Cyclical universe debate opens up again

The BBC recently produced the following fascinating article. It appears there is some good evidence that a cyclical universe IS on the money, and also in keeping with the BVG whilst not needing the Big Crunch. What do you good people think? I thought that you discerning science and philosophy types here could have a good ole chin-wag about the Kalam Cosmological Argument, about something from nothing, and about beginnings to universes,,,

New Book: The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom

Highlighted in this new book are even more liars for Jesus. To see other examples click on the tag "Liars for Jesus" below. No wonder I say even if Christianity is true no reasonable person should ever believe it since Christians themselves have destroyed its credibility, and I'm dead serious. Our lesson today, boys and girls, comes from the new book by Dr. Candida Moss, The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom.

In The Myth of Persecution, Candida Moss, a leading expert on early Christianity, reveals how the early church exaggerated, invented, and forged stories of Christian martyrs and how the dangerous legacy of a martyrdom complex is employed today to silence dissent and galvanize a new generation of culture warriors.

According to cherished church tradition and popular belief, before the Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal in the fourth century, early Christians were systematically persecuted by a brutal Roman Empire intent on their destruction. As the story goes, vast numbers of believers were thrown to the lions, tortured, or burned alive because they refused to renounce Christ. These saints, Christianity’s inspirational heroes, are still venerated today.

Moss, however, exposes that the “Age of Martyrs” is a fiction—there was no sustained 300-year-long effort by the Romans to persecute Christians. Instead, these stories were pious exaggerations; highly stylized rewritings of Jewish, Greek, and Roman noble death traditions; and even forgeries designed to marginalize heretics, inspire the faithful, and fund churches.

About Dr. Candide Moss:

57 Behaviorial Biases That Make Us Think Irrationally

Here are 57 behavioral biases that we all have to some degree. I commend everyone to look through them all. Take your time. Consider each one of them. I've said it before and I'll say it again. We human beings do not think or act all that rationally. So we need to check what we think against objective tests, scientific ones. No wonder believers object to science in those rare areas that go against their faith. It's because they do not wish to test their faiths objectively, preferring their subjective, private cognitive biases, just as other believers do in other faiths. They will even turn this back on us with the all too common "you too" fallacy: "Hey you don't believe because you have these biases too!" Listen up. I know I'm not all that rational as a human being. But recognizing this fact, just as an alcoholic who admits he's an alcoholic, is the first step towards change. Once we admit we all have these biases, the only thing left to do is to check what we think against objective tests, scientific ones. What's there not to understand about this? No, really, I want to know.

On Blogging and Book Writing and Lost Sheep

There are bloggers who write daily and there are authors of books. It seems most people fall into one or the other category. I'm happy to be categorized among the people who both blog and write books. I have blogged daily for seven years and have published five books in five years. It has been a massive time consuming effort. It's been a huge uphill struggle and a giantic challenge. I've fought many battles along the way. But it's been worth it. People have asked how I find the stamina to continue on. I like Tevye's answer, said with his deep voice in The Fiddler on the Roof: "I'll tell you. I don't know." The bottom line is that I'm a passionate man. I don't listen to the naysayers when I think I'm right. I'm not afraid of failing either, especially if I think I can succeed (I have succeeded, haven't I?). ;-)

You would think that if God knew me he would find a way to keep me in the fold, just like others whom he let go. He could've done for me what he supposedly did for Moses, Gideon, Joseph (the supposed father of Jesus), James (the brother of Jesus), and Paul the Apostle. He could show me he exists without abrogating my free will, just like he did for them. Or, he could have snapped his omnipotent fingers and took away my critical thinking skills so I would continue to believe, and not do what I have done since leaving the fold. Instead, he was a shepherd who was asleep on duty, taking a whiz or something, while this lone sheep wandered off away from the fold, contrary to the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Now that's a caring shepherd, right? This scenario repeats itself daily in the lives of other sheep who leave the Christian fold and go on to argue against their former faith. If God wants believers to remain in the fold he continually keeps shooting himself in the foot. That's an intelligent thing for an all-wise God to do, right? But wait, in response to this, here come the Bible thumpers who mindlessly quote-mine from the Bible or the theology based on it, which is the opposite of actually thinking about these issues. *Sigh*

Five Stages of Grief in Losing Faith: Elizabeth Kübler-Ross Reworked

After six years of posting articles and answering comments and rebuttals from believers at DC , I’ve reworked Elizabeth Kübler-Ross’ five stages of grief into five stages of losing faith. Depending upon a believer’s religious educational level, this process may begin as late as stage 3.

If God Can’t Save Himself, How Can He Save Others!

