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Ponder this.

There’s a rule of inference in propositional logic called modus tollens.

It says, when a ‘then’ assertion is untrue in an If-Then argument, the ‘if’ assertion is untrue too. Here’s the infallible logic of the thing: “If A, then B. Not B. Then not A.”

Let us use this for school shootings and see what happens.

If god were a muscular father, then before villains could murder school kids, god would beat up the villains. But god does not beat up the villains before they murder school kids.

It is therefore sound to say god is no muscular father.

Ponder that.

J. H. McKenna (Ph.D.) has taught the history of religius ideas since 1992 at various colleges and since 1999 at the University of California, where he has won teaching awards. He has published in academic...