Jesus Behaving Badly: The Smoke of Their Torment

When it comes to dealing with the violent, angry, bi-polar god of the Old Testament, many Christians use Jesus as their get-out-of-jail-free card.

If we atheists bring up some of the many examples of the despicable actions and character of Yahweh, as described in the Bible, we hear: “But… Jesus… grace… New Covenant...” 

It’s as if sometime during the inter-testamental period, their god attended anger management sessions or got in touch with his kinder, gentler side.  Perhaps an image consultant advised him that all the smiting and killing was starting to give him a bad reputation? God 2.0 (aka Jesus) is supposed to magically override the trail of carnage that the Bible tells us that Yahweh left in his wake.

Christopher Hitchens On Minority Opinions

“My own opinion is enough for me, and I claim the right to have it defended against any consensus, any majority, anywhere, any place, any time. And anyone who disagrees with this can pick a number, get in line, and kiss my ass.” ― Christopher Hitchens. I quote him in reference to this opinion of mine. Cheers.

What Kind of Atheist Are You?

Not a Good Year for Dinesh D'Souza

...writes Jerry Coyne.

We are Nonbelievers, We Don't Believe, Period.

I used to think the position I now hold to was philosophically naive at best, and I have taught university level philosophy classes. Tell me this, do you know the sun will rise this morning, or do you believe it will rise? I know it will rise. Could I be wrong? Yes, but I don't need certainty in order to know something. If a truth proposition has that degree of probability to it then the fact I could conceivably be wrong means nothing. I know it. What does saying "I believe" the sun will rise do? It allows Christians to claim all knowledge is based on faith. Then they slip their Trinitarian incarnational god into that same crack. If the odds for a truth claim are calculated to be 70% then what does faith add to them? 50%? 15%? If we go exclusively by the probabilities there is no room for faith, no reason to believe anything at all. The problem is that we don't have separate words to describe the various probabilities. We only have one word, the word "belief." It covers the whole range of probabilities when we should be using different words to describe them. Other words better describe what we mean, like hope, trust, accept, think, know, conclude, and so on. The word "belief" is a Christian one supporting the Christian faith in the western world. We need a new nomenclature. We are nonbelievers. We don't believe. Let's use language commensurate with what we know.

"Is Belief in God Irrational?" Chris Hallquist Loses This Debate to Randal Rauser Who Wins a Pyrrhic Victory

I wouldn't want to debate a professional Christian philosopher on the topic of this debate. But Chris Hallquist did. He made some good arguments against Christianity but in terms of the question itself, debate judges would unanimously proclaim Rauser the winner, by a landslide. For Rauser it is nothing more than a Pyrrhic victory though. He won the battle but suffered serious loses in doing so. I judge Chris to be out of his league here, but he did manage to raise some issues Rauser didn't have good answers for, so Kudos to him. The problem of evil was his best argument. Rauser hammered Hallquist on the word "irrational" and won the debate because of it. However, unbelievably, given someone's ignorance about science then a Flat Earther would be considered rational too. Big crapping deal. What we want to know is if one's belief in God is true and Plantinga, Rauser's guru, never addresses that question. Hallquist did, but we all hold some conclusions that are false and we're not irrational in doing so.

If I were to debate Rauser on this question I would focus on the word "belief." Belief is always irrational. We should think exclusively in terms of the probabilities when it comes to the nature of the universe and it's workings. Hallquist didn't even do this. He thought if he could just show that believing in God was improbable then this is all he had to do. For anyone who continues believing despite Hallquist's arguments is irrational. Yet based on this standard of Hallquist's it is only irrational to continue believing in God once someone grants the arguments to God's existence fail, and these types of judgments are person related. Rauser thinks Hallquist's arguments fail instead. So until Rauser thinks those arguments succeed and continues believing anyway, his belief in God is not irrational. Check the debate out and see for yourselves.

Hallquist's position is just too extreme to be taken seriously. He thinks the arguments against the existence of God are so devastating that when it comes to William Lane Craig, and some other Christian apologists, they are intellectually dishonest. What Hallquist simply fails to understand is that there are many cognitive biases that keep honest people believing despite the strongest evidence to the contrary. There are many Christian apologists who think the opposite, that the arguments for God's existence are so strong that non-believers are being intellectually dishonest. If I were a Christian apologist I would hold up Hallquist as exhibit "A" in showing non-believers are intellectually dishonest, for surely he isn't ignorant about the effects of these cognitive biases. So they could conclude he is being intellectually dishonest when claiming William Lane Craig and others are intellectually dishonest. Because of this I must distance myself from him, even though I wish him well.

