Blog Archives

A Path From Faith to Reason: ‘A Manual For Creating Atheists’

June 12, 2013
By
Philosopher Peter Boghossian

Philosopher Peter Boghossian

Philosopher Pete Boghossian Slams Contemporary Academic Leftism as a Hurdle to Progress

Portland State University Philosophy Professor Peter Boghossian and I discuss his new book, A Manual for Creating Atheists, in which he provides conversational strategies and tactics designed to lead religious believers from faith to reason. Throughout his book Boghossian offers diagnostic methods, provides practical examples, and supports his project with evidence. He also criticizes a disturbing trend in modern liberalism that helps fuzzy reasoning flourish. A Manual for Creating Atheists will be published in November 2013 by Pitchstone Publishing. Boghossian will be appearing at The Amazing Meeting, also known as TAM, July 11-14, 2013, in Las Vegas.

MP3 File
(46 minutes, 15 seconds, 22.2 MB)
Pre-order A Manual For Creating Atheists (with forward by Micheal Shermer) by clicking here • See the video “Islam Supporters Bully College Republicans Out Of Their Own Event,” and read about it here • Follow Pete on twitter @peterboghossian

Barbados Native Offers Unique View of Religion, Rastafari & Rum

May 28, 2013
By
Joy Holloway-D'avilar

Joy Holloway-D’avilar

Today’s guest is Joy Holloway-D’avilar, co-host of the Freethinking Island podcast, a podcast aimed at a Caribbean audience. Joy and I discuss religion in the islands, her podcast, her religious past and how outsiders view the ultra-religious United States. She’ll also give us a brief introduction to Rastafarianism, a rather interesting belief system, to say the least. She also gives us a few drink recipes, which should make you fellow rum drinkers very pleased. Joy was born in Barbados and has been living in the NY/NJ area for more than 20 years. She currently works in the radio/television broadcasting industry. Joy is committed to spreading the virtues of reason, critical thinking and true enlightenment instead of blind and mindless faith.

MP3 File
(37 minutes, 12 seconds, 17.86 MB)

To listen to the Freethinking Island podcast, click here, or check out the book, From Mythology to Reality: Moving Beyond Rastafari, by Seon Lewis.

Here are a few island rum recipes from Joy. Fill your glass with some Mount Gay rum while listening to the Malcontent’s Gambit or Freethinking Island podcast.

Rum Cocktail
4 oz rum
1/2 cup crushed ice
3 dashes Angostura bitters
2 tsp sugar syrup
Put all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake well….max out and give your mind and mouth liberty

Bajan Smile (Bajan is slang for our nationality – Barbadian)
1 1/2 oz Mount Gay Rum
2 1/2 oz Coconut Creme
2 oz Evaporated milk
1 oz Grenadine Syrup
1/2 oz ripe bananas
Blend with ice until smooth

Faith Fails; Use Skepticism To Appraise Religion, Find Truth

May 7, 2013
By
John Loftus

John Loftus

Believers Should Be Skeptical of Their Religion – And Worried, An Interview With John Loftus

Minister-turned-atheist and author John Loftus and I consider how to appraise religions skeptically and fairly. We talk about issues raised in his new book, The Outsider Test for Faith: How to Know Which Religion Is True. In the 1980s Loftus earned three masters degrees in theology and studied under the tutelage of prominent Christian apologist William Lane Craig. He spent 14 years in Christian ministry, and in the 1990s experienced a full-blown crisis of faith. In 2008 he published a book titled Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity. After my discussion with Loftus I’ll refute some arguments I recently discovered while visiting Christian apologetic websites. These claims are directly related to Loftus’ book and our conversation. That is at the end of the podcast (at the 33:15 mark).

MP3 File
(43 minutes, 36 seconds, 20.93 MB)

Here are some links mentioned in this podcast:
Faith: ‘wishful thinking’? by Steve Wilkinson at the Christian Apologetics Alliance
Common Objection #19- “Why Won’t God Heal Amputees?” by Chad at Truthbomb Apologetics
Can Science Lead to Faith? by Gary Marcus at The New Yorker

Author, Skeptic Opens Dialogue With Christians

April 15, 2013
By
Author Guy P. Harrison

Author Guy P. Harrison

Guy P. Harrison Seeks Mutual Understanding and Honest Conversation With His New Book

I’m pleased to welcome author Guy P. Harrison back to the podcast to talk about his new book, 50 Simple Questions for Every Christian. I spoke to him a year ago about his previous book, 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think are True. Harrison’s writing focuses primarily on science and skepticism. He’s held numerous positions in the news industry, including editorial writer, world news editor, sports editor, photographer, page designer, and columnist. His new book is not intended to be argumentative or disrespectful, but to promote dialogue and understanding. Harrison asks questions such as, “What is the born-again experience?” “Why would God want to sacrifice his only son for the world?” “Do miracles really happen?” “How reliable is the Bible?” “What is the rapture?” and, “Why isn’t everyone a Christian?” Harrison follows each question with thoughtful analysis. Throughout the book Harrison takes care never to condescend or treat the reader poorly.

MP3 File
(55 minutes, 50 seconds, 26.33 MB)

Listen to my audio commentary titled, Islamohysteria: The Misguided Attacks on Sam Harris, at the end of this podcast starting at the 41:22 mark.

Click here to read On Islamophobia and Libels, by Sam Harris, and here to read Greenwald and Hussain on Sam Harris and Racism, by Robby Bensinger

Author Suggests Neural Mechanism for Transcendence, Beauty

March 19, 2013
By
Joshua Fost

Joshua Fost

Dr. Joshua Fost Posits a Naturalistic Basis for Divine Experience and Aesthetic Appreciation

In his 2007 book, If Not God, Then What? Neuroscience, Aesthetics, and the Origins of the Transcendent, Dr. Joshua Fost connects our recognition of beauty, the ascetically appealing and certain types of religious experience with our desire to find order in our world. He further proposes a neural mechanism for this human feature, using ideas from scientific literature. Fost’s project is, in part, a naturalistic attempt for an explanation of transcendent religious experience. Fost is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and University Studies at Portland State University. His primary research interests are in neurophilosophy and the public understanding of science, critical thinking, and methodological naturalism. He has lectured and written extensively, and his work has been published in many scientific journals. He’s published two articles in Free Inquiry, the first in 2005 titled Fight dogma, not religion, and the most recent in the 2012 October/November issue, titled On being a scientist.

MP3 File
(37 minutes, 23 seconds, 17.95 MB)
For Fost’s blog page and more of his writing, please click here.

Dan Barker Reveals a Busy 2013 for the FFRF (IRS Beware!)

February 19, 2013
By
Dan Barker

Dan Barker

Advocating for the Non-Religious Through Growing Pains & Good Humor

Dan Barker, co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation with Annie Laurie Gaylor, joins me for a humorous and informative interview. Barker discusses current church and state lawsuits, examines issues concerning nonbelievers, and reveals the foundation’s growing pains. We even share a few jokes. The foundation, based in Madison, Wisconsin, is a non-profit organization that advocates for non-theists, promotes separation of church and state, and educates the public on atheistic, agnostic and nontheistic issues. Barker is a contributing editor of Freethought Today, a newspaper published by the foundation, and is involved with the foundation’s state/church lawsuits. He regularly travels the country and the world giving lectures, performing concerts, and participating in debates with theists, many at college and university campuses. Both Barker and Gaylor co-host Freethought Radio, a national weekly talkshow on the Air America network.

MP3 File
(28 minutes, 53 seconds, 13.87 MB)

To read about the “parsonage exemption” lawsuit, click here. To read about the “religious electioneering” lawsuit, click here. To read about the lawsuit filed against the IRS by the American Atheists, please click here.

Chris Stedman Asks For Civility in Theist-Atheist Debate

February 4, 2013
By
Chris Stedman

Chris Stedman. Photo by Alex Dakoulas.

Assistant Humanist Chaplain’s Book ‘Faithiest’ Recounts Past Hurts & Future Hopes

Faithiest is the title of the recently published book by Chris Stedman, an assistant humanist chaplain at Harvard. The book is a well-written memoir of his life as a young Christian teen who realizes that he’s gay, and whose struggle with religious homophobia led him to the lowest point in his life. After discovering his journal and learning of his plight, Stedman’s mother took him to see a Christian pastor more accepting of his homosexuality. Despite the relief he felt, Stedman eventually became an atheist, whereupon he discovered a different kind of intolerance within the community of nonbelievers. The book is not just a memoir of Stedman’s struggle with his religious and sexual identity – it’s a call for civility in our discourse. The book has sparked conversation, comments and criticism. Stedman fields questions about his past as well as his hopes for the future.

The Odds of an Evil God & The Truth of Moral Questions

January 15, 2013
By

Stephen Law

Stephen Law

Stephen Law Discusses His Interesting Thoughts on Morality, His “Evil God Hypothesis,” and His Views on Religion

Philosopher Stephen Law challenges theists to explain, “. . . why the hypothesis that there exists an omnipotent, omniscient and all-good god should be considered significantly more reasonable than the hypothesis that there exists an omnipotent, omniscient and all-evil god. Theists typically dismiss the evil god hypothesis out of hand because of the problem of good – there is surely too much good in the world for it to be the creation of such a being. But then why doesn’t the problem of evil provide equally good grounds for dismissing belief in a good god?” Law is the editor of the Royal Institute of Philosophy journal THINK. He has published several books and is senior lecturer in philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London. His books include Believing Bullshit, The Philosophy Gym, Humanism, A Very Short Introduction, and The War for Children’s Minds. During our conversation, Law shares his interesting views on morality, discusses how science relates to morality, and challenges both theists and non-theists to think.

Atheist Pastor Recovers From ‘Identity Suicide’

December 18, 2012
By

Jerry DeWitt

Jerry DeWitt

Jerry DeWitt Discusses His Difficult Odyssey From Sermonizer to Skeptic

In 2011, Jerry DeWitt, a Pentecostal preacher for 25 years, committed “identity suicide.” DeWitt, a successful pastor and respected community member of DeRidder, Louisiana, lost his faith after a difficult struggle. After friends and family discovered his nonbelief, he lost his job, was ostracized by many peers and relatives, and he and his wife separated. He found help on the internet, and started communicating with the vast wealth of freethinkers online. He is now executive director of Recovering from Religion, a nonprofit organization providing support and encouragement to individuals leaving religion. He’s also the first graduate of The Clergy Project, a private, invitation-only “safe house” community of current and former ministers who no longer hold supernatural beliefs. He talks about his past, why he became an atheist, and his upcoming biography, Hope after Faith, which will be published in June, 2013.

Timeless Questions, Ancient Philosophers, Modern Strategies

December 3, 2012
By

Massimo Pigliucci

Massimo Pigliucci

Philosopher Massimo Pigliucci Combines Science and Philosophy While Discussing the Meaning of Life

Most people consign the discovery of facts about our universe to science, and the navigation of values and meaning to the domain of religion. Massimo Pigliucci, a professor of philosophy at the City University of New York, has a better idea: Combine science and philosophy to explore the subjects that give our life meaning, such as love, friendship, morality and justice. This approach is the subject of his new book, Answers for Aristotle, How Science and Philosophy Can Lead us to a More Meaningful Life. In this podcast Pigliucci and I discuss his book, and how he views scientific research through the lens of philosophy to provide a strategy to live the best life possible.

Next Podcast

TBD

Follow The MG

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+

Monthly Insolence

Click here to sign up for The MG's newsletter.

The Gambit's Twitter Feed