Recently Richard Carrier reviewed my book Is the Atheist My Neighbor? Let’s start with the good news: Carrier liked the book which he described as “packed full of facts and arguments” and a “brief but thorough and well-studied book”. (That’s two fine endorsements for the back cover of the second edition which will never be printed due to […]
Richard Carrier
Richard Carrier reviews Is the Atheist My Neighbor?
Richard Carrier just posted a review of my 2015 book Is the Atheist My Neighbor? Rethinking Christian Attitudes Toward Atheism. Titled “Randal Rauser on Treating Atheists Like People,” Carrier’s review has lots of nice things to say: he calls the book “brief but thorough and well-studied” and he observes, “it makes a better argument in defense […]
Jesus Mythicism: Reflections on the Worst Arguments Against Christianity (Part 2)
Our next candidate for the worst arguments against Christianity comes from Walter who writes: “I would nominate Jesus mythicism as championed by Earl Doherty as the worst argument against Christianity.” Fraternite seconded the suggestion: “Agreed completely. There are any number of ways one could credibly take aim at the different Christianities out there, but this […]
Richard Carrier on “God or Godless”
Richard Carrier expands on his favorable blurb for the book and provides additional info for downloading the nook and eBook formats today only. See his website here.
The new Idealism? A perspective on the Richard Carrier-Mark Goodacre debate on Jesus Mythicism
The other day I listened to the December 15, 2012 episode of Justin Brierley’s “Unbelievable” radio show which featured a debate between Richard Carrier and Mark Goodacre on the issue of Jesus mythicism. (You can listen by downloading it from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/unbelievable/id267142101.) Carrier argued that the Jesus-was-a-myth theory was a live historical theory and may, in fact, be the […]
The End of Christianity? A Skeptical Review (Part 3)
Providentialist history arguments have long been part of the arsenal of some apologists. One popular argument of this type defends the conclusion that the Jews are God’s chosen people based on the fact that they have survived the seemingly endless persecution of their people throughout history. (Here’s what I picture the skeptic retorting: that’s like […]
Why “defeating naturalism” is harder said than done
The intrepid S1lverBullet posed a direct question to me: “what qualifies as a defeater to belief in Yawheh/Jesus/Holy Ghost? A logical impossibility? What, exactly?” Later he explained further what he was looking for: “I was asking what might qualify as a defeater? A defeater would be identified by what criteria? It seems that his [Randal’s] beliefs must […]
