Why Sam Harris and Noam Chomsky are Both Right

Sam Harris recently appeared on Kyle Kulinski’s radio show to discuss his views on “progressivism, torture, religion, and foreign policy.” The impetus behind Harris’ appearance was to defend himself against the accusations of Glenn Greenwald and (the increasingly execrable) CJ Werleman, both of whom had previous public discussions with Kulinski.

What You Need to Know About Bernie Sanders Supporters, by Staks Rosch

I've found one secularist/humanist/atheist who is a big supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders, and has been so since May 22nd when he predicted Sanders will win the Democratic Party's Nomination. Now THAT'S some foresight! Who did this? Staks Rosch did, who writes for the network I co-founded, Skeptic Ink Network. His most recent post is titled as displayed above, LINK. I am very happy to join him in this goal and bid others do so as well, publicly, passionately, intelligently, with footwork and with money. I join Rosch in saying Sanders will win the Democratic Party's Nomination. Bold? I think not. The Bernie Sanders's movement is being conducted by passionate people who want nothing short of a political revolution. It's an idea whose time has come. It's a grassroots social media movement that's opposed by very influential people with obscene amounts of wealth. It's a modern-day Davy and Goliath tale with a twist. In this story a bunch of little people overthrow a bunch of big people. Kudos Staks! Go Bernie! [For more click on the "Bernie Sanders" tag]

Jimmy Kimmel Asked Bernie Sanders If He Believes in God

Where's the Secular/Humanist/Atheist Support for Senator Bernie Sanders?

My temporary goal is to help Senator Bernie Sanders win the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the U.S. When I first approached an important atheist thinker about this goal I was told, "Sanders has a zero chance to be president, zero." Well as you would guess, that didn't discourage me in the least. As I've said, I like those odds! ;-) I like proving the naysayers wrong, AND THEY ARE WRONG!

So let me tell naysayers why I think this is the most important goal we can probably pursue right now, and why more secularists, humanists and atheists should back Bernie's candidacy. After all, we're a strong important voting block that if fully engaged could make this happen. And if we make Sanders the Democratic Party's nomination then people in the middle will have to vote for him in the general election, since the Republicans only have nutcases vying for the same high office. If you read just one post from me on Sanders for President read the rest of this one.

Why Bernie Sanders Is Attracting Conservatives

This is a grassroots movement that will attract more and more conservative voters, explains Rick Perlstein of The Washington Spectator. LINK. Sanders explains:

Republicans “divide people on gay marriage. They divide people on abortion. They divide people on immigration. And what my job is, and it’s not just in blue states. . . [is] to bring working people together around an economic agenda that works. People are sick and tired of establishment politics; they are sick and tired of a politics in which candidates continue to represent the rich and the powerful.”

Sarah Silverman Endorses Bernie Sanders Who Has Always Been On the Right Side of History

A Recent Review of My Co-Written Book "God of Godless"

This Christian review quotes Randal Rauser and I throughout his review, ending by saying:

Rauser is perhaps not the best (or at least, not the more forceful) advocate for the Christian position that could have been featured; nevertheless, this is a creative, cordial, well-presented exchange of viewpoints, that will be of great interest to anyone (on either “side”) interested in such debates. --Steven H. Prop, LINK

Bernie Sanders Called "The Amendment King"--"one of the most effective members of Congress"

“I’m a progressive, but I’m a progressive who likes to get things done,” Hillary Clinton said at the first Democratic debate, in response to a question from moderator Anderson Cooper about whether she defines herself as a moderate or a progressive.

The implication was that progressive Bernie Sanders is too far to the left to accomplish anything—all of his ideas are pie-in-the-sky. You have to be able to find the bipartisan, “warm, purple space” as Clinton said earlier this year, to get anything done. Slate’s Jamelle Bouie was super-impressed by this rationale, saying Clinton has “skilled use of bureaucratic power.”

The problem with this narrative is that it is completely false. Not only has Sanders gotten a lot more things done than Clinton did in her own short legislative career, he’s actually one of the most effective members of Congress, passing bills, both big and small, that have reshaped American policy on key issues like poverty, the environment and health care. LINK.

