Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Episode 28 Nothing For Christmas with guest Nica Lalli


Nica Lalli Author of "Nothing: Something to Believe In" joins us in the studio to talk about art, the holidays and raising freethinking children. Also in this episode are holiday editions of the "props/s***list" and "stranger than fiction" segments.

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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Episode 27 Cross-Examining the Four Witnesses Part 2


Does the New Testament provide a clear and accurate portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth? If the gospels provide the testimony of four independent witnesses who overwhelmingly agree on the details, as apologists claim, then we would have reason to trust these accounts. But modern biblical scholarship paints a radically different picture of the gospels, their origins and historical accuracy. In this, the second of a two part series, the Doubtcasters consider and respond to recent counter-arguments offered by prominent Christian apologists.

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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Episode 26 Cross-Examining the Four Witnesses Part 1


Does the New Testament provide a clear and accurate portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth? If the gospels provide the testimony of four independent witnesses who overwhelmingly agree on the details, as apologists claim, then we would have reason to trust these accounts. But modern biblical scholarship paints a radically different picture of the gospels, their origins and historical accuracy. In this, the first of a two part series, the Doubtcasters draw upon the insights of biblical criticism to challenge the reliability of the gospel narratives. For part two of the series, the Doubtcasters will consider and respond to recent counter-arguments offered by prominent Christian apologists.

To download this or previous Reasonable Doubts episodes click here.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Episode 25 Bioethics and Belief with guest Ronald Lindsay


Embryonic stem-cell research, assisted dying, human enhancements and genetically modified foods. Is it possible to have a constructive moral and legal dialogue about such controversial bioethical issues without being derailed by religious and ideological dogmas? Ron Lindsay, author of Future Bioethics: Overcoming Taboos, Myths and Dogmas joins us on the show to explain how we could resolve these controversies without presupposing either a religious or non-religious worldview.


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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Episode 24 Halloween Special


Zombies, demons, Satan, witches, ritual abuse, Mel Gibson and more...this episode's a nightmare.


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Monday, October 20, 2008

Episode 23 Plantinga Schmantinga

By popular demand, the Doubtcasters present their critique of Christian philosopher Alvin Plantinga's Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism (EAAN). This celebrated argument attempts to demonstrate that natural selection, if unguided by god, could not produce beings with reliable cognitive faculties capable of discerning the truth. But is EAAN all its cracked up to be? Also on this episode: The Doubtcasters consider William Lane Craig's rebuttal to Euthyphro's Dilemma, answer listener e-mails, and discuss Bill Maher's new movie Religulous.
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Thursday, October 2, 2008

Episode 22 God, Sarah Palin and Other Failures with guest Victor Stenger


Physicist Victor Stenger joins us on the show to discuss his book God The Failed Hypothesis. Stenger challenges Christian apologists who argue that modern physics point to a creator. He also defends the more aggressive approach "the new atheists" use when critiquing religion as well as his own controversial claim that a proper understanding of science actually proves that no gods exist. Also on the show… the Doubtcasters outline their reasons why every American, regardless of their politics, should be terrified at the prospect of a Palin presidency.


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Monday, September 15, 2008

Episode 21 Miracles with guest Joe Nickell

Visions, weeping statues, speaking in strange tongues…even in modern times believers have appealed to seemingly miraculous events as evidence for their supernatural beliefs. But is there any evidence that miracles really happen? Paranormal investigator Joe Nickell joins us on the show to discuss how to scientifically investigate claims of the miraculous. Also for a "God thinks like you" segment the doubtcasters discuss the psychological basis of supposedly supernatural phenomena such as glossolalia or "speaking in tongues"


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Sunday, August 31, 2008

Episode 20 With a little help from our friends...


Reasonable Doubts departs from its usual format to bring you an audio-documentary about the importance of friendship and community amongst non-believers. Recorded at CFI Michigan's Second Annual Long Lake Retreat, the episode traces the history of how the group evolved and the friendships that developed along with it.


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Sunday, August 10, 2008

New Bonus Episode: Responding to Ravi Zacharias (from the Reason Driven Podcast)


RD co-host Jeremy Beahan joined Danny and Mikyle from the Reason Driven Podcast to help the duo with a follow up to their debate with Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias. The interview portion of that episode is included here, but you can get the entire episode as well as the Debate with Ravi from their website www.reasondriven.blogspot.com


To download this or any previous Reasonable Doubts episodes click here.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Reasonable Doubts Wear


The ol' Doubtcast now has official merchandise. Check out our store and get a RD shirt for yourself or someone you love. You can find our zazzle store at http://www.zazzle.com/doubtcast
More styles available soon.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Episode 19 Decalogue


Paranormal investigator Jim Underdown discusses skepticism, faith healing and the Ten Commandments. Also: Messiahs before Jesus? Join us for another Skeptics Sunday School where we examine Israel Knohl's suffering servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Also the doubtcasters review new research on the relationship between different forms of religiosity and retaliatory violence for the most recent installment of "god thinks like you."


To download this or any previous Reasonable Doubts episodes click here.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Episode 18 Independence Day


"As the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion…" These words taken from Article XI of the United States treaty with Tripoli in 1796, provide a clear and direct answer to historical revisionists who claim America is a "Christian Nation." The doubtcasters discuss this document and others for a special Independence Day episode of RD.


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Friday, June 20, 2008

Episode 17 The Lords Army


One of the most dangerous entanglements between Church and State is seldom witnessed by the average American civilian. Yet from the Air Force Academe to the Pentagon, the United States Armed Forces have been infiltrated by evangelical Christians who believe their purpose is to "raise up a Godly army." For this episode the doubtcasters examine this trend and its connection to Christian apocalypticism. This episode also features the comic short "This Humanists Army" as well as a counter-apologetic segment debunking the "70 Weeks" passage in the book of Daniel which is thought by many apologists to be one of the strongest examples of a fulfilled prophecy.


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Thursday, June 5, 2008

Episode 16 Off the Deep End


Polygamy, eschatology, Scientology…there is no shortage of religious craziness in the world today. On this episode the doubtcasters wander (more or less) aimlessly through recent headlines. The Church of Scientology, John Hagee and the fundamentalist Mormon church receive special attention. Also listen for an unusual shitlist and a public service announcement on behalf of www.youvebeenleftbehind.com.


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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Episode 15 The Soul of Secularism

Alarming developments at the UN now threaten freedom of expression world wide. Austin Dacey, philosopher and Center for Inquiry's representative to the United Nations joins us to explain how the core principle of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been abandoned by the very council that is charged with upholding it. How did the UN, which was founded on humanistic principles, come to this? And why are so many unaware or unconcerned about these developments? In his book "the Secular Conscience" Dacey argues that western liberal secularism "lost its soul" when it began treating claims of conscience as purely subjective matters that do not belong in the public sphere. By privatizing conscience, secular liberals sought to keep religion separate from politics but only succeeded in placing a gag order upon themselves thus giving up the language of morality to religious conservatives. Now is the time for secularists to reclaim civic moral dialogue and defend a free and open society. For inspiration, Dacey adds, we should look to the courageous men and women of the Secular Islam Summit whose approach to matters of conscience more closely resembles our enlightenment forbearers then that of modern secular liberals.


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Monday, April 28, 2008

Episode 14 In Defense of the ACLU


Religious right commentators have referred to the ACLU as the "Anti-Christian Lawyers Union" which targets the rights of Christian citizens. Ed Brayton, author of scienceblogs.com's popular blog Dispatches From the Culture Wars joins us on the show to expose the blatant misinformation behind such accusations and to share the important contributions religious believers have made to defending liberty. In the end, Brayton argues, we should honor those who defend freedom of expression as the true American heroes they are. Also in this episode, RD discusses possible evolutionary advantages to religiosity and the hype behind "the God gene" for another installment of God Thinks Like You.


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Saturday, April 12, 2008

Episode 13


In addition to sharing DNA, both Christopher and Peter Hitches posses a passion for ideas, eloquence of speech and razor-sharp wit. But this is where the similarities end. Christopher Hitchens, author of God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything is an outspoken Atheist and defender of the Iraq War. His brother Peter is a devout Anglican Christian and anti-war journalist. After a recent reconciliation the two met for their first (and possibly last) public debate in nearly a decade. The result was a fantastic debate on God and war that left a bewildered audience wondering who to cheer for. Thanks to the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies & Center For Inquiry Michigan, Reasonable Doubts was able to seize a rare opportunity to interview both Hitchens brothers together in the peaceful moments just before the debate.


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Hitchens vs Hitchens on the War



Brought To You By


and




Friday, April 11, 2008

Hitchens vs Hitchens on God




Brought To You By


and


Sunday, March 30, 2008

Episode 12 Stupid Americans


How is it, that in an age of unprecedented access to information, ignorance and anti-reason could be so widespread in American society? Susan Jacoby author of Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism joins us to discuss her latest book, the Age of American Unreason. During the "golden age of American freethought" the great agnostic Robert Ingersoll could argue for religious skepticism before huge and ideologically diverse audiences. But in a world where video culture has replaced print culture, where sound-bytes and 24 hour infotainment have replaced thoughtful dialogue, Americans are able to isolate themselves from other viewpoints that might challenge their own. Can freethinkers learn anything from their own intellectual heritage, that will aid them in combating unreason today? Also: Buddhist violence, another installment of God Thinks Like You, listener e-mails and a totally psychedelic Stranger Than Fiction.


To download this or any previous Reasonable Doubts episodes click here.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Episode 11 Bizarro World


What if an alternate universe existed parallel to our own…a horrific bizarro universe where all defenders of reason and skepticism are transformed into religious apologists? On this episode the apostles of doubt get a small taste of what such world would be like as they discover and confront their own internet doppelganger--the Reasonable Faith podcast. Apologist William Lang Craig heads this apologetics podcast, where he advances his favorite arguments for the existence of God. Luke, Jeremy, and Fletch are unconvinced and spend the show taking on Craig's arguments. But can skeptics breathe a sigh of relief trusting that our hero's have once again made the world safe for freethought? Rd's journey into the depths of this alternate universe takes a nightmarish turn as they confront the bizarro version of their favorite skeptic in the extended comic short "LOGOS" with Reverend Carl Sagan.


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Episode 10 Islam, Science and Modernity (Part 2)

Join us as we conclude our interview with Taner Edis, author of "An Illusion of Harmony: Science and Religion in Islam." Muslim immigrant communities continue to grow throughout Europe and in some cases they continue to grow more isolated and hostile towards western secular values. Are the teachings of Islam to blame? Or do socioeconomic factors provide a better explanation? And how should concerned skeptics respond? Difficult questions seldom yield to simple answers, and even freethinkers need to be on their guard for those who would offer superficial rhetoric over real understanding. Reasonable Doubts: Your skeptical guide to religion offering news and commentary of interest to skeptics, atheists, humanists, apologists looking for a challenge and freethinkers of all persuasions.


To download this or any previous Reasonable Doubts episodes click here.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Episode 9 Islam, Science and Modernity (Part 1)



Taner Edis, author of "An Illusion of Harmony: Science and Religion in Islam" joins us on the show to discuss the rise of Islamic pseudoscience in the Muslim world, in this first installment of a two part series. We explore why a growing number of Muslims believe the Qur'an prefigures many scientific discoveries of today, and what this reveals about Muslim attitudes towards science and modernity in general. Also featured: Where to get premium bottled holy water for believers who live an active lifestyle (sadly that’s not a joke). And Dave geeks out on his blasphemous playlist. Reasonable Doubts: Your skeptical guide to religion offering news and commentary of interest to skeptics, atheists, humanists, apologists looking for a challenge and freethinkers of all persuasions.


To download this or any previous Reasonable Doubts episodes click here.

Episode 8 God Thinks Like You


Why do people believe? Why do they doubt? What can psychological research tell us about religious belief? And can it tell us anything about non-believers and skepticism? For this episode the RD crew draws upon one of its greatest resources...our co-host Luke Galen, Associate Professor of Psychology at Grand Valley State University. Luke shares with us some of the research that he is conducting on the psychology of religion. Also featured: RD responds to a challengers e-mail and a new segment "stranger than fiction." Reasonable Doubts: Your skeptical guide to religion offering news and commentary of interest to skeptics, atheists, humanists, apologists looking for a challenge and freethinkers of all persuasions.


To download this or any previous Reasonable Doubts episodes click here.

Episode 7 The Gospel Of Doubt


Religious apologists are fond of sharing "testimonies"; emotional stories of the life changing experiences often associated with religious conversion. But what happens when a person looses faith? DJ Grothe (associate editor of Free Inquiry Magazine, host of the Point of Inquiry as well as Vice President and Director of Outreach Programs for the Center For Inquiry)joins us on the show to share his personal "de-conversion" story. Jeremy and Dave also comment on the joys and frustrations of leaving the faith, while Luke shares some illuminating research comparing the psychology of skeptics verses the religious when confronted with life's difficult moments. Also featured is a brief "History of Reasonable Doubts" in the form of an old time radio short.

Episode 6 Peace On Earth


Celebrate the holiday with humanist pioneer, Dr. Paul Kurtz as he joins us in the studio for an inspiring interview. Paul Kurtz is, in many ways, the founder of the Secular Humanist movement and has had an impact on nearly every aspect of modern skepticism. He is the author of the Humanist Manifesto II, founder and chair of the Council for Secular Humanism, the Center for Inquiry, Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (formerly CSICOP) and editor of Prometheus Books. For this special Christmas episode Kurtz shares with us his vision of peace on earth. He envisions a new enlightenment where the recognition that human beings are all members one species, with equal dignity and value, serves as the foundation for creating a planetary ethic. Also in this episode join us for Skeptics Sunday School where we will examine the Christmas narrative and belief in the virgin birth of Jesus. Finally we offer some gift ideas for freethinkers this holiday season. Reasonable Doubts: Your skeptical guide to religion offering news and commentary of interest to skeptics, atheists, humanists, apologists looking for a challenge and freethinkers of all persuasions.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Episode 5 Separation On State Street


Does your grandmother run a dungeon? Independent film maker Rob St. Marry joins us in the studio to discuss his new documentary The Separation on State Street. His film follows the story of Anonka owner of a new age gift shop and "Witch Museum" in a small conservative Michigan town. Anonka's shop met with protests and boycotts from the beginning. But "all hell broke loose" when she challenged the cities decision to have a nativity scene placed on the court lawn. Soon afterwards Anonka and her family had to endure violence, death threats and intimidation at the hands of their "Christian" neighbors. Rob St. Marry shares the fascinating story, much of which he was personally an eye-witness to.

Also featured:

  • the Dalai Lama's controversial statement about his future successor
  • Scholars of Religion take on the Flying Spaghetti Monster
  • The latest development in stem-cell research that has the Religious right (prematurely) saying "I told you so!"





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Episode 4 Theocracy


Join us for a discussion with Eddie Tabash current chair of the national legal committee of Americans United for separation of Church and State as well as the Council for Secular Humanism's First Amendment Task Force. In addition to his better known role as an official campaign speaker and debater for numerous presidential candidates (including Bill Clinton & Jimmy Carter) Tabash is also a professional counter-apologist having debated such world famous Christian philosophers as: Peter van Inwagen, Greg Bahnsen, William Lane Craig and Richard Swinburne on the existence of God. In an extended interview, Tabash discusses a wide-range of topics: from disarming the arguments of Christian philosophers to the "unholy alliance" between the religious right and the postmodern academic left. The show concludes with a disturbing glimpse at the difference just one Supreme Court justice could make for American secularists...and the very real possibility that we might be on the verge of a theocratic America.

Also featured
  • How a new generation are becoming more skeptical, and why atheists can't take much of the credit.
  • Albom tries his hand at sociology and criminal psychology (stick to sports and sappy inspirational stories, Mitch).






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Episode 3 Skeptics Sunday School


Our third episode features a new segment: The Skeptics Sunday School. In this segment we draw upon biblical criticism, archeology, comparative mythology and the bible itself to present biblical stories and doctrines as you may have never seen them before. Fascinating , sometimes disturbing, facts you would never encounter at church. But facts which are nevertheless common knowledge amongst reputable biblical scholars. In this segment we take a look at some intriguing passages from the Hebrew bible referring to child sacrifice...and ask the difficult question: did the ancient Israelites actually preform the "detestable" practice that their scriptures so passionately condemns?

