Let's say you have this new book and you like it very much. How can you help promote it? Here are some suggestions:
Christian, on a scale of 1-100 how certain are you that Jesus bodily arose from the dead? Let's say that your own existence is a 100, that there is gravity stands at 99. On the other end let's say that the existence of the elves of Iceland merits a 1. How certain are you Jesus arose from the dead on such a scale?
Below is part one. The others can be found at YouTube:
An appalling ignorance of Hebrew is being used to perpetrate an absurd theory. This is one of the most sordid uses of Hebrew linguistics to support the claim that Barack Obama is the Antichrist. I would not spend much time on it, except that even some recognized "news" organizations are giving it coverage. In any case, this ridiculous argument comes from a YouTube video:
YouTubeVideo
Here is a response to a Bible thumper espousing a Pro Israel political view. He wrote:
I don't say God's existence is impossible, nor that miracles are impossible, nor that a good God must eliminate all pain, nor that methodological naturalism logically entails ontological (or metaphysical or philosophical) naturalism. Nor am I a hyper-skeptic simply because I'm a skeptic. Nope. Get the views of atheists right. It's just that we should be reasonable with the evidence, that's all. We're looking for what is most probable. Christian apologists participate in special pleading way too often. And they argue from a prior conclusion rather than to one. Point. Get. The.
I left the Christian fold mainly because I began to doubt the reliability of the Genesis creation accounts in the face of the age of the universe. Hector Avalos and Robert Price left it because of biblical criticism, both OT and NT respectively. Exapologist left it because of the failed prediction that Jesus was to return in his generation. Ken Pulliam left it because there was no cogent explanation of the atonement. William Dever left it because of biblical archaeology. Bart Ehrman left it because of the problem of suffering. My claim is that people leave the fold for so many different reasons because there are so many different reasons to do so. What other former Christian authors/scholars do you know and why did they leave the fold? Why did you?
This is pretty good stuff although he doesn't draw the correct conclusion that religions simply evolve. In any case, there is no creation ex nihilo here:
I've received more than one email from Christians who say that of all the issues I write about in my book the most troubling one concerns child sacrifice in the Bible (imagine that!?). Here's the excerpt below (from pp. 136-37). What d'ya think?
It's true that Islam and Christianity are growing exponentially around the world. Christianity is growing in the southern hemisphere and Asia, while Islam is growing in Europe. What alarms me is that in maybe in 50-100 years Europe will be dominated by Muslims while the southern parts of the world will be dominated by Christians. If so there could be wars. America is following in the footsteps of Europe by becoming more secular. If America steps in between them she will have to deal with the might of Europe aimed at the Christian tribes in the south. Then all hell will break loose with another World War. And in this war these countries will have more advanced weapons of warfare. It could happen. We have just a small window of opportunity.
Yep, that's right. There are preachers who don't believe. That's what Dennett's study explored in a recent study.
I am not arguing to please skeptics. They are not my target audience. And devout Christians will think my arguments are weak. But I am making a difference. Maybe people should think about that. Maybe I do know what I'm doing?
I merely offer up good arguments against their faith. That's all I can do. Devout believers (my target audience) won't seriously consider them until such time as they have some sort of crisis in their lives that cannot be adequately explained by a good God. They'll seriously consider them at that time. My arguments are like seeds of doubt ready to sprout if and when they experience that crisis. Since many believers do experience some kind of crisis in their lives there will be a certain percentage of believers who, having been previously exposed to my arguments, will leave their faith at that time. It's a waiting game.
HT (Hat Tip) to Andrew Atkinson for the video below:
Below is my 20 minute opening statement against David Wood at the Virginia Regional Apologetics Conference. The question we debated was this: "Does God Exist?" See what you think.
If under the same initial test conditions in the supposed Garden of Eden every human being would fail that test, then either, 1) God created us faulty in some way, or 2) The test was a sham. And since a fair test would mean some of us would not have sinned, then some human beings are being punished in this world for something they never would have done in the first place. This is just one of many problems that keeps me from believing.
From what I understand several atheists are coming to the debate between
David Wood and myself. That's encouraging.
I accept submissions from published Christian philosophers and apologists here at DC. If you want feedback on some argument of yours then click on my Blogger profile and send me an email. Don't send me any links, just send me your text. I've published items from William Lane Craig, Kenneth Howell, Craig Blomberg, John F. Haught, Douglas Groothuis, James F. Sennett, and some others.
I arrived in Reno, Nevada, to see John (his name) two hours before he died. He looked comfortable until the end. They said he waited until I arrived to hear my voice and that with no blood pressure he shouldn't have survived Thursday night. It was bittersweet. I'm now helping my Mom work through her grief along with some legal and funeral decisions. My brothers both live out here, one in Reno and another in Sacramento, CA, so she'll be in good hands. John's remains are going to be cremated, just like my Dad was, and just as I plan on being. Below is a rough draft of what I plan on saying during the memorial planned at his Presbyterian Church later this week.
and 2) The Loftus Delusion.
The second book could not possibly be a response to my recently released book, The Christian Delusion
. Wooooooo! Hoooooooo!
wrote:
. He responded to an email I sent him recently: