Christians sometimes argue that life is only meaningful if it goes on forever. Atheists sometimes argue that life is only meaningful if it doesn’t go on forever. They’re both wrong.
meaning
Ten Years After the Atheist Bus Campaign: Some Reflections
It may be hard to believe, but it has been ten years since the Atheist Bus Campaign posted ill-conceived signs on European buses with the trite caption: “There’s probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” Note to atheists: when you finally grab the microphone, try to have something more profound to say […]
What are Human Rights Based On? A Response to Andy Bannister
A couple weeks ago “Unbelievable” featured a debate/dialogue on human rights between Christian apologist Andy Bannister and humanist/atheist Peter Tatchell. The show begins with a short video from Andy and so in providing my critical response that is where I’ll begin as well: Andy is an articulate and engaging speaker. But I disagree with his […]
Andy Bannister on God, Human Beings, and Intrinsic Value
This evening Andy Bannister posted another strikingly bold assertion about the connection between theism and value: On a first pass, this tweet appears to me to be obviously false. For two statements to be contradictory, one must make an assertion that is directly inconsistent with the other such that they could not simultaneously be true. For […]
You are insignificant; therefore, God doesn’t exist: Reflections on the Worst Arguments Against Christianity (Part 3)
Next up in our ongoing survey of bad arguments against Christianity we have Jonathyn42 who offers the following: “An in-law of mine described to me the ‘real’ reason she now rejects Christianity: when tripping on acid, she perceived herself to be wholly insignificant, and thus God doesn’t exist. (She said this knowing that I’m going […]
91. Andy Bannister on Atheism, Morality, and the Meaning of Life
In his famous essay “A Free Man’s Worship,” Bertrand Russell describes the plight of our species in a godless universe with a haunting eloquence that ranks among the most memorable passages of twentieth century philosophy. As Russell puts it, man’s “origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome […]
Is Life Meaningless without God? A Look at Andy Bannister’s Arguments
Andy Bannister is the director and top apologist of RZIM Canada and author of The Atheist Who Didn’t Exist. In the following 3 minute video (part of a lengthy series of similar videos) he argues that life is meaningless without God. So what should we say about Andy’s argument? To begin with, Andy opens with […]
The Meaning of Life: A New Year’s Eve Reflection
The dawning of a new year is a great opportunity for a little life reflection. But this New Year’s Eve, don’t stop with the standard resolutions (e.g. lose weight!; spend more time with family!; read more books!). Dig a little deeper by considering the question of meaning. A little while ago I was reading an essay in […]
You Don’t Own Yourself: Christianity Against Culture Part 1
Several weeks ago, blog commenter extraordinaire Luke Breuer posed the following question to me in a discussion thread: “What are some of the ways you think Christianity [strongly?] contrasts with contemporary culture?” It’s an interesting question, not least because I spend a lot of my time emphasizing the points of continuity between Christianity and contemporary […]
Human value and the atonement: A Reply to Andy Bannister
I’ve just been listening to (and enjoying) the August 29th edition of Unbelievable which features a dialogue between Christian theist Andy Bannister and atheist Michael Ruse on the meaning of life. There is a lot to dig into here: both Bannister and Ruse are intelligent and engaging speakers who show charity to the other side. […]
A Primer to my Reader’s Journey Through God or Godless
In retrospect, this primer should have come before I started my series on God or Godless. But better late than never, right? So why write the primer now? I realized I needed it after writing the third installment in the series which is based on the first chapter and was itself titled: “If there is […]
If there is no God, then life has no meaning: A Reader’s Journey Through God or Godless (Part 3)
In the first debate of the book we take on the question of meaning. My concern here is not merely the possibility of meaning that is constructed out of personal preference or social convention. Rather, I am concerned with a meaning that we discover. The theist’s understanding of meaning, as I defend it here, is […]
Can Christianity guarantee your happiness?
Apologist Matt Fradd sent me a link to an interesting article by Christopher West titled “Has Brad Pitt Found What He’s Looking For? (I Haven’t)”. In the article West reflects on the way a fellow Christian appropriated a confession from actor Brad Pitt. In the quote, Pitt comments to an interviewer on his own melancholy nature: […]
How should we think about atheists who have no problem with atheism?
Yesterday my article “Do you have enough faith to be a theist? Or an atheist?” drew an interesting comment from a reader named Bilbo who reflected: “At a very dark perod [sic] in my life, when I was angry at God for everything, I tried living as an atheist for a few years. The bleakness […]