Also Featured

  • The Religious Right is divided on which Republican candidate to endorse.
  • Is Arnold Schwarzenegger "mentally molesting" California's children?
  • Counter-Apologetics: Our resident Professor of Psychology exposes the flawed "science" behind the family research councils attacks on homosexual parents.




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Episode 2 Doubt On Campus

Our second episode features an interview with CFI On Campus organizer and Point of Inquiry editorialist Lauren Becker. Lauren shares the story of her transformation from Park Ranger and education enthusiast to secular activist and organizer. She explains the mission of CFI On Campus--their strategy to promote critical thinking and oppose religious dogmas. She also discusses the challenges facing non-religious students on college campuses and how anyone can help promote free inquiry at their local college.

Also featured
  • Evangelists are trying to save digital souls in the web-based virtual world "Second Life"
  • Islam's "Promise-Keepers" put on a conference promoting Sharia Law that's fun for the whole family.
  • a counter-apologetics segment addressing the myth that atheists have no foundation for morality.




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Episode 1 Anti-Evolution After Dover


Listen to our first full-length episode! Episode 1 features an interview with Dr. Wesley Elsberry, former Information Project Director for the National Center for Science Education who is currently a Visiting Research Associate at Michigan State University, where he works with Robert Pennock studying the evolution of intelligence through computer simulations. His enlightening discussion focuses on the state of "Anti-evolution after Dover"--how creationists have been adapting their arguments after the devastating legal blow they received during the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District trial in late 2005.

Also featured:
  • An update on the Catholic Church's record-breaking settlement over allegations of child abuse in their Los Angeles Diocese and the shameful attempts of Vatican apologists to spin the story in a positive light.
  • Evangelicals take over Baseball and ruin it for the rest of us.
  • Islamic Creationism hits Turkey
  • See who makes our shit-list and who's getting props this week.




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Monday, February 11, 2008

Challenger E-mail

The following is an email from a challenger commenting on our refutations of William Lane Craig's arguments, featured in Episode 11: Bizarro World. My response to the challenger is offered in the post immediately following this one.

Anton writes:

"Objective" Atheistic morals are as groundless as "objective" Christian morals. Objective morality is yet unknown to humanity due to the fact that omniscience hasn't been achieved as we know it. There is also the same amount of proof that god exists as there is that he doesn't.

Your first arguments are ineffective against the person from "Reasonable Faith". Any reasonable Christian will tell you that Jesus changed how sin works. All of your biblical citations are from the old testament. This just tells me that you've never argued against a reasonable Christian. Your second argument tells me you know nothing about early Christian history. There is no proof pointing either way about any of it.

You could have attacked the assumptions he makes in his premises, but no, you remain as deluded as your "bizarro" counterpart by even accepting that objective morality is known to exist.

But, I'm a nihilist, and because of that, I'm frequently disregarded by anyone with any belief (such as yourselves). So feel free to keep doing what you're doing. No action is objectively preferable to another.

Teaching Critical Thinking by Responding To Blog Comments (Part 1?)

Anton,

Thank you for taking the time to send us a comment. Allow me to briefly help clarify our position and in the processes, perhaps provide for you some guidance as to how you might sharpen your skills at argumentation.

But, I'm a nihilist, and because of that, I'm frequently disregarded by anyone with any belief (such as yourselves).

Though I'm sure it plays a role, I doubt your belief in nihilism is the single or even most significant reason why people seldom take your arguments seriously. I myself considered not responding at all to your comment, because as I perceived it, you did not listen very carefully or make an effort to understand the arguments you were criticizing, and your comments expose a lack of understanding of even the most basic standards/principles of argumentation. Please believe me (or whatever the equivalent nihilistic sentiment would be) when I say that just a small amount of time invested in studying good critical thinking habits can make a great difference in your intellectual life. The quality of your critiques will be enhanced. People will take you more seriously. And you may even come to value the viewpoints of others not just your own.

Critical Thinking Tip #1 Be aware that many words have different meanings or different nuances depending on the context in which they are used. Always try carefully to understand how someone is using that word.

"Objective" Atheistic morals are as groundless as "objective" Christian morals. Objective morality is yet unknown to humanity due to the fact that omniscience hasn't been achieved as we know it. There is also the same amount of proof that god exists as there is that he doesn't.

