Are Christian Colleges/Seminaries Afraid of My Work?

Who knows for sure, but maybe they should be. ;-)

By far the single biggest challenge to my Christian faith, during this early part of my de-conversion process, came in the form of a book, by John W. Loftus, Why I Became An Atheist. I believe that most Christians have little difficulty maintaining their faith, even when challenged, since it is propped up by dozens, if not hundreds, of individual pieces (& thought patterns) they deem to be solid on their own (and even stronger together)...if one of those pieces takes a hit, hey, no big deal, there are still plenty of reasons to continue believing!...But what happens when a sizable number of those pieces, propping up your worldview, are attacked simultaneously? Well, this can cause one to question their entire paradigm, and in my case, that paradigm was the truth of Christianity.

Harry McCall: "John’s books would have as much of a chance of ever seeing the light of day in any conservative Bible believing seminary or church as a prohibitionist in a liquor distillery!"

Weston Bortner stated: “John, you can't just assume that people are scared and avoiding you. That's a little silly. Perhaps they have a valid reason and you just don't know it.”

If this is what John assumed, then he made a great assumption!

Animals Don't Think, Or Do They?

Check this site out.

What a Good Christian Apologetics Program Should Include

Over at Apologetics 315 is a listing of some Christian colleges that offer degrees in Christian Apologetics. If we add the ones mentioned in the comments, here they are:

Morality Without God

Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 is below:

Definitional Apologetics, Excessive Skepticism, and the OTF

[Written by John W. Loftus] Philosophers love to define words. It's a good thing too, since Aristotle said something to the effect that "Many a dispute could be solved in a few sentences if the disputants merely defined their terms." Sometimes though, in the hands of Christian philosophers the goal is obfuscation. They try to define away a problem for their faith. I call this Definitional Apologetics, and they are quite good at it. They will feign ignorance about what an extraordinary event is in the face of a concrete example, like a virgin birth or a resurrection from the dead. They will also feign ignorance about what the scientific method is to the point of claiming there is no such thing, even though science continues to progress, purportedly without one. And using Orwellian doublespeak they claim to have a "full-blown skepticism" where they are skeptical of skepticism, thinking this allows for their faith but blind to the fact it also allows for anyone's faith. This is all pure sophistry.

Along these same lines let me respond to one major objection to the Outsider Test for Faith (OTF), as stated in the comments of a recent post:

I think you’ll find that if you try to apply [the OTF] rigorously to every aspect of your life (not just the religious bits), you’ll soon discover what “analysis paralysis” is. You’ll be unable to entertain, even for a moment, any political, aesthetic or moral opinion or value, unless you can back it up by a complete chain of logical deduction from perfectly flawless axioms. Once you get addicted to the “test of skepticism”, *how will you know* where to draw the line and refrain from excessive skepticism? So my question about where to draw the line between healthy and excessive skepticism is a genuine one, not some sort of ploy by the christian-apologist-boogeyman ;) Skepticism is indeed a slippery slope – the question is where do you draw the line? Link.

50 Renowned Academics Speaking About God

Answering My Critics, Two Reviews of TEC

vorjack, the managing editor of Daniel Florien's blog Unreasonable Faith, wrote a review where he said, "All told, there are fourteen strong articles here, plus Loftus’ OTF in the introduction and a brief closing from Robert Price. It’s a solid collection of essays that work well together...On balance, the book is a solid addition to the atheist library, and it makes an excellent companion to The Christian Delusion." That's cool, but I get the sense he's tired of me or something, for he also wrote: "No one has ever accused Loftus of being timid," and, "By this point Loftus can only muster a three paragraph introduction..." and, "Richard Carrier, who Loftus credits with doing the actual editing of the book..." and, "One of the advantages of these collections is always the chance to hear new voices, and that gets lost when you turn it over to the usual suspects...if Loftus et. al. wants to publish another book, it may be time to develop the field a little more and bring in some new blood."

Old Testament Scholar Michael Heiser and I Discuss OT Prophecy

He has been kind to discuss this issue with me even though it was an aside to a post of his on Bible study. It's hard to replicate the order of our comments since it was two different discussions, but I tried. See what you think:

Kris D. Komarnitsky Replies to William Lane Craig

"The Cognitive Dissonance Theory of Christian Origins," Link.

Want To Know What Blind Faith Is?

