The doctrine of the Atonement is at the center of Christianity. Unfortunately, it's a difficult concept to wrap our modern minds around, and it even seems nonsensical at first glance. After all, how does one guy dying on a cross a long time ago pay for the sins of the entire world? That's a difficult question to answer, and indeed that's probably why many Christians have never … [Read more...]
Review: David Fitzgerald's Nailed
Last year, I met popular skeptic and Christ-myth proponent David Fitzgerald at a debate and agreed to read and review his book Nailed. I read it almost immediately, but never got around to reviewing it. After reconnecting with him recently, I agreed again to review it and then dialogue with him a little about the book. … [Read more...]
Stupid Things Christians Say: Satan Hijacks Apologetics
Last spring, my church hosted a debate about the textual reliability of the New Testament. The response to the event was mostly positive, but one reader emailed me to explain that the debate was a bad idea because...Satan could have hijacked it. I promise I did not make that up. … [Read more...]
Hitler: just a good Catholic?
The history of Nazi Germany is no secret. There are probably thousands of reliable titles available that deal with various aspects of the regime, and all of them will tell you that the Nazis weren't motivated by Christianity - unless you're an atheist. If you're an atheist, you have to filter your reading through the attempts of Christopher Hitches to associate Nazism with … [Read more...]
What We Can Learn From Jehovah's Witnesses
Almost everybody has been visited at home by Jehovah's Witnesses, and most people probably wouldn't hesitate to call the group crazy. It's difficult to reach any other conclusion when they start conversations with, "Do you think God punishes people with natural disasters?" Nonetheless, I've found that when given an opportunity to speak, they're willing to discuss their beliefs, … [Read more...]
Fundies On The Left and The Right: Atheists and King James Onlyists
Christian apologists have often pointed out that atheists have a lot in common with the wackiest of religious believers. For example, many atheists maintain that the Bible teaches a literal six-day creation, or that Revelation is to be taken as a literal text. Whether believers or skeptics, the people who hold such views often understand the Bible in an absolutist sense, rarely … [Read more...]
Debating tips for atheists
Free thought blogger and atheist activist JT Eberhard has given a talk several times this year about why the arguments for the existence of God fail. During the talk, Eberhard discusses his year-long experiment of attending church and asking Christians why they believe in God. The lecture is designed to give atheists an outline of how to dialogue with believers and deconvert … [Read more...]