Here you take objective to mean absolute and/or completely certain. Even Craig did not presuppose this in his argument. We defined what we meant by objective "morality can be objective in the sense of being impartial and unbiased" another (actually far more common) meaning for the word objective. Though Craig believed in Transcendent moral truths he clearly had this usage for the word "objective" in mind since he accused atheist morals as being "wholly subjective" and "arbitrary"--he did not accuse atheists of being fallible human beings or of lacking omniscience. The question again is, not are they 100% certain, but are they based on something other than just whim.

Critical Thinking Tip #2 Statements that lack clarity or are irrelevant to the matter at hand are not taken seriously. Always ask "can I state this in a manner that is more precise?" and "do my comments really address the matter at hand?"

Your first arguments are ineffective against the person from "Reasonable Faith". Any reasonable Christian will tell you that Jesus changed how sin works. All of your biblical citations are from the old testament. This just tells me that you've never argued against a reasonable Christian.

Clarity: I can only speculate as to what you intended to say here. "Jesus changed how sin works" Is too vague. Do you mean he changed our relationship to the law and what counts as obedience or sin (a Pauline view)? Or do you mean the manner in which a person acquires justification from sin (a dispensational view)? Or do you mean something deeper, such as the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ altered the very nature of sin itself, and this change has effects which stretch both forward and backward in time, providing redemption even for those living before Christ (covenant theology, and others)? If you cannot state your criticism with any sort of clarity or precision then most will simply assume that you do not know what you are talking about.

Relevance: regardless of what exactly you meant, Jesus redemptive work has no relevance to our critique at all, nor which testament our references came from. Listen again and this time try to pay attention more carefully to the points being made. We were not claiming that old testament laws or commandments are immoral (though, they most certainly are), or that God has sinned or anything such as that. We asked, "what does it mean to say God is righteous?" We then looked for a standard or criteria to judge God as righteous or not. None was found. Our conclusion: Gods rigorousness is not intelligible (it is not something that can be understood). We discussed the Old Testament Law only because it provided the clearest articulation of what a biblical standard of righteousness might look like. We did not assume that it applied to God, or even that it should. In fact central to our argument was the idea that it could not.

This just tells me that you've never argued against a reasonable Christian

In fact this very same argument I used when talking to Apologist Stewart McAlister. McAlister earns his living traveling around the country training clergy and laymen in Christian apologetics. In a moment of real honesty and humility he told me, in person, and without qualification that he had no answer to that argument, that he realized it was a serious criticism, and that he wanted to talk to his other apologist friends to see if they could answer it. He recognized the challenge presented by this argument because he carefully listened to the argument, thought through it, looked for relevant critiques and could find none. He modeled the traits of a good thinker by preferring to honestly say that he would need more time to find a critique, rather than cooking up some vague half-baked attempt at a refutation.

Your second argument tells me you know nothing about early Christian history. There is no proof pointing either way about any of it.

Again, relevance. We were not trying to prove anything. We were answering the claim that Jesus must have been resurrected because the historical testimony is so strong in its favor that it is implausible to suggest otherwise. If you pay attention we referred to nothing outside of the biblical text itself to refute Craig's argument, we just looked at the passages and asked, "does the story appear to be contrived?". The only historical claim I could find in our entire argument regards the approximate dates concerning various manuscripts of Mark. If you would like to challenge us specifically on that point, then by all means go ahead. But I believe your mistake may be a much deeper misunderstanding of argumentation. You would do well to read about "burden of proof", "appeal to the best explanation" and various tests for assessing the strength of inferences…because you seem to be under the impression that people have to prove with 100% certainty every point or counter-point they make. You might be pleasantly surprised that our situation is not so grim after all, and that there are many methods of both justifying and refuting claims that do not require humans to be infallible.

Critical Thinking Tip #3 Avoid melodramatic musings on how inferior your intellectual opponent is, or how easily you have vanquished their arguments. It makes you appear childish and gives the impression that you are overcompensating when debating with an opponent superior skill (which in this case is true).

You could have attacked the assumptions he makes in his premises, but no, you remain as deluded as your "bizarro" counterpart by even accepting that objective morality is known to exist

Come on Anton, are we in middle school all over again? Perhaps you found us annoying. That’s fine. But please be aware that you can take playful jabs at someone while still being respectful overall in your tone (such as in my response to you).

