Quote of the Day: D Rizdek on Fine-Tuning

Another great comment from D Rizdek on this thread here. In talking about the fine-tuning argument that theists use, he comes up with an interesting take - theists are anthropomorphising God:

A Primer On How To Silence One's Opponents

The answer: Shout them down. It's the most effective way. You've been there. In a room of people who all agree against you, one big guy stands up with a passionate speech and makes you feel as if to continue disagreeing is to be rude. We've all been there. But this didn't change our minds, did it? We just sat in silence fearing to buck the consensus because we might be socially ostracized. This is called bullying. That tactic is the one Freethought Bloggers and commenters have used against religion and is now being used against anyone who disagrees with their consensus, the one basically set by PZ Myers. This doesn't change minds either. One of the hallmarks of skeptical groups is that we embrace reason and science. So I have an important question. How is silencing one's opponents in this manner being reasonable? It's a reasonable question. Don't shout it down FtBlgers or you just proved my point, that this is what many of you do. I think the growing backlash against Freethought Blogs is that most of them refuse to reason with those who disagree, and that's not anything I want to be a part of at all, even if they ostracize me. Compared to this I am a voice of reason that the various skeptical communities need. There are many others like me. [Freethought Blogs]

A Conversation with Dr. Peter Boghossian

I've recommended professor Boghossian before, seen here and also here. He mentioned me in the following program at 48:40, but I especially liked the things he said at 55:00 and then beginning at 58:00.

My Response to Hank Fox, the Blue Collar Atheist

Now I wouldn't generally single out a guy who doesn't claim to be an academic, but since fellow FTBlger Daniel Fincke linked to what Hank wrote on his Facebook page, claiming Hank "answers" me (rather than saying he "responded" to me), I thought that by engaging Hank I would also be engaging Daniel, who is part of the bullying crowd there. I have engaged Daniel on more than one occasion where I have come away thinking to myself he needs a basic course in critical thinking. Oh, not very often of course, since he writes some really good stuff I recommend. It only comes out when defending the herd at FTB. This is why David Eller argues a true freethinker is someone unattached to a community because a community will influence what we think. Daniel has dehumanized (or even worse, demonized) me because of these disagreements. Well then, let's just see what this demon has to say in response and see if Daniel still thinks Hank "answers" me. ;-)

From Christian to Atheist in 28 Minutes

I am always looking for something interesting to watch when I have some down time, and recently came across a documentary site called “Documentary Storm” which has a number of Christian and atheist movies available for viewing free of charge, so I decided to see if I could find something interesting—which I did. The first thing I clicked on was the video “From Christian to Atheist” which turned out to be an amateur video that was relatively well done.

Antony Flew on 'Theology and Falsification'

This superb essay was linked to me by Andreas on another thread. It [edit] originates from a symposium between Flew, R.M. Hare and Basil Mitchell in 1944 or 1945 and was written by Antony Flew in his prime. I remember dealing with the parable some years ago in discussion, but had sadly forgotten about it since. It is as relevant today as it ever was:

Heads you win, tails I lose

When thinking about subjects like the fine-tuning argument it becomes apparent that the theist loves to have their cake and eat it. They thrive off a “heads I win, tails you lose" scenario.

Atheist Blogger Converts to Catholicism

Author of atheist blog announces she will become Catholic.

“I’m really sure that morality is objective, human-independent, something we uncover like archeologists, not something we build like architects… And Christianity offered an explanation which I came to find compelling.”

Well so much for a “milk toast” atheist (if she was ever was an atheist). Read her story and give your opinion (You can even leave your comment on her site .)

American Atheists Want People to Have Sex At Their Conferences

Dave Silverman, president of American Atheists, said: "I want people to have sex at our conferences." Now there's a marketing strategy! Don't miss the next one, okay? Anyone want to hook up there? ;-)

I don't think I've ever heard an organizer of a national insurance conference saying this, or even a national trucker's conference. Surely this statement is a by-product of the pressure coming from the hyper-anti-sexist crowd, something required in order not appear to be against sex itself. Extreme pressure requires extreme statements like these. This alone shows us the extreme nature of the pressure coming from the hyper-anti-sexist crowd.