Upstate school board prayer tradition likely ending (With News Video)

This proves that “God” is a philosophical concept and NOT a reality!

(This is a follow-up on: Last Month's School Board Meeting)

The Catholic Church Is Lying to This Day: Was Peter the First Pope?

In the wake of Pope Benedict resigning and the desire for a new one to replace him, we need to consider the evidence that Peter was the first Pope. But as Austin Cline argues there isn't any. Given that the early Catholic Church lied with forged documents like the Donation of Constantine and the Testimonium Flavianum (inserted text into Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews concerning Jesus), any claim of theirs, including the one that the earliest disciples were martyrs for Jesus, must have evidence for it. In fact, I'll betcha in the Vatican records themselves the priests who have access to them already know Peter was not the first Pope, that there was no such office. So the Catholic Church is lying to us this very day. It's just another case of liars for Jesus, something that both Richard Carrier and I have documented before. It's never seen more clearly than in the Catholic Church cover-up of pedophile priests. All they can do is stonewall, obfuscate and lie in defense of the indefensible, whatever it takes. They have lost all credibility when it comes to their faith. None is left, none. But then that's what we see when it comes to faith in general, no matter what the religion. With faith, almost anything can be believed. With faith, people can believe without any evidence at all. With faith, people can even believe against the overwhelming evidence. In fact, with faith, people can even justify lying to defend what they need to believe. It's pathetic. Yes, it's THAT bad. I dare say that if Christians went back in time to the start-up of the early church they would almost all blast its rise as nothing more than a number of harmful pious cultic frauds, by leaders who sought power over others.

My Companion Book to Why I Became an Atheist is Now Available for Free

I have edited down my book Why I Became an Atheist: Personal Reflections and Additional Arguments,and am now making it available below for free as an ebook. I am doing this for two reasons. One is that since so many others have put good information online for free I want to pay it back so to speak. The other reason is that I am convinced it makes good business sense. Think of it as a pay what you want system, but where you don't have to pay a thing to get it. I’m hoping you’ll donate whatever the book is worth to you (or my work in general). No matter how little or how much, here's your chance. Regardless, I’d be happy if you read my book, like it, and tell others about it along with my work in general.

You can get the pdf Right Here. Happy reading. If you wish, you can donate by using the PayPal button:

I have no institutional financial support for what I do on a daily basis. Thanks in advance for reading my work and for your donations, should you choose to do so. A big hearty grateful THANKS goes out to the few who have done so over the years.

Christians, I Truly Hope You Think Your Faith is Certain and Factually True

With my recent activity on Facebook I have roused a few of my Christian friends there. They liked a Loftus who was basically dormant for a few years so we could be friends. But since I've been active lately I'm getting some push-back. Okay. One of them was a student at Great Lakes Christian College, the one I graduated from in 1977. He reminded me of this as if that means anything. Well it does. Many of these friends of mine usually start out by asking me to remember this past of mine. The fact is that I do. So here's what I wrote:

Satan Now Using the Police to Arrest Bible Believing – God Fearing Pastors!

Upstate pastor suspended from church after allegedly beating daughter (Wait for news video to load)

Don't withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with a rod, he won't die. (Proverbs 23: 13)

Shit Christians Say to Atheists: Translated (Part 2)

You've heard it a million times - the stupid shit that your Christian friends and relatives say to atheists. Join us for Part 2 and crack a smile as we look at what's really going on in those devout minds. Let's wipe out the nonsense and flush their crappy arguments right down the toilet.

“Deep down you know there is a God, it’s just that you hate him.”

Translation:

“Because I’ve never questioned my beliefs, using reason and logic, I can’t imagine that you would have any actual reasons why you reject the idea of a God. What’s that? Of course I don’t hate Santa. Don’t be silly, he’s not real. How could I hate something that’s not real?”

An Institute for Science and Human Values Symposium

This symposium scheduled for April 12-13th at Columbia State University is on "The Human Prospect and the Fate of Our Planetary Civilization: Science, Humanism, Ethics, and the Task Before Us."

Nathan Bupp, the lead organizer, writes about it in these words:

Quote of the Day, by Marcus Aurelius

Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.

Remembering My First Article on Debunking the Bible: Sept. 14, 1977

It has been over 35 years since I published my first article debunking the Bible. After leaving Bob Jones University in 1972 where we had to learn our King James Bible verses verbatim (Capitalizations and punctuations)for our Bible exam, plus giving up my license to preach by a small independent Baptist church (Stamp Creek Baptist Church in Salem, S.C. because I told the adult Sunday school class I taught that Jesus and the apostles did not use the 1611 King James Bible as the first century is not 1611 and Greek is not English . . . deacon’s meeting was called that night and I was asked to leave the church).

