A Critical Review of the Book, "In Defense of the Bible," Edited by Steven Cowan and Terry Wilder

Beginning today I’m planning on reviewing select chapters in the new evangelical anthology, In Defense of the Bible: A Comprehensive Apologetic for the Authority of Scripture, edited by Steven B. Cowan and Terry L. Wilder.[To read other entries in this series as I write them, just click on the "Defending the Bible" tag below this post].

In this first post I'm going to introduce the editors and make some general observations/criticisms about the book as a whole.

Let's Look at Subjective Religious Experiences This Way

What if ten thousand people went up to a mountain top, saw something, and then they all disagreed with what they saw, even people who largely agreed with each other? Even with this best possible analogy to subjective religious experiences we would still have a reason to think the lack of oxygen caused them all to hallucinate.

Five Myths About Jesus, by Reza Aslan

Reza Aslan is the author of the NY Times bestseller, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.These five myths about Jesus are largely accepted in the scholarly literature:

Quote of the Day, by AdamHazzard

"I'm increasingly convinced that the point of Christian apologetics is not to defend the faith, but to create the illusion that the faith is defensible."

"50 Great Myths About Atheism" is Now Available in Paperback!

Russell Blackford and Udo Shuklenk's excellent book, 50 Great Myths About Atheism, is now available in paperback. I've commented about it here, where in it they recommend my books. Get it. NOW!

Another Unsuccessful Effort to Defend Biblical Ethics

I really like Kenton Sparks personally, and I enjoyed working with him a bit when he was at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Sparks was even gracious enough to thank me in one of his previous books (Ethnicity and Identity in Ancient Israel: Prolegomena to the Study of Ethnic Sentiments and their Expression in the Hebrew Bible [Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1998) for helping him get started on that work.  I think that book still represents good scholarship.

Unfortunately, I cannot say the the same for his recent book, Sacred Word, Broken Word: Biblical Authority and the Dark Side of Scripture (2012), though I give him credit for acknowledging that the ethical problems of the Bible are real.

Otherwise, you can read my full review recently published in the Review of Biblical Literature.

Five Questions Matthew Flannagan Hasn't Answered

Flannagan said: "As to the Outsider Test for Faith (OTF) you'll see I have pointed out that argument is incoherent." Really? For a refresher on the OTF see this and the links to follow. Over three years ago I asked Flannagan to respond to five questions. So far he hasn't done so. Here they are again:

An Interview with Richard Dawkins on His New Memoir, Evolution and God.

"British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins was catapulted to fame in 1976 with his first book, “The Selfish Gene.” It revolutionized Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution with the idea that genes are the keys to natural selection. Dawkins was the first professor for public understanding of science at Oxford University. And he is one of the world’s most outspoken atheists, author of “The God Delusion.” His latest book is the first volume of a two-part memoir titled An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist. It covers his childhood in Africa through his mid-30s."

The audio interview on NPR can be heard HERE

On God and Objective Moral Values, One More Time

I don't think there is a way to break through the thick skulls of many Christians on this, but let's try again. When it comes to morality, overwhelming numbers of people hold to basic ethics (as opposed to dilemma ethics), expressed even by C.S. Lewis in his book, The Abolition of Man (even though I disagree with his conclusions). What best accounts for this? Certainly not any given provincial deity. Otherwise everyone should embrace the rest of the moralities commanded by these deities. Yet they conflict with each other over a wide assortment of moral issues (theocracy, homosexuality, marriage and divorce, chauvinism, war), and religious issues as well (praying five times a day facing Mecca, genuflecting, washing in the river Ganges, wearing burkas, eating habits, fasts, hair length), since after all, they are also required by these same deities. Moreover, within the Christian tradition itself, the one I know the best, there are serious disagreements in justifying a specific kind of Christian morality that go beyond what most everyone accepts as basic morality. In order to become informed of this there is no better book to read than J. Philip Wogaman's Christian Ethics: A Historical Introduction. You see, Christians cannot come to an agreement about ethical theory much less the additional moral duties themselves.Come on, before you spout off the phrase "Christian morality" again, look at the facts. Stop your special pleading. Stop begging the question. There is no such thing as "Christian morality." Never has been. Probably never will be.

The Basis for Morality is Empathy

Do non-believers have a basis for saying some things cause harm? I think so. Just look at a burning child. We have a computer that computes the steps. Our brains. Such things cause harm. It's obvious. The basis for morality is empathy. The divine command theory has no room for it. If God is thought to command killing witches then empathy be damned. While there are two greatest commandments the only one that counts is the first one. Christians need not be concerned with the plight of human suffering, only loving the god in one's head.

An Interesting Book, Edited by John Brockman

Check it out: This Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works

Wedding Pastor Disaster

In this video, we witness a host organism (the priest) whose infection with the God Virus has progressed to an extreme state. He is performing a wedding ceremony for two living, breathing, human beings, but all he can think about is how offended his Invisible Friend must be by the photographers who are documenting the wedding.

“This is not about the photography, this is about God.”

Uhhh, no Reverend Douchebag. This is about the couple getting married, and their happiness. They hired the photographers that you are trying to run off, to capture memories of what should have been one of the happiest moments of their lives.

Another Review of My Magnum Opus (Which Randal Rauser Still Has Not Read)

If I must gloat I'll let others do it for me. ;-)

Those Who Believe Only Biblical Faith Creates Morals and Ethics Need to Consider the Fact that Charles Manson Was a Bible Believer

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22: 6

Jesus said: Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Matthew 10: 34

Raised by his fundamentalist Bible believing grandmother who required him to attend church and read the Bible daily plus memorize Bible verses, as an adult, Charles Manson was captivated by the blood, gore and prophecies in the Book of Revelation and saw himself and The Family as true believers ordained by God who would arise to rule a new post-apocalyptic world.

In a new biography, author Jeff Guinn looks at the strict religious world Charles Manson grew up in and how the Bible along with popular culture of the 1960’s created a religious psychopath.

An NPR audio interview with author Jeff Guinn about his new biography can be heard HERE

Join Me On Facebook

I don't Twitter and I don't make YouTube videos. On Facebook I post links to this blog but sometimes I post some personal stuff too. Today's my 59th birthday. Join me on Facebook to see the shenanigans.

Greg Boyd Joins the Apologetics Hall of Shame.

While I was still a believer, I found myself drawn to Greg Boyd’s books, in large part because he seemed willing to wrestle authentically with the tougher questions which challenge Christianity. In particular, I enjoyed his books Letters from a Skeptic, and God of the Possible.

Now Greg has a new book out: Benefit of the Doubt: Breaking the Idol of Certainty and Rebecca Held Evans has interviewed him, regarding it. Partway through the interview, she asks him about the violent portraits of God found in the Bible, and how he would recommend that believers deal with these.

Greg answers that since Jesus is the ‘supreme revelation’ of God, then:

“…whether we can explain the violent portraits of God in the OT or not, it would be unfaithful for us to ever allow anything we find in the OT to compromise what we learn about God in him. “

This of course, is a very convenient hermeneutic tool which allows Christians to distance themselves from, and override, distasteful content in the Old Testament. The writers of the New Testament shamelessly used their ‘new revelation’ to recycle, reinterpret and supersede the Jewish scriptures - as the occasion requires.

Greg basically pats the troubled Christian on the head, and says, “There, there. Don’t worry about those nasty Old Testament scriptures. Just keep your eyes on Jesus. He’s all that matters. He’s what God is really like.”

The New Science of Mind, by Eric Kandel

Link.

James Randi: Secrets of the Psychics Documentary

There isn't any difference at all between people who are deceived by psychics and theistic believers in the pew. The common denominator is that they have a need to believe. They don't really want to know the truth. Yet they deceive themselves into thinking that they do.

Why Have My Critics Fallen Silent?

My book, The Outsider Test for Faith, came out in March where I responded to all of the criticisms coming from Christian apologists Matthew Flannagan, Norman Geisler, Mark Hanna, Steve Lovell, David Marshall, Rados Miksa, Randal Rauser, Victor Reppert, David Reuben Stone, and Thomas Talbott. Here it is, six months later, and no response has been forthcoming from them or their supporters, with the exception of Marshall's ignorant non-response in a review on Amazon. It's hard not to conclude I have silenced them.

Even God Struggles to Understand the Dogma of Intelligent Design

Male or Female?

“He made him in the likeness of God.  He created them male and female”   (Genesis 5: 1c – 2a)

"The child was born with intersex condition -- sexual anatomy that fits the definition of a male or female."

"Court records indicate that at birth, M.C. was identified as a male. During a reflux surgery, female organs were discovered. Doctors at the Greenville Hospital System concluded the baby was a 'true hermaphrodite.'"

State Sued Over Hermaphrodite Child Sex Surgery

My Book, WIBA, is "Too Thorough" ?

 Very thorough...too thorough, September 7, 2013

By 

C. Medina "RedCat" (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity (Kindle Edition)

This is a very very thorough explanation of a huge amount of research into why Loftus chose to become an atheist. I was expecting a much more personal account but this is extremely academic. Very very lengthy, only for the very studious mind. Lots of great info, but too much. This covers philosophy, history, anthropology, biblical studies, you name it, this book is the mega thesis.

