LiberatedMind.com » debate

How to Convert an Atheist: Video

LiberatedMind.com — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 13:25:33 +0000

The Double Standard: Outspoken Atheists verses Outspoken Religious

LiberatedMind.com — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:45:12 +0000

“Debates over faith often leave non-believers holding the bag: look like a jerk or leave the debate unfinished and apparently concede defeat.

The only thing that would make atheism a true article of faith would be if atheists said, “Nothing you could possibly say, nothing I could possibly see or experience, no evidence you could possibly provide me, could ever convince me that my atheism was wrong. My belief in the non-existence of God is an a priori assumption; it is unshakable, as constant as the Northern Star.” And I have yet to encounter an atheist who says that.

Finally—and maybe most crucially of all:

When we speak out in any way about our atheism—and when we continue to organize, and to make ourselves and our ideas more visible and vocal, and to generally turn ourselves into a serious movement for social change—we are accused of being hostile, fanatical, rude, evangelical, bigoted and extremist.

But if we don’t speak out, if we don’t organize, if we don’t forge ourselves into a powerful and visible movement…then the bigotry and misinformation and discrimination against us will continue unabated.

Why this is untrue and unfair: We really can’t win on this one. Even the most mild forms of atheist activism and visibility result in believers accusing us of disrespect, intolerance and forcing our beliefs on others. If we do something as mild and unthreatening as putting up bus ads saying “You can be good without God” or “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone,” you can bet good money that plenty of believers will get worked up about how those terrible atheists are insulting Christians and other believers. The purest act of visibility—the simple act of standing up and saying out loud, “Atheists exist and are good people”—is treated as another example of the offensive, dogmatic, in-your-face extremism of the atheist movement.”

The Greatest Show on Earth: Richard Dawkins

LiberatedMind.com — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:59:50 +0000

Perhaps the most comprehensive layman’s book on the science of Evolution, The Greatest Show on Earth inspires a deeper understanding of life on planet Earth.

Richard Dawkins is well known for his best selling book The God Delusion where he makes a compelling case against superstitions and religion. However, in his latest book, Dawkins makes a point to set aside supernatural disagreements and focus on the point of evolution. He does so in earnest because of the outspoken creationists who mislead young minds into believing the earth is only 10,000 years old and that people rode Dinosaurs.

The Greatest Show on Earth is written in a way that chronologically flows well and makes a point to explain the various ways in which evidence is verified. Dawkins goes into great length to explain to the average person how carbon dating and zirconium dating function and the strengths and weaknesses of each dating method. He covers the many experiments and observations being done today to watch evolution take place in bacteria, dog breeds, fish and much more. Dawkins includes detailed information on fossils and lineage that connect all living things together on the tree of life.

This book is also available on iTunes in audio formate from Audible.com. Dawkins narrates the audio book, which is a great way to glean the most accurate inflection from the author himself.

Haiti’s misfortune brings the problem of ‘good and evil’ to the forefront.

LiberatedMind.com — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:37:50 +0000

Since Haiti was hit by the earthquake I have been patiently waiting for any religious person I know to excuse god for the disaster and blame “mother nature”. I didn’t have to wait very long. Haiti’s misfortune brings up the blaring inconsistency in religion, especially the monotheistic religions: the problem of good and evil.

Pat Robertson, Christian TV evangelist was so disabled by this conundrum that he publicly claimed the reason Haiti suffered such great misfortune was because they had “made a pact with the devil”. For Pat, this was a sufficient explanation for the recent Tsunami, Hurricane and now Earthquake that has brought this country to its most desperate hour.

Haiti serves as a prime example of the problem of “good and evil”.

Naturalists point out that if a god who is claimed to be omnipotent (all powerful) and omniscient (all knowing) controls the universe, by definition such a god must take credit for EVERYTHING that happens, not just the good stuff. Such a god would know that an earthquake was about to happen and have the power to prevent it from happening. With this information about the omnipotent, omniscient god, we must conclude at least one of the following:
1. Such a god is intrinsically evil by allowing the disaster to hit
2. Such a god does not exist (omnipotent, omniscient)

A theist will disagree here and say that god does not control the evils in the world because Adam and Eve sinned and the rest of humanity must suffer because of their sin. This leads us to conclude that the omnipotent, omniscient god has no sense of what constitutes a “just” punishment for the “sin” of two humans. We must also consider that if the theist’s argument that “evils like Tsunami’s are not god’s fault” rests on the existence of two storybook characters in Genesis the argument falls apart. We begin to doubt the historical accuracy of the Adam and Eve story because it is embedded in a creation myth that sets the earth at 10,000 years old, having been fashioned in 7 days by a sky-god.

But most importantly, the counter argument to those who say “evil is the devil’s doing, not god’s” places the omni-god in a position of NOT being omnipotent. If the omni-god is not in control of nature, this by definition deems him not omnipotent. This leaves us to conclude that the omni-god is either:
1. Not actually omnipotent or
2. Unjust in dealing out his punishments and hence, if he be doing the punishing for Adam’s sin, he IS responsible for earthquakes and natural disasters (omnipotent)

This past weekend I listened to a Catholic homily by a deacon who was trying to help his congregation understand how to reconcile god with the Haiti earthquake. His best shot was to tell a little story about a mother in Haiti who dug her children out of the rubble of her home and saved their lives. All three of her children lived (after extensive medical surgury and the science of medicine). She told reporters that “now she knew that god loved her”. The deacon pointed out that good can come of such atrocities like this women who finally knew that god loved her. He failed to bring up all the other thousands who perished or the other mothers whose children were crushed and killed. Did ‘god’ love them? It was perhaps the weakest argument of the century. What a fickle god Christians daily defend.

Don’t pray or wish that Haiti be helped, do something to help. Donate to a non-theistic charity organization dedicated to helping Haiti.

Angry Atheists (in the eyes of religious)

LiberatedMind.com — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:14:24 +0000

From the Angry Atheist: Related posts:The Double Standard: Outspoken Atheists verses Outspoken Religious Letters from an angry Christian The Irony in debating the religious From the Angry Atheist: Related posts:

The Same-Sex Marriage Debate pictorial

LiberatedMind.com — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:01:16 +0000

What Could be Better Than Marriage?

Aggressive Atheism

LiberatedMind.com — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:53 +0000

Believers infer their own beliefs on their god

LiberatedMind.com — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:57:43 +0000

Behavioral scientists have provided a window into how religion resides in the human brain. A study published in in the Nov. 30 early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences discusses how people infer their own opinions and judgments onto their “god”, using their own moral instincts to conclude that the imaginary being they worship must think similarly. From Science Daily:

The final study involved functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure the neural activity of test subjects as they reasoned about their own beliefs versus those of God or another person. The data demonstrated that reasoning about God’s beliefs activated many of the same regions that become active when people reasoned about their own beliefs.

The researchers noted that people often set their moral compasses according to what they presume to be God’s standards. “The central feature of a compass, however, is that it points north no matter what direction a person is facing,” they conclude. “This research suggests that, unlike an actual compass, inferences about God’s beliefs may instead point people further in whatever direction they are already facing.”

Atheist Michael Newdow Intellectually Demolishes Arrogant Moron on Fox News

LiberatedMind.com — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:37:15 +0000

Hitchens and Fry formally debates Catholic Church leaders

LiberatedMind.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:31:14 +0000

Christopher Hitchens creams the catholic church in this debate.