I Received My Book in the Mail Today

Here's proof below!

Preface for My Post on Extra Biblical Books Dating From 250 BCE to the 5th Century CE

My forth coming post (ready in several more weeks) will be the most extensive I’ve ever written at DC. I would venture to say that most Christians (who have their theology limited by the orthodox term canon along with a God / theology defined by the popular 66 Biblical books) have no idea of the intense "inspired" scribal activity of this period.

Does God Really Show That He Loves Us?

This is how God shows that he loves us. We're supposed to believe God expressed his love by sending his son to die for us based on 2nd, 3rd, 4th handed testimony found in manuscripts dated to the 4th century AD from a pre- scientific superstitious people in a remote part of the ancient world, who included forged texts in their holy book that reinforced their hindsight conclusions, who destroyed other texts that disagreed, and who subsequently killed off anyone who didn't accept those beliefs, despite the fact that this same God allows so much intensive ubiquitous gratuitous suffering in the world? Nope, not a chance. Not even close. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

What Best Debunks Christianity and Religion?

I have been arguing that Christianity is basically bunk for seven years of daily Blogging now. I've learned a great deal in doing so from both sides of this debate and all others in between. Since I know Christianity is a delusion what greatly interests me are the reasons why Christians eventually leave the fold. After all, my single-minded goal is to convince them of this. My claim is that Christians leave the fold for so many different reasons because there are so many different reasons to do so. In fact, I've gone so far as to argue there isn't even a bad personal reason to reject the Christian faith in four parts (seen in reverse chronological order). I've also asked former Christians to share what convinced them to leave the fold and received over 200 comments of reasons which can be seen right here. But there are two reasons former Christians hardly ever mention so I don't focus on them at all, even though I think they are both serious ones worth considering. I find them to be basically wasted effort on my part if I were to focus on them, given that they don't work that well. Here they are, correct me if you think I'm wrong:

Dan Barker Interviewed On "The Malcontent's Gambit"

Dan Barker, co-president of the of the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) with Annie Laurie Gaylor, reveals a busy 2013 schedule. The FFRF is suing the IRS! He shares other news and views. It's a great half-hour interview! He comments on issues concerning nonbelievers and reveals the foundation’s growing pains. LINK.

Science Agrees: Religion Helps Criminals!

One of the oft-used justifications for religion is that it provides moral guidance and personal transformation. Now, a new study led by Volkan Topalli – professor of criminal justice at Georgia State University presents scientific proof that religion helps criminals… helps them justify their crimes, that is!

Almost all of the criminal offenders studied (involved in crimes such as car-jacking, drug-dealing, robbery, and burglary) self-identified as Christians, and professed belief in God.

My New Book On The Outsider Test for Faith is Shipping!

My publisher said it was in and they're shipping it out. It'll only be a week before Amazon gets it. Here is the flyer. Yes, I'm excited. Order it now and be the first on your block to look inside: The Outsider Test for Faith: How to Know Which Religion Is True.

"Faith: Not Wanting to Know What is True"

Previously I had mentioned the new Counter Apologist Blog. It's a good one. I highly recommend another one by a former minister called Chasing Black Swans. His excellent definition of faith is the title to this post. What is the Black Swan Theory that it's based on? This:

Quote of the Day, By a Real Christian ;-)

I am a Christian but I am rejected by "the church" for believing the Bible. I don't blame you one bit. The "church" as it is known today is a sorry group of hypocritical, self-righteous, arrogant, hateful people with no power to prove the existence of God. It's sad but true, there are only a handful of people who are really doing the work Jesus left for them to do. Our job is to love people and bless them, not curse them and hate them because they don't believe what we do. I am disgusted at what the "church" has become. Almost every mainstream church in America is following a spirit of religion where they think they have to do something in order to have favor with God. That is simply a lie. Jesus paid the price for Salvation and healing 2000 years ago. It doesn't really matter. There are very few REAL Christians, and chances are you have never met one. I apologize for the fakes masquerading as God's people. I see why people say, "I don't have a problem with God, it's His followers I can't stand." LINK

Shit Christians Say to Atheists: Translated (Part 1)

You’ve heard them over and over - all those clichéd, annoying questions and silly statements that Christians throw in your face. Well, let’s have a little fun at the expense of fundamentalists and translate what they really mean. After all, as the Good Book says: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.”

"You’ll think differently when you stand before God at the final judgment!"

Translation:

"I really don't have any reasoned rebuttals to your arguments so I will comfort myself by imagining you burning in Hell for all eternity."

You See God In the Mirror!

There's a study proving this is true.