We shouldn’t be surprised by a world containing pointless suffering if it’s not set up with the welfare of conscious creatures in mind. But there’s a deeper problem with theism and its demands. Affirming theism requires moral judgments, as it entails endorsing the permissibility of suffering allowed by a benevolent God, which feels like a … Continue reading CA138 The Demand of Theism – Is it immoral to believe in God? →
I’m joined today by Jonathan Machnee, an autistic researcher who has conducted the largest English language ethnographic study of Christians and ex-Christian autistics (autism 1, or what was formerly known as Asperger’s Syndrome or high-functioning autism). His research has included data mining over 26,000 autistics and conducting over 500 interviews with autistic Christians and ex-Christians … Continue reading CA137 Why are autistics less religious? w/ Christianity on the Spectrum →
I critique Mel Gibson’s claim on the Joe Rogan Experience that “nobody dies for a lie,” which many apologists have used in the past to argue that the martyrdom of Jesus’ disciples supports the truth of the resurrection, as they wouldn’t die for something they knew to be false. First, I challenge this by questioning … Continue reading CA136 Nobody Dies For A Lie →
Do apologists actually believe what they’re saying? I’m joined by Counter Apologist to discuss his “Paradise Hell” thought experiment and to try to explain why theistic attempts to account for evil are so unpersuasive. What decision would you make if eternity were on the line? Linktree
We discuss Philip Goff’s conversion, the online reaction to it, and what his “heretical Christianity” involves. Is he a real Christian? What does he think about the resurrection, the ascension, the miracles of Christ, the virgin birth, the trinity, inerrantism, the atonement, and God’s nature? Amos Wollen – Conversion Review: Christianity gains a new smart person Randal … Continue reading CA134 Philip Goff’s Conversion to Christianity →
Two Christian apologists reviewed my series on the moral argument for God on their channel, Democracy of the Dead. I recorded my own counter-response shortly thereafter, but thought it was too profanity-laden and impolite to release. Generally speaking, it’s good to remain dispassionate in these online spaces, but I let my frustration get the better … Continue reading CA133 The Moral Argument for God – Have I Been Debunked? →
Zac (Adherent Apologetics) and I explore a few of the things that drew me to agnosticism. Religious ambiguity, disagreement among epistemic peers, the diversity of the theistic tradition (as well as the varieties of non-theism), the seeming inscrutability of the prior probability of theism, and my acceptance of the value-selection hypothesis have all played a … Continue reading CA132 From Atheism to Agnosticism (w/ Adherent Apologetics) →
I’m interviewed by Fuad Abdullah Harahap (@fubilosophy) about my deconversion, the sad state of Christian apologetics, my issues with the skeptic community, free will, the afterlife, agnosticism, and a few other topics. Fubilosophy Linktree
What would convince you of God’s existence? Specifically, the Christian God. What would change your mind and cause you to convert? I name three things: Christian aliens, miracles, and religious experience. That’s not an exhaustive list, but those things would dramatically raise my credence in Christian theism. I spend the most time talking about religious … Continue reading CA131 What would convince you? →
The world is religiously ambiguous: It can be interpreted in various incompatible ways, and the interpreters are not necessarily violating any standards of rationality in doing so. As for me, I don’t feel any position being forced on me by the evidence. My best efforts to judge the total balance of evidence weighing for and … Continue reading CA130 Am I Agnostic? →
Returning guest John Buck joins me to debate universalism, eternal conscious torment, and other topics related to hell and the afterlife. My Playlist on Hell Linktree
I respond to the wildly popular Redeemed Zoomer video about proving God’s existence with math. To see the open hangout that took place afterwards, you can watch the original livestream (unedited with no postscript) on YouTube Linktree
We wrap up our series on the moral argument for theism, summarize several problems with the argument famously associated with William Lane Craig, and discuss two other moral arguments for God that are not abysmal failures like the standard moral argument. Linktree