At my recent talk in Indy a Christian named Phil heard it and said that given how passionate I am I'll come back around to Christianity. He also said the atheist movement was from God, presumably God's judgment on America in the last days before Jesus comes back. Jerry Wilson was there and shouted, "How do you know that?" That's a great question! There is no evidence leading Phil to believe what he said, none. Which reminds me, Bill Craig said there is still hope for me too! Yep, and that's why I reject faith. It can and does lead people to believe almost anything. Who in their right mind would say such things? If I haven't committed the unforgivable sin then no one has.

Where Do Morals Come From?

They certainly do not come from the Bible, that's for sure. But Christians claim otherwise. In order to do this they must cherry-pick the Bible for minority voices and reject the majority voices since much of Biblical morality comes from a barbaric era. Let's take a different tack and say there was never a Bible and never a Christian religion at all, or any religion. Is it really plausible to say we needed the Bible to tell us anything about slavery such that without it we would still embrace slavery, or any other socially needed change? Where do social advancements come from? How about human creativity and need, just like the advancement of science? We noticed slaves were human beings. We noticed women were not inferior to men. We noticed people are not evil so much as they may be maladjusted. We noticed that democracy is a better way to solve our disputes. We noticed that medicine heals people and that science works. We noticed that animals feel pain. We noticed that the environment is important to sustain all life. Isn't that enough for social and ethical change? No, Christians did not get their morals from the Bible. They noticed the same things and simply picked the few good cherries out the Bible and rejected the overwhelming number of bad ones.

Dr. Jaco Gericke - Confessions of a Died-Again Christian

Jaco was interviewed on the Point of Inquiry program recently. Enjoy. Click on the tag below for more from him.

Quote of the Day on Hitler, by Richard Carrier

Even if Hitler had to pretend to be a Christian to get people behind his program against the Jews (and it was a public program, as Mein Kampf makes clear, and of course the fact that thousands of Germans happily carried it out), then the idea that atheism caused the holocaust is clearly refuted. [via email]

Quote of the Day

With over 30,000 different denominations and sects to choose from, Christianity bears no orthodoxy, no consistency and no authority whatsoever. It has hundreds of 'official' denominations who disagree, sometime violently on all foundational tenets of the religion. Given the general level of ignorance people have about the religion they adopt and their propensity for moulding it to be what they want it to be, one could argue that each Christian has their own denomination. We can state confidently, with evidence and reason that Christianity hasn't a clue what it believes or why. Until the Christianity’s can actually internally agree and harmonise what they believe and state why, they all remain a laughably absurd and unsubstantiated proposition to those who do not believe. Your argument is not with atheists, it's with the other 29,999 sects who view your Christianity as a joke. Link.

My Responses to "You Were Never a Christian"

As an ex-Christian you've heard the same spiel, "You were never a Christian." How do you respond? I respond in four ways: 1) That's just one of your delusions. There are many more; 2) Your God promised that if I believed he would save me. I believed, so why didn't he keep his promise?; 3) I don't care what you think. Deal with my arguments; 4) You're right, because there isn't any truth to Christianity. I was never saved because Jesus doesn't save anyone and that includes you.

My Talk for CFI Indiana

I enjoyed speaking for CFI Indiana last night. Reba Boyd Wooden is the executive director. I'm told it is the most active CFI group in America. This is got to be due to Reba, a retired teacher, who has a great group of people behind her. She kept saying things like "let's hope we have a good turnout" before the meeting. So I began wondering whether we would, especially 20 minutes before the program was to begin when we only had 6-7 people there. But they came and packed the small room we had with about 90 people. They paid $5 (members) to $10 (non-members) to come hear Lil Ole me speak. So far my experience from Los Angeles to Denver to Chicago to St. Paul to Cleveland to Buffalo to Grand Rapids to Madison (and elsewhere) has been that more people show up for my talks than was expected. That's cool. Thanks for your encouragement. Book me now! :-)

Win a Free Copy of The Christian Delusion

Hemant Mehta, The Friendly Atheist, announced how you can win a free copy of my book, which was very nice of him. As you can see, the Kindle version is doing very well right now:

Reality Check: What Must Be the Case if Christianity is True?

[Written by John W. Loftus] Below I've put together all thirty theses (so far) that most Christians agree on and why they are all improbable:

1) There must be a God who is a simple being yet made up of three inexplicable persons existing forever outside of time without a beginning, who therefore never learned anything new, never took a risk, never made a decision, never disagreed within the Godhead, and never had a prior moment to freely choose his own nature.

2) There must be a personal non-embodied omnipresent God who created the physical universe ex-nihilo in the first moment of time who will subsequently forever experience a sequence of events in time.

A glimpse into the deranged mind of mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik

Click here.

I'll Be Speaking In Indianapolis Tonight

Indy is a centralized place in the mid-west. Come out if you can. Here are the details.

"Anders Behring Breivik Doesn't Represent True Christianity"

So say various Christians about right-wing fundamentalist Anders Behring Breivik, suspected of the bombings in Norway that killed more than 90 people. Naw, of course not. Your Christianity is the true one. You have evidence for your faith. He does not. And surely everyone knows there is no precedent for this in the Bible or in the history of the church. So Christians one and all, come here and tell us which Christianity is the true one. We're all ears. But you can't come to a consensus because you have no better evidence than he does for his type of Christianity. Faith is the problem, which can and does lead to fanaticism. Admit it you schmucks, or stay in denial. ;-)

A Review of "The Christian Delusion"

Since Richard Dawkins' landmark book, The God Delusion, was published in 2006, one frequent criticism that has been levied against it is that the treatment of Christianity is insufficient and too naive. Professor Dawkins has very little of a religious background, and I would agree that it shows in his book. The same may be said for Christopher Hitchens and god is not Great or Sam Harris and Letter to a Christian Nation. While there is still plenty to appreciate about each of those books, they have not offered a thorough refutation of Christianity. Although several other authors have produced wonderful works criticizing Christianity, this ex-Evangelical minister, John Loftus, has compiled an outstanding anthology of scholarly essays that strive to expose The Christian Delusion. [It] is the most comprehensive, well-written, and entertaining refutation of conservative Christian beliefs that I have come across yet. GodlessHaven.com

Quote of the Day, On The Ending of Christianity, by Jerry Rivard

I am an atheist. I believe that gods do not exist. I also believe the world would be a better place if all or most people didn't believe that gods exist, and in particular if children weren't taught to believe in something I consider to be a myth. And I would like to see a (peaceful) end to Christianity, and of all religious belief, within my lifetime. I have no illusions that is going to happen, of course, but I do believe that if we don't blow ourselves up in the next few hundred years or so that religion in general will become about as uncommon as, say, paganism is today. I believe that will happen because I believe that theism is false, and I believe that the power of truth is such that it will always emerge from the darkness, as I believe it always has – eventually. I believe that our increasing scientific knowledge will convince more and more people of that truth over time. For the same reason, I believe that this will be an improvement for mankind.

Once Again, Atheism is Not a Belief Nor a Religion With a Punch

[Written by John Loftus] Among other things atheism can probably best be defined as the view that there isn't sufficient evidence to believe in any one or more proposed gods, such as Zeus or Hathor or Odin or Baal or Yahweh. Everyone can understand this definition quite easily since we all know what it's like not to believe something that doesn't have sufficient evidence for it. So how is atheism a religion? How is nonbelief a religion? By contrast a religion is probably best defined as the belief in one or more supernatural beings or forces. So again, how is atheism a religion? How is the nonbelief in one or more supernatural beings or forces a religion? I really want to know. Theists have developed a deeply flawed view of these things because they fail to make at least two simple but critical distinctions.

Michael Licona's Book is Delusional on a Grand Scale

When it comes to the evidence that Jesus rose up from the dead consider what we don't have, but would like to, things that Michael Licona admits in this book The Resurrection Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (pp . 275, 587-88). We do not have anything written directly by Jesus himself or any of his original disciples, nor do we have anything written by the Apostle Paul before he converted telling us about the church he was persecuting, nor anything written by the Jewish leaders of that time about Jesus or Paul, nor anything by the Romans that mentions Jesus, the content of his preaching, why he was killed, or what they thought about claims he had resurrected. This means we have no written responses to Jesus from the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, or teachers of the law. Nor do we have any testimonies from Ananias, Caiaphas, Herod or Pilate about the events we find in the gospels. Jesus always had the last word over his opponents in the gospel accounts--something I have never seen in any real religious debate. So we really need to know what his opponents said in response to these claims. We have no records that they were converted either. Licona says that "what we do have is good." I think not. The Jews of Jesus' day believed in Yahweh and that he does miracles, and they knew their Old Testament prophecies, and yet the overwhelming numbers of them did not believe Jesus was raised from the dead by Yahweh. So Christianity didn't take root in the Jewish homeland but had to reach out to the Greco-Roman world for converts. Why should we believe if they were there and didn't?

Ozzy's Powerful Line

There are no unbeatable odds;
There are no believable gods.

Apologist Josh McDowell: Internet the Greatest Threat to Christians

[Written by John W. Loftus] According to Josh McDowell,

The Internet has given atheists, agnostics, skeptics, the people who like to destroy everything that you and I believe, the almost equal access to your kids as your youth pastor and you have... whether you like it or not.

