The Canadian Debate Tour with Randal Rauser Was Very Successful

After having met Randal Rauser and laughed together I now consider him a friend. We've had some harsh words in the past but there is nothing like actually meeting people to realize that they are people. I think this was a good lesson and one I wish others could recognize, whether it's atheists debating other atheists, Christians debating other Christians, atheists and Christians debating each other, or anyone else who debates online. Randal wrote the book, You're Not As Crazy As I Think: Dialogue in a World of Loud Voices and Hardened Opinions, which I positively reviewed on Amazon. His book should serve a reminder that just because we disagree, the other side isn't crazy. Atheists, for instance, need to make a distinction that although faith is irrational, people like Randal are not irrational. It's a tough distinction to make and maintain, but we should try as best as we can, even though it can be very difficult.

This is just one of a few reasons I think the God or Godless debate tour, graciously sponsored by Taylor Seminary in Edmonton, Canada, was very successful. Let me comment then on my trip.

Counter-Apologist On Why Bother Reading the Book "God or Godless"

I think that even if one is firmly convinced on the subject, we should always search for the truth no matter what side you’re on. That means listening to what the other side has to say, especially if you’ve not heard it before.

As an atheist I think Randal is pretty good in terms of apologists specifically because he has such nuanced views on traditional objections that would cause a lot of doubts with Christianity. Similarly, in “God or Godless” he doesn’t go for the “standard” arguments you’re likely to hear if you watch formal debates with the usual apologists. Sure he’s got some version of the cosmological argument in there, but his presentation of it is not what you’d expect. I still think he’s wrong in these cases, but it’s nice to see a few new things thrown out there.

Loftus is similarly in very good form, he hits the major issues that should cause Christians to doubt their faith, which forces Randal to espouse his more nuanced views. In my opinion, if all we atheists could achieve was to move mainstream Christianity in line with Randal’s interpretations of hell, biblical slavery, and commandments of genocide, then the world will be better off for it.

Still, Loftus’s stated goal was to drive a wedge between what Christians believe versus what the bible actually says and he does a great job there. Randal is forced to provide rationalizations to square some basic version of Christianity with the problematic areas of the bible in terms of atrocities and failed prophecies.

Randal patches the theological holes admirably, but Loftus’s goal is to introduce enough doubt to get the believer to take The Outsider Test for Faithwhich I think is a great way to convince believers to become an atheist. LINK.

Why I Am An Atheist, My Statement vs Dr. Rauser

This week I have been in Canada debating/discussing atheism vs Christianity with Dr. Randal Rauser. He and I co-wrote the book God or Godless?: One Atheist. One Christian. Twenty Controversial Questions.Here is my 20 minute statement on "Why I Am An Atheist." It took me over forty years to write it since it's based on all that I've learned in that time. See what you think. I'll be traveling home tomorrow.

An Update On My Debates With Randal Rauser

I have found Randal Rauser to be a gracious man who is fun to be around. He's a great guy, and extremely intelligent, although I think he's defending the indefensible. In our personal conversations he shows no signs of doubt. Nonetheless, I should say something about his views. He's less wrong than most other evangelicals and that's a good thing. He seems to be almost exactly where I was in about the year 1994. In some ways I hope he succeeds in helping other evangelicals understand that evolution is a fact, that at best the doctrine of Hell means the unsaved will be annihilated (describing himself even as a "hopeful universalist"), that the early Genesis creation accounts are myths, and that believers can accept some measure of higher criticism of the Old Testament. Again, this represents the same views I held on my road to unbelief. Rauser thinks that if evangelicals can be taught these same views from the get-go they won't so easily be led away from their faith later in life, especially when going to college. Okay. My prediction is that he's pushing evangelicals one step closer to unbelief. Since I think that's true, as a pragmatist, I hope his type of progressive evangelicalism becomes predominate among evangelicals, even though I think it doesn't go far enough. He's one step closer to the truth, and I welcome it.

The Edmonton Journal Covers the Loftus-Rauser Debates

Check it out.

Mind Games Christians Play: I’m Being Persecuted

It’s not uncommon to hear American evangelical Christians complaining bitterly that they are being persecuted. The circle-the-wagons, us-against-the-world mentality is a tool which religious leaders have frequently used to rally the faithful and whip up a frenzy of righteous indignation, so it’s not surprising that the sheep have bought into this oft-repeated lie. This mindset is bolstered by the biblical admonitions of Jesus and Paul that true believers will suffer persecution, and of course confirmation bias kicks in to prove them right.

