So I was studying for a research methods in psychology exam and as I was reading the section about pseudoscience it dawned on me: “hey, this sounds a lot like religion - specifically miracles and prayer!” Thanks to Unreasonable Faith for the chart format.
Like it? 
Questions? Disagree? Then please leave a comment 
Tags: miracles, Prayer, pseudoscience, Religion
Here is a video I made of 21 questions to ask yourself excerpted from A Farewell to God by Charles Templeton.
And for those of you who would rather read at your own pace:
- Is it not likely that had you been born in Cairo you would be a Muslim and, as 840 million people do, would believe that “there is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet?
- If you have been born in Calcutta would you not in all probability be a Hindu and, as 650 million people do, accept the Vedas and the Upanishads as sacred scriptures and hope sometime in the future to dwell in Nirvana?
- Is it not probable that, had you been born in Jerusalem, you would be a Jew and, as some 13 million people do, believe that Yahweh is God and that the Torah is God’s Word?
- Is it not likely that had you been born in Peking, you would be one of the millions who accept the teachings of the Buddha or Confucius or Lao-Tse and strive to follow their teachings and example?
- Is it not likely that you, the reader, are a Christian because your parents were before you?
- If there is a loving God, why does he permit - much less create - earthquakes, droughts, floods, tornadoes, and other natural disasters which kill thousands of innocent men, women, and children every year?
- How can a loving, omnipotent God permit - much less create - encephalitis, cerebral palsy, brain cancer, leprosy, Alzheimer’s, and other incurable illnesses to afflict millions of men, women, and children, most of whom are decent people?
- How could a loving Heavenly Father create an endless Hell and, over the centuries, consign millions of people to it because they do not or cannot or will not accept certain religious beliefs? And, having done so, how could he torment them forever?
- Why are there literally hundreds of Christian denominations and independent congregations, all of them basing their beliefs on the Bible, and most of them convinced that all the others are, in some ways, wrong?
- If all Christians worship the same God, why can they not put aside their theological differences and co-operate actively with one another?
- If God is a loving Father, why does he so seldom answer his needy children’s prayers?
- How can one believe the biblical account of the creation of the world in six days when every eminent physicist agrees that all living species have evolved over millions of years from primitive beginnings?
- Is it possible for an intelligent man or woman to believe that God fashioned the first male human being from a handful of dust and the first woman from one of the man’s ribs?
- Is it possible to believe that the Creator of the universe would personally impregnate a Palestinian virgin in order to facilitate getting his Son into the world as a man?
- The Bible says that “the Lord thy God is a jealous God.” But if you are omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, and the creator of all that exists, of whom could you possibly be jealous?
- Why, in a world filled with suffering and starvation, do Christians spend millions on cathedrals and sanctuaries and relatively little on aid to the poor and the needy?
- Why does the omnipotent God, knowing that there are tens of thousands of men, women, and children starving to death in a parched land, simply let them waste away and die when all that is needed is rain?
- Why would the Father of all mankind have a Chosen People and favor them over the other nations on earth?
- Why would God who is “no respecter of persons” prohibit adultery and then bless, honour, and allow to prosper a king who had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines?
- Why is the largest Christian church controlled entirely by men, with no woman - no matter how pious or gifted - permitted to become a priest, a monsignor, a bishop, an archbishop, a cardinal, or a pope?
- Jesus’s last words to his followers were “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. And, lo, I am with you always.” But, despite this and to this date - some two thousand years later - billions of men and women have never so much as heard the Christian Gospel. Why?
While many of these seem like they should be simple for a Christian to answer, I have yet to hear a decent one. If any Christians are reading this, and would like to humour me, please leave a comment or e-mail me at thenoose@atheistmind.com. Next week I’ll look over the answers to these questions and reply.