Now here is the problem, going all the way back, when Al Gore invented the Internet [he said jokingly], I made the statement off and on for 10-11 years that the abundance of knowledge, the abundance of information, will not lead to certainty; it will lead to pervasive skepticism. And, folks, that's exactly what has happened. It's like this. How do you really know, there is so much out there... This abundance [of information] has led to skepticism. And then the Internet has leveled the playing field. Link

About Randal Rauser's Blurb for "The End of Christianity"

Someone questioned why a Christian professor would blurb an atheist book. Here is his response. Listen up, if God does not want informed people then this is a very sad commentary on the state of Christian affairs. As I said before, you must actively seek out disconfirming evidence if you really want to know the truth. Disconfirming evidence is decisive. At least Dr. Rauser knows this, even if we still disagree.

It's Ignorant to Say "There is No Evidence for a Historical Jesus"

Okay, having watched James McGrath and Tommy Baker duke it out with the fanatical mythicists (not all are fanatical), I want to put to rest the ignorant claim that “There is no evidence for a historical Jesus.” There most definitely is. It's called "confirming evidence" or evidence of things we would expect to find if there was a historical Jesus, and it is Legion.

Dr. James McGrath: "My Criticisms of Mythicism Must Be On Target"

That's his claim. See what you think. He even links to something I wrote that he considers relevant.

Spiritual Warfare Monger C. Peter Wagner: "Japan is Cursed"

This is the kind of crap that needs to be eradicated from a civilized society. I'm just glad no one is our President who thinks this way. Sarah Palin anyone? Christians, police your own ranks. Link

"Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" ;-)

Link.

Quote of the Day

The probability that God inspired the Bible is inversely proportional to the probability that it developed in ways indistinguishable from a purely human process (i.e., the more probable it looks like a purely human process then the less probable it has God as an author), and there is overwhelming evidence that it looks indistinguishable from a purely human process. -- John W. Loftus

Disconfirming Evidence is Decisive

[Written by John Loftus]

Pool of Siloam

I actually saw the Pool of Siloam for myself when I was in Jerusalem in 1989. What follows from this? The archaeological evidence is consistent with the Gospel stories about Jesus sending the blind man there who was healed (John 9:1-7). But it does nothing to show Jesus healed the man. Roswell, New Mexico, is an actual city too. Is this evidence of the existence of aliens? Both cases are equivalent. The existence of the Pool of Siloam and the city of Roswell are what we would expect to find if such claims were true, but that's all it shows. This is called confirming evidence.

Delusional on a Grand Scale, My Review of Michael Licona's book, "The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach"

Link. It's sure to be hotly contested.

God and Evolution Don’t Mix, by Dr. John Shook

If God was trying to produce us through evolution, what does that tell us about a God that would use that method? Here’s some suggestions:

Dr. Avalos on the Minnesota Atheists Radio Show

Dr. Avalos talks about biblical slavery and ethics with Minnesota Atheists Talk in anticipation of his forthcoming book, Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Ethics of Biblical Scholarship.

Science, the Flood, and the Bible, Oh My!

Today's assignments boy and girls are to 1) Study a chart on Belief in Evolution versus National Wealth. 2) Read Phil Senter's article, The Defeat of Flood Geology by Flood Geology. 3) Read an essay or two from Thom Stark on Religion at the Margins. 4) Then you can take a trip to Israel vicariously with Dr. James McGrath who is our guest teacher today.

Does Higher Criticism Attempt to “Destroy the Bible”?

Hey Bible thumpers, if you won't listen to me then listen to one of your own:

One of the dodges by some Christian “philosophers”, theologians, fundamentalists, and others, is to suggest that the goal of higher criticism is to “destroy the Bible” or “destroy faith.” Typically, this is a rhetorical device intended to dismiss higher criticism in its entirety. This kind of argumentation is important as it leaves the person suspicious of higher criticism with a feeling of comfort, and much more importantly: they never have to consider any of the procedures or evidence of biblical criticism.

Dr. Avalos vs. Dr. Weikart: The Rematch

Dr. Avalos debates Dr.Richard Weikart on whether Darwinism or Christian anti-Judaism better explains the Nazi Holocaust. Enjoy.

The OTF Exemplified In Practice

Here is a debate between Valerie Dennett an atheist, Zakir Deedat a Muslim, Greg Turkel a Christian, Hugh Talmage a Mormon, and Moritz Duam a Jew. This is what I'm talking about!

Two Milestone Rankings Passed Today

The first one is that The End of Christianity reached a ranking on Amazon below 1,200th.

It may get even better before it's over. The question is how long it will stay down there. Hopefully for a couple of months or more.

Bart Ehrman's Lecture for the Commonwealth Club

God Cannot be Contrary to his own Predictions.

Here is a criticism about God’s omniscience and omnipotence based upon a point made by John D. Barrow in Impossibility, drawing on the work of cognitive scientist Donald Mackay. To put it into simple terms, it might be easier to state it as follows:

The Continued Quest for a Historical Jesus

Jesus research is in a new and exciting period. There is the Renewed New Quest and the Third Quest for a Historical Jesus. Many are very optimistic with theses conflicting but complimentary movements.  The Renewed Quest sees a non-Jewish Jesus and comes from the Jesus Seminar of Robert Funk.

By This Time Monday DC Will Be #1 in Biblioblogger Rankings

I've always suspected that Jim West and Joel Watts had a higher ranking than their comments indicated. Why, for instance, did Joel have 1/10th the number of comments that DC did if he outnumbered DC in hits? I loathed the way Jim West continually crowed about being number one and I promise I will not do the same. But it'll be nice to unseat them both. Their days of crowing are over. Thanks goes to the new effort to have a legitimate hit count where I climbed 2000 hits more than Joel in one day:

Atheist Tom Verenna Defends Jim West

Just when I thought the Biblioblogger world couldn't get any crazier I was wrong. Link. I have never, ever, even in jest said we should go back to the days when they threw Christians to the lions, and I would be repulsed by such a thought too. What is it he just doesn't get?

Biblioblogger Jim (Unaccredited) West's Proposal for Dealing with Heretics

My ‘modest proposal’ for dealing with heretics: public drownings in the summer (so the spray cools us) and burnings in the winter (so we can warm ourselves on the boiling blistering flesh of the godless). Link

He claims this is humor, tongue-in-cheek, but this isn't funny. The church really did this to people like me. And it's utterly ignorant since yesterday's heresy is today's orthodoxy. What if he joked about lynching blacks? Is that a laughing matter? If civility is a new criteria for inclusion as a Biblioblogger then I demand an apology to atheists, or kick Jim West off the Biblioblogger list. And I see no reason for him not to be fired from being a Professor of Biblical Studies at Quartz Hill School of Theology. Am I overreacting? I think not. This is hate speech.

SBL's New Biblioblogger Ranking System Shows DC Rules!

Switching from Alexa to a new system where we place badges in the sidebar to keep track of actual hits seems to be working fine. I got my badge 2-3 days ago. Previously I had expressed unwarranted fears about the change. But as you can tell below, I don't have them anymore. DC rules! Well, almost. ;-)

Genesis 3-Thank "God" for the Snake

Genesis 3 is a very important chapter in the bible. It has helped shape and re-shape Christian views on human nature, the state of the world and the relationship between good and evil. It has affected and influenced philosophers, theologians, writers, politicians, historians, artists and the average person on the street. When I examine Genesis 3 I see a story that has been paramount in underwriting the conflict between faith and free thought, which has raged throughout history. This story serves as a precedent for religion’s continuous attempts to suppress reason among its followers and for its attack on anyone brave enough to examine their god and their faith through the lens of rational thought.

How we Create Illusions Like a Soul and Thought

I think "external material world" is a dualistic habit we continue to carry from religious language. It presupposes that there is some homunculus that is presented the external world in a mental theatre inside our head. But it serves our syntax well . The use of a subject and predicate places the I in the brain by tradition. Our language almost insures it. But if we posit a monism would not the only difference between a physical monisim and a mental one be semantics? What would be the means of comparison? What is internal to that mental "external world?"  Does the idea of a spirit comes form all of this?

Richard Carrier vs. JP Holding - New Testament Textual Reliability

Seeking Power, From Boobquake to Elevatorgate

I am a mere man. I'm also a die-hard feminist to the core. It's one of the main motivators for what I do. Women lack power and privilege in our white male Christian dominated society. So any conscious raising is a very good thing. I could go on and on about this. Now the same atheist women who sexualized themselves in Boobquake and in a sexy skeptic calendar understandably want to raise the issue of sexism with Elevatorgate. Human beings seek power, all of us. So it stands to reason women will use whatever it is to their advantage, one day flaunting their sexuality and the next day by condemning men as sexists for saying they are pretty. Ya gotta love 'em. We are not much different though. We all use what we've got. It's who we are. Men don't usually understand this.