Numbers: 71 Billion Reasons to Tax Churches

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Satan as God's Management Executive

Recently, I released an ebook called The Problem with "God", which looks at the issues inherent with the nature of God seen in classical theism: omnibenevolent, -scient and -potent. There are a whole number of reasons why it is problematic. I have written a good deal on this topic over many years of blogging, so thought I would put this to good use and compile many of the posts, together with some original material, into one easily digestible anthology at a reasonable price. I also talk a little about Satan and hell, because these entities and ideas, if existent, must make sense in light of a God who could get rid of them with the omnipotent click of the fingers. Here is a short little hint of the issues apparent with this kind of God, and the idea of a nemesis.

Bill Maher Supports Bernie Sanders

What Would The Democratic Presidential Candidates Look Like If They Wore Their Sponsors On Their Sleeves?

Just follow the money (scroll down). The average contribution to the Bernie Sanders campaign is around $30. That's because this is a grassroots movement to revolutionize how politics is done. We aim to make government work for the people. The filthy rich have way too much power. Democracy is about sharing the power. Billionaires with lots of money should not be able to sidetrack the democratic ideals we love for their own self-interests. If we want a democratic America everyone must have equal representation as much as feasible. As it stands, billionaires try to control the election process and in so doing they can nullify hundreds of thousands of votes, and more, by what they do with their money. That's not equal representation. THIS MUST END NOW! If you are tired of the filthy rich manipulating us you must vote for Bernie Sanders.

How and When to Vote for Bernie Sanders

I signed up to help get Bernie Sanders on the ballot in Indiana. We need 500 signatures of registered voters from each district to do this. See if you can help your state achieve their ballot requirements. Keep in mind that if your state doesn't have open primaries, you may be unable to vote for Bernie Sanders unless you are registered as a Democrat. The big battle for the Presidency will take place in the primaries. Democrats will have no other choice but to vote for Sanders if he wins the Democratic nomination, since the Republicans are all nutcases. Register to vote and see how and when to vote right here. I would love to see a Donald Trump vs Bernie Sanders Presidential battle, a billionaire against an intellectual who is against that which Trump represents.

Seth MacFarlane Supports Bernie Sanders, Here's Why You Should Too

Family Guy creator and comedian Seth MacFarlane gave a great speech introducing Bernie Sanders. He tells us the moment Bernie Sanders won the debate.

Far from fringe: A historian explains why the democratic socialism of Bernie Sanders is an American idea

Bernie Sanders is a Democratic Socialist, so what? That's an American idea, so says Bernard Weisberger.

My New Intense Passion, I'm Getting Into Politics

I appreciate all of you, my many readers, very much! You come from different backgrounds and are interested in different kinds of discussions having to do with Christianity. I've tried to give you something to chew on every couple of days or so, and when I don't, other team members thankfully do so.

After every book of mine gets published I usually feel a strong urge to quit blogging, at least for a time. So I was thinking about taking another break, this time a long one. Having grown very tired of debunking Christianity and the ignorant Christan attempts at defending the indefensible, it has gotten boring for me to write on Christianity after almost ten years of making it my focus.

That was then. This is now.

I have a new passion. I'm going to change my focus. I'm getting political. Yep. That's correct. I'm getting into politics. If you are a regular reader of this blog you should understand my change of focus.

Evidence that Big Media does not want Bernie Sanders to win and what this means for his campaign

Polls show Bernie Sanders won the Democratic primary debate hands down. Big Media declared otherwise. If anything else Big Media is out of touch with the people. Now It's being argued that these people don't count, that they don't vote, or they are too young to know better. I'm just one person, an intellectual, and I say these polls express my impression of the debate, that Bernie Sanders kicked butt.

