There Are Two Yahweh's in the OT: Three Interpretations of the Evidence

Old Testament scholar Michael Heiser discussed the Biblical evidence for this in the fascinating video below. He argues against the rabbinic view that Yahweh appears in two modes, a younger one and an older one. He sees the evidence as supporting a Christological interpretation that the second Yahweh refers to Jesus. This, he claims, is why the early church could see no discrepancy in claiming Jesus was part of the Godhead. But there is a third interpretation. These people were polytheistic to the core for much of their history, my view. See what you think:

New Book: Divination and Interpretation of Signs in the Ancient World

This book looks good, very good, and it's on my wish list. Why people cannot see the similarities with the Biblical narrative is beyond me. See especially Chapter 14. "Prophecy as a Form of Divination; Divination as a Form of Prophecy," and Chapter 16. "Prophecy and Omen Divination: Two Sides of the Same Coin." But there are so many things wrong with divination compared to the sciences I don't know where to begin. See the book right here, and on Amazon where the title to the 16th chapter is found.

Not All Atheists are Mythicists With Regard to the Historicity of Jesus

Tim Callahan, author of The Secret Origins of the Bible and book editor for the Skeptic Magazine, John Shook, myself, and recently Daniel Florien all think there was an original historical founder to the Jesus cult. I'm wondering if the major impetus for atheists to think otherwise came from the movie The God Who Wasn't There. It was handed out for free to people who took the Blasphemy Challenge which in turn catapulted this line of thought among atheists. In any case, this is a historical question that people disagree on, and that's it. What I find interesting is that people are so passionate about this one way or another. It's like church all over again where denominations have split over inconsequential issues. You see, we all have this tendency to want conformity, and THAT is something you shouldn't expect in the freethought society because we're, well, freethinkers. It's like trying to herd cats.

Agnosticism is the Most Reasonable Position

I think when you take a serious look at all of the claims being made about religious truths and the problems we address in philosophy about nearly everything, that everyone should be agnostics. It's the most reasonable position if we can just learn to think independently of the emotional and social need to accept what our particular culture has led us to believe. I became an atheist via agnosticism. I wonder how many other atheists were first agnostics? This is the reason I argue for agnosticism. It's the step in the right direction. It's easier to argue for. And it makes the greatest impact on the believer.

A Scale Depicting Extraordinary Claims

I'm toying with something and wondering what my readers think of it. I put together a scale that depicts extraordinary claims by different groups below. See what you think and of my explanation.

The First Look at the Cover of "The Christian Delusion"

It will be available on time at the end of April. I have put a lot of work into it. I hope it helps.

A Dog Risks His Life to Save Another Dog: Evidence of Altruism

Enough then of this talk that in order to care for one another we need God. We find evidence of this in other lower species of animals.

What is it with Catholic Priests? Catholic Sex Abuse in Germany

It happened in America. It happened in Ireland. Now, it seems that another major Catholic sex abuse scandal is about to break open - this time in Germany....this story has punched another hole in the Catholic church's flimsy pretext of being able to speak with moral authority to the rest of us. They are a whited sepulcher, whose ornate facade conceals only moral rot and corruption within, and a cabal of wicked old men more concerned with preserving their own power than with any harm they allowed to be inflicted on innocents. They do not deserve the continued allegiance or support of any thinking person. Link: Daylight Atheism

What Type of Government is the Best?

Care to discuss it here?

An Email Discussion With Dr. Dan Lambert

Dan and I are friends and he's using my book WIBA in his college classes. We carry on a discussion from time to time and with his permission this is one of them I thought was interesting.

We Could Be Made to Believe In Anything

In the following documentary of North Korea we learn that the people are made to believe their leader has supernatural gifts [just before the 21 minute mark]. Yep, that's the nature of human nature. For this reason skepticism is always a virtue.

In Haiti One Superstition is Being Replaced by A Different One, But it's Superstition All the Same

Associated Press writer Paisley Dodds tells us that Christianity is making some inroads among the Haitian people because of Pat Robertson's comments and Christian charity. Here's the story:

The catastrophe has driven a wedge between Haiti’s religions as Christian groups make inroads among shaken Voodoo followers — some drawn by the steady flow of aid through evangelical missions and others frightened by a disaster they saw as a warning from God.

