Randal Rauser

Are Christian apologists just clowning around?

Posted on 03/15/12 62 Comments

The clown is preparing for his evening act at the circus. He puts on the ridiculous polka dot body suit. Next he slips his giant rubber feet into place and pulls on his red wig. Carefully he applies the colorful makeup to his features. Then, just as he pops on the big red clown nose, he notices [...]

Believers and skeptics deconstructed

Posted on 03/15/12 36 Comments

In my minimal definition of faith (assent to a proposition that is conceviably false) I pointed to some supporting texts including the calling of Abram in Hebrews 11. Beetle replied that this is the “exact kind of belief-risk that separates the believer from the skeptic….” Beetle seems to be proposing that it is meaningful to divide [...]

Atheism isn’t a religion … but it can be part of one

Posted on 03/14/12 30 Comments

Is atheism a religion? No. But then, theism isn’t a religion either. And a chassis isn’t a car. And a violinist isn’t an orchestra. But a violinist can be part of an orchestra. A chassis can be part of a car. Theism can be part of a religion. And so can atheism.

Why (most) political advertising should be illegal

Posted on 03/14/12 7 Comments

Yesterday Glen Stassen of Fuller Theological Seminary provided the annual Wahl Lectures at Taylor Seminary. Professor Stassen’s father was Harold Stassen, Governor of Minnesota (1939-43), President of the University of Pennsylvania, and perennial candidate for US president. During the Eisenhower administration Stassen worked closely with the president. According to Glen (who shared this anecdote at [...]

Should Christians use peyote to experience God?

Posted on 03/13/12 7 Comments

In “Perceiving the transcendent God through transcending entities” I argued with overwhelmingly persuasive force that God can be experienced through great works of art and architecture. Well, okay, maybe something falling just short of overwhelming persuasion. The argument did prompt some interesting comments. One of the more interesting of the batch came from Emilie who, [...]

Should we give up on faith altogether?

Posted on 03/12/12 84 Comments

My definition of the epistemic concept of faith has, not surprisingly, faced some pushback. That is, some people have been unwilling to put their, er, faith in it. One of those is Robert Gressis who, while broadly sympathetic and a fellow devotee of root beer, nonetheless says the following: As for the more central question of [...]

Bringing clarity to faith

Posted on 03/11/12 42 Comments

Faith, I explained, consists of assent to a proposition that is conceivably false. Robert is clearly unhappy with this definition. Why? He complains that it “‘levels the playing field’, which is exactly what you intended to do.” In other words, it means that everyone exercises faith, and that just can’t be right. The fact is, Robert says, “the [...]

John Loftus challenges me to define faith

Posted on 03/10/12 84 Comments

John Loftus has challenged me to respond to the following: Christian theists make two claims about faith: 1) That atheists define the concept of faith wrong, and 2) That atheists have faith just like Christian theists do. So here’s my challenge: Define faith in such a way that it fulfills both requirements! Let’s see you try. [...]

Can you perceive God if you cannot demonstrate your perception to others?

Posted on 03/10/12 7 Comments

Let’s consider Beetle’s response to my essay “Perceiving the transcendent God through transcending entities“. While I don’t agree with most of what Beetle says, it is a concise, well written representation of many standard criticisms and thus it is worth our time to critique it carefully. Beetle begins with a conciliatory statement that conceals a [...]

Perceiving the transcendent God through transcending entities

Posted on 03/09/12 23 Comments

Like many people, Brap Gronk is incredulous to (or at least skeptical of) the idea that human beings might form properly basic beliefs about God. Brap writes: “But how does one form beliefs about God’s nature, plans and purposes without some input from the Bible or from others who have thought about such things and [...]