Mr. Deity and the Identity Crisis

This is funny!

Jim (aka T & T) Linville on "Can ANYONE be non-religious about anything?"

He begins:

This was the question blogger Rick Wadholm asked in response to a plan for a secular biblical researcher’s special interest group meeting in conjunction with the Society of Biblical Literature (which is the largest academic society in the world dedicated to research into all matters biblical). I wrote this up a few days ago and then decided that I should just ignore these comments but darnnit… some very important points need to be made. Link

Looking for Definitions of God for a Book.

I've been invited to submit some definitions for God which will turn into a book, but having seen the other ones it seems they covered it well enough already. ;-) Any other suggestions?

Announcing A Special Screening of "Creator of God: A Brain Surgeon's Quest"

This November, join the American Humanist Association for a special screening of Creator of God: A Brain Surgeon's Quest.

Lee Randolph's Blog

Some of you have asked me where some of the former DC Members have gone. They are Blogging on their own. Check Lee's Blog out. Look around and comment, it's a good Blog!

My Five No, Six No, Seven No TEN Published Books

[Written by John W. Loftus]

In case you want to know more about my TEN books, here are the links:

1) Why I Became An Atheist [Revised and Expanded](WIBA).

2) The Christian Delusion (TCD).

3) The End of Christianity (TEC).

4) The Outsider Test for Faith: How to Know Which Religion is True (OTF).

5) God or Godless?: One Atheist. One Christian. Twenty Controversial Questions. (GOG), co-written with Christian philosopher/theologian Dr. Randal Rauser.

6) Christianity is Not Great (CNG).

7) How to Defend the Christian Faith: Advice from an Atheist (HDCH).

8) Christianity in the Light of Science: Critically Examining the World's Largest Religion (CLS).

9) Unapologetic: Why Philosophy of Religion Must End.

10) The Case Against Miracles (CaM)

As you can guess I'm excited and humbled to know they'll help change the religious landscape for years to come.

My Thoughts On the Poll About My Book After One Day

I'm going to stop it. I've learned what I wanted to learn. Here are the results after a bit more than a day:

Look for the Movie "Creator of God: A Brain Surgeon's Story"

I met neurosurgeon Vivekanand Palavali recently who has made a documentary movie about his quest to find out who God is. See the trailer below. This is gonna be good!

Joe Holman: "The Best Seat in the House"

Former blog member here at DC has his own Blog, like I recommended that they all start on their own. Joe's latest post starts off like this:

I want to introduce you to my friend Terri. She is a person of simplicity, and yet her depth of character has you looking down and not seeing bottom. Being a complicated person is not what I am talking about. Any chick – any dude, for that matter – can be complicated, conflicted, unpredictable, with “issues.” That’s not what I’m talking about at all. I’m talking about a person who is enough of an individual to have a personality you can nail down. You can predict them, and yet they can teach and surprise you in unforeseen ways. Such a friend is Terri.

Link.

Look around and see what you think.

Are Believers Ever Argued Into Faith, or Argued Out of It?

Eric asked some interesting questions in the com-box of a post of mine. Read my response below.

A Question About the Most Effective Way to Reach Believers and My Response

I was emailed the following question and I responded to it. See what you think:

Robert Price Interviewed About his Book: "Inerrant the Wind"

Ep. 21 The Enlightenment Show: Robert Price interview "Inerrant the Wind" from FreeThought Fort Wayne on Vimeo.

Here's Another Exchange I Had With a Christian Scholar [Edited]

I had told him I was puzzled that he still believes. Here is what he said and my response:

Announcing a Meeting to Discuss a Non-Religious Group Within the Society of Biblical Literature

Read this announcement below. Come join us.

Former Pastor Ed Glenn's Note of Encouragement

With his permission here it is, below:

I'm Editing Another Book

There are a few unnamed Christian wannabe apologists out there who viciously attacked me when I first came online before starting this Blog. I was repeatedly told I was stupid, ignorant, and even brain-dead in so many ways it took me by surprise. I was lied about and verbally maligned with everything I said. The treatment I received from them was absolutely appalling. In fact, they still do that to me. But all I just wanted to do originally was to reasonably discuss the issues that separate us. I did not set out to debunk Christianity. I merely wanted to find a place to discuss the issues in a respectful atmosphere. Had they done this I'm almost certain I would not have started this Blog and I would not have become so passionate about debunking the very faith they use to justify their treatment of me. If you want to motivate me call me stupid. I told them that doing so was like pouring gas on the fires of my passion but they laughed some more. Even now they still laugh. I dare say that they would've lit the fires that burned me at the stake in a previous generation. So I got to thinking about the people who died so that I have the freedom to speak out, and I dedicated my life to making sure I did not trample on their blood by not doing so. I also realized that since I had the means to effectively argue against the Christian faith I could not simply walk away from what I've learned without also sharing it with others who can benefit from it. So there is no turning back.

Some Comic Relief...Cats

This is funny!

Another One Leaves the Fold, Marcus Goodwin

DC DOES make a difference! Link.

Karen Armstrong's "The Case For God": An Intellectual Feast But in the End Very Little Help to the World's Problems

To read what I wrote about her book click here. As announced earlier, if you think this is a helpful review then a positive vote would be appreciated.

Ian Boyne of "The Jamaica Gleaner" Claims That Atheists/Agnostics are Winning the Debate

He's read my book along with several others and writes:

What if God Disappeared?

Redated post from 3/5/09.

The Baloney Detection Kit, by Michael Shermer

Check it out below:

Dr. Jim Linville's Blog is Fast Becoming a Favorite of Mine

He's funny and intelligent. Recently he called for An Atheist and Agnostic Academic Association Affiliated with the Society of Biblical Literature. He also wrote about my work as well. Why wouldn't I like such a guy? ;-) Thanks Jim!

Iron Mike Tyson's Life Shows There is a Real Incompatibility With an Omniscient and a Wrathful God

That's my claim. I watched his interview on the Oprah show Monday, and while I think he'll continue to struggle with his past, I thought he was a complete jerk before watching it. He describes his life and I honestly felt for him deeply. He said that he's tired of failing and I believe him. There's a movie about his life that looks interesting. But here's my point. Once we understand someone and what made that person who he is, we can love him. If I only understood everything about a person and every experience he has ever had that made him who he is, then I could love him completely. An omniscient God supposedly has that understanding of all of us. Hence an omniscient God can never be angry with us. Q.E.D.

A Devastating Critique of the Penal Substitutionary Model for the Atonement

[Edited for Pulliam's newest post today where he comments on the discussion in my book]. Dr. Ken Pulliam is providing this on his blog (read his posts from the bottom up). Link.