Quote of the Day by a Christian Named Marcus McElhaney

Emory and Greg, I concede that the Bible is indeed confusing...to both of you! Other people don't agree with you[r or] Greg's thoughts on how confusing the Bible is. Maybe you just need to study harder.

This quote is utterly ridiculous to the nth degree. If we study harder then we'd come to Marcus's conclusions, right? Right! With thinking skills like the ones Marcus displays here at DC, no wonder he believes. If Marcus is the example then we need to be almost brain dead to believe.

"The Culture Wars Are Over and the Idiots Have Won"

Dr. Keith Parsons has kindly given me permission to publish his review of Charles P. Pierce's important new book, Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free. I grabbed the title to this post from Amazon's description of the book.

American Adults Are Leaving Christianity At 4x's the Rate They're Joining

About one out of every eight adults is an "ex-Christian," a new survey reveals. These include those who left the Protestant or Catholic tradition that they were a part of as a child and who now report being atheist, agnostic or some other faith, according to the Barna Group. Meanwhile, those who switched from a non-Christian faith or non-belief (from their childhood) to Christianity as an adult represent three percent of the American population. Link.

American people are leaving Christianity at 4x's the rate they're joining. ;-) Hat Tip: Ed Babinski.

When Skeptics Disagree Does This Mean Anything Significant?

Skeptics reject the existence of God and the authority of the Bible. But that's where the agreement ends for many of us. Evangelical Christians exploit this to their advantage. They argue that once we reject God's existence we no longer can have a firm moral compass embedded in a firm foundation. They also argue that unless we believe the testimonies to the resurrection of Jesus in the New Testament we cannot come to any better explanation of the evidence because there is no better explanation of the evidence. In other words, Christians argue that the reason why skeptics cannot agree with each other once we reject God and the Bible is because there are no better explanations for morality and the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus than what they claim. In fact, they'll go on to argue that unless skeptics can agree on such things then it means any skeptical alternative explanation is accepted by us simply because once we reject God and the Bible then we will embrace any alternative explanation. But this is emphatically NOT the case at all.

Bishop Spong: "Hell is the Invention of the Church"

Evangelicals you are wrong, listen to Spong. ;-)

I've seen evangelicals change what they believe during my lifetime and I predict they will embrace Spong's views in 30-40 more years. Evangelicals are already embracing annihilationism, so why not? Watch him below:

My Top Ten List of Christian Delusions

There are so many delusions to mention that it's hard to choose just ten, and it's hard to rank them since they're all equally delusions. But in keeping with David Letterman's series of top ten lists here they are for your enjoyment:

So...You Really Want Equal Time eh?

Do you really? Then do this:

Don't Be a Dick, Phil Plait

The title of this post is supposed to get attention. I do this regularly. It creates hits. Try it sometime. But I also want to make this point. There appears to be a storm of controversy by skeptics weighing in on one side or the other about Phil Plait's talk, "Don't Be a Dick," at TAM 8 posted below. I only know that there is controversy. I have not read what people have said. I don't need to. Watch his 30 minute talk below. Then read what I have to say about it afterward.

Lee Strobel, You Are Just Plain Stupid!

I like Bishop John Shelby Spong. I've read a couple of his books more than a decade ago and they were eye-opening to me. He presents a superior case against Christian fundamentalism. Watch Spong in action below but take special note of how utterly stupid Lee Strobel is at the end. He merely repeats platitudes that Biblical scholars have long ago debunked. Sorry Lee but you are one ignorant man.

David Silverman vs. a Catholic Guy ;-) On ABC's Nightline

David so dominated that he had no opponent at all, catch my drift? ;-)

The Plight of Women Under Religion and Their Courage

Just watch what man made religion does to women and their courage in the face of this adversity! My hat's off to them. Such courage! I wish we were all that courageous. Just watch this CBS report, and then this closing segment.

Evangelicals Offer Self-Congratulatory Bluster

On a pretty impressive site that aims at having a balanced view of religions called Patheos, there is a page for Evangelicalism that offers little more than self-congratulatory bluster for its philosophical and apologetical achievements in the last few decades.

Every Feminist Should be an Atheist (and Every Atheist a Feminist)

Daylight Atheism makes this case for me right here. A major reason why I debunk Christianity is because I'm a feminist.