---------

When I say it's my magnum opus I really mean it. Randal Rauser didn't read it before inviting me to co-write "God or Godless" with him, and he has still not read it. Is it just too big of a book for him, too academic, outside his expertise, or what? ;-)

Silly Sayings of Jesus: Like Little Children

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3

Well Jesus, this was silly because you revealed too much (kind of like a magician telling how he does his tricks). A childlike mentality, and childhood conversions are the fuel on which Christianity runs.

Kids are trusting, uninformed about life, and unskilled in the art of reason. The line between fantasy and reality is blurred for children. It’s not unusual for them to have invisible friends, which makes them perfect victims for spiritual salesmen!

"Jesus Christ Superchimp?" by Robert Price and Edwin Suominen

Most readers of Debunking Christianity have been deep enough into Christian theology at one point or another to appreciate a nuance to the evolution vs. Christianity conflict that is significant but little discussed: How could the half-human, half-divine nature of Jesus possibly be rationalized scientifically? As this excerpt from Robert and Edwin's book Evolving out of Edenmakes clear, the whole idea of a virgin birth is utterly foreign to modern science, based on ancient, paternalistic ideas about fertilization. The book goes on to explain what a theological mess believers are left with, even if they can make that impossible leap of faith: Jesus would’ve had all the supposedly sinful natural inclinations that Christianity gives humans so much grief about—lust, anger, etc.—because he carried Mary’s human DNA and a supposedly divine portion that would have needed to be defective by design in order to match up with it.

There was no Jesus, there is no God – Why I wrote the book

There are many excellent atheistic books available today. We have mega-selling books on the social issues, such as whether religion is good or bad for society (The God Delusion, The End of Faith). We have inspiring books by prominent atheists who have liberated themselves from religion (Godless, Why I Became an Atheist). We have books on specific issues, such as the traditional claims that are often at odds with science (A Universe from Nothing, The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning, Why Evolution Is True). There are books that expose some of the more horrifying aspects of the Bible (The Skeptic's Annotated Bible), there are books that question the truth of the Biblical sources (Forged), there are books that raise questions on methodology (The End of Biblical Studies), and there are books advocating a religious-but-not-religious way of life (The Good Book, Religion for Atheists). There are even books on the seemingly irrelevant issue of Jesus’ possible ahistoricity (Proving History, The Christ-Myth Theory And Its Problems, The Christ Conspiracy). So why would I, a scholar, throw one more into the mix, when traditionally, academics keep to themselves?

My "New Books in Secularism" Interview

Looks like I've joined a great cast of growing interviews here. I haven't listened to it yet. I'm interviewed about my new book, "The Outsider Test for Faith." Check it out. Now I'm off to a bicycle beer run. Seriously!

5 Best Books To De-Convert A Christian

Whenever you see posts titled like this one always consider the source and the intended target audience. How widely read is the person recommending these books? Is he or she a former believer? Which type of Christianity do the recommended books target? On what level of scholarship do the books deal with? Are the recommended books philosophically oriented, biblically oriented or scientifically oriented, or general ones? Take for instance the recommendation to read the Bible itself. A fundamentalist won't deconvert upon reading it. A Catholic like Julia Sweeney did. Remember, Isaac Asimov's famous quote is this: "Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived." The question is which books help which readers properly understand the Bible? That's my focus, my specialty. My target audience are educated evangelicals in the pews and colleges. So with that let me whittle down my list of recommended books to just five (excluding my own):

Raphael Lataster's New Book on Jesus Mythicism

Raphael Lataster is bright young scholar from Australia.  In 2012, he submitted a Master's Thesis on Jesus Mythicism that was approved by the University of Sydney. As such, he may be among the first to have a thesis sympathetic to Jesus Mythicism approved by a world-class university.  Now, Lataster has used that thesis as the basis of a new book, There Was No Jesus, There is No God, to be available shortly on Amazon (Kindle version already available).

Although I am not a  Jesus mythicist, I do think that Lataster makes a good case that one cannot simply dismiss all versions or all aspects of Jesus mythicism. His work addresses the work of Bart Ehrman and W. L. Craig, among many others.  See Book Description. Here is also another link that may be more useful: Alternative link.

Questions In Genesis: Ken Ham’s Creationist Shtick

I have a confession to make. Over a decade ago, I took my family to a Ken Ham creationism event. My kids were taught that dinosaurs and humans coexisted, a few thousand years ago, and they also learned a magic phrase – one guaranteed to stop evolutionists in their tracks. More on that later.

In a presentation for the adults, Ken talked about how evolution attacks the very foundation of Christianity – the book of Genesis. After all, if Genesis is not literally true, then there was no Adam and Eve, no Fall of mankind through eating a forbidden fruit. No Original Sin. No need for a savior. This is something which I actually agree with Ken on.