Dear Christian, Doubt Is Not Your Enemy (Part 1)
For the Christian, doubt is a bad thing - a lack of faith, or even worse, outright unbelief. Early on in the Bible, doubt is portrayed in a negative light. The Eden story in Genesis tells of a serpent planting doubt in the mind of Eve - did God really say not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?
According to the Bible, faith is the “evidence of things unseen” (Hebrews 11:1). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). The writer of the gospel of John has Jesus saying “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). In other words, God approves of those who believe on the basis of stories they have been told, rather than requiring evidence, as “doubting Thomas” did.
Such credulous acceptance of unverified word-of-mouth claims played an essential role in the rise of Christianity. Miraculous stories abounded in ancient superstitious cultures, providing fertile soil for supernatural beliefs to grow and thrive. Apologists and theologians love to claim that the New Testament stories are based on eyewitness accounts, but let’s face it – it’s not like the early believers could use a phone, or Google, or Snopes to investigate claims. Do we really think that they climbed on a donkey and rode for days to track down and interview sources, to verify the tales they were told? The fact that the people of that time would most likely not be skeptics is the more reason that it is vital we should scrutinize the biblical claims.
Such credulous acceptance of unverified word-of-mouth claims played an essential role in the rise of Christianity. Miraculous stories abounded in ancient superstitious cultures, providing fertile soil for supernatural beliefs to grow and thrive. Apologists and theologians love to claim that the New Testament stories are based on eyewitness accounts, but let’s face it – it’s not like the early believers could use a phone, or Google, or Snopes to investigate claims. Do we really think that they climbed on a donkey and rode for days to track down and interview sources, to verify the tales they were told? The fact that the people of that time would most likely not be skeptics is the more reason that it is vital we should scrutinize the biblical claims.
You wouldn't believe who wrote a blurb for it! Check out the first two blurbs by clicking on the link. Then pre-order it today!
They were interviewed by The Thinking Atheist recently. 
I don't know enough about the leading defenders of other religious faiths, but I suspect in their universities they teach critical thinking classes from textbooks they have written too. And I expect we would all agree with what they teach and write, except for some of the examples they use to illustrate a particular logical rule.
There are newer, more expensive editions of this book than the one I linked to. But look inside this one then choose which edition at which price you can afford. But get it. You will see what I mean when I say there is no distinction between critical thinking and thinking skeptically. They are one and the same. That's why I argue faith is an irrational leap over the probabilities. I say believers operate by double standards. They do not think critically, in the sense I just wrote about and which this book could help show them. When we say the party of agnosticism and atheism is one of reason and science we mean it. We invite believers to the adult table, where an adult conversation can be had.
in which John Loftus absolutely does engage with Plantinga, Craig and company, very successfully I think. And then there are classics such as Oppy’s Arguing About Gods, Sobel’s Logic and Theism, and so many more. 
