Dr. Kenneth Howell Asks US About Scientism

Dr. Howell is the author of God's Two Books: Copernical Cosmology and Biblical Interpretation in Early Modern Science.As a Christian he was kind enough to write a post-publication blurb of my anthology The Christian Delusion,saying, "I liked Richard Carrier’s chapter on science. I see within it hope for an advancement of knowledge. When dealing with the ancients, Carrier is superb."

Anyway Dr. Howell values my opinion and the opinions of the commenters here at DC enough to ask us all a question pertaining to an upcoming book. It's about the notion of scientism. I'll comment on it later, but for now, have at it. See if you can explain what it is and why you either embrace it or not. Provide links if you wish. Cheers.

What's The Only Alternative To The Outsider Test for Faith (OTF)?

The answer? The Insider Test for Faith (ITF). How does the ITF work? Believers should test their faith against any evidence to the contrary, and against any perceived internal inconsistencies. That's not a bad test. It does work. It worked for me, and many others. But it has serious deficiencies.

Examples of Ridicule

Recently I've defended the use of ridicule. Good ridicule must be based on some truth, otherwise it wouldn't be funny. It must also bring home an important point. Some of it is gentle humor while some of it is quite mean-spirited. Some people focus on ridicule while others focus on elaborately reasoned arguments. If you think ridicule is unbecoming of an atheist, or anyone for that matter, then you cannot like the comedy style of Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, or even Jay Leno or David Letterman. Look at the following good examples and then try to honestly tell me ridicule has no place in our cultural wars. [Click on the tag "Ridicule" below for more on this topic.]

An Excellent Example of Ridicule!

James Lindsay said theism is done, won't last into the future. Victor Reppert responded by saying a bit sarcastically: "Oh yeah, theism is losing adherents, it's down to 74% in the latest Harris poll." Then Lindsay, well, ya gotta read this short play:

The Best Metapologetics Taxonomy

I'm writing a book on Christian apologetics, how to do it right, if it can be done at all. Several Christian apologists have offered their own classifications, or taxonomies, of apologetical methods, and like most things Christian, they cannot even agree on how to classify them. I won’t rehearse them here. Rather this is what I consider the best way to categorize metapologetics based on their primary approach in defending Christianity, using five headings: 1) Apologetics Based On Supposed Evidence; 2) Apologetics Based On Rationalistic Theistic Proofs; 3) Apologetics Based On Assuming That Which Needs To Be Proved; 4) Apologetics Based On Private Subjective Experiences; and 5) Eclectic Apologetics.

Does Religion Cause More Harm Than Good? Valerie Tarico Says Yes!

LINK.

Through Atheist Eyes with Frank Zindler: John Loftus On William Lane Craig

Questions in Genesis (part 1): Entrapment in Eden

Fundamentalist and evangelical Christians believe that we live in a world gone wrong, and controlled by dark spiritual forces.  They think that  a host of things we face today, including death, disease, predation, violence, painful childbirth, thorns and thistles, and Miley Cyrus’ twerking can all be traced back to a Very Bad Thing which happened once upon a time in a garden called Eden, where a rebellious woman listened to a talking snake, ate a forbidden fruit, and led her husband into eating his way into God’s bad graces.

 (image credit:  Forbidden Fruit by Amanda Chervinko - amandachervinko.com)

Adam Vigansky Deconverts, Writes Excellent Letter Explaining To Family & Friends Why He Did

Dear friends,

I want to let you know about some important things which have transpired in my life over the past four years. But before I begin, I only ask that you read the entirety of this letter before replying to me, if you do. As you know, I was a devoted believer in Christianity. I was raised in a very religious environment. I went to a Christian school. I was in church a few times a week. At the age of twenty I made a serious commitment to Jesus Christ. I soon moved to Pensacola, FL to earn a degree from the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry (now called F.I.R.E. School of Ministry). I went on mission trips to Uganda, Kenya and Greece. I toured Israel and Jordan. I lead street evangelism teams for two years in Pensacola. I was an active part of the Evangelism Team at my home church. After that, I married, moved to Kansas City, MO. to be a part of a house church plant team. We were actively a part of this for seven years and having four amazing children along the way.

Ridicule is a Type of Peer Pressure That Changes Minds

We know that peer pressure changes minds, even against what seems quite clear to someone with a different opinion. We KNOW this. If you doubt that then watch this four part ABC Dateline Program, What Were You Thinking? Go ahead. Watch it. Ridicule is a type of peer pressure. If a person says she doesn't agree with belief A that tells you something important, even if this is all she says. But if she laughs at belief A that tells you she doesn't have any respect at all for belief A. Now imagine most of the people you know laughing at belief A. That would get your attention and could indeed change your mind. Peer pressure works. Ridicule is a type of peer pressure. Ridicule changes minds. Ridicule from lots of people has more power to change minds. It's quite simple really, such that anyone who disagrees is ignorant. There are other questions to address, but let's start with baby steps.

"I Waited Until My Wedding Night To Lose My Virginity And I Wish I Hadn’t"

This is an eye opening essay by Samantha Pugsley! It begins with these words:

At the age of 10, I took a pledge at my church alongside a group of other girls to remain a virgin until marriage. Yes, you read that right — I was 10 years old.

Let’s take a look at who I was as a 10-year-old: I was in fourth grade. I played with Barbie dolls and had tea parties with imaginary friends. I pretended I was a mermaid every time I took a bath. I still thought boys were icky and I had no idea I liked girls, too. I wouldn’t get my period for another four years. And most importantly, I didn’t have a clue about sex.

