goes something like this: "God does not give us absolute proof because this would work against our free will. He gives us just enough evidence so that we can find Him and just enough to reject His existence if that is our desire." But is this reasonable? Kuchar says not.

Published: 8/5/2006

Answering Michael Coren's "Answering Christianity Haters" —( Philip Kuchar )

Michael Coren recently wrote an Easter column for the Toronto Sun entitled "Answering Christianity Haters." In the column he gives short responses to some typical criticisms of Christianity. I go through these criticisms and his responses to show that the issues aren't nearly so pat as Coren wants his readers to think.

Published: 5/17/2007

The Culture of Atheism —( Philip Kuchar )

In Atheism in the Third Millennium, Kim Walker argues that atheism would benefit from having its own culture, its own songs, stories, heroes, celebrations, rituals, sanctuaries, symbols and monuments reflecting the atheist lifestyle. Walker says that a "lack of cultural depth" holds atheists back, despite the intellectual merits of atheism itself. Kuchar thinks this view of atheism rests on some confusions, that whether a culture is called atheistic isn't nearly as important as whether the culture is in fact a counterpart of atheism.

Published: 6/17/2007

Christianity: The Ultimate Conspiracy Theory —( Philip Kuchar )

Conspiracy theorists learn to compartmentalize their beliefs, to swaddle their worldview in self-perpetuating delusions, to think in terms of loose associations, and to mistake coincidences for revelations, from the example of religious faith. The Christian belief system is evidently motivated by the most colossal conspiracy theory ever to have been imagined and swallowed whole by great masses of gullible humanity.

Published: 10/16/2007