Who's the Arrogant One?

As an atheist one of the most common and tiring accusations I find myself facing from Christians is that of being prideful or arrogant. At times it seems it is impossible to question a person’s faith without them thinking you are hard headed and arrogant. I was talking with an old friend of mine and she was asking me about pride, in particular mine. She asked me if my current disbelief in the Christian god wasn’t simply a matter of being prideful/arrogant? Basically who am I to judge God? Of course that meant her god and her beliefs about him.

My Story-Taking the OTF and Not Even Knowing It

My name is Zach and I am a recovering evangelical Christian. It was about two and a half years ago, shortly before graduating from a Christian seminary with my Master’s in theology that my eyes (mind, heart, etc.) were opened and I saw my Christian faith for what it was; false.

Thomas Riskas in "Deconstructing Mormonism" Uses the OTF

In his massive 480 page book, Deconstructing Mormonism: An Analysis and Assessment of the Mormon Faith, published by American Atheist Press, Thomas Riskas is the first author to use my OTF against a different religion, Mormonism. On page xxxiii he writes:

Rethinking PZ Myers on the Accomodation vs Confrontation Debate

I am re-thinking this whole debate in order to come to a better understanding of it. See what you think of this exchange between Douglas Kirk and myself.

Why Christians Should Read This Blog and Our Books

Dr. Hector Avalos said it best:

Debunking is an important part of the scientific and historical enterprise. That is why most educated people today don't believe in a flat earth or in exorcism as a medical treatment. Link

Given that people are so prone to confirmation bias they OUGHT to seek out the naysayers just to keep them honest.

Who Answers Prayers?

[Written by John Loftus] Christians claim that any prayer request granted for other believers in different religions is done by their God out of compassion, because only one God exists, theirs. The reason Christians think this, despite the fact that only prayers offered in Jesus' name are to be prayed, is because their own answered prayers have no more evidence for them as the others. So their God becomes the explanation for the answered prayers of a Muslim, or an Orthodox Jew, or a Fred Phelps, or a Roman Catholic, or a liberal Christian, or a Jehovah's Witness, or a Mormon, or a Satanist, or a Hindu. But believers in these other religions will take answered prayers as evidence that their faith is true. This means God, the Christian God, is providing confirming evidence against the truth of Christianity to other believers in false religions who will be condemned to hell. So Christian, either give up the belief that your God answers the prayers of other believers, or admit he is helping to send them to hell. And if you give up the belief that God is answering the prayers of other believers, then show us why your own answered prayers have more evidence for them than theirs.

"possibly_maybe" put it a bit differently but very effectively:

A Muslim man prays to Allah to have his cancer cured. The prayer is answered, and the Muslim man is strengthened in his faith in Allah. After all it was Allah who he was praying to, and who healed him right? And so the man, as a devout Muslim, endorses stoning of adulterers, killing of apostates and cutting limbs off of thieves...This is the issue right here. When Christians say that it is their God who answers all prayers in the world, they are basically saying that the Christian God intentionally mystifies people from other religions into believing their false religions even more (and in their faith making sins, that will never allow them to be saved). In other words, the God who answers all prayers supports the violence/sins in the name of other religions.

Why the Q Hypothesis Works

Mark 1: 21-39 presents Jesus going to Simon Peter's house and curing Peter's mother-in-law. She has a fever which Jesus "cures'. She then gets up and serves them. That evening people brought the demon possessed and sick to the house. The whole city gathers about the door.

Atheist Lyrics to Lady Ga Ga's "Born this Way"

The lyrics are by Greta Christina:

Who or What is a Biblioblogger, Here We Go Again Folks

If being ignored as an accomodationsist by PZ Myers (or other reasons left undetermined) isn't enough, I fear another round of debates trying to exclude me as a bibiloblogger. Didn't we already have this debate before? *Sigh*

I stand in the gap. It seems I really do. Some on the scientific atheist side think of me as an accomodationist, which is a gross misunderstanding of who I am, while the Christian side is threatened by me. Each side would rather preach to their own separate choirs. It has been my goal to reach out to Christians in ways they can understand, but I had hoped more on the atheist side would see the value I bring to the table. Oh well. I am very thankful for the overwhelming support I have received. I wish the atheists at TAM in Las Vegas this week would have a debate on how we can best change the religious landscape rather than droning on and on about Elevatorgate, but who am I?

A Unified Atheism?