The Gospel of Matthew Caught In A Lie

Jesus speaking:
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church (τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ•). And if he refuses to listen even to the church (τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ•), let him be to you as a Gentile (ὁ ἐθνικὸς ) and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18: 15 – 18)

Cody Rudisill's Infant Salvation in Evangelical Theology, pt. 2 - the response

A few weeks ago I posted a piece of work that Cody Rudisill, a commentator here, had put together on the subject of infant salvation - whether newborns and young children would be saved or damned eternally in the context of Calvinist Christianity. Cody clearly showed the problems in Calvinist thought and presented a good syllogism.

In this piece, Cody revisits the problem and deals with the typically problematic response that he received within Christian academia. See what you think:

101 Reasons Why Evolution is True

Here is a great compilation of evidence on a single page.

Good intellectual ammo for debating creationists.

Perhaps Ed Brayton and PZ Myers Should Both Apologize

It's not like I am threatening their jobs, or calling for their resignation from an atheist organization, or saying I won't speak at the same events they do, or refusing to buy any of their books or anything (wait, they didn't write any). But that's what we have seen from a few Freethought Bloggers, including a defense of Greg Laden who actually physically threatened Justin Griffith. You should see what they're saying about me now. They don't even realize that by talking about irrelevancies and/or personally attacking me it does not answer my arguments, which are backed up by a lot of women feminists here, there, and everywhere, who just wanted a chance to speak up, having been frustrated by FtB so far. There is an utter lack of respect for disagreement and a nastiness that goes with it at FtB that disheartens me very much. I wish the more reasonable voices at FtB would teach them a thing or two about critical thinking, but I hope in vain. Many of them don't even understand a simple argument. But these are the kinds of people being attracted by the bloggers there, especially by PZ Myers and Ed Brayton. The buck stops with them. They have created this environment and they owe the rest of us an apology. I don't expect one though, but they should. It's okay to move into the future with welcomed new policies at FtB. But before that they should both apologize to us all.

Ed Brayton, PZ Myers, and Freethought Bloggers, Listen to Me

I know you have a herd mentality and have a strong tendency not to listen to outsiders, especially "apostates" who have "left the fold" like me. But you must if you want to restore your credibility and be a positive force for skepticism in the world. We are allies in our desire to change the socio-religious landscape, not enemies. For those who don't know, Greg Laden, the obnoxious Ph.D. from Harvard, was just kicked off FtB for good reason [Harvard must be so proud--not!]. So also was Thunderf00t. I've written about Thunderf00t before. He set a record by lasting less than two weeks at Freethought Blogs! Ed, PZ, if you had just listened to me you would not be in this mess. Let me explain.

Baker Books Catalog Entry for "God or Godless"

You can see it here. I feel the same as Dr. Rauser does when saying on his blog:

I have to tell you, the worst part about writing books is sitting on your hands for the year-long lag from completion of the manuscript to the day it hits the bookstores. As a result, you end up biding your time pathetically posting in your blog even the most trivial updates on the book which, come to think of it, is exactly what I’m doing right now.

Quote of the Day, by Thunderf00t of Freethought Blogs

I personally see ‘freethoughtblogs’ as unrepresentative of the wider rationalist community in:

1) The disproportionate amount of attention it gives to sexism compared to other issues.

2) The way that those who disagree on the matter of sexism are attacked with a disproportionate amount of strawmen, invective and branding (misogynist, MRA, etc etc). This is a behavior more in line with bullying than free thought.

.. and this puts FTB on a trajectory to be more of a fringe group that is intolerant of non-conformity, than a haven for free thought. An ill wind that really doesn’t blow anyone any good. Link.

Susan Jacoby vs Dinesh D'Souza: Is Christianity Good for American Politics?