The Planned Islamic Center Near Ground Zero and a History Lesson

Politicians, pundits and conservative Christians are aghast that Muslims would want to build an Islamic Center near where nine Muslims in the name of Allah flew planes into buildings on 9/11. No one seems to question their legal right to build this center. They have that right. What is questioned is whether it should be built. The argument is that building this center would be offensive to the people who lost loved ones on that day and should not be built.

The Bible Says Women Are Foolish and Flighty

Such tomfoolery should be ignored. Why on earth would enlightened people in our age take seriously the Bible if it is wrong about women? It's wrong about almost everything important.

There's One Life and It's This Life. And It’s Beautiful.

Video and lyrics below:

My Love Affair is Over

I found this beautifully written story on exchristian.net:

"Biblical Christianity Is Bankrupt"

That's right, so argues Michael Dowd, a liberal author of the book Thank God for Evolution. I agree with his criticisms most emphatically. Check him out. When Christians are done tearing into each other all I have to say is that I agree with them all. And I agree with the non-Christian religions too. What's left after these religions tear into one another? Atheism. Get the point.

Christian, Do You Really Believe in Divine Protection?

Really, do you? Then why is it that God's divine protection is indistinguishable from chance? And why do you act as if there is none?

How To Be a Biblical Scholar

Well, it requires years of studying and learning several languages, that's for sure, but you can begin with something very simple and fairly easy to do. All you need to do at minimum is to recognize something very basic but very very important about the canonized Biblical texts, and then proceed to read some ancient contextual literature you probably have not read before.

For Discussion: What is a “New Atheist”?

At the annual meeting of the SBL Hector Avalos argued the distinguishing characteristic of the New Atheist was a secular apocalyptic, that is, a focus on the dangers of religion in an age of weapons of mass destruction. Tom Flynn, editor of Free Inquiry and The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief recently argued there is nothing new with the New Atheism. Then (believe this or not) some people think my Outsider Test for Faith (OTF) is "Not quite new, but not old either…Just atheist." But I'm here to tell everyone that what may really distinguish a so-called New Atheist from an Old Atheist is the moral perspective found in Sam Harris's book The Moral Landscape, which Richard Carrier shares in the last chapter for the forthcoming anthology, The End of Christianity. In any case, what do you think?

Thom Stark on Paul Copan's Apologetics

So that Christians are better prepared to defend the Bible, I would like to offer a lesson on biblical apologetics. Over the summer, I have been reading biblical apologists incessantly, feeding off their every word. Along the way, I’ve learned a trick or two on how to defend the Bible. Today’s lesson is brought to you courtesy of Paul Copan, professor of philosophy and ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University and author of When God Goes To Starbucks: A Guide To Everyday Apologetics.

Copan shows us how to defeat accusations that Yahweh is a moral monster with a few simple moves. The Copan motto is: selectivity spells success. All you have to do to defend the Bible and defeat your opponents is to use the evidence selectively. Selective readings of the evidence are the quickest and simplest way to defend the truth of God’s Word and beat down any of God’s hostile accusers. Enjoy reading more.

Thom Stark: "I think every Christian should be paying attention to Loftus..."

That's pretty cool for him to say that, I think. He goes on to say: "...even, if not especially, when we don’t like the way he talks and what he has to say." You see, a problem originated when I highly recommended Stark's forthcoming book, The Human Faces of God. I had written:

The only reason evangelicals still exist is because most of them simply do not read. Those who do read don't read works like his. The few who do read works like his don't do so to learn anything. They already have their blinders on from a few years of indoctrination in an evangelical college of their choice. In my opinion when it comes to understanding biblical scholarship the phrase "educated evangelical" is an oxymoron.

Is this rhetoric? Nope. I meant it. It's now the quote of the day!

The Jesus in the Gospels Never Existed!

[Written by John W. Loftus] Yep, that's right. It comes from something that mythicist Steven Carr recently wrote:

There's a New Kid On the Block, Thom Stark, So Watch Out Now

Look at the advanced praise for Thom Stark's book, The Human Faces of God: What Scripture Reveals When It Gets God Wrong (forthcoming with Wipf & Stock Publishers). This is some very good stuff, reminiscient of James Barr's book Beyond Fundamentalism. The only reason evangelicals still exist is because most of them simply do not read. Those who do read don't read works like his. The few who do read works like his don't do so to learn anything. They already have their blinders on from a few years of indoctrination in an evangelical college of their choice. In my opinion when it comes to understanding biblical scholarship the phrase "educated evangelical" is an oxymoron.