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by Hiram R. Diaz III Facebook groups are helpful for many reasons. For instance, Facebook groups allow you to gather demographic information. Is there a group for Reformed Latinos? Yes, there is? Is the group large? Is it small? What percentage of the group is Presbyterian? What percentage is Reformed Baptist/Confessional Particular Baptist? What percentage is particular Baptist? What percentage of the aforementioned divisions of reformed people tolerate heresy? And so on. It was by means of a Facebook group called "Reformed Latinos" that I gained insight into why Marxism has made its way into Reformed camps, at least online. Some time ago, a member made post to remind the group's members that Karl Marx's critique of capitalism was correct. This got a mixed response from the group members, with many ridiculing the original poster for his claim. What struck me, however, was that among those who disagreed with the OP, I found many who debated the claims made by Marx aga

by Hiram R. Diaz III Not too long ago , I offered a logical refutation of the tabula rasa doctrine. Today, I am going to offer a Scriptural refutation of the doctrine. In order to do this, we need to look first at (I.)the ontology of man, and (II.)biblical anthropology. These will not be exhaustive treatments of these two subjects, but will be the foundation of our brief study of the Scripture’s teaching on the mind of man and its content. I. Ontology Materialism assumes that man is ultimately only comprised of physical elements. In this view, the soul/mind is typically though t to be an epiphenomenon of brain activity. This is clearly at odds with the Scriptures, which teach that man is his soul, the body being his instrument/vehicle for the expression of his soul (i.e. his thoughts, beliefs, values, etc ) . Without his body, man can reason, receive information about the physical world, reflect on his past, consider t

[N.B. I'm currently working on a Biblical refutation of the tabula rasa doctrine. It's taking more time than I thought, but I should be done soon, Lord willing. As I write, I'm also reading quite a bit. One of the key works I'm going through, and which I highly recommend to anyone interested in the subject of the soul (a much hated and attacked doctrine in our day), is John Flavel's book Pneumatologia: A Treatise of the Soul of Man . For my side reading, I have just begun delving into Gordon H. Clark's book Essays on Ethics and Politics . Below is the foreword to the book, written by John W. Robbins. The essays in this book, and the book itself, were written/compiled several decades ago, and yet are as relevant to our day, if not more so, than many current publications. I think Robbins' words here are true and weighty.   - Hiram R. Diaz III ] Foreword The evening news and the daily paper testify to the collapse of morality in America. The alarming statistics

by Hiram R. Diaz III Under the assumption of materialism, many suppose that infants are epistemological blank-slates, receiving sensory impressions from the material world every time they open their eyes and cry or soil themselves or shiver when their naked bottoms are exposed during a diaper change. This assumption of materialism is largely taken for granted, even by Christians, sadly, without them knowing where it comes from. Considering how far the tentacles of materialism stretch in our society, however, it is easy to see why so many take the materialist view of infants for granted.  The following observations are meant to correct my brethren, and, yes, insult the materialists and their irrational notions. Hopefully, my Christian brethren will think more clearly about the assumption that infants are epistemological blank slates and learn to pick apart culturally bequeathed non-Christian and anti-Christian philosophical presuppositions. Empirico-Materialist Problemata Considered 1:

A Host of Sparrows , by Lucy Stevens ( Source ) by Hiram R. Diaz III Give the current cultural climate, it’s sometimes hard to see the good what God is doing as the world seems to fall apart. However, in his mercy he often let’s us catch a glimpse of his providential working. This is a rebuke, on the one hand, because it reminds us that the Sovereign of the universe does not need us to accomplish his will. Not only this, but he does not need us to know what he is doing in order to bring about his will. As Psalm 115:3 declares –  Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. And he declares in Isa 46:10b – “...‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’…” On the other hand, being given a glimpse of how the Lord is providentially also serves to encourage us, reminding us that we are not alone. I had an experience like this several days ago in a local coffee shop. As I packed up my belongings to head home, I heard some young men talking about the Dead Sea Scro

by Hiram R. Diaz III The philosophical views of the world are always at odds not only with Christ, his people, basic principles of science, logic, and ethics – but also with themselves. At times this is not readily apparent, and must be revealed by patient analysis. In our own day, this isn’t the case. Christ’s enemies are blatantly contradicting themselves day by day, and they are apparently unaware of their foolishness. In this short article, I want to write about some of these for posterity...and for anyone who may not have given a passing thought to this subject matter. 1. White Supremacy – Under the rotten influence of Critical Race Theory, many today preach against White Supremacy, claiming that it pervades every aspect of American life. Calls for “justice” are predicated upon the belief that America’s institutions – be they medical, educational, or carceral – are systemically racist structures buil

by Hiram R. Diaz III Philosophers have moved away from postmodernism, primarily under the influence of criticisms raised by philosophers in the so-called analytical tradition. However, the postmodern ethos has worked its way into much of Western society by way of literary theory, historiography, and popular media. Much of the language being used in “conversations” about “decentering” “privileged” “power structures” “complicit” in “marginalizing” “the other,” for instance, is postmodern jargon. More than that, the ideas that are conveyed by such jargon are also postmodern, as they center around the idea that systematicity-in-itself is a social construct which, therefore, does not represent objective reality but the version of reality embrace/formed by historically ensconced people groups who use their peculiar understanding of reality to gain power, maintain power, and oppress those who are not part of their in-g