Various Quotes of Mine On A Variety of Subjects

Atheistic counter-apologists who argue online, or person-to-person, or through essays and books, ought to be given a more prominent place in secular/atheist organizations. These organizations either focus inwardly by trying to create better atheist communities, or they focus on helping to create a secular society from the top down through law and public policy. While these twin goals are important they neglect to reach outward to people trapped in their religious delusions.

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When I argue that an omnipotent God should be able to do perpetual miracles, Christians ask how I can know what is metaphysically possible for an omnipotent God to do. Now it might be the case that the attribute of omnipotence is incoherent, but if we take our examples from what Christians interpret in the Bible, then we read of miracles like creation ex nihilo (out of nothing), a world-wide flood, a virgin birth and a resurrection from the dead. If such a God did those kinds of miracles then I see no problem for him doing a host of other things when it comes to naturally caused suffering. Take creation for example. Christians argue that a sustainer God is necessary for the continued existence of the universe, per Thomas Aquinas. This then, is an example of a perpetual miracle. If he can do this I see no reason he should not be able to avert all earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and pandemics too.

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While it's true that science cannot detect the existence of an immaterial god, it should be able to detect any of his actions in the world if he wants us to believe or die. Science and instruments like telescopes, microscopes, and cat scans, along with the math built on them, augment our five senses.

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How do believers know there's a god? Because of supposed miracles. Yet miracles are impossible in the natural world without a supernatural god (i.e., a natural explanation is required when there is no god). Therefore believers have to presuppose god to verify miracles. Presupposing a god to justify unverifiable miracles--which in turn provides the reason for believing in god--is what we mean by the delusion of faith (i.e., pretending to know things you don't know).

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You have no relevant objective evidence to corroborate the miracle tales in the Bible, and plenty of objective evidence against them. All you have at best is 2nd 3rd 4th hand testimonial evidence based in some cases on one supposed vision (Rev. 2-3) or one dream (Matt. 1:20-24). No eyewitnesses wrote down anything! They aren't available for cross-examination to fact check their stories with the objective evidence (which is non-existent), or consistency, deception or misperception. Reports of eyewitnesses aren't eyewitness reports. All you have is hearsay. Seeing something in a dream or vision isn't actually using one's physical eyes. Paul said he saw Jesus in a vision (Acts 26:19) and that the list of witnesses in I Cor. 15 saw Jesus the same way he did.

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No historical research can establish the virgin birth of a god incarnate. So something else is going on. It's the will to believe based on wish fulfillment. Any claim about an event in history based on wish fulfillment should be rejected out of hand. Q.E.D.