If you’d like to read more of Charles Templeton’s book, you can get it here: Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith
I’d also highly recommend reading the Portable Atheist which has selected readings and introductions by Christopher Hitchens. This is one of the many readings included. You can buy it here: The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever
Tags: Books, Christianity, Thought
For those of you who haven’t read the bible, genesis is a great story - some parts are pretty creative. I’d like to share with you this video that will take you from start to finish of genesis. It starts off fairly slow with the creation of light and what not, but I guarantee you will start laughing at around 3 minutes.
Enjoy the vid.
Check out some past atheist humor posts:
Atheist Humor 1: Some of God’s Many “Cool Designs”
Atheist Humor 2: Flying Spaghetti Monster vs. Invisible Pink Unicorn
Atheist Humor 3: Mr. Deity Shows Us How Prayer Really Works
Atheist Humor 4: A Look at Creationism
Atheist Humor 5: Diseases are Caused by Sin (Not God)
Atheist Humor 6: An Explanation of Religion by Lewis Black
Tags: Creationism, Genesis, Humor
Yes, that’s right: I’m converting to Christianity. I’m not sure how I’ve been blinded and fooled for so many years by talk and “proof” of such things as evilution, sophisticated dating methods and gravity. I now realize that these things are just creations of confused, feeble, human minds. Mere mortals cannot compete with the proof that God has laid before us - we simply have to open our hearts and He will show us His true glory.
You may be wondering, “why?” After taking the effort to create an atheist blog, spreading the word of this sinful lifestyle, and even mocking the religion to which I now turn, “what would make me change?” The answer is simple really. There are far too many rock-solid, logical arguments for creationism and God. There are simple questions alone that shake the foundation of modern science.
Questions like:
If humans evolved from monkeys, then why are there still monkeys?
If God isn’t real, then where do morals come from?
The bible says God is real, why would God lie to us in His own book?
This is but a mere fraction of questions that science cannot answer. Meanwhile any question that science throws at religion can be answered with one book: The Holy Bible. Is that all that has turned me? No, there are two major bodies of evidence that have tipped the balance, allowing Jesus to enter my heart. Please watch these, and I hope that you too will see the light.
If that wasn’t enough to sway you to the good side. Then please, I urge you to watch more profound truth that He is real.
This man is an engineer and obviously an authority figure on the matter. His views should not be taken lightly, and for me - they haven’t been.
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Psalms 14:1 - and I will be no fool.
* This has been a paid message by an anonymous Christian organization. The views and beliefs portrayed in this message do not necessarily reflect those of the owner/writers of this blog*
Tags: Atheism, Christianity, Converting
I stumbled upon another comedian, Lewis Black, who gives a great explanation of religion. It starts off a little slow, but after the first 45 secs it’s gold. I think what makes this guy so funny is his straight to the point style and his shear bluntness. I’d have to say my second favorite after George Carlin.
Enjoy the vid!
Check out some past atheist humor posts:
Atheist Humor 1: Some of God’s Many “Cool Designs”
Atheist Humor 2: Flying Spaghetti Monster vs. Invisible Pink Unicorn
Atheist Humor 3: Mr. Deity Shows Us How Prayer Really Works
Atheist Humor 4: A Look at Creationism
Atheist Humor 5: Diseases are Caused by Sin (Not God)
Since I haven’t had much time to write lately, I invited a friend of mine from Digital Point to do an article or two. Here is his first one providing the simple differences between atheism and agnosticism.
Atheism vs. Agnosticism
If you are reading this I would have to assume you have heard of atheism, and if you have heard of atheism then I would say there is a pretty good chance that you have also heard of agnosticism. But, do you know the difference between the two? Or even which, if either, you yourself are? This quick explanatory post may help clear just that up for you.
Atheism
In simple terms atheism is the absolute rejection of any form of theism and a complete disbelief in any form of deity. Most atheists justify their disbeliefs by exclaiming that there is no empirical evidence to support the existence of any kind of God.
Agnosticism
Similar in concept to atheism, agnosticism also promotes a solid disbelief in deities