Why is there a lack of unity among atheists?  I think that it is because atheism is not ultimately a philosophy though it can be. It is not a belief though it can be. It is not responsive to religion but it can be. It is not responsive to philosophy but it can be. How so? Because anyone who says they do not believe in a god is an atheist. They may not know a hill of beans about science, religious claims, philosophy or even atheism.

What PZ Myers Fails to Understand

Up until recently I have not criticized other prominent atheists. I have tried to be accommodating so we could provide a unified front. But that has been shattered, especially with the feeding frenzy over the insensitive comments of Richard Dawkins to the concerns of women like Skepchick. Listen, I am a feminist to the core. It's one of the main reasons why I seek to rid our world of religion, especially Christianity, my niche. But since the united atheist front is gone I've decided to speak out against my own side when it seems one of them is not helping with this goal. I take no pleasure in this. But I must.

Just Imagine

Imagine how the following stories would differ if Christianity did not exit.  Rewrite them if you'd like and present the changes you think would be likely.

Don't Buy My Book, WIBA. It's Very Bad Some Recent Reviews Say

I have become inured from these kind of reviews. Link. Perhaps it's what you'd expect when someone is not preaching to the choir.

PZ Myers on Appeasing the Elves of Iceland: "Dynamite the Elves"

I like how he writes. I've mentioned the Elves before. Sheer nonsense it is, idiocy. Take a stand for reason and science Icelanders, now.

An Ideological Turing Test for Atheists and Christians

Leah had contacted me about this while she was working on it, but I didn't find time to post about it. Luckily Hemant Mehta did. Check it out and vote.

Personified Myth or Mythologized Person?

Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord's brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. (Galatians 1:18-20)

What writings of the New Testament are actually from Paul?  I know of no serious scholars that deny that Paul wrote Galatians.  In fact you will read in any search or book that is of any reputable scholar that Galatians is authentic. Paul claims in these verses to have met  James, the brother of the Lord.

I'm Serious About the Poll at Right

When faced with the probability that all I'll ever be is an atheist author/blogger making a few hundred bucks every six months along with some money every month from Amazon referral fees, I'm at a crossroads in my life. Do I continue with hope (not faith) that I can make a living at this, in addition to my carpet cleaning business in a small town where a significant minority of people won't hire my services because they know I'm an atheist? Or get a different job, or a second job, severely limiting my effectiveness as an atheist author and blogger. I have made some sacrifices willingly with no expectation of reward. It's what I wanted to do. Now what? Don't pat me on the back. Be honest.

Results of the poll:

Haven’t I Already Done Enough?

No, we need you more than ever 52 (15%)

What you do still helps 69 (20%)

First finish up a few things 5 (1%)

Take a needed break, relax 114 (33%)

Yes, move on with your life 65 (18%)

We can get along fine without you 38 (11%)

I Struggle Doing What I Do.

I struggle with the loss of purpose today, having already written and edited three books that people on both sides have recommended as the best of their kind. What's left to say I wonder, if they don't help change the religious landscape? Taken together with other recent books and those that are forthcoming, there is no where left for the deluded to hide, that is, if they really want to know the truth. I am gradually feeling the need to make some needed money to live my life out with a few more extras. You can help stave off what I see as the inevitable by donating to keep me writing and blogging. To anyone who thinks I'm getting rich off my books I challenge you to write one and see how far a few hundred dollars goes every six months. If what I do has helped you in some small way and you have the means to give back, click here, or keep track of your donations by clicking on the ChipIn link in the sidebar. Please. I am really embarrassed to have to ask. Thanks goes out to several people who have done so in the past. It means a lot to me.

Sex, Sex, and More Sex

Pardon the objectification of a woman here, which is a picture you could find in a Sport's Illustrated Swimsuit issue or a Victoria's Secret catalog, but I do it to make a point, and to get my point noticed. I just watched part of an episode of Love Bites on NBC and what I saw was heavily sexual in nature. NBC is coming out with a weekly show having to do with Playboy. Listen, I'm no prude, but a few decades ago the American Family Association would be blowing their top at these programs, and effectively boycotting their commercial sponsors. Yet sex continues to sell. Robert Price argues in the Afterward of The End of Christianity, which can be read on Amazon, that sex will be the undoing of Evangelicalism. These kind of programs will have more to do with the undoing of Evangelicalism than probably any book debunking it. Mark my words.

The Implications of Evolution are Enormous

I've previously quoted from Jerry Coyne where he tells us evolution is a fact. Here are a few of the implications: The God-hypothesis for the creation of human beings is unnecessary at best; the Adam & Eve story is a myth; human beings are not special nor even the highest creation; when we die we cease to exist just like every other species does. There are many others. Religion itself becomes an unnecessary hypothesis.