The church taught me that sex was for married people. Extramarital sex was sinful and dirty and I would go to Hell if I did it. I learned that as a girl, I had a responsibility to my future husband to remain pure for him. It was entirely possible that my future husband wouldn’t remain pure for me, because he didn’t have that same responsibility, according to the Bible. And of course, because I was a Christian, I would forgive him for his past transgressions and fully give myself to him, body and soul. LINK.

For a ridicule of the whole idea see this.

Ridicule! Who Says We're Not Supposed to Play God? ;-)

No One Should Have The Right To Die Until God Is Done Toying With Them.

Quote of the Day On Ridicule, By Doug Krueger

Doug Krueger is the author of the excellent book, What is Atheism? On Facebook he said:

We should ridicule the ridiculous. This is sometimes more effective than arguments because believers often substitute emotion for argument, which is why they are so resistant to evidence.

He joins an ever growing list of other atheists. See tag "Ridicule" below.

Jeffery Jay Lowder: "It's Self-Defeating to Ridicule Beliefs"

Jeff is once again disagreeing with me. That's okay as far as it goes and expected sometimes, but I truly find his ignorance surprising. [Edit, this type of exchange finally led me to the opinion that Jeffery Jay Lowder is a dishonest person, a hypocrite, seen right here. I have found he only has a B.S. college degree in computer science, yet goes around calling himself "a philosopher", even though he's so ignorant about this and so much more. [See tag below.]

On his Twitter account (@SecularOutpost) Jeff boasts of being "Paul Draper's Bulldog." I think Draper is the reason we disagree on the issues we do. Draper is wrong on those issues even though I too have a respect for him. I really do not understand Jeff's claim that it's self-defeating to ridicule beliefs, and he certainly failed to defend that claim. Recently I argued that ridicule has value in our cultural wars, right here. Jeff commented:

Sir Winston Churchill on the Bible and Alcohol: A Quote

During the Temperance Movement, Winston Churchill (who was famous for his constant use of alcohol) would visit American where he happened to cross paths with a conservative preacher from the Christian Temperance Union. The preacher confronted Churchill about his use of alcohol by quoting him Proverbs 23: 31 – 32:

 “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” (KJV)

 To which Churchill responded: “I’ve been seeking a drink like that all my life!” 

 Reference: The Diane Rehm Show  (Time mark: 11:10 – 40)

Quote of the Day On Ridicule, By Walter Sinnott-Armstrong

"Our best hope for progress is for atheists to speak out and (as politely as possible) tell any theists who will listen why religious beliefs are ridiculous." -- Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, in Louise Antony’s anthology, Philosophers without Gods, p 78.

Sinnott-Armstrong joins a long list of philosophers, pundits and essayists who see the value of ridicule. <-- Take a look see! The people being ridiculed don't like it, okay, but that cannot be a reason against doing it. Anyone who argues against the importance and value of ridicule is just an ignorant person. I can see no reason not to do it, nor can anyone argue consistently against its value. Christians have been ridiculing atheists for centuries. Now that they are on the receiving end they look silly when they argue against doing what they've been doing way too long. It just goes to show you they'll say anything in defense of the indefensible when it comes to faith, for faith itself is irrational. So let them continue to argue against the use of ridicule. That in itself is ridiculous!

Warning: A Sequel Movie to "God is Not Dead" Coming at Easter

Brace yourselves for another blockbuster movie about God at Easter, and more ignorance too. This time they're filming in my backyard, Indianapolis. Shit. LINK.

Mr Deity On Mormon Apologetics, Sound Familiar?

Twelve Beliefs the Mormon Church Might Not Want You to Know About

In light of the fact that Mormon church just admitted Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives, let's rehearse other things they don't want you to know about. LINK, written by Dr. Valerie Tarico.

It’s Official: Mormon Founder Had Up to 40 Wives

Here's another example of liars for Jesus, this time the Mormon Church, who denied this fact for years and only released it because of the internet's ability to sniff out the truth and expose it. Now we already know Joseph Smith was a liar and plagiarist. So what might have motivated him? Did he do it all for the nookie? Limp Bizkit sings about it below. ;-) LINK.

Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor Interview Me For Freethought Radio

Here's an interview I recently did with Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor for Freethought Radio about my new anthology Christianity is Not Great. The interview starts at the 21:10 marker. Enjoy!

The Dalai Lama: Buddha, God and a Lying Hypocrite

His Holiness: Dalai Lama

It has been said that criticizing the Dalai Lama has been equated to shooting Bambi. After all, this perceived harmless Tibetan religious leader, living in exile since 1959, has been awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1959; the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize; the Christmas Humphreys in 2005; the 2007 Congressional Gold Medal from the U. S. Government and the 2012 Templeton Prize. As noted on his website, “His Holiness has traveled to more than 67 countries spanning 6 continents. He has received over 150 awards, honorary doctorates, prizes, etc., in recognition of his message of peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion. He has also authored or co-authored more than 110 books” ( A Brief Bibliography )

So it would seem, on the surface that criticism of this Asian theocratic leader would be a great injustice. Besides, the internet is full of apparently wonderful spiritual quotes from this divine figure .

"Through Atheist Eyes" with Frank Zindler: John Loftus On the OTF

My PA State Atheist/Humanist Conference Talk

Another New Atheist Book is Out!

I've been very honored lately to be asked to write blurbs for upcoming books. Here's another excellent one I highly recommend, written by Lex Bayer and John Figdor, Atheist Mind, Humanist Heart: Rewriting the Ten Commandments for the Twenty-first Century.Of it I wrote, "Okay, so you've become an atheist. Now what? Read this book. That's my recommendation. It will help you build a new foundation for thinking and living a good life without God." There are plenty of other blurbs. Even if you've been an atheist for awhile it will encourage and enlighten you.