Showing posts with label Apologetics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apologetics. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

"You" Are Not What The Religious Say You Are

Click on the link below for a 15-minute video that shatters the concept of a supernatural soul as the base of our consciousness:

Another Failed Refutation of Atheism

The experiments and treatments splitting the brain's corpus callosum
falsify the supernatural human soul.

Sunday, December 31, 2023

The Universe Is Probably Eternal, No God Necessary

"- - - there was no when there was no Universe. There was never a time when the universe did not exist. The Universe is the SpaceTime Continuum so whenever there is time there is a universe, even if there was nothing but time. Time isn't an extension of the universe. The reason I don't believe that the Universe could have a cause is because to cause something to exist means to do something that results in a change from a time when that thing does not exist to a time when it does exist. Since there never was, or even coherently could be, a time when the SpaceTime Continuum didn't exist, the universe could not have had a cause."

Click on the link below for a strong rejection of the Cosmological Argument for a God. Actually, ALL arguments for a God are generated from the intuitive parts of the brain, which are unreliable for determining what is real. Also, they have NO way to test their validity/justification because they don't come from science:


Thursday, December 28, 2023

An Excellent Tool For Teaching Critical Thinking To Children

Don't be put off by the title:

"The Sunday school teacher is out. Good thing a substitute is available: Satan! 

"SATAN'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE is an animated documentary. Join Satan as he shares Bible secrets, secrets the students' pastor learned at Christian seminary but is afraid to share. Thankfully, Satan's not afraid of losing his job. 

"Satan has amassed an impressive list of biblical scholars ready to reveal the 'standard stuff' taught in Christian seminaries: Bart Ehrman (UNC Chapel Hill), John J. Collins (Yale), Dale Allison (Princeton Seminary), Susan Niditch (Amherst), Ron Hendel (UC Berkeley), and Hector Avalos (Iowa State). This is an established seminary curriculum about biblical history, biblical morals, authorship claims, and early Christianity — a curriculum never shared with the congregation. 

"Darkly comedic, but thoroughly researched, SATAN'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE is a fascinating journey into the secrets of the world's best-selling book.

Directed by documentary filmmaker Zeke Piestrup (APOCALYPSE LATER: HAROLD CAMPING VS THE END OF THE WORLD) and produced by animation filmmaker Tim Johnson (ANTZ, OVER THE HEDGE, HOME)"


Saturday, October 21, 2023

Religious Apologists: Your Services Are Useless

Religious apologists, you depend on philosophy and theology to support your claims. However, opinions from such cannot be verified/justified. They have reached the end of usefulness to humanity, especially since modern science is able to verify/justify its findings. They are dead academic disciplines.
 
All religious claims have been evaluated by branches of science with the strong probability that there is nothing new that will change the findings that religion is a construct of the human brain for comforting and controlling.

You instead need to adopt the state of the art regarding knowledge/information encased within the scientific disciplines of modern science. Since religion takes advantage of the weakness of the unassisted brain to understand reality, the understanding of the basic science of psychology is necessary to change the brains of you folks.

Friday, September 8, 2023

Neil deGrasse Tyson: A Clear And Concise Rebuttal Of Religion

"In this video, Neil deGrasse Tyson explains how science and religion are *somewhat incompatible both in a historical and contemporary manner."

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Christian Theology Does Not Support A Non-Material Soul

To hear conservative Christians, and even most liberal Christians, speak of the Soul or Spirit, one would assume that the Bible supports an immaterial quality to such. In fact, the Old Testament is clear that the Soul or Spirit is associated with the material "Breath." In addition, Jesus preached this same concept of the Soul. Click on the link below for a video on the matter, which, once again, debunks apologist William Lane Craig:

Why We Shouldn't Believe in a Soul

Thursday, July 20, 2023

The Criteria For A Prophecy Being True

Christians talk about how Jesus was prophesized in the Bible but is that true? The list of criteria for a prophecy to be true, according to the counter-apologist Paulogia, is as follows

  • It was made clearly and demonstrably prior to the events predicted.
  • It was intended to be a prediction.
  • It was a non-mundane claim.
  • It was answerable only by a single, transparent, and verifiable occurrence.
  • It is not open to interpretation.
  • It is not something that people are actively attempting to fulfill. 
In analyzing the above criteria, as well as pondering noted Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman's opinion on the subject (here), it is clear that the claims of the Bible prophesizing Jesus as "The Savior" assists in stretching Christianity's credibility to the absurd.

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

The Way Christian Counter-Apologetics Should Be Done

"In this episode, @TheCounselofTrent responds to critics like Paulogia and Candida Moss who critique the evidence for the Resurrection in the apostle's willingness to die for their faith in Christ."

One of my favorite Christian counter-apologist is the YouTuber Paulogia. Click on the link below for an example of his knowledge and skill in debunking Christian dogma. In this example, he picks apart virtually every statement of Trent Horn, one of my least favorite people, let alone apologists (link to my prior blog posts addressing his actions), regarding his claim that, because the apostles died for their beliefs, Jesus' resurrection is true. Oh, also read at least some of the comments, as there are essentially none that support Trent:

This Resurrection Argument Doesn't Add Up (Trent Horn response)

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Exhibit A For Pretending To Be An Expert

One of the main flaws of religious apologists is rejecting the consensus of scientific experts in fields pertinent to the claims made by the apologists. While that's bad enough, some, like William Lane Craig, pretend that they actually know more about the subjects than the true experts!. Click on the link below for a video debunking such nonsense:

William Lane Craig Thinks He Knows Evolution Better than Biologists




Saturday, May 27, 2023

Emergence Explained, From Atoms To Humans

God of the gaps (or a divine fallacy) is a logical fallacy that occurs when believers invoke Goddidit (or a variant) in order to account for some natural phenomena that science cannot (at the time of the argument) explain. This concept resembles what systems theorists[1] refer to as an "explanatory principle".[2] "God of the gaps" is a bad argument not only on logical grounds, but on empirical grounds: there is a long history of "gaps" being filled and the remaining gaps for God thus getting smaller and smaller, suggesting "we don't know yet" as an alternative that works better in practice; naturalistic explanations for still-mysterious phenomena always remain possible, especially in the future where research may uncover more information.[3] (link)

Click on the link below for a counter-apologetic video presenting a concise and complete rebuttal to this ubiquitous attempt to justify belief in a god. It centers around the well-known natural phenomenon of emergence in nature:


Sunday, May 21, 2023

The Latest On The Brain

"Is what you see real? Join neuroscientist Heather Berlin on a quest to understand how your brain shapes your reality, and why you can’t always trust what you perceive. In the first hour of this two-part series, learn what the latest research shows about how your brain processes and shapes the world around you, and discover the surprising tricks and shortcuts your brain takes to help you survive."

The brain clearly isn't the tool humans should use to understand reality. Why? - - -
  • It's a tool for survival and comfort
  • It distorts reality to achieve such
Consciousness is clearly only the product of brain activity, thus essentially falsifying the concept of a separate supernatural Soul.

Click on the link below for an hour-long documentary supporting the claim that science is the route to understanding reality:


Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Exposure Of The Delusion Of Christian Apologists

 Why atheists accept Christianity, according to one major Christian apologist organization:

1. GOOD LITERATURE AND REASONABLE WRITING.
THE BIBLE IS A COLLECTION OF INCOHERENT, MAGICAL STORIES WRITTEN BY UNKNOWN AUTHORS AFTER THE SUPPOSED EVENTS
2. “EXPERIMENTATION” WITH PRAYER AND THE WORD OF GOD.
SCIENCE REJECTS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PRAYER OTHER THAN THE PLACEBO EFFECT
3. HISTORICAL STUDY
AS A WORK OF HISTORY, THE BIBLE FAILS MISERABLY  
4. HONEST PHILOSOPHICAL REASONING.
ALL SYLLOGISMS IN SUPPORT OF CHRISTIANITY HAVE AT LEAST ONE FALSE PREMISE
5. REASONABLE BELIEVERS.
BELIEF IN CHRISTIANITY IS UNREASONABLE BECAUSE IT REJECTS THE FINDINGS OF SCIENCE AND ACCEPTS THE UNSUPPORTED "GOD OF THE GAPS" FALLACY 
6. MODERN ADVANCES AND LIMITATIONS IN SCIENCE.
THERE IS NO OBJECTIVE EVIDENCE OF ANYTHING SUPERNATURAL
7. EVIDENCE FOR THE RESURRECTION.
THERE IS NO EVIDENCE FOR THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
8. BEAUTY.
A GOD IS NOT NECESSARY TO EXPLAIN APPRECIATION OF BEAUTY

Additional comments:

1. Atheists are more knowledgeable about Christianity than Christians generally.
2. Only 15% of professional philosophers are theists.
3. Morality is explained by evolution and nurturing.
4. The less religious the society, the more well-being is present

BOTTOM LINE:

The most common reason atheists reject Christianity is the same reason they reject all theism, there is no objective evidence. Obviously, if an atheist converts to Christianity or any other religion, critical thinking is lacking.

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Souls And Identity

The TMM YouTube channel is one of my favorite counter-apologetics sources. Click on the link below for a detailed rebuttal to the claim that humans have a material body and an immaterial Soul.

Why Souls Are Nonsense

Saturday, December 17, 2022

Stop It: Dictators Do NOT Commit Atrocities Because Of Atheism

"Religious apologists, particularly those of the Christian variety, are big fans of what I have dubbed, the atheist atrocities fallacy. Christians commonly employ this fallacy to shield their egos from the harsh reality of the brutality of their own religion, by utilizing a most absurd form of the tu quoque (“you too”) fallacy, mingled with numerous other logical fallacies and historical inaccuracies. Despite the fact that the atheist atrocities fallacy has already been thoroughly exposed by Hitchens and other great thinkers, it continues to circulate amongst the desperate believers of a religion in its death throes. Should an atheist present a believer with the crimes committed by the Holy See of the Inquisition(s), the Crusaders, and other faith-wielding misanthropes, they will often hear the reply; 'Well, what about Stalin, Pol Pot, and Hitler? They were atheists, and they killed millions!'"

Click on the link below for the counter to this apologetic lie:

The Atheist Atrocities Fallacy

Thursday, December 8, 2022

The Birth Of Christianity And The Telephone Game

"When @ColdCaseChristianity 's J Warner Wallace pitched his pet Q-source theory to @MelissaDougherty , his apologetic and gimmick commitment to the gospels as eye-witness testimony caused him to demonstrate the ways the gospels are more-likely to NOT be testimony."

Christian apologists attempt to support their religious beliefs by looking at history but fail terribly. Click on the link below for a debunking of the reliability of the Bible, and Christianity in general, through the analogy of the Telephone Game:

Christian Cop Shoots Bible in the Foot

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

The Gaps Continue To Get Smaller and Fewer

Anyone who is aware of the interactions between religious apologists and their counter-apologists knows that virtually ALL arguments for a God involve the God of the Gaps fallacytheological perspective in which gaps in scientific knowledge are taken to be evidence or proof of God's existence.[1][2]   It's clearly a logical fallacy, an appeal to ignorance. 

Click on the link below for a podcast discussing a recent finding that gets us much closer to solving one of the mysteries that is used by religious apologists; abiogenesis:

New Discovery in the Chemistry of Life

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Free Will Rebutted

Dennis Mark Prager (/ˈpreɪɡər/; born August 2, 1948)[1] is an American conservative radio talk show host and writer. He hosts the nationally syndicated radio talk show The Dennis Prager Show. In 2009, he co-founded PragerU, which creates five-minute videos from an American conservative perspective. (Wikipedia) His views are consistent with essentially every dogma of Christianity, including the belief in human free will, which is not compatible with the findings of science.

Click on the link below for a 13-min video clearly and concisely debunking all of the main claims for contra-causal free will:


Friday, October 21, 2022

Theology: How It Is Related To Other Disciplines

*Theology by Herb Silverman

It has been said, with some justification, that philosophy is “questions that may never be answered” and “religion is answers that may never be questioned.” But some questions in philosophy have been answered— by science. Branches of science sprang out of philosophical questions, many of which were once thought to be empirically impossible to test, like the idea of an atom propounded by Greek philosopher Democritus, as represented by the above picture. Ancient Greek philosophers concerned themselves with deducing what matter is made from, what the nature of the stars are, and concepts like chemistry and physics. These were regarded as philosophical issues, but many such questions have been explored and answered by scientists.

Philosophy, religion, and science are each involved with a search for truth. Science describes the way the world is. Philosophy and religion attempt to answer questions about what ought to be and why. But religion, unlike philosophy and science, is usually based on divine revelation and authority.

The word “theology” comes from the Greek words theos meaning God and logos meaning the word about (or the study of) God. Theology assumes that the divine exists in some form, and evidence for and about that existence may be found through personal spiritual experience or historical records of such experiences as documented by others. In short, theology is the study of God and of God's relationship to the world.

I consider myself to be an expert on theology. Why? Because I think the number of experts on any topic is inversely proportional to the evidence available on that topic. And by that criterion, we are all experts on God because there is absolutely no evidence for her/his existence. Many theologians make up stuff about God or quote stuff from books made up by others. My acknowledgment that I know nothing about God makes me more of an expert than those who claim to know God or to know about him/her.

Nobody can produce evidence that God is more than a thought or belief. Scientists can see stars that have been dead for billions of years and can document microscopic bacteria that lived on Earth eons ago. But of God we have no trace, except reports about God that neither the writers nor those around them ever witnessed, and the faith of millions who convinced themselves that God lives and reigns somewhere in the sky. If I told people I have an unverifiable, invisible friend that I speak with, they would think I have an overactive imagination, if not outright insanity, unless I named this friend “God.”

Most theists recognize how intellectually feeble faith is when they see it applied to anything other than their personal god belief. Competing and contradictory claims for thousands of gods by billions of people throughout history only says that humans can believe just about anything. Religious belief is not a logical conclusion arrived at after researching all the world's faiths and deciding on the most sensible one. It usually comes from childhood indoctrination and is wrapped up with values and loyalties developed at that time. People don't make a rational choice to believe in a god, so they are unlikely to make a rational choice to stop believing in that god, though some do if they become evidence-based.

In debates, I've had with Christian theologians my opponents use what is called “apologetics,” a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity against objections. Scientists don't need apologetics because nobody must believe in science for it to exist. When I provide debate opponents with biblical contradictions or questions they can't answer because no answer matches reality, I sometimes hear the unfalsifiable response “God works in mysterious ways.”

Confirmation bias also plays a large role when interpreting passages in “holy” books. For example, some theologians claim that the Bible has it right in ways that prominent scientists had it wrong. Many scientists once believed in an eternal, steady-state universe before we learned about the “Big Bang” and an expanding universe. Genesis opens with “In the beginning,” which some Christian apologists interpret as scientific evidence that the Bible describes a Big Bang beginning. I point out that Genesis goes on to say that God then created two lights, the greater to rule the day, and the lesser the night. Almost as an afterthought, God then made stars (which biblical writers did not know were other suns, many larger than our sun). The Bible contains so much anti-scientific nonsense because it's a product of an Iron Age culture, and the Bible has no more knowledge in it than the people of Mesopotamia had at that time.

I think there is a place for teaching the philosophy of religion in academia, including by religious studies departments at public universities. Also, perhaps, in theology departments, depending on how the topics are taught. Philosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy concerned with questions regarding religion, including the nature and existence of gods, the examination of religious experience, the analysis of religious vocabulary and texts, and the relationship of religion to science. A good religious studies program should expose students to all kinds of religious beliefs, and some students might realize that the religion in which they were raised makes no more sense than do a lot of other religions.

A fine book for philosophy of religion or religious studies is Karen Armstrong's A History of God, though more accurately it should be called “A History of God Belief.” Within authentic academia, in the absence of proof of the existence of something that something must be deemed not to exist until verifiable proof is found. So “God” should be held not to exist pending some sort of verifiable evidence.

College theology departments that mainly promote apologetics in religion-affiliated schools do not undertake a legitimate search for truth. At such schools, I like to see what science courses are in the curriculum if any. Some religion-affiliated schools “teach” why evolution is wrong. I don't so much mind theological viewpoints that incorporate legitimate science, but too many don't. It is difficult, I would even say impossible, for apologists to show how their “holy” book is consistent with modern scientific findings. I remember a time when people would feel a little embarrassed when they admitted they knew almost nothing about science. I never expected to hear what I hear from so many today, that they don't believe in science, as if science (like religion) is no more than a belief. Ignorance is not bliss and refusing to accept what we know is ignorance squared.

* From Nov/Dec 2022 Freethought Society Ezine

Thursday, July 28, 2022

William Lane Craig DESTROYS Christian Apologetics

"When confronted with a lack of evidence for God, famous theologian William Lane Craig suggests that people should simply lower their epistemological bar in order to get the benefits of faith. He went full-on Pascal's wager! Everyone should use this clip when talking about William Lane Craig going forward."

I have been a critic of all religious apologists in general, and William Lane Craig in particular (link). Click on the link below for a video fully exposing how vapid Christian apologetics really is:


Labels


Click on image

Choose how you look at reality wisely. Yes, it is a binary choice.

Choose how you look at reality wisely. Yes, it is a binary choice.
Click on image