The First Review of "The End of Christianity"

Nicholas Ryan Covington is the first to review my new anthology, The End of Christianity. He mentions The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails and says, "I doubt that any rational person could remain a Christian after being informed of the arguments in these two books." So let me put it to you: Are people who believe despite overwhelming evidence and arguments being irrational?

A Very Brief Who's Who List of Recommended Skeptical Scholars

When it comes to science I highly recommend the work of people like Victor Stenger, Michael Shermer, Jerry Coyne, PZ Myers, Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss, Phil Plait, Neil deGrasee Tyson, Taner Edis, and others. They know science so I defer to them. They make what I do possible, for without them it would be hard to make my case against Christianity.

The Casey Anthony Trial: Were the Jurors Stupid or What?

The death of Caylee Anthony is still a mystery they say, since Casey Anthony was acquitted today. She was only convicted of providing false information to police. Really? I find it impossible that Casey Anthony would provide false information to police about her missing daughter Caylee, if she wasn't at least an accomplice to her murder. Impossible! That Casey got off is a testament to what we know about people. Were the jurors stupid? Probably not. What went wrong then? Only one juror had a criminal record, that of drinking and driving. Good people, decent people, upstanding people in any community just cannot fathom that a mother would kill her own daughter, and that's it. Place a few felons on that jury and they would've spotted a criminal mind in action, because it's really true to say "it takes one to know one." The problem is that felons cannot serve as jurors in thirty one states and in federal courts. No, these jurors probably weren't stupid people. They were blinded by their own prejudices, a recurring theme here when it comes to Christianity. ;-)

Lying, Salvation and the Word of God: Proselytizing and the Fabrication Scriptures in Judaism and Christianity

This post theme is dedicated to District Supt. Harvey Burnett who once told me: “Write what you will you INTERNET misinformed anti-christ advocate! Love to see it and love EVEN more to put the garbage where it belongs...BACK IN HELL!” (His reply to a post 4/19/08)

Only Paul Copan and Matthew Flannagan Can Set the Record Straight

[Written by John W. Loftus] I get comments and emails from skeptics who think Christian apologists do not really believe what they defend. They think the case is so bad that apologists must be lying for ulterior motives, that they are liars for Jesus. Here is a case in point for two apologists, Paul Copan, President of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, and Matthew Flannagan. I'm not accusing these two apologists of lying for Jesus. But it sure makes it appear that way when they won't or can't answer some simple questions both Hector Avalos and I have posed to them.

More Straw Man Arguments, This Time by David Marshall

Christianity can only be defended by blind ignorance involving so many informal fallacies it can make one's head spin. Case in point today is David Marshall, a nice guy and budding scholar who has written a few books. I guess he was feeling left out since I have been highlighting these things with other Christian scholars. Now it's time to turn my attention to him. ;-)

Two Questions From the Grave, by Antony Flew and Carl Sagan

Read and respond to two similar stories, one by Antony Flew, and the other by Carl Sagan. They both have to do with the OTF:

More Hand Waving From Matthew Flannagan on the OTF

[Written by John W. Loftus] Dr. (they hand out PhD's to anyone these days) Matthew Flannagan said: "As to the OTF you'll see I have pointed out that argument is incoherent." Really? No, Really? That's a very large claim of his, akin to the claim to have refuted it. I don't think in these debates of ours I would ever claim to have refuted an argument. Remember, the larger the claim is then the harder it is to defend. Does he know this? A refutation of an argument is a very difficult thing to produce. My response:

Underhanded Biblical Interpretation: Deuteronomy 25:11-12 in Context

How Dr. Copan Explains Away Biblical Violence

Debunking Christianity Ranks Third Place Among the SBL's Bibliobloggers

Yep, not bad for an atheist site. Link. They don't like us there so they started a new ranking system where only registered Bibliobloggers can vote on the top blogs, and guess what, we're never on that list. ;-) I even suspect that the present urge to revamp the SBL ranking system is to somehow try to exclude DC, or reduce our ranking. Link. Christians and their double standards, Sheesh.

Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence

This is known as the ECREE principle mentioned by Carl Sagan and others. I think it's expressed better as "extraordinary claims require an extraordinary amount of evidence," or better yet, "extraordinary claims require an extraordinary amount of ordinary evidence," or even better yet, "extraordinary claims require an extraordinary amount of ordinary evidence, especially when we should expect that evidence to be there," but the point is the same. It's no surprise that Victor Reppert objects to it in these words: