Treat Believers As if They Are Six Years Old

Are you frustrated that most believers stare back at you with that blank caught-in-the-headlights look as you ask them to think about their faith? Is it maddening to you? Are you scratching your hair out and looking balder by the day? Then here's a solution for you. It's not for everyone. Atheists who are not so frustrated and encouraged that they're making a difference should keep on doing what they're doing. But others might consider taking the following advice. Treat believers as if they are six years old. Al Blazo, a friend of mine, suggested doing something brilliant with this in an email. It's also hilarious:

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How Secular Family Values Stack Up, by Phil Zuckerman

Very well, says Zuckerman. But we already knew that!

The number of American children raised without religion has grown significantly since the 1950s, when fewer than 4% of Americans reported growing up in a nonreligious household, according to several recent national studies. That figure entered the double digits when a 2012 study showed that 11% of people born after 1970 said they had been raised in secular homes. This may help explain why 23% of adults in the U.S. claim to have no religion, and more than 30% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 say the same.

So how does the raising of upstanding, moral children work without prayers at mealtimes and morality lessons at Sunday school? Quite well, it seems...

My own ongoing research among secular Americans — as well as that of a handful of other social scientists who have only recently turned their gaze on secular culture — confirms that nonreligious family life is replete with its own sustaining moral values and enriching ethical precepts. Chief among those: rational problem solving, personal autonomy, independence of thought, avoidance of corporal punishment, a spirit of “questioning everything” and, far above all, empathy.

For secular people, morality is predicated on one simple principle: empathetic reciprocity, widely known as the Golden Rule. Treating other people as you would like to be treated. It is an ancient, universal ethical imperative. And it requires no supernatural beliefs. LINK.

The Moderates Who Aren't: A Mirage We Can't Help Chasing

I have been of opinion quite some time that when it comes to Islam, there are no “moderates”; only reformists. If you are not a proponent of radical reforms in Islam and you call yourself a moderate, you may as well simply call yourself a hypocrite. Because orthodox Islam is in such sharp contrast with modern values of modernism and basic human rights, that trying to present it as tolerant and peaceful, which essentially negates the need for reform, is nothing but deceitful. This certainly doesn’t make the average Muslim on the street (who likely cares more about paying rent than defending doctrine) violent; but it does show why Muslim public figures trying to claim violence is not about Islam untrustworthy and opportunistic.

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I'll Be On the Drew Marshall Show at 2:40 PM EST Today, Jan 17

LINK.

Some New Arguments Against Religion

There is no shortage of arguments against religion. Some are practical in nature, others are philosophical. Some aim to discredit theism in general, others target specific propositions of Christianity, Islam, and so on. These arguments come from a huge variety of fields, including textual criticism, historical criticism, archaeology, anthropology, evolutionary biology, cosmology, sociology, logic, the philosophy of mind, and epistemology. Many are by themselves sufficient to render religious belief unreasonable, but together they constitute an overwhelming case against faith-based beliefs in “truths” privately revealed by supernatural agents to human prophets.

While working on a forthcoming book, a few arguments occurred to me that I either couldn’t find in the literature, or don’t think are represented the way they should be, given their strength. Two of these arguments are, as far as I can tell, new. I’d be very interested to know what readers think.

So, here goes:

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WWJD: What Would Jesus Do?

One of the major reasons Christianity should be rejected is in its daily reality and application.  Believers are instructed in the New Testament (especially by Jesus himself in the Gospels), that Christians should offer the attacking person the other side of their face (Matt. 5: 39 = Luke 6: 29) and if a believer is sued for their shirt, he or she should give them their coat too (Matt. 4: 40 = Luke 6: 29); but these points follow as closing statements to Jesus’ master ethical sermon on Christian practicality commonly known as The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 4: 24 – 5: 2 = Mark 3: 7 – 13 = Luke 6: 17 – 20a).  In short, Christians are to have Jesus Christ as their example.

Before you watch this real life video, I would ask believers to apply the totality of Jesus’ Gospel teachings in handling this person’s misunderstanding this past Christmas Day at a MacDonalds.  If your response would be to “Call the police!” then I must ask where in either the Gospels or Paul’s letters can you support this (secular) action? Now watch this real life video and ask yourself WWJD?

Praise God in All Things, Right?

(Ephesians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; James 5:13)

Alan Colmes of Fox Radio Interviewed John Loftus [Nov. 3rd 2014]

In February I'll Be Offering Another Class On My Latest Book "Christianity Is Not Great"

That's right, come study my latest book with me, Christianity Is Not Great: How Faith Fails.To read more about this class and sign up follow this link. Yes, anyone can sign up. It should be very informative for the students as it's such a huge book. As an extra bonus I'll contact the contributors to the chapters with the best questions from students of the class!

The Definition Refutation: Christians, You Don't Get To Define The Word "Faith" For Us

Victor Reppert, David Marshall and Randal Rauser have repeatedly said atheists must abide by their definitions of the word "Faith"--then they have all defined that word differently. *cough* Not so. Not at all. Not even close. Here is the definition refutation of such tomfoolery:

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Ayaan Hirsi Ali: This Is Embedded In Islam!

The Kalam Cosmological Argument? What Argument? This Book Utterly Destroys the Kalam! Let's Hear No More About it Then

This book destroys the Kalam argument, by math expert James Lindsay, Ph.D., Dot, Dot, Dot: Infinity Plus God Equals Folly.

Richard C. Miller's New Book On the Resurrection Threatens to Undermine the Whole Christian Apologetic

Given Justin Martyr's Apology (seen left),

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.

Richard C. Miller, Resurrection and Reception in Early Christianity, 2015.

Lee Strobel and Other Evangelicals Admit They're In Trouble, Big Trouble

In an email that went out to supporters (along with Ed Babinski who also subscribed) Strobel said:

We are facing a crisis in America. Skepticism is rising. Too many young people are leaving the faith. Few Christians are able to effectively share Jesus with others. At many churches, reaching spiritually lost people falls to the bottom of their priorities.

This is a crisis we need to confront — urgently!

Strobel joins Josh McDowell in being alarmed at the rise of skepticism in our day. So also are John S. Dickerson and others. Dickenson wrote: "In the next decades we will see a massive decrease in evangelical influence politically, economically, culturally, and financially" in The Great Evangelical Recession (p. 26). "260,000 evangelical young people walk away from Christianity each year. Of that number 35% will find their way back, and 65% do not find their way back. Why are they leaving? They don't believe anymore." [Dickerson, pp. 98-102]. "This is not a blip. This is a trend. And the trend is one of decline," said Ed Stetzer [as quoted in Dickerson, p. 32].

Then there is the rise of the "dones" who are done with church, not just the "nones" who have no church affiliation. At a recent Future of the Church conference, sociologist Josh Packard shared some of his groundbreaking research on the Dones:

He explained these de-churched were among the most dedicated and active people in their congregations. To an increasing degree, the church is losing its best.

For the church, this phenomenon sets up a growing danger. The very people on whom a church relies for lay leadership, service and financial support are going away. And the problem is compounded by the fact that younger people in the next generation, the Millennials, are not lining up to refill the emptying pews.

Why are the Dones done? Packard describes several factors in his upcoming book Church Refugees: Sociologists Reveal Why the Dechurched Left and What They're Hoping to Find.Among the reasons: After sitting through countless sermons and Bible studies, they feel they’ve heard it all. One of Packard’s interviewees said, “I’m tired of being lectured to. I’m just done with having some guy tell me what to do.”

The Dones are fatigued with the Sunday routine of plop, pray and pay. They want to play. They want to participate. But they feel spurned at every turn.

Will the Dones return? Not likely, according to the research. They’re done. LINK.

This is all good news! We're winning. They are losing.

Why The Terror Attack On Charlie Hebdo Newspaper in Paris That Killed 12 People Is Religious Violence

The NY Times has an updated story about this senseless terrorist attack to "avenge" the Prophet Muhammad for cartoons ridiculing him. In that piece we read:

In a letter addressed to French President François Hollande, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany offered condolences. “This horrible act is not only an attack on the lives of French citizens and the domestic security of France, it also stands as an attack on the freedom of expression and the press, a core element of our free, democratic culture that can in no way be justified.”

Notice the last part? Such an act against freedom, and a free press, cannot be justified since freedom is a core value of democratic societies.

So how do we know this was an act of religiously motivated violence, and not explained away as a cultural by-product of oppressive colonialism, or poverty or anything else? Easy. It can ONLY be justified religiously. That's how we can tell with crystal clarity that religion had invaded the secular square. Without the religion that justifies murderous acts like this one, there would be no reasonable justification for them. Because of this there is every reason to condemn these murderous acts and the religion that endorses them.

Murdered Charlie Hebdo Editor: 'I Prefer to Die Standing Up Than Live on My Knees'

LINK.

New Book Titles. Decisions. Decisions:

In this new book I'm going to teach budding apologists what to avoid, using examples from the best of the best Christian apologists today. In the process they'll be challenged to do it better than others have done so far. However, I'll argue that defending the Christian faith cannot be done well at all. It's a tongue in cheek thingy.

How to Be a Good Christian Apologist
A Manual for Christian Apologists
A Manual for Christian Apologetics
A Manual for Being a Good Christian Apologist
A Christian Apologist’s Manual
A Christian Apologetics Manual
A Handbook for Christian Apologists
A Handbook for Christian Apologetics
A Handbook for Being a Good Christian Apologist
A Christian Apologist’s Handbook
A Christian Apologetics Handbook

Subtitles:
How to Defend the Christian Faith
Advice from an Atheist
A Former Apologist Turned Atheist Tells All
An Atheist Tells All
A Friendly Atheist Tells All
How to Do it Right

Professor Candida Moss: Oops! Pilgrims On the The Via Dolorosa Have Been Walking the Wrong Path

LINK. Now that archaeologists have found the exact place where Pilate condemned prisoners to die, and with them presumably Jesus as well, we know that pilgrims have walked the wrong path for centuries. Think they'll change? ;-) Dr. Moss is the author of the book, The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom, which reveals that the early Christians were the first liars for Jesus. Why then should we trust anything else they said?

26 charts and maps that show the world is getting much, much better

LINK.

People, You Really Shouldn't Oughta Encourage Me Like This ;-)

I'm serious! Word on the street is that I just had another book proposal accepted for publication today (yes, "word"), and will be proposing another book within a month or so in hopes it will be published. I'm excited about this. Humor me, okay?

John Loftus to Debate David Marshall Soon

David Marshall sent me a copy of his new book at my request. Here I am smiling, because it's a funny book to me. At the same time it's painful to read, so I've been drinking more than usual to deaden the pain. I'm suffering through this pain because I'm supposed to debate Marshall on Justin Brierley's Unbelievable program in a week. Bottom's up folks!

Unbelievable? Animal Suffering and God Debate - Michael Murray vs Phil Harper

LINK. I've written a bit about this problem, called "The Darwinian Problem of Evil," in chapter 9 in my book, The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails.

Did The Historical Jesus Really Exist? By Raphael Lataster

LINK. Raphael Lataster wrote the book, There was no Jesus, There is no God: A Scholarly Examination of the Scientific, Historical, and Philosophical Evidence.

The Backfire Effect: The Psychology of Why We Have a Hard Time Changing Our Minds

Once something is added to your collection of beliefs, you protect it from harm. You do this instinctively and unconsciously when confronted with attitude-inconsistent information. Just as confirmation bias shields you when you actively seek information, the backfire effect defends you when the information seeks you, when it blindsides you. Coming or going, you stick to your beliefs instead of questioning them. When someone tries to correct you, tries to dilute your misconceptions, it backfires and strengthens those misconceptions instead. Over time, the backfire effect makes you less skeptical of those things that allow you to continue seeing your beliefs and attitudes as true and proper.

From the book You Are Now Less Dumb: How to Conquer Mob Mentality, How to Buy Happiness, and All the Other Ways to Outsmart Yourself, by David McRaney. I've added this book to the list of others describing the same phenomena. LINK.

Samson and Delilah, By DarkMatter2525

A Torturing Faith?

Dr. Hector Avalos has written a newspaper column about the role of religion in the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program.

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Doubting Jesus' Resurrection: A Naturalistic Explanation of Christian Origins - Free Kindle book

 

Doubting Jesus' Resurrection: What Happened in the Black Box?

This excellent book on the naturalistic origin for Christianity is available free today for Kindle. *edit, no longer free.  Current price $8.99*

Author Kris D. Komarnitsky's main thesis is that the early Christian movement was spurred by cognitive dissonance reduction in the disciples after the crucifixion.  Everything involved with the origin and growth of Christian beliefs can be explained via well known (and well documented) psychological phenomena. 

If you would like a brief overview of the author's case, see his article on the secular web here.
William Lane Craig has responded to this book.  And the author interacts with Craig's reply here.

Meet brmckay: A Religious Philosophical Bullshitter Trying to Reinvent God

“I can be quite foolish at times.”

Theists come in many forms and this blog has had some great examples in the classic sense of the word.  But in all honestly, I have never come across a man who could twist the semantics of the English language in such a way the after reading almost one-hundred of his comments on different blogs (mostly under those supporting atheism), neither I nor most anyone he engages with have yet to understand his philosophical bullshit.  If you need some examples, simply click on his Disqus Profile, then under Recent Activity, read a dozen or so of his ramblings for yourself or (better yet) read some of the responses from people he engages with who keep asking what he's trying to express.  

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Irish Comedian Dave Allen Tells a Series of Religious Jokes, Some LOL Funny

Quick Rebuttals to Common Christian Claims

Richard Carrier concisely rebuts six common claims apologists make. 

00:28 "Spacetime had a beginning" 

1:38 "The Universe is fine tuned for life" 

3:43 "Life requires a creator" 

5:20 "Consciousness requires a spirit/soul" 

7:34 "God is needed for objective moral values" 

9:07 "Jesus was resurrected" 

This is part of a "Case Against Christianity" playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf113iNh-64ba5FppqyEFnuJLf3UY5tDR

The full Richard Carrier vs Lenny Esposito debate can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS2z3WCHJ5Y

Dear Christian: How Does Either a Believer or Atheist Get God to Function?

Facing Reality is Hard

“God is weak and powerless in the world.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1944

Let’s face it, the totality of a functioning Biblical God is anchored both the distance past and future that without any proof the Biblical mighty acts of God are true, leaves this record built on a mythical past and future; not reality.

Time and time again, I’ve challenged believers to tell me how to make their God (or Jesus Christ) function.  In other words, how can one provoke God into action just like God did in the Biblical past (Old Testament, Gospels and Acts) or the future (Revelation)?  (Oddly, St. Paul seems not to be able to make God function either.)

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Happy Holidays to One and to All

Happy Holidays to one and to all (except people killing in the name of god and other ne'er do well folks). Happy times to you! Be safe. Collect warm fuzzy memories. Have fun. Be good (and you know what I mean).

The John Loftus/Bill Cunningham Interview

The John W. Loftus/Bill Cunningham interview on Cunningham's National Premiere Radio Networks Show, on 700wlw