In conclusion Anton, Id like to recommend some books that might help you get your intellectual career off the ground.

Critical Thinking: An Introduction By Alec Fisher

The Art of Deception by Capaldi

Or if reading 'aint yo thang' there is a great audio course called Argumentation: The study of effective reasoning which can be purchased from The Teaching Company or you can download a pirated copy from any decent bittorrent site.

Thanks again for listening and I hope this has been educational

Jeremy

Co-host of Reasonable Doubts

Some Hella-Funny Videos

Warning: There may be some naughty language in the videos below. If you're sensitive to that sort of thing, I'd recommend leaving the internet completely, avoiding all pop culture and never entering a high school, a college campus or a public restroom ever again.

Enjoy

This one is particularly creepy because the names of the characters are Dave and Jeremy. Gives me with wiggins . . .


Here's an adorable little song about how everyone is going to Hell.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Science more dangerous than pedophiles, implies Pope

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080128.wpopescience0128/BNStory/Science/home?sid13

Pope warns of 'seductive' science
Reuters

January 28, 2008 at 12:34 PM EST

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict warned Monday of the "seductive" powers of science that overpower man's spirituality, reviving the science-versus-religion debate which recently forced him to cancel a speech after student protests.

"In an age when scientific developments attract and seduce with the possibilities they offer, it's more important than ever to educate our contemporaries' consciences so that science does not become the criterion for goodness," he told scientists.

Scientific investigation should be accompanied by "research into anthropology, philosophy and theology" to give insight into "man's own mystery, because no science can say who man is, where he comes from or where he is going", the Pope said.

"Man is not the fruit of chance or a bundle of convergences, determinisms or physical and chemical reactions," he told a meeting of academics of different disciplines sponsored by the Paris Academy of Sciences and Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

The Pope reiterated a plea, made in many speeches since his election in 2005, for mankind to be "respected as the centre of creation" and not relegated by more short-term interests.

The conservative German-born Pope's public stand on issues such as abortion and embryonic stem-cell research has led critics to accuse him of holding antiquated views on science.

Students and teachers at Rome's La Sapienza university – which was founded by a pope more than 700 years ago – cited such views when they protested so loudly during a papal speech scheduled for Jan. 17 that it had to be cancelled.

In particular, they criticized his views on science, saying a speech he gave in 1990 showed he would have favoured the church's 17th-century heresy trial against Galileo.

The Vatican said the protesters misunderstood that speech, made about 17 years ago when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Godless Music Reviews

This summer on the doubtcast we're going to spend some time talking about godless music but in order to do it right, we need your help.

If there is a song you like that deals with themes of atheism, humanistic ethics, naturalistic philosophy and all those sorts of things here's what you need to do:

1. Send us the info on the song (title, artist) along with a review of 15 words or less about why you like the song.

OR

2. If you're one of those tech savvy folks out there, you can record yourself reviewing the song and email us the sound file at doubtcast@gmail.com Keep it brief because we'd like to include as many different suggestions as possible.

OR

3. Send us your song suggestion and a phone number where we can reach you and we'll call you and talk with you on the air about your song suggestions. (NOTE: We'll set up a time to call, we won't just call you out of the blue. Also, we won't give out your phone number to anyone for any purpose. Your digits are safe with us).

We need your help on this, ladies and gentlemen, so please, start sending in your reviews ASAP.

In Reason,

~Fletch

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Cecil B. DeMille's "The Godless Girl"

Gotta love that old tyme propaganda, don't you?

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Share your Gospel of Doubt

Doubters,

Over the past couple of years we Doubtcasters have shared our stories about those events, people, arguments and ideas that helped bring us out of the fog of irrational religious belief into the light of reason.

And now: It's your turn.

We're starting a new segment called "The Gospel of Doubt" and we need your help.

We're looking for your stories and your reasons for joining the ranks of the godless. When did you lose your faith? Why did you lose your faith? Did you ever have faith? What are the arguments you ran into that started you down your path to disbelief? What books did you read, what friends did you make, or what events did you go through that helped you embrace the natural over the supernatural?

If you'd like to share with us your "Gospel of Doubt," send us an essay of 200 words or less that addresses some of the issues above to doubtcast@gmail.com.

Many of you are probably familiar with NPR's "This I Believe" series (or if not, check it out here http://thisibelieve.org/) -- that's kind of the idea of what we're looking for . . . only it's more of a "This I Don't Believe."

If you can record it yourself and send us an MP3, that's fantastic (please do include the text of the essay so we can put it up on our website in non-audio format), if not, please include your phone number and we'll record it right over the phone because we want your voices to be heard. If, for whatever reason, you can't or don't want to have your literal voice heard, but do want to share your story, let us know and we'll work something out.

This is your chance to make an important contribution to the show and share your story with all of our listeners. So start sending in those entries to "The Gospel of Doubt."

Thank you, as always, for supporting the show and we're eagerly looking forward to hearing your stories.

Jesus vs. the Poopie

I know it's early, but I still have no qualms referring to this as the story of the century. The text is provided below, but do yourselves a favor and watch the video-- mere text can't do it justice.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=86444&GID=quUABRwKFiMFpx5+VMt5h5e8lLCcqd3lS+1q9w04Mc0%3D

Holding Jesus Hostage
Nick Monacelli

Oakfield Township: Some Oakfield Township residents have taken what's not theirs to prove a point.
An anonymous residents on Lindy Lane claim Jean Mansel isn't picking up after her dogs, so to entice her to do so, they took something close to her heart.Those residents say their Mansel's wiener dogs leave their leavings in their yard.
So, they stole her 80 pound statue of Jesus.
Mansel says she cherishes her cement Jesus statue; it was an heirloom from her late uncle."There was footprints behind it, and footprints in front of it," she says, pointing out where the statue used to be.
It was Thursday morning when Jean walked outside to find Jesus gone."My husband got a phone call and a real graspy voice over the phone said 'check your mailbox'."
In the mailbox was a ransom note."The note basically said they were holding Jesus for ransom."
The note reads: “We are holding Jesus ransom until you clean up the poopie from your wieners and trust us we see you take your wieners for long walks w/out picking up their poopie in our yards. This has upset us dearly so please clean up all the weiner poopie, if you want to see Jesus unharmed. Sincerely, Lindy Lane Residents.”
"It has to be a young person because they put these lines around Jesus, no adult is going to waste their time doing that," says Mansel. "And referring to weiner poopie…my gosh."Jean has four wiener dogs and admits there was a complaint last year about their leavings. But she says she's cleaned up every pile since."I take my dogs for walks, I carry a plastic bag with me and pick up anything that they do."
Now, Jean just wants her statue back, and says she won't press charges if Jesus isn't harmed."I thought something like that would be safe in your yard, it wasn't, it wasn't."
So what do you think? Was stealing the Jesus statue an appropriate response to alleged dog leavings?Talk back to us by clicking on the “Talkback” button above.
And if you or someone you know is the one behind the ransom note we want to hear from you.
Please e-mail us at: news@wzzm13.com.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Mayor/pastor/predator gets busted

Mayor/pastor accused of seeking sex with girl
Missouri official allegedly thought he was chatting with 13-year-old

Read more here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22655404/

Friday, January 4, 2008

Scientists to Make Cows Fart like Kangaroos to Cool the Planet


Okay, this doesn't really have much relevance, but it does show how awesome science is. And it involves farting so I figured at least Luke and Jeremy would be amused by it.




Scientists to Make Cows Fart Like Kangaroos to Cool the Planet

by Jorge

We’re guessing that headline caught your attention! Cow farts are a source of greenhouse gases, while kangaroo farts are methane free thanks to a particular bacteria in their stomachs. Now, in a bizarre twist of science-reality, scientists from Australia are trying to neutralize cow-produced methane by transferring that kangaroo bacteria to cattle and sheep’s guts. According to the government of Queensland, almost 14% of all greenhouse gas emissions from Australia come from cow farts, so this seemingly silly idea could actually make a big difference.

However, while few things warm our hearts more than kangaroos (except perhaps for a koala), and while we applaud the scientists attempts at reducing a source of greenhouse gases, it still feels a bit too mad scientist to us. No word on whether or not they will get cows to jump as well. We’ll let you know how they progress