See what you think below:

Book Review: The New Edition of WIBA is "A Stunning Tour-De-Force"

With an eye towards answering his critics, he has revised, expanded, and improved the book. This new version is a stunning tour-de-force criticism of the Christian faith both from an outsider’s and insider’s point of view. Mr. Loftus confronts the problem of evil, the self-authenticating witness of the Holy Spirit, miracles, the veracity of holy texts, the ‘problem’ of science, and so much more in this volume. Anyone doubting their faith or anyone who wants to defend it must deal with the issues Mr. Loftus raises in Why I Became an Atheist.- Reviewed by Jonathon Howard for the Sacramental/San Francisco Book Review.

DC to the rescue! (and atheism is NOT a religion)

A poster at DC who has recently started contributing, Michael Wassil (under the moniker amwassil), asked for some help with an argument he was having on another forum. He requested we somehow copy and paste the thread over to here so regular contributors could get involved in the discussion. This is not what we usually do, admittedly. I like the idea that we can be of assistance to those who need it. In this case, it is the Christians commentators on that thread.

Rather than copy and paste the whole thread, I will set out some of the main points they make in order to discuss them. However, there are so many points, and so many egregious errors, as to make this a difficult task. I will set out the first 5 and see where we go. Hopefully, some of them might drop by and we can have a good ole debate.

Why Doubt Is The Adult Attitude And How Science Helps Us

Anyone who understands the slightest bit about human rationality knows enough not to claim he or she knows too much with any high degree of assuredness. Doubt is a virtue. It's the adult attitude. It's the attitude we must develop since we're not born with it. As children we believed whatever we were told, until we become adults. Even as adults it isn't very easy at all for most people to doubt what they were raised to believe. Most adults still believe a large part of what they were taught as children, especially when it comes to their religious faith. It doesn't even occur to most of them that they should doubt their inherited faith. I have repeatedly made the distinction between affirming a claim and doubting it. And there is a continuum for doubting a claim based on how out-of-the-ordinary that claim is to us. The more out-of-the-ordinary a claim is then the more evidence we need to accept it. There is nothing controversial about this at all.

“Without God and the Bible, Atheists Have No Morals!”

Upstate Pastor Charged in Prostitution Sting The pastor at an Upstate S.C. church has been charged in a prostitution sting, according to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office. Michael Wolfe., senior pastor at Advent United Methodist Church, was arrested on June 1 and charged with prostitution first offense. A parishioner told WYFF that on Sunday, Wolfe addressed the congregation and said he would not be preaching for a while. He said that he stopped to help someone and was naive and stupid got caught in something. He assured the congregation he felt he would be vindicated. Wolfe declined WYFF's request for an interview. Laura Campbell with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office said 48 people were arrested in weekend prostitution stings. According to the church's website, Wolfe, who is married, also taught religion at the University of South Carolina, Spartanburg Methodist College, Erskine Seminary and most recently, Greenville Technical College. Deputies made 34 additional arrests for prostitution or loitering to engage over the two day period.

Why don't all animals photosynthesise? (the Problem of Evil revisited)

Here is a video I did some time ago which I think sums up the Problem of Evil is one fell swoop. The question sidesteps free will theodicies, especially as it applies to the rest of the animal world. See what you think.

Perhaps I've Been Going About It All Wrong ;-)

I have purposely tried not to criticize other atheists so as not to offend them in hopes they would recommend my work. Well, as I reported earlier, some important atheists aren't doing it even though I've avoided criticizing them. I know I get the attention of Christian scholars when I critique their work, just as I respectfully did with professor John F. Haught, who in turn responded to my review of his book, "God and the New Atheism." The two following music videos don't convey exactly how I feel, but they express just a little of my feelings as I consider what to do differently, if anything. I suspect a change of some kind brewing. Brewing, that's a good word. Time for a beer. ;-)

PZ Myers and JW Loftus Compared

The reason I like Pharyngula is that PZ doesn't give a shit what the religious think except when they try to make their stupid ideas and actions affect those outside their sanctuary. Then, it's no-holds-barred ridicule.

Divine Knowledge--Or the Lack Thereof

This is a brief excerpt from our book that is almost completed.  It relates to my past post on Yahweh, and how this anthropomorphized god is further illustrated to be quite ignorant.  

Epistemology is the study of knowledge, and epistemologically speaking, knowledge is gained by asking the following questions: What is it? How do we find knowledge? How do we know?