Regardless of who won, there are a lot of people who disagreed with Big Media on this. What do you think most of these people will conclude when they see Big Media declare something they consider absurd, that Clinton won the debate? It will be considered strong evidence of what Bernie Sanders is saying. So what do you think many of these people will do after that kind of overwhelming evidence? They will be motivated. Big Media just handed Sanders what his campaign needed. Of course, Sanders put Big Media between a rock and a hard place. If they had declared Sanders the winner, his campaign would be kicked into high gear. So either way they responded it would help his campaign.

Negotiating Book Titles With My Publisher

In case you don't already know, authors/editors don't get to unilaterally choose the titles to their books. They are negotiated with their publishers. So which title for my forthcoming anthology do you think is better of the following two:

Christianity in the Light of Science: Critically Examining the World’s Largest Religion

VS

Christianity Under the Microscope: Scientifically Testing the World’s Largest Religion

Go Bernie Sanders!

So I was sitting here wondering where I should watch the Democratic presidential debate. Then it hit me. I'll betcha there are like-minded fans of Bernie Sanders who are getting together to watch it. So I ran a search, found a home and invited myself over. Little did I know but that Bernie mentioned people like me who were getting together to watch the debate.

Bernie won, hands down. While Hilliary and the others didn't do poorly and would all make good presidents, Bernie has lit a fire of hope in many of us. He's asking for a political revolution. Nothing less than that will get us moving again and meeting the needs of the American people. Go Bernie!

The Stages of Losing Christian Faith and Discovering Reality

1.  Denial - In this stage the believer is confronted with facts that attacks both the credibility of the so-called “truths of the Bible" and the Christian faith.  Here the believer often counters with apologetically programmed or canned responses.

My Book Is # 1 in Religious Philosophy Books

There is a Religious Philosophy category of books, and as of today mine is ranked #1.That's not too shabby I suppose. What interests me are the top 100 books in this category. Scroll down through them. Looks like some good books are in the pipeline, and others of interest. Here are four of them having to do with suffering:

My Latest Book is Now Being Shipped. It Just Might Be My Best One Yet!

If Theism Is Dead, What Then? James Lindsay Responds.

Recently I wrote a blurb for James Lindsay's new book, Everybody Is Wrong About God.I said:

Lindsay correctly argues in this book that theism (or “God”) is dead, even though most people don’t realize it yet, echoing the words of Nietzsche’s madman. Lindsay surprisingly goes on to argue that if theism is dead then so is atheism. For without theism we shouldn’t be atheists either, just human beings living in a post-theistic secular society where the relevancy of theism for our lives is beneath serious consideration. Lindsay calls us to completely rethink both theism and atheism, and he informs us what this means and how we should proceed into the future. This is a very thought provoking book, sure to be controversial. I love it!

Privately though, I emailed him some concerns:

Richard C. Miller's Book On the Resurrection Is Original and Significant

M. David Litwa recently reviewed the book Resurrection and Reception in Early Christianity, by Richard C. Miller, calling it both original and significant.

Description: This book offers an original interpretation of the origin and early reception of the most fundamental claim of Christianity: Jesus’ resurrection. Richard Miller contends that the earliest Christians would not have considered the New Testament accounts of Jesus’ resurrection to be literal or historical, but instead would have recognized this narrative as an instance of the trope of divine translation, common within the Hellenistic and Roman mythic traditions. Given this framework, Miller argues, early Christians would have understood the resurrection story as fictitious rather than historical in nature. By drawing connections between the Gospels and ancient Greek and Roman literature, Miller makes the case that the narratives of the resurrection and ascension of Christ applied extensive and unmistakable structural and symbolic language common to Mediterranean "translation fables," stock story patterns derived particularly from the archetypal myths of Heracles and Romulus. In the course of his argument, the author applies a critical lens to the referential and mimetic nature of the Gospel stories, and suggests that adapting the "translation fable" trope to accounts of Jesus’ resurrection functioned to exalt him to the level of the heroes, demigods, and emperors of the Hellenistic and Roman world. Miller’s contentions have significant implications for New Testament scholarship and will provoke discussion among scholars of early Christianity and Classical studies. Full review here.

10 Ways Right-Wing Christians Are Destroying Christianity

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