In this video, I survey five rhetorical categories of comparison that village atheists/new atheists make with belief in God. And I explain why each one of them is little more than an ignorant attempt to poison the well.
satire
Is it wrong to mock Trump?
It’s undignified to mock @realDonaldTrump’s health issues. That’s off limits. Let’s focus on issues. Hope you recover, Mr. President. — Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) June 15, 2020 Focus on issues? Health (mental and physical) is an issue. As for the propriety of mockery, it is wrong all things being equal. But in this case, all […]
A Child Shall Lead Them: Why Greta Thunberg is no laughing matter
The Babylon Bee has only been around for three years, but during that time it has expanded its fan base rapidly with a brand of newsy satire purportedly aimed at conservative evangelicals. However, rather than critique that audience, The Bee often plays to their ignorance and tribal prejudices. Consider, for example, the case of teenage Swedish […]
This is Not Normal: The Importance of Satire in the Age of Donald Trump
One month ago Donald Trump tweeted a series of bizarre accusations that Barack Obama wire tapped Trump Tower during the election. The charge was complete nonsense. And yet, in the weeks that followed Trump’s surrogates have engaged in a jaw-dropping exercise in confabulation, attempting to find something — anything — which can provide some sort of corroboration […]
Sending Out Christmas Curses
Tired of the same old Christmas cards? According to the satirical Babylon Bee “news” site, this family unwittingly stumbled upon a brilliant alternative: imprecatory psalm cards. (Thanks to Samuel Choy for forwarding the Babylon Bee article to me.) After some reflection I’ve decided that this is not such a bad idea. At least your greeting […]
Donald Trump declares his power over the past, can prevent Russia from entering Ukraine
Donald Trump continues to dazzle the world with his geopolitical acumen and extraordinary metaphysical powers. It all began on Sunday when Trump said that Putin is “not going into Ukraine.” George Stephanopoulos replied by pointing out that Russia is already in Ukraine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXucpaDPoSA Alas, Mr. Stephanopoulos’ response suggests the cynical assumption that Mr. Trump was ignorant of the fact […]
The Pastafarians have infiltrated my daughter’s school
The other day my daughter reported that three boys in her junior high class came to school wearing colanders on their head and smugly declaring themselves devotees of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I’ve been following Bobby Henderson’s satirical new religion for the better part of the last decade (it was launched in 2005) and I’ve […]
I Miss The Wittenburg Door
I’ve long been a fan of clever satire and parody. So it’s no surprise that I’ve also long been a fan of that fledgling iconoclastic Christian institution, The Wittenburg Door (aka The Door). The Door was every bit as smart and funny as Mad and Cracked, but it devoted itself to lampooning cultural Christianity. Sadly, […]
Oprah interviews Rob Bell … and Randal too!
Rob Bell recently appeared on Oprah’s “Super Soul Sunday”. Before I continue, let me note that I like Oprah. In a world of increasingly nasty, polarized people, she appears to be a genuinely kind person who has done a lot of good in the world. My biggest problem with Oprah is that her view of […]
Hi. You’re awesome.
The other day I visited a church and was greeted at the entrance with this sign. “Hi. You’re Awesome.” I looked around surprised, but there was nobody else present at that moment, so I concluded the sign must mean me. My first thought was, “Gee, if I’m already awesome, why not sleep in Sunday morning […]
Cosmos meets Logos: If Carl Sagan had been a conservative Christian
I don’t know if you ever stopped to ask yourself, “What would the original ‘Cosmos’ have been like if Carl Sagan had been a conservative Christian?” Well now you know. Check out this very clever satire by Reasonable Doubts Podcast with Sagan’s doppelganger being voiced by Jeremy Beahan who, based on this performance, could have […]
0. Randal launches The 59-Second Apologist
I’ve noticed the trend for some time now: the attention spans of people are steadily shrinking. To take one example, for many the daily devotional has been reduced to the time it takes to brush your teeth. As a result, the marketplace is crowded with one minute devotionals: One Minute Bible for Starters, One Minute Devotions for Girls, […]
A defense of Ken Ham’s fake Noah’s Ark
Ken Ham, that Australian-accented l’enfant terrible of North American fundamentalist Protestant 6-day young earth creationist Christianity, has achieved his goal of raising the first $14 million to begin construction on an ambitious life-size replica of Noah’s Ark for the people of Kentucky and indeed the citizens of the world. (Whew! That’s quite the opening sentence!) […]
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford charged with hating Christmas and heading drug cartel
AP (Toronto) – Further court documents were released by Toronto police Thursday outlining a series of new charges against Toronto’s embattled mayor Rob Ford. According to the report several staffers recounted hearing Ford say he “hates Christmas” on several occasions. In one incident he told a child named Virginia that there isn’t a Santa Claus, […]