Two Recent Recommendations of my Book, WIBA

Nothing encourages me more than the fact that people are saying such nice things about my book, WIBA. Here are two more recommendations:

What is the Problem with "God of the Gaps?"

DagoodS recently wrote on this question. Here is his conclusion:

Michael Goulder Explains Why He Could No Longer Believe

Michael Goulder has an excellent chapter in Jesus' Resurrection: Fact or Figment?: A Debate Between William Lane Craig and Gerd Ludemann, on "The Explanatory Power of Conversion-Visions." Listen to this short BBC interview where he explains why he could no longer believe.

Latest Richard Dawkins Interview

Check it out.

A Question About Brainwashing and Deprogramming

I received an email where someone commented:

I was intrigued by the brainwashed people don’t know they’re brainwashed post several days ago. My wife is rapidly and rabidly falling deeper and deeper into this crap. Are there any books out there that you could recommend related to this issue, both the process of brainwashing as well as the process of deprogramming?

What to Look For in My Debate with Dinesh D’Souza

This week we're all hoping that my debate with Dinesh D'Souza will be available online. Here are my thoughts on what to look for as you evaluate it. I am NOT making excuses. I am NOT saying I won the debate. From all skeptical accounts it looks like I lost, although I have not heard from any Christians in the audience (maybe one). My problem is I need to see it objectively for myself. If you have ever been in a debate then you're thinking on your feet and cannot remember exactly what was said, and when it was said, to have a good judgment about it until you see it later, although people who say I lost are probably right. I am very interested in the comment cards from Christians in the audience since they are my target audience. In any case here are things to look for in debates, not only in mine, but in others as well.

Kenneth Howell Responds A Third Time

As I indicated earlier I came away from the debate against Dinesh with some new Christian friends. Kenneth Howell is one of them. Friends are more important to me than most everything else, and I do like learning from one another. He's previously responded to some comments and I appreciate his thick skin to do so again.

Religion Flowchart

I found this on Facebook and it made me chuckle. Fun is good. Without it we'd take ourselves too seriously. Life is good too.

Where's the Beef, That is, the Hard Evidence to Believe?

I've dealt with this before, but as far as I can see there are plausible natural explanations for every piece of evidence a believer uses to defend her faith. Religious experience?...meet wish fulfillment. Near death experiences?...meet oxygen deprived brains. Resurrection of Jesus?...meet a legend based on visionary experiences that were common at the time. Intelligent design?...meet the problem of evil. You'd think there would be something, anything that would show the believer has good solid evidence to believe. There isn't anything like that at all.

Kenneth Howell Responds to Our Comments.

Previously I wrote about Dr. Kenneth Howell's Challenge to Atheists. Here is his response, below. I'll just post it without comment for now. See what you think. He's engaging us in a respectful manner and I think we should return the civility even if we disagree.

Atheists Always Win in Debates

Yep. That’s what I think. We're always winners. Let me explain why I think this.

Dr. Kenneth Howell's Challenge to Atheists

One thing I appreciate when I travel to speak somewhere are the friendships I acquire. I'll tell you this right now that if I had to choose what to believe based on the warm reception I felt at the debate with Dinesh I would become a Catholic. They were all respectful and kind towards me. Kindness does wonders I think. One such friendship I gained was with Kenneth J. Howell, the Director, St. John’s Institute of Catholic Thought, who put the debate together. Among other books he is the author of God's Two Books: Copernican Cosmology and Biblical Interpretation in Early Modern Science. He also has an interesting story since he used to be a Protestant. Here's his challenge and our initial discussion below:

Ken Pulliam Responds to Dinesh D'Souza's Argument

One thing about debates we can all agree about is that they are educational regardless of who you think lost. And I'm sure my debate with Dinesh will provoke a lot of commentary and thought. Ken Pulliam runs an intelligent blog which I recommend highly. He takes on Dinesh's claim that I have committed the genetic fallacy. Nope, not by a long shot, and I hit this claim hard in a chapter for The Christian Delusion book coming out soon. When you watch the debate you'll see I was not given a chance to respond to Dinesh.