The real mind game consists in the fact that these ‘beleaguered’ believers manage to convince themselves of this, while simultaneously persecuting those who they despise. They complain about people being intolerant of Christian beliefs, all the while, preaching and railing against other religions, gays and lesbians, and of course, those damned atheists and humanists. They warn about the dangers of Islam, and Sharia law, while attempting to force their particular religion and god into government, the judicial system, and schools, every chance they get.

Essentially, the fuzziness of the fundamentalist Christian mind allows them to simultaneously play the roles of both victim and oppressor.

Iowa Biblical Scholars Issue Statement on the One-Man-One-Woman Claim

In light of an imminent Supreme Court decision on two cases involving gay marriage issues, the influential The Des Moines Register today published what may be an academic landmark statement, at least in our state of Iowa. 

Biblical scholars from all three regents universities in Iowa published a joint statement challenging the popular claim that the only acceptable definition of biblical marriage is that between one man and one woman.  An appeal to the Bible has been endemic among those who oppose gay marriage. This is the first time that biblical scholars from all three major state universities in Iowa have joined together to issue such a statement.  See Statement.

The co-authors of this statement are Dr. Hector Avalos, Professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University, Dr. Robert Cargill, Assistant Professor of religious studies at The University of Iowa, and Dr. Kenneth Atkinson, Associate Professor of History at The University of Northern Iowa.

Such a joint statement may mark a new emphasis on activist biblical scholarship that seeks to go beyond writing only for academic publications that the general public rarely reads. Academic biblical studies can be more relevant when it can educate the public and refute misinformed views on the Bible that are often used to enact social policies.

Iowa has been a leader in the use of faculty statements in the past, including during the Intelligent Design controversies at Iowa State University in 2005 and 2007 (see Intelligent Design Controversy). Iowa is also one of the first states to legalize gay marriage.

Could Anyone Tell Me Why the Race Ethics In This Sign Would Be Unbiblical?

Quote of the Day, by Kel

This is what really confuses me about believers. Are you gullible in everything, or only in things that fit your religious conviction? And I ask this with the utmost sincerity. Because an account of the dead rising from their graves and walking around sounds like something out of a bad horror film (see Matthew 27:51-54). I'm not even sure how you can call such a belief possible, let alone say it's not unreasonable. Believing something like that is the very definition of an unreasonable belief! I'm really confused as to how you could possibly defend such a passage as historical without having to throw out any pretence of having a reasonable account of history.

Randal Rauser Debunks Deconversion Stories

One thing about Rauser is that he's willing to take on atheists, and it seems he has no fear. So he's asking atheists why they don't believe and then he analyses those reasons. Guess what? He finds them all insufficient. See for yourself with three non-believers: 1) Justin Schieber; 2) Counter Apologist; and 3) Edward Babinski. I've already weighed in on what makes for a good reason for non-belief. It's called the "Argument from Ignorance" where I argue there isn't a bad personal reason to reject Christianity (seen in four parts in reverse chronological order). Maybe he'll consider my arguments? So far I don't see him doing so.

Quixtar Jesus

“Do you want to buy this cute little bear? Or how about this pretend green phone? Do you have a son? If so, he would love it!” That’s what the bearded guy next to me said. We were driving around Marbach Avenue trying to find some poor sap to buy a bunch of cheap, useless products we were peddling from a no-name, door-to-door sales company that (of course) was doomed before it began. I was the tag-along new recruit. We had no lives and this job hammered home that fact all too well. It was my first or second week of school. I still think back at how even what few products we had were too shitty to sell.

This Arrest Would Never Have Happened Under Biblical Morality and Ethics!

Puppy's mouth taped shut dies in closet: John Scott Mill arrested

“The warrant says Mill tortured, tormented and cruelly killed the Lab puppy by taping its mouth closed with electrical tape and storing it in a laundry closet on the rear porch outside the apartment on May 27, where it was deprived of food and water.”

Mind Games Christians Play: Healing Prayer

Matthew Hagee is the Executive Pastor of 19,000 member Cornerstone Church. He is also a skilled practitioner of Christian mind games.

Here is a one-minute video clip in which a viewer asks Hagee a question about praying for healing. Watch his answer, and then we’ll dissect the mind games which he employs.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8gJTCbVv2GA

Apostacon is Coming:September 20-22

I am delighted to be speaking at the Apostacon conference in Omaha, Nebraska on September 20-22, 2013. There is something for every shade of skeptic, agnostic, atheist, and just plain heretic. Other speakers include Dan Barker, David Silverman, Amanda Knief, Katherine Stewart, and Dr. Lawrence Krauss. Check it out and register soon: Apostacon.

Dr. Peter Boghossian's Book is Now Available for Pre-Order

Dr. Boghossian is a full-time faculty member in Portland State University's philosophy department. Michael Shermer wrote the Foreword to the book and it has already gained a slew of wonderful blurbs. His book is both needed and brilliant! I want every atheist to get it. Buy it now and the price will never be higher. If the price is ever lower you'll get it for that price, and you don't have to pay until it ships. Follow this link: A Manual for Creating Atheists.Do it now while you're thinking about it.

My Speaking Engagements in June

On June 2nd Nathan Phelps invited me to speak on my new book, The Outsider Test for Faith: How to Know Which Religion Is True,for The Calgary Centre For Inquiry. Nathan is the apostate son of the infamous Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church. Then during that week Dr. Randal Rauser and I will be squaring off for three days of discussion/debates.

June 3: Calgary (@ Renfrew Baptist Church)
June 4: Red Deer (@ Unity Baptist Church)
June 5: Edmonton (@ Taylor Seminary)

On June 12th Ed Brayton of Freethought Blogs invited me to speak for the CFI group in Grand Rapids. If you can come out to any of these events I'd like to meet you.

Another Review of the Book "God or Godless"

If anyone claims I am only sharing the reviews that favor me they have not been paying attention. Here's one posted on Amazon titled, Rauser's attempt to defend Christianity is an embarrassment to believers.

Christian, If You Thought You Were Saved Then Think Again!

Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, . . .(New American Standard Bible, Romans 3: 4)



Heck, I thought I was saved!

Questions Your Pastor Hopes You Won't Ask!  Like what is Real and True Salvation? (As you enjoy this educational 9 min. video, I bet you had no idea salvation was so simple and easy.)

A Documentary on Jerry DeWitt's Deconversion Is In The Works

Jerry DeWitt had been preaching in and around Beauregard Parish, Louisiana since he was 17 years old. Full of warmth and gifted with electric Pentecostal oratory, he was a popular figure around town. He even planned to run for mayor. But when his 85-year old aunt discovered he was an atheist, the news spread quickly. Within a year he had lost his job, the bank had foreclosed on his house and his wife had left him.

Mental Photoshop: How Christians Insert God into Disaster Situations.

Let’s continue our look at how Christians react to disaster situations. God’s failure to intervene when his followers (and even many non-religious) are begging him to presents a problem to the believer: How do they manage to account for an absent God, while avoiding cognitive dissonance? The religious mind has come up with an ingenious solution:

Take what humans do to help those in need, and attribute those actions to God.

In effect, they are mentally Photoshopping God into a situation where he never was.

Dr. Robert Price Reviews Our Book "God or Godless"

In the most recent June/July issue of Free Inquiry magazine, Robert Price congratulates Baker Books for publishing our book, saying, "It represents a departure from the traditional evangelical Christian resistance to let readers, hearers, and students encounter alternative viewpoints except through the filter of apologetical distortions by 'our side.'" He suggests the change is perhaps because "the internet has made everything instantly accessible...and virtually unavoidable." This is welcomed no matter what the reason. He goes on to "heartily" recommend the book "as the basis for small group dialogues," but along the way also says some good things and bad things about it.

Why Do Christians Pray After a Disaster?

Yesterday, as the devastating tornado ripped a path of destruction through Moore, Oklahoma, I watched the storm play out through the Facebook status updates of a friend who lived in the area. This friend is a Christian, and her response is similar to that of many believers in the face of such an event. Earlier in the day she posted:

“Praying the storms won’t hit.”

Then, as it became evident that this prayer was unanswered,

“Hang on, my friends.”

Followed by a Bible verse:

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7”

Next status:

“We are in a safe shelter. Praying for all those in the path in the storm. Jesus, protect us!”

Then:

“Lord, we beg your mercies upon us. Praying for the two schools that were hit. Please keep the children & teachers safe.”

Another Review of "God or Godless"

Is this the best that Christians can say? This review is mind-boggling, but somewhat positive. Enjoy. There is way too much ignorance here to bother responding.

Question for Discussion, What Evidence is There for Christianity?

Have at it in the comments below.

A Thought that Keeps Reoccurring to Me as I Study the Bible and Theology

After forty-four years of studying the Bible and Judeo-Christian theology, I am totally convinced (as I visit our local mall and other public places) that 98% of the people I pass could not only have done a better job, but would have been far more compassionate to humanity than either of the Biblical deities (God and Jesus)!