Antony Flew, 1923–2010, A Tribute by Kenneth Grubbs

There is little hope of ever reconciling the Antony Flew of 87 years with the Antony Flew of 27 years. Did he change his mind, or did his mind change him? History will record Antony Flew as a deist; Annis Flew confirmed that for us all. History, I fear, becomes an unwitting conspirator, forever defiled. With so many varied aspects to this story, it is easy to forget that which matters most. Antony Garrard Newton Flew, philosopher, professor, author, atheist pioneer, and devoted husband, is now gone. For more than 60 years this thinker, this man of great intellect, marched to a different drum and followed the argument. We owe him much. Link

Joseph Lewis, a Pioneering American Freethinker

Joseph Lewis was a pioneering American freethinker. His excellent 1946 book, The Ten Commandments, appeared two decades before Cecil B. DeMille's movie by the same title, starring Charlton Heston, which, if people had read it would laugh at seeing the movie. Lewis's 1954 pamphlet, An Atheist Manifesto, is something I think should be updated and printed again, which is reminiscent of the so-called New Atheists (see below).

The Christian and Certainty: A Psychological Malaise

There is no reasonable way a Christian can be certain of his or her faith. And yet in a recent post we see many believers claim this to be the case. It's a psychological malaise, as Valerie Tarico shows in The Christian Delusion. You can see some of what she argues for in that book here, and also here.

Christianity Behind the Veil of Ignorance

Let's test the Bible and the history of the church with the Veil of Ignorance proposed by John Rawls. There is no discernible divine mind behind the human authors of the Bible or the church. It just looks exactly like what we would expect if they are human creations in their respective historical time periods. Behind the veil of ignorance tell me what you would expect from the Bible and the church if there was a divine mind behind them. Remember, you are behind a veil of ignorance. You cannot consciously try to argue that what we've seen is what we should expect to find unless that is truly what you would expect. Cognitive dissonance reduction sets in at this point and some believers might even refuse to do this, but it's a very simple thought experiment. What would you expect to find?

Notes of Interest About "The Christian Delusion" Book

Luke from Common Sense Atheism was interviewed on Inside the Atheist Studio, and toward the last fifth of it said some nice things about The Christian Delusion. He also interviewed me about my book for his podcast Conversations From the Pale Blue Dot which should appear sometime soon. Lastly, Jason Berggren criticizes this book without first reading it. That's interesting to me. I wonder if his tune will change after doing so?

Richard Carrier Reviews Our Book, "The Christian Delusion"

John and I wanted this book to be conclusive, every chapter its own tour de force on each topic. And we achieved that goal. The book is superb. Every chapter is fantastic, some more than others, but all are great. It doesn't cover every subject it could have, but the subjects it does cover, it covers thoroughly, leaving nowhere left to run. It's all readable (nothing will be above anyone's head). Much of it will even be fresh and new to you (and that's saying something).

Most of all, taken together, its fifteen chapters are sufficient to establish that Christianity is a delusion. The Christian religion is so manifestly contrary to the facts, belief in it can only be held with the most delusional gerrymandering imaginable. That's a bold statement. I wouldn't have made it myself before reading this book, but now that I have seen it all in one place, I am forced to agree.

To read his whole review click here.

The London Times Literary Supplement Mentioned My Book, WIBA

See here. The text can be found by clicking here. Thanks to DSL in the first comment below.

I Have Two Fleas Now!

Both are self-published books. The first book was given to me, while the second book looks strange: 1) The Anti-Supernatural Bias Of Ex-Christians and 2) The Loftus Delusion. The second book could not possibly be a response to my recently released book, The Christian Delusion. Wooooooo! Hoooooooo!

An Excellent Debunking Christianity Blog

Check out my good friend Ken Pulliam's Blog Why I De-Converted From Evangelical Christianity. Next to DC there isn't anything like it on the internet at the present time. He came out of the closet a few months ago and he hit the ground running. He's a reading machine, posting something substantive nearly every day. At the present time he's doing an in-depth review of my book The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails.

