Existence of God

World's Shortest Philosophical Argument For The Existence Of God

P1. Existence
C. Therefore, God

Anselm would be impressed!

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is often misunderstood.

What, precisely, is forgiveness?

Forgiveness isn’t:

1) Forgiving isn’t forgetting. You may remember the wrong done to you for the rest of your life.

2) Forgiving isn’t saying it’s ok. When someone apologizes to us we usually respond by saying “that’s ok.” but that isn’t really what we mean. When we respond with that phrase, we are not really saying it is ok. What we mean to say is “I forgive you.” Or “I accept your apology.”

3) Forgiving isn’t saying it didn’t hurt. The damage done and the pain caused are completely irrelevant to the concept of forgiveness.

4) Forgiving isn’t saying it doesn’t matter. If we hurt someone, it matters.

Forgiveness is:

When we are wronged, we generally want the person punished in some way. We usually feel that the other person owes us something; an apology perhaps, our dignity, respect, or some object. Maybe we feel that person owes us contriteness or humility. Whatever the case, when you forgive someone, you no longer hold against him/her that expectation.

Forgiveness is the release of a debt. It is a release of the expectation or requirement of restitution.

Forgiveness is undeserved. If someone deserves forgiveness, then the act of granting him/her forgiveness isn’t forgiveness. It’s justice.

Justice is when a person gets the exact punishment that is deserved. No more and no less. It is just.

Mercy is when a person gets less punishment than deserved.

Forgiveness is when a person deserves punishment and gets none.

Elective Abortion

When a woman has an abortion, something is removed from within her. What is that something? Would we call it something other than a human being? If so, what? What type of being would it be, if not human?
This image comes from WebMD and depicts what a human being looks like at 8 weeks of development. Notice that the arms and legs are formed and eyelids and ears are forming. Statistics indicate that the majority of abortions happen within the first trimester (first 12 weeks) of pregnancy. It generally takes 2-6 weeks for a woman to suspect that she is pregnant.

The Mayo Clinic describes the development this way:

Week 8: Movement begins

Eight weeks into your pregnancy, your baby's arms and legs are growing longer, and fingers have begun to form. The shell-shaped parts of your baby's ears also are forming, and your baby's eyes and nipples are visible. The upper lip and nose have formed. The trunk of your baby's body is beginning to straighten.

Your baby may begin to move this week, but you won't be able to feel it yet.

By the end of this week, your baby may be about 1/2 inch (11 to 14 millimeters) long.