Why Humans Build Their Societies on Fault Lines in the Earth

I'm posting this again to emphasize what a great program it is. In this must see BBC video (total 60 minutes)...

Iain Stewart tells the epic story of how the planet has shaped our history. With spectacular images, surprising stories and a compelling narrative, the series discovers the central role played in human history by four different planetary forces.

Dr. Jerald Dirks on Why He Rejected Christianity and Embraced Islam

[Written by John W. Loftus] Jerald Dirks is a former minister (deacon) of the United Methodist Church. He holds a Master's degree in Divinity from Harvard University and a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Denver. Here he is interviewed on The Deen Show sharing why he accepted Islam. I was only going to skim through his interview, but I found myself captivated by his story. His critique of Christianity is penetrating and well founded.

Answering Two Questions Asked by a Reader of My Book

I have read your book trying to look for answers to my own questions regarding the Christian faith. I had only recently became a Christian about a year ago and now I am experiencing serious doubts if the Christian God is real.

Richard Dawkins On The Haitian Disaster: "Pat Robertson is the true Christian here"

I was thinking of doing my own post on this topic. I have heard Christians say Pat Robertson is a moron for suggesting the Haitian disaster was a divine judgment for too long now. No, they are the morons. Pat Robertson represents Christian tradition, not them, as Dawkins said in a Washington Post column:

New Site: Recovering Fundamentalists

Former DC team member Dr. Marlene Winell is blogging there. It looks good. Check it out.

Nerdstock: 9 Lessons and Carols

This is a non-religious Christmas celebration of comedy, science and music recorded live at London's Hammersmith Apollo in December 2009.

Cole: "I'm tired of looking stupid by trying to defend the Bible."

Cole first arrived here at DC a few years back as a Christian under the name Calvin, and he was the answer man. He quoted the Bible. We argued against him. Finally I challenged him to read my book WIBA. Then a few weeks passed and he said he no longer believed. He changed his name to Cole and became an angry atheist for a while, a typical reaction for many ex-believers once they realize they were duped. But months passed and then he came back to DC as a Christian again by arguing in the same fashion as I originally saw him do. Just today he gave it up. He said: "I'm done with the Bible." And then "I'm tired of looking stupid by trying to defend the Bible." You can read the exchange I had with him right here. I'm glad for him. He did look stupid defending the Bible. Many Christians do. But Cole is not stupid at all. He was just deluded, and I wish him well. Finally, no more cognitive dissonance for him.

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It's Not Too Late to Take the Debunking Christianity Challenge in 2010

Several Christians have decided to take the DC challenge as I first wrote about here, including a master's degree student, a pastor, and others. Just today I heard from a fifteen year old named Kyle who has decided to do so (via email). The official DC challenge is to get and read the ten books I suggested in that link. Don't accept any imitations. This is the real deal. I also encourage believers to read both sides, but this is the official Debunking Christianity Challenge. ;-)

Two Atheists Debate Whether Jesus Died On the Cross

If you're interested in debates like I am, below you can watch an interesting one by two atheists. Yep, that's right, two atheists. Oh, I know that Mary Jo Sharp is a Christian apologist and that Ehteshaam Gulam is a Muslim apologist. But if you listen closely they are using atheist arguments against each other.

You Should Be Skeptical Your Faith Passes the Outsider Test for Faith

I have heard from several Christians who claim to have bit the bullet by admitting their faith should pass the Outsider Test for Faith (OTF), only to conclude that it does. Surprise! The fullest presentation of it online is to be found here. Having received this feedback I revisited the argument again in a chapter for The Christian Delusion. One of the many things I do in that chapter is to argue that Christians ought to be just as skeptical their own faith passes the OTF as they are when Mormons or Muslims claim the same thing. Why not, right? That's what outsiders do.

"A Fault Is Not a Sin: It's idiotic to blame anything other than geology for the Haitian earthquake." by Christopher Hitchens

On Nov. 1, 1755—the feast of All Saint's Day—a terrifying combination of earthquake and tsunami shattered the Portuguese capital city of Lisbon. Numerous major churches were destroyed and many devout worshippers along with them. This cataclysmic event was a spur to two great enterprises: the European Enlightenment and the development of seismology. Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were only some of those who reasoned that no thinkable deity could have desired or ordained the obliteration of Catholic Lisbon, while other thinkers—Immanuel Kant among them—began to inquire into the possible natural causes of such events.

The Greater and Lesser Deeds

If God sent Jesus to save the world by dying on the cross for our sins (the greater deed) then he should at least be as passionate as Christians are to help people believe (the lesser deeds). Why would God do the greater deed and not also do the lesser deeds? This doesn't make sense of an omniscient, omnibenelovent, and omnipotent God. The excuses given for the paucity of evidence reveal that the Christian expects way too little from the God they believe in. [First posted 10/29/08]

An Interview Between Christian Todd Friel and Christopher Hitchens

Friel plays a game of “What if?” with Hitchens. Below is a condensed paraphrase from Luke at Common Sense Atheism:

What is the Likelihood That a Trickster or Evil God Exists?

246 comments later on this topic and I want to resurrect it. dguller has sufficiently defended an argument that I have not seen a proper rejoinder to about the possibility that a trickster god exists, rather than a good one, if one exists at all. I claimed that Based on This Argument Alone The Best Any Believer Can Claim is Agnosticism. Okay so far?

Professor James McGrath Reviews "Doubting Jesus' Resurrection: What Happened in the Black Box?"

I am grateful to Kris Komarnitsky for sending me a copy of his book Doubting Jesus' Resurrection: What Happened in the Black Box? For some, the title may seem appealing, while to others it may be disturbing, but when it comes to historical study, the simple fact is that there is no way for a historian not to doubt the resurrection - or to put it more precisely, a historian cannot but raise questions about the historical factuality of the early narratives that tell the resurrection story.

What To Expect In My Atheist Regime: Atheist Entertainment

From time to time I'll tell you what to expect when I rule the world, if that should happen. The first thing I'll do is step down and institute a democracy where everyone's right to free speech is guaranteed. I'll leave other details of my regime for later, but for now I'd like to talk about supernatural adventures, thrillers, comedy's and such. In tonight's speech before the assembly I want to introduce before the body politic the movie Avatar as an example of something that is a potential threat to my atheist regime. ;-) <-----

Two Books Are Now Available Online for Free

Here they are: 36 Arguments for the Existence of God by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, and former DC member Ken Daniels book Why I Believed. Enjoy.

New Movie: "Creation: The True Story of Charles Dawin"

This movie will be released tomorrow. From the trailer I saw on their website it looks very very good! I can't wait to see it myself. Check it out if you can.

ZOMGitsCriss On How To Be A Good Creationist

This is creative and well-done!

My Interview on CFI's Point of Inquiry Program

Enjoy.

First posted 2/21/09