How to Help Promote "The Christian Delusion" Book

Let's say you have this new book and you like it very much. How can you help promote it? Here are some suggestions:

"The Christian Delusion" Broke the 500th Mark on Amazon

You'll just have to forgive me here but I'm very excited. The anthology The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails, just broke the 500th mark in its debut on Amazon:

My Interview on Freethought Radio Is Now Online

You can listen to my interview about halfway into the show. Enjoy.

My Interview on CTV News: The Pope Should Step Down and Allow a Full Investigation

I'm interviewed about the sex scandals surrounding the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict. Watch it here.

An author and former Protestant minister says that if the Pope really cared about the church, he would do what is necessary to show investigators the full extent of the abuse that took place within the Catholic church.

On a Scale of 1-100 How Certain Are You That Jesus Arose?

Christian, on a scale of 1-100 how certain are you that Jesus bodily arose from the dead? Let's say that your own existence is a 100, that there is gravity stands at 99. On the other end let's say that the existence of the elves of Iceland merits a 1. How certain are you Jesus arose from the dead on such a scale?

Tom Flynn's Review of My Book, "Why I Became an Atheist"

Doubting Christians beginning to doubt will find this book a juggernaut....If you seek an encyclopedic compendium of arguments against almost any imaginable defense of the Christian faith, this is your book....[T]he reader seeking a comprehensive disproof of Christianity as contemporary evangelicals defend it can do little better than to consult this volume. Free Inquiry April/ May 2010

"The Christian Delusion" Books are Being Shipped Now

My book can be ordered here. Amazon USA is shipping them beginning today. I received mine yesterday from Prometheus Books and it looks like everything I had pictured. The contributors did an excellent job on their chapters. It's sure to debunk Christianity and cause Christian apologists to scramble in defense of their faith.

John Shook on the Psychology of Religion

Below is part one. The others can be found at YouTube:

Christopher Hitchens on Real Time: The Pope is a Criminal

See the video below:

The 138th Carnival of the Godless is Up.

One of my posts on The Trouble with Natural Theology can be found there, along with an article by Hector Avalos, which is referenced by him in my just released edited book, The Christian Delusion. Check out the 138th CoG here.

Do You Want to Be a Christian Apologist?

Since it seems as though Christian wannabe apologists are now a dime a dozen then here's a challenge for them. Publish critiques of my two books, Why I Became an Atheist, and The Christian Delusion. Be the first on your block to do so. If you do well, then you'll get noticed by other recognized apologists. ;-)

Of The Christian Delusion, Dr. Dale C. Allison, Jr., author of Resurrecting Jesus: The Earliest Christian Tradition And Its Interpreters wrote:

Forget Dawkins. If you are looking for a truly substantial, well-informed criticism of the Christian religion, this is your book. Defenders of the faith will do believer and unbeliever alike a disservice if they do not rise to the challenge and wrestle with the thought-provoking arguments of Loftus and company.

Is Satan a Catholic?

Pat Condell again:

Doug Krueger On My Debate Strategy

Doug Krueger is a philosopher, debater, and author of the book What Is Atheism?: A Short Introduction. He responded to an email I sent him recently:

"The Christian Delusion" Books Have Been Printed!

Over a year ago I began working on this book. It's been a lot of work too. So you can imagine my excitement at hearing that the books have been printed and are being sent out to the stores. Be the first on your block to get a copy. Here is the official website. I think it's a great book myself, sure to be in print for as long as I live. Spread the news if you would.

The Pope is a Joke! "Only God Can Fire the Pope"

Top Vatican officials — including the future Pope Benedict XVI — did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church, according to church files newly unearthed as part of a lawsuit. Link.

Now we're hearing that only God can fire a Pope. How does God go about doing this? The Pope is a joke. The Catholic church was created by men for power over others, period.

Barack Obama, the Antichrist?

An appalling ignorance of Hebrew is being used to perpetrate an absurd theory. This is one of the most sordid uses of Hebrew linguistics to support the claim that Barack Obama is the Antichrist. I would not spend much time on it, except that even some recognized "news" organizations are giving it coverage. In any case, this ridiculous argument comes from a YouTube video: YouTubeVideo