6. True detective work: Ordinary claims often require extra strong evidence, because the consequence is dire

In many cases, extra strong evidence is required in order to conclude that an ordinary claim are true. The cold case detective (criminal investigator of old cases) Jim Warner Wallace in California, USA, points out in his book “Cold Case Christianity” that it is poor police work and judgement to accuse a man of murdering …

3. Sagan’s standard does not belong in hypothesis testing

Attention: This chapter is quite technical, with statistics and math. If you are not familiar with hypothesis testing, you may read skip this chapter and go to the chapter where I argue for a better standard than Sagan's standard. Which claims should you require stronger evidence to believe in? What is the level of confidence …

2. Bad liars tell unlikely stories

You are less likely to be fooled by "Look, an alien!" than "Look, a moose!". It is easier to hide a lie among the common (everyday) events than to get away with a lie about something spectacular. That is after all one main way we recognize a bad liar2: How unlikely his claim is. The …

“Tro på”

Å tro på noen betyr å stole på noen. Hva vil det si å tro på Jesus? Og hva slags tro må vi ha for å bli frelst? Og hvordan skapes troen i oss? Kan jeg bestemme meg for å tro på/stole på noen? Kan jeg bestemme meg for å tro på Gud? Disse spørsmålene …