The Open Scrutiny of the Internet Kills Religions

HT (Hat Tip) to Andrew Atkinson for the video below:

Loftus vs Wood Debate: My Opening Statement

Below is my 20 minute opening statement against David Wood at the Virginia Regional Apologetics Conference. The question we debated was this: "Does God Exist?" See what you think.

The Test in the Supposed Garden of Eden Was a Sham

If under the same initial test conditions in the supposed Garden of Eden every human being would fail that test, then either, 1) God created us faulty in some way, or 2) The test was a sham. And since a fair test would mean some of us would not have sinned, then some human beings are being punished in this world for something they never would have done in the first place. This is just one of many problems that keeps me from believing.

I'm Back. I'll Be Headed Out to the Virginia Regional Apologetics Conference on Saturday

From what I understand several atheists are coming to the debate between David Wood and myself. That's encouraging.

I Accept Submissions From Christians

I accept submissions from published Christian philosophers and apologists here at DC. If you want feedback on some argument of yours then click on my Blogger profile and send me an email. Don't send me any links, just send me your text. I've published items from William Lane Craig, Kenneth Howell, Craig Blomberg, John F. Haught, Douglas Groothuis, James F. Sennett, and some others.

My Stepfather John Died Friday

I arrived in Reno, Nevada, to see John (his name) two hours before he died. He looked comfortable until the end. They said he waited until I arrived to hear my voice and that with no blood pressure he shouldn't have survived Thursday night. It was bittersweet. I'm now helping my Mom work through her grief along with some legal and funeral decisions. My brothers both live out here, one in Reno and another in Sacramento, CA, so she'll be in good hands. John's remains are going to be cremated, just like my Dad was, and just as I plan on being. Below is a rough draft of what I plan on saying during the memorial planned at his Presbyterian Church later this week.

I'm Headed For Nevada To Visit My Family

As I wrote before my stepfather is probably on his death bed. I just heard from my Mom that his legs are purple and he has no blood pressure. So I'm flying out early in the morning to be there. Continue to enjoy the discussion here at DC while I'm gone. An anonymous Christian reader of this blog has helped me with expenses, for which I'm very grateful. Any additional financial help is always welcome. Thanks in advance for your kind thoughts.

Christopher Hitchens On the Ten Commandments With Better Ones

I have previously written about the Ten Commandments here. Christopher Hitchens talked about them recently in an eight minute video. Why can't believers see them for what they are? And why didn't an omniscient creator come up with better ones? See what you think:

Bill Maher On the Historic Atheist Meeting With President Obama

Watch it below.

Conversations From the Pale Blue Dot

Recently Luke at Common Sense Atheism interviewed Hector Avalos, James Sennett and Matt McCormick among others. I'm jealous. It's great stuff. Luke is a great interviewer. Link.

Did Napoleon Ever Exist?

At best history gives us only scant evidence for some of our most firmly held conclusions. Scant evidence then is at best what we can hope to find. But scant evidence is also easy to deny. "In the interest of conservative theology, to reduce to an absurdity the purely negative tendencies of the rationalistic criticism of the Scriptures then in vogue" Jean-Baptiste Pérès (1752 - 1840) wrote a book called Did Napoleon Ever Exist?.

It generated a lot of discussion. That's because there is only scant evidence for historical claims. But come on, do we really want to deny that Napoleon existed? We are then FORCED to accept scant evidence for historical claims or else we may end up denying such things like Napoleon's existence. What Pérès failed to realize is that if he can deny Napoleon ever existed then how much more so can I deny the extraordinary historical claims of the Bible.

Given the scant nature of historical evidence I think that when it comes to ORDINARY claims, disregarding for the moment EXTRAORDINARY ones, the burden of proof is on the person who denies what any ancient document says. I must grant that the textual evidence is prima facie reliable until shown otherwise. You see, that's what we MUST do with scant historical evidence. And I do not think the mythicists have met that burden of proof with regard to Jesus. [When it comes to EXTRAORDINARY claims the burden of proof is reversed].

Theist Friendly Books

I made it on a list of theist friendly books, see here, although I'm not sure about a couple others.

On the Difference Between Affirming and Denying Something

I don't yet think some Christians understand the difference between affirming a claim and denying one, especially extraordinary ones. Let me take the example of who killed Jon Bene Ramsay, that decade or two long ago tragic murder. There are several scenarios and suspects. But to act with certainty that you know who did it is different, much different, than someone who says I just don't know, or someone who denies your claim. Either position seems much more defensible than to know with certainty who did it. Let's say that there are five suspects (I don't know if there are). If I deny that one of them is the killer then I may have an 80% chance of being right in my denial, you see. I say "may" because it depends on the evidence. But when we talk about an extraordinary claim coming from an ancient set of documents this problem is magnified a hundred fold, for there is no evidence of such things as a talking serpent, an axe head that floated, or a talking ass. The probability that these things did not happen is on my side.

Vinny on "Why I Am Agnostic About the Historical Jesus"

Although I hesitate to do this again, here we go. See what you think. What am I missing?

Proof That Jesus Existed: They Found the Nail Used to Crucify Him!

The four-inch long nail is thought to be one of thousands used in crucifixions across the Roman empire. Archaeologists believe it dates from either the first or second century AD. The nail was found last summer in a decorated box in a fort on the tiny isle of Ilheu de Pontinha, just off the coast of Madeira. Pontinha was thought to have been held by the Knights Templar, the religious order that was part of the Christian forces which occupied Jerusalem during the Crusades in the 12th century. The knights were part of the plot of Dan Brown's best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Bryn Walters, an archaeologist, said the iron nail's remarkable condition suggested it had been handed with extreme care, as if it was a relic.

Atheist Agenda "Smut for Smut" Campaign

What a Hoot!!! HT: Atheist Media Blog

What Are Your Favorite Skeptical Books?

I've listed ten of my favorites right here. Let me add to this list David Eller's book, Atheism Advanced: Further Thoughts of a Freethinker, and Jason Long's book, The Religious Condition: Answering And Explaining Christian Reasoning. As you can see, my favorite skeptical books are not scientifically or philosophically related primarily because of what I think about Natural Theology. There are many others. What others are your favorites?

A Christian Drive By

More and more Christians notice DC and then proceed to make a lot of comments on some of the posts here as if they had the answers to all of the questions posed. It's an interesting phenomena, really. Some of them move on thinking they shot "holes" through all of our arguments. Others get in our cross-fire and stay longer. We've got another one today named bfniii. Let's give him or her a big DC welcome. ;-)

We Must Require Hard Evidence to Believe

Christians, you do realize that there are many believers in different religious sects who are just as convinced of their faith as you are, don't you? You see, brainwashed people do not know that they are brainwashed. The ONLY way to know whether you're one of the brainwashed or not is to subject your own faith to the same level of skepticism that you use to evaluate the other faiths you reject. You must require hard evidence for that which you accept. Hard evidence convinces others. What else is there?

Dr. Hector Avalos on Darwin and Nazi Ideology

I just uploaded a two part essay of Hector's on this subject since he refers to it in chapter fourteen of The Christian Delusion. If you haven't read it yet check it out. BTW: TCD is being printed as we speak and will be available on time. A Kindle version at Amazon will follow, but I can't say when.

Death is the Final Enemy

I hate death. It's the final enemy. The older I get the more I think this way. I hope in the future people really can live to be 160 years old with their minds who can be productive in their final years. I hope someday that if we have an incurable disease we can be frozen and later revived and then healed so we can see the future. I hate the fact that I'll never see what human beings have done on this planet in 100 or 200 or 1,000 years. I hate the fact that I'll never see my Dad again. I hate it. My stepfather of about eighteen years has just been given two weeks to live. Maybe the doctors are wrong. But I'm here in Indiana. He and my Mom are in Nevada. I may never talk to him again. He's only responding with touch right now. He's 80 years old.


We are mere mortals. This life is all we have. It's mere delusion to think otherwise. But knowing the truth hurts. What would actually hurt more is to think there is a God who is punishing him with death because of what some curious bastards did in some Garden. What would actually hurt more is to think he'll end up in hell. Since he is a liberal Presbyterian some Christians think he will. I raise my middle finger to people like that and to their concept of God. And I raise it to death itself.

Here's How Christian Evangelist/Apologists Can Impress Me

Christians are claiming their faith is growing around the world, and it is in the Southern Hemisphere and Asia. Big deal. You want to really impress me? Then put a rubberband around my two books Why I Became an Atheist, and The Christian Delusion, and give them to prospects before they decide (or similar books). Also give them any two Christian apologetics books. Have them translated into their languages if needed. Then give these prospects a couple of weeks or more to decide. If they choose to believe THEN I'll be impressed. Until then I remain unimpressed.

AC Grayling: Religion Is In its 'Death Throes' / ABC Lateline

Check it out. Hat Tip: Atheist Media Blog

A Real Christian Apologetics Conference!

I've been asked to remind people that on March 13th I'm debating David Wood at the 2010 Virginia Regional Apologetics Conference. You'll notice that attending can cost you $49 and it's at a church. But the fee for people who just want to attend the debate is $10, should you be interested. In any case this is what an apologetics conference should look like to any Christians out there interested in putting one together. Have an "apologetics in action" debate in it.

David and I previously debated the problem of evil. I responded to Mary Jo Sharp's criticisms later.

Three Interesting Blog Entries

Three blog entries came to my attention this morning. Here is a pretty comprehensive entry on Why I Am an Atheist. Another one criticizes some trends among atheists, although you'll see I don't agree with everything Bud says. A third one concerns atheist morality. Enjoy.