Today, we continue our series on the moral argument for theism. We discuss the Euthyphro dilemma, Hume’s Law, and explore a back-and-forth between William Lane Craig and Michael Huemer on the question, “Why obey God?” Common Mistakes about the Moral Argument | Majesty of Reason Majesty of Reason – Moral Arguments for God: An Analysis … Continue reading CA126 Euthyphro’s Revenge →
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And morality. The standard moral argument popularized by William Lane Craig and others goes as follows: (1) If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist. (2) Objective moral values do exist. (3) Therefore, God exists. Today, we cast some doubt on the … Continue reading CA125 The Moral Argument for God →
Ayaan Hirsi Ali recently announced her conversion to Christianity. But has she only adopted a form of cultural Christianity? I examine her reasons for becoming a Christian and draw some parallels between Ayaan and another political convert: Andrew Tate. I think her reasons for adopting Christianity are quite clearly explicated, even though some Christians have … Continue reading CA124 Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Conversion to Christianity →
I recently asked for your questions, and I posted my responses on YouTube here. We touch on compatibilism, NDEs, aliens, euthanasia, abortion, death anxiety as an atheist, idealism, incest, Islam, Mormonism, subjectivism, psychophysical harmony, and more. (For those listening via podcast, I left the introduction in to preserve the timestamps for those who want to skip … Continue reading AMA →
I’m joined by Andrew Hronich, author of Once Loved, Always Loved: The Logic of Apokatastasis. We discuss universal reconciliation, eternal conscious torment, annihilationism, and much else! Watch the interview here Linktree
Here’s my appearance on Adherent Apologetics to talk about the recent series of Counter Apologetics episodes on epistemology. Where New Atheist Epistemology Goes (Very) Wrong | @EmersonGreen | Ep. #259 5 Mistakes Atheists Make About Epistemology 4 Things I Learned About Epistemology Epistemology playlist on YouTube Linktree
Alex Strasser (Protestant) and John Buck (Catholic) debate the merits of finite theism, the view that God is limited in power. Theistic finitism is less vulnerable to the problem of evil than perfect being theism, but are there other trade-offs that make the notion of a finite God less defensible overall? John is defending the … Continue reading Debate: Is God Finite? →
Xavier Jackson
So he agrees there IS a distinction between properly basic beliefs and what almost everyone recognizes as faith, but insists we expand the definition of faith to obscure that line and enable the religious sophists who are the only other ones who use that definition? Just because? And that's the only point he's making? What a waste of time.
Kenneth Jimah
I rarely do comment on podcasts as I like to listen to a wide range of them but this was just presupposition overload with the unfortunate tactic of speaking in a disparaging way about one world view in order to make your atheistic one sound better... a real shame. This is why Justin Brierley's 'Unbelievable' is hands-down the best place for Atheist, Buddhist, Christians to engage with opposing ideologies not CA which is just another unchallenged propagandist platform for atheism.
Martin Clarke
the 40% I believe is wong.. that is creationist alone... young earthers are less than 10% from figures I recall.
Doug Tillman
Excellent synopsis of the conundrum of slavery in the bible. The cognitive dissonance I incurred on this topic led to a deeper examination of the Bible and honest self examination. As an African American, how can I justify being Christian?
Ruthwik Rao
This has always been one of the more interesting arguments from Plantinga and the theistic apologetics in general and this episode fleshed out a good deal of it, although a longer episode would have been perfect, exploring more of epistemology from an evolutionary perspective. On that note, would you be doing an episode of his more complex reformed epistemology though? I feel like it pairs well to talk about his view on epistemology alongside what he thinks evolutionary epistemology would entail, he has the whole sensus divinitatus and the idea of basic beliefs in his which are tricky and ingenious to be honest. It still isn't convincing though but yet, I'd like to see it discussed given how we are already into Plantinga's ideas here. Cheers, this is by far my favorite podcast. :)