A couple weeks ago I had a bit of a dust up with Chris Hallquist which culminated in my article “Chris Hallquist, fundamentalism, and prejudice against Christian apologists.” Now Chris has fired back. Has he ever! His article opens like this: “I don’t think I’m going to be able to get through writing this post if I […]
Archives for June 2013
Are Top Scientists Overwhelmingly Atheists?
This is another guest post from my friend J. Steve Miller. You can visit Steve online at his website: www.jstevemiller.com * * * Abstract: Writers often cite surveys as evidence that the vast majority of America’s elite scientists are atheists. Since surveys find the majority of America’s general population believing in God, many infer that […]
5. The Loftus Rauser Road Trip: Conversations on God (Part 2)
This is the second podcast conversation from the Loftus/Rauser God or Godless Tour of Alberta. In this episode the setting shifts to a Starbucks coffee shop as John and I discuss the question of free thought. Just what does it mean to be a free thinker? Can a free thinker be part of a wider […]
God and Owl
Here’s a riddle. What does God have in common with Owl, the character from the popular children’s book series and television show “Little Bear”? Easy! Both have names identical with their natural kinds. Owl is an owl and God is, er, a god. Of course, monotheists believe that God is the only token example of […]
Nate suggests that “God” is a theoretical term. Is he correct?
One of my readers, Nate, provided an extended comment in response to my essay “Ignosticism? A response to Advocatus Atheist“. Not only was it long, but it was meaty too. Indeed, it was a full course meal. I’ve decided to republish it here so that we can reflect a bit on Nate’s attempt to redeem […]
Ignosticism? A response to Advocatus Atheist
Over the last month I’ve run a series titled “Why they don’t believe”. I drew the current series to a close with the final entry from Tristan Vick two days ago. In the earlier installments I offered a few comments at the end of each entry. But given that Tristan’s contribution was significantly more substantial, […]
Pastor, tell us what you really think!
Did you ever nod off during a sermon? Lucky for you that you didn’t have this fellow for a pastor. (Thanks to Stew for forwarding the link.)
How much freedom would you surrender to live comfortably?
This is a follow-up to my article “Is Edward Snowden a traitor?” The main critique of Edward Snowden is that NSA surveillance curtails terroristic activity and makes citizens safer. That is, the government monitoring and logging all your communication exchanges with other people makes you safer. And Snowden screwed it all up. Well if this […]
Near-Death Experiences Ripe for Philosophical Reflection (by Steve Miller)
This is a guest post by J. Steve Miller, author of Near Death Experiences as Evidence for the Existence of God and Heaven. In this paper Steve provides a very helpful overview of the current state of NDE research and the need for further philosophical reflection on it. My thanks to Steve for his willingness to […]
Is Edward Snowden a traitor?
Is Edward Snowden a traitor to the United States? The United States government thinks so. Today Secretary of State John Kerry labelled him a “traitor to his country.” Really? Consider Jan. She is best friends with Susie. Now Susie has started dating Troy. Susie thinks everything is fine with their relationship. What she doesn’t know […]
A link back to my review of Stephen Law, “Believing Bullshit”
In the discussion of the last few days I have heard some positive references to Stephen Law’s book Believing Bullshit. I was not as sanguine about the book when I reviewed it two years ago for the reasons outlined in my original review here.
A Word from Justin Schieber
This is a guest post courtesy of Justin Schieber (his third in a month!). One more and I’ll have to put him on the payroll. Justin here offers a reply to my challenge to the Reasonable Doubts doubtcasters to demonstrate how Christian beliefs are clearly false. This thoughtful statement is yet more evidence why, whatever […]
Why they don’t believe: Tristan Vick (Advocatus Atheist)
The final entry in my series “Why they don’t believe” comes from Tristan Vick, blogger at Advocatus Atheist. At approximately 3000 words, Tristan’s contribution is certainly the longest submission, and unfortunately it may be too long for some readers to read in its entirety. That would be unfortunate as Tristan’s defense of what he calls “ignosticism” […]
The Tentative Apologist Podcast is now available on iTunes
Yes folks, finally the podcast is available in iTunes. (Just go to iTunes and search “Tentative Apologist.”) And I’ll be adding another Loftus conversation to the podcast today or tomorrow. I also have interviews with theologian Oliver Crisp and philosopher Myron Penner coming up shortly. Beyond that … the sky’s the limit. So check it out! (And […]