Neil deGrasse Tyson on Science, Religion and the Universe

Since the multiverse is mentioned here is the evidence for it.

Sodom and Gomorrah

Jesus Christ visits Sarah Silverman to discuss women's reproductive rights.

Open Thread for Comment

Yes, I've been silent lately. I'm working on a new book and dealing with other exciting things in my life. So give it to me. What's up? Anything new?

If Religious Faith Isn't The Problem Then What Is It?

A Screwed Up Book From the Beginning: Does the Bible Ever Know What It’s Talking About?

Left: The Jarvik 7 Artificial Heart (Could Jesus Live Here?)
Over a decade ago I debated a Christian apologist over the fact that the Biblical writers had no idea of what the human brain was.

My point was that, if the Bible was literally correct, than both the first artificial heart recipients Barney Clark and Robert Schrader (who died while on these machines) would have been totally  "unable to have asked Jesus into their hearts" since they had in fact had no hearts for Jesus to live in and thus ended up in Hell. This Christian apologist said this was "ridiculous" and was very adamant that the term "heart" in the Bible was used as a purely symbolic term being that the Biblical authors knew full well that the muscle we call the heart was not really the place emotions and thought.  By contrast, I strongly disagreed and reaffirmed the fact that what the Bible said about the heart (Greek: Kardia, from which we get Cardiac) is exactly what is meant. (You see, we atheists are basically Bible Believers!)

Why Didn't Jesus Tell Us About Germs?

This is a nice little argument from Richard Carrier. His debate with David Marshall can be seen here.

What's the Difference Between Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism?

[First published on October 2, 2013, now updated]: Fundamentalist Christianity represents yesterday's conservative faith whereas Evangelical Christianity represents today's conservative faith...and the goal posts keep being moved. Evangelical Christianity therefore is the liberal faith that conservatives of yesterday rejected, while the Evangelical Christianity of the future will reject the theology of today's Evangelicals. Liberalism is the trend into the future. It's palpably obvious too.

Evangelicals in the eighties rejected Karl Barth, inclusivism, Hell as annihilation, the mythical interpretation of the Genesis creation stories, the late dating of 2nd Isaiah and Daniel, and they especially rejected evolution. These former Evangelical views are now being rejected by today's Evangelicals. The goal posts have simply been moved! For more read these posts of mine:

1) The New Evangelical Orthodoxy, Relativism, and the Amnesia of It All

2) The More Conservative The Church, The Less Likely It's True

Two New Bible Movies Hit the Theaters for 2014

Tonight I decided to see Lone Survivor which is an excellent movie about an ill-fated mission by Navy SEALs in Afghanistan (Highly Violent). As usual before the main movie, our sold out theater watched about six movie trailers for forth coming titles in 2014. Among the secular titles; I was intrigued to see two trailers for upcoming Biblical movies.

It's Okay That Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham

The Science Guy Bill Nye is going to debate Ken Ham at the Creation Museum in Kentucky on February 4th. Ham believes the universe is not more than 6,000 years old and that there was a world-wide flood that took place about 4,500 years ago. He believes the animals saved by a guy named Noah in his ark can explain biological diversity. Ham also believes dinosaurs co-existed with humans. Ham, in other words, is a crack pot. He represents the absolute worst kind of creationist there is, although they are all wrong. Scientists from Richard Dawkins, Jerry Coyne, PZ Myers, and a whole host of atheist bloggers are saying Bill Nye shouldn't debate Ham. Here are some reasons why:

The DOs and DON'Ts of Prayer

Here is Andrew Lamprecht's Deconversion Story

Andrew Lamprecht is a former Christian living in Adrian, Michigan, who is an aspiring author. Enjoy. See if his story resonates with you.

Does God Exist? A Debate Between Dan Barker and John Mark Reynolds

Satanists Unveil Design for Okla. Capitol Monument

"The Satanic Temple says Oklahoma's decision to put a Ten Commandments monument at the Capitol opened the door for its statute."

"Oklahoma City — A satanic group unveiled designs Monday for a 7-foot-tall statue of Satan it wants to put at the Oklahoma state Capitol, where a Ten Commandments monument was placed in 2012."

See link:  The Associated Press

Also of interest: The Satanic Temple website

Dr. Matt McCormick On Immortality

Here's An Interview I Did With Red Tani of the Filipino Freethinkers

Get Peter Boghossian's Audio Book, "A Manual For Creating Atheists" for Free

Seth from the Thinking Atheist podcast has a link to get a free audiobook and to get 30 days free access. You can hear Dr. Boghossian talking about his new book right here, then you can go to this link to get it free. Just search for the title "A Manual for Creating Atheists," and listen to the free, unabridged version of the book as read by the author, Peter Boghossian himself. Plus, you're helping support TTA I'm told.

Anyone Want to Improve On This Quote of the Day?

Give it a try, I want you to:

Not only is fundamentalist Christianity the greatest threat in the United States to science, tolerance, and social progress, but it is also the most prevalent form of Protestant Christianity to be found in our nation, whether you like it or not. It is the fundamentalist religious right that holds the reigns of the Republican party (which currently controls the nation, in case you didn't realize), and it is this same fundamentalist religious right that lobbies for the teaching of lies in public school and fights against funding for embryonic research that could potentially save the lives of millions. Whether you like it or not, it is this flavor of Christianity that makes the loudest, most obnoxious, most dangerous impact on the world today, giving us plenty of good reason to direct the brunt of our attacks in its vicinity.

Russell Blackford Comments On the Book, "God or Godless"

Russell Blackford is a philosopher with numerous books to his name. On Facebook he said this:

I'm currently reading God or Godless?by John W. Loftus and Randal Rauser. From my perspective, the former is intellectually demolishing the latter. You may think I'm biased, but it's not that simple. I suspect that I would (to my dismay) have had the same response even in my Christian days. Loftus is very good in this debate, but even that is not the problem for Rauser. So much Christian apologetics may be internally consistent... but still looks bizarre and implausible the moment you try to look at it from the outside. There's not much Rauser can do about this.

Biblical scholar Robert Price said the same thing. Dustin Lawson, Josh McDowell's infidel disciple, agreed wholeheartedly.

This is all gratifying to me personally. For anyone who has not seen it, co-author Randal Rauser and I debated each other in Edmonton, Canada, on June 5, 2013. Enjoy it below:

The Science Guy Bill Nye to Debate Ken Ham

Bill Nye to Visit Creation Museum for Debate

"Bill Nye "The Science Guy" is set to visit Kentucky to debate evolution and biblical creation with the founder of the Creation Museum."

No Question About It, The Bible Debunks Itself

Pastor Mark Driscoll’s Holy Ghost Porn.

Mark Driscoll, pastor of the Seattle-based Mars Hill megachurch is no stranger to controversy.   Early in his career, he was known as the ‘cussing pastor’.  As things rolled along, he garnered a devoted following by preaching a macho Jesus who would probably enjoy watching a UFC cage match, deriding effeminate male worship leaders, and telling Christian wives that they should drop their husband’s trousers and ‘serve’ them by performing oral sex.   His sermon videos on the topic of sex are often too controversial to be carried by GodTube (the Christian version of YouTube).  Recently, he has been in a new kind of controversy, as charges of plagiarism have been leveled at him.

What is perhaps not as widely-known is his claim that he sees replays of sexual encounters and child molestations in his head, courtesy of a ‘gift’ of the Holy Spirit.  That’s right folks.  We have a pastor claiming that he has a Holy Ghost porn channel in his head.  As Mark puts it, “I see things.”

I’ll let him tell you about it:

Frederick Douglass On Christianity and Slavery

At this point I'm beginning to write a chapter on the Bible and slavery for my new anthology. Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) escaped from slavery and became a leader of the abolitionist movement. This is what he wrote in his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave [Norton Anthology, Vol. 2, 6th ed.]:

Henry Bibb, An American Slave, Tells of the Best Case of Slavery He Knew

At this point I'm beginning to write a chapter on the Bible and slavery for my new anthology. Here's something I ran across concerning Henry Bibb (1815-1854), an escaped slave, who became a leading abolitionist. In his autobiography Bibb describes his life as an American slave. He describes the cruelty, the beatings, lashings, and the riches gained by the slaveowners at the expense of slaves. Then at the end, in chapter twenty, he does something remarkable. He describes the best case scenario, the mildest kind of slavery he ever knew.

Faith Doesn't Need a Factual Basis In Order To Work

Bible Prophecy Fulfilled (Part 3): The Christmas Murders

The story of the wise men being guided by a heavenly star, to the house where Jesus resided has been a key element of many a Christmas play.    What has not been talked about very often is how this little piece of razzle-dazzle got a bunch of kids murdered.  Yep.  This is one of those not-infrequent moments in the Bible which makes a person (of even average intelligence) face palm and say “Really God?  Really?  This was the best you could come up with?”

James Lindsay to Tom Gilson: "Repudiate All Unreliable Epistemologies"

The fact is unavoidable. The word faith is used to mean "I don’t have enough evidence to warrant belief in X, but I’m going to believe anyway." It’s unavoidable because they’re using the word faith for exactly this purpose, to jump an epistemic gap that can only be bridged by evidence. It is used that way because faith is not a reliable method for obtaining knowledge, and the methods that faith is based upon--tradition, authority, and revelation--are also not reliable.

Believers do this because they lack evidence and yet want to believe, so strongly in fact that they appear not to care whether or not faith is a reliable methodology. That is, Christians do not care to know what is true as much as they want to pretend to know things they do not know.

Again, Mr. Gilson, I call upon you to drop your argument with Peter Boghossian and to repudiate all unreliable epistemologies, faith--and the resulting Christianity--among these. Link

Technically Speaking, We Can't Disprove the Existence of Witchcraft, But...

Technically speaking, we cannot conclusively prove that a Devil or his demons don’t exist, or that witches cannot work their magic. There just isn’t any evidence that they do. Furthermore, with the advancement of science, supernatural explanations for any given event in our lives become unnecessary and superfluous. A Devil empowered witch may have caused a particular illness by her spell. But what best explains why we can usually trace the illness to some undercooked food that was eaten, as an example? And what best explains why the right medicine always cures the illness? If an illness was caused by the spell of a witch there is no reason to think we could find a natural cause for it. Nor is there a reason to think the right medicine could always overcome the power of the spell by curing it either.

What Went Wrong? Where is Their God? The Sad Tragedy of Christianity

In posting this News Video, I would like comments from Christians on why the Christian religion failed to control the situation and from any non-theists on your take of the situation. 
(The video has been removed, but you can still read the story  here:

  http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/23701174/pastors-sermon)

Two Splendid Christmas Gift Ideas!

Thanks to John for allowing me to post this. So, the celebrations are upon us to commemorate good ole Jesus and his rather miraculous (and dare I say imaginary) birth. Well, he may have been born, but not like that. But enough of that. Or maybe not. I have two rather decent suggestions with which to fill your stockings (Christmas, not underwear).

An Excerpt From My Chapter On the Witch Hunts

Hey, why not throw this out to my readers? Maybe I can get some good feedback on it. I looked in vain for a good book or essay on this, but I'm sure there must be one. It concerns the rules of evidence for convicting people of crimes in the Bible. See what you think so far of this draft:

Bible Prophecy Fulfilled (Part 2) More of Matthew's Scripture Magic

The writer of Matthew had a prophecy fetish and seized every opportunity to declare that events in his version of the life of Jesus happened in order “that it might be fulfilled”. 

In this series we are focusing on examples surrounding the birth narrative.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,  saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;  and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:  “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”Matthew 2:1-6 (ESV)

Matthew’s author quotes the book of Micah as foretelling the birthplace of Jesus.  Does it?

An Evangelical Evangelist Titan Faces Death

Billy Graham at 95

“Franklin Graham asks for prayers for his father”

I can’t think of one national televangelist who didn't end up running their ministry as a family business including Billy Graham.

Thirty years ago I remember Billy Graham announced his pending retirement and the question was quickly asked if his son Franklin would takeover.  Rev. Graham responded "This is God’s ministry and it's God's choice to make, not mine".  Well, let’s see who God chose:  Billy's Son, Franklin Graham to be followed by Franklin’s own son: William Franklin Graham IV.  (Yes, it looks like God sure is not a respecter of persons. (Acts 10: 34)) LOL

Sour Tidings and Wretched Festivities: How Christmas is Destroying the Heart of our Christian Commonwealth

 DC readers may be interested in my latest essays published this month. 

The first, titled The Puritan War on Christmas, explains why Puritans, who are often considered the model of America’s Christian foundations, hated Christmas so much.

The second essay, titled In Praise of the Evil Kings: Latino Ethnic Identity and Biblical Scholarship, outlines why claims that the representative teachings of the Bible are social justice, love, and anti-imperialism, reflect the bibliolatrous and religionist bias of modern biblical scholarship and liberation theology.

Quote of the Day, By An Executioner To a Man Accused of Witchcraft

Sir, I beg you, for God’s sake confess something, whether it be true or not. Invent something, for you cannot endure the torture which you will be put to; and even if you bear it all, yet you will not escape, not even if you were an Earl, but one torture will follow after another until you say you are a witch.

These are the words of an executioner to Johannes Junius, the mayor of Bamberg, Germany, in 1628, after enduring some torture without confessing, who was subsequently burned at the stake after deciding to confess. [Source: The Witchcraft Sourcebook, p. 201.]

Learn What it Was Like When Accused of Being a Witch in Germany in 1638

Care to see what it would be like being accused of a witch in Germany of 1638? Follow this link to a simulation where you are accused of being a witch. Click on "Let the Hunt Begin..." Answer your interrogators questions and see what happens depending on how you answer them. It's interactive. It's based on actual hunts that took place in Germany during the early 1600's.

Some of The Earliest Witnesess Didn't Believe So Why Should We?

In Matthew 28:16-17 we read: "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted." How is it possible for some of the eleven disciples to doubt after seeing the resurrected Jesus? Then too the Apostle Paul claimed in I Corinthians 15:6 that, "After that, he [Jesus] appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time..." Of them, only 120 believed according to Acts 1:15: "In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)." Even by the testimony of the New Testament itself many of the earliest witnesses didn't believe. Why should we?

Bible Prophecy Fulfilled: Christmas Trees.

Since it’s the time of year when my Christian friends are preparing to celebrate Christmas, I feel that I must point out something very important, to them.

Christmas trees are mentioned in the Bible. 

Not only mentioned, but prophesied thousands of years before they would become a part of Christmas celebrations.  Not only were they predicted, but they were condemned by the prophet Jeremiah:

Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.

Jeremiah 10:2-4 (ESV)

Clearly, the Bible condemns the practice of cutting and decorating Christmas trees.   All believers who practice such things are in rebellion against their god - right?  Maybe I will have to tear up my American Atheists membership card.  We have a bona fide example of fulfilled prophesy in the Bible!

Which Subtitle For My Anthology "Christianity is Not Great" Sounds the Best?

1. Christianity is Not Great: Why Faith Causes Good People to Do Atrocities
2. Christianity is Not Great: Why Faith Causes Good People to Do Great Harm
3. Christianity is Not Great: Why Faith Threatens Human Flourishing
4. Christianity is Not Great: Testing Faith With The Practical Empirical Results
5. Christianity is Not Great: Faith Tested Against The Practical Empirical Results
6. Christianity is Not Great: Faith Fails The Practical Empirical Results
7. Christianity is Not Great: Why Faith Is Bad For Us and Our Planet
8. Christianity is Not Great: Why Faith Is an Utterly Unreliable Moral Compass
9. Christianity is Not Great: Why Faith Is an Utterly Unreliable Moral Guide
10. Christianity is Not Great: How Faith Kills
11. Christianity is Not Great: How Faith Destroys Us
12. Christianity is Not Great: The Destructiveness of Faith

Or, suggest others.

The Barbaric Christian Witch Hunts

I'm doing some research for a chapter on the witch hunts for my new anthology, "Christianity is Not Great." A description of it and a link to the chapters can be seen here. The title to this post will probably be the one I'll use for the chapter. Any other suggestions? I've selected a few quotes to begin the chapter. See what you think.

Russell Blackford Interviewed About His Book, "50 Great Myths about Atheism"

You can read the essay below, published in the book pages of the Newcastle Herald.

Dan Lambert Objects When I Said Christianity Made No Discoveries in 2013

Dan and I are friends. We live in the same city. He is a former professor at John Brown University who used my book, "Why I Became an Atheist" in one of his classes. He is also on record as saying "Christians should be reading John Loftus's Books." Still he thinks his faith is strengthened by reading them. Okay, I guess. Recently on Facebook he objected to a link I provided where I made fun of the fact that Christianity made no discoveries in 2013. Here is our exchange about it on Facebook. I think it is instructive. Enjoy.

"Telekinesis" is Now a Reality: The Top Ten Scientific and Religious Discoveries of 2013

Let's do a comparison between science and religion by looking at their top ten discoveries in 2013, okay? Here are the results of last year. First take a look at the top ten scientific advances in 2013, from ListVerse. Pretty impressive, right? "Telekinesis" is now a reality. Now let's consider the top ten religious discoveries in 2013:

A List of Scientists Who Became Creationists After Studying the Evidence

If you can spot anyone who's been missed, please add their name in the comments. LINK.

Hat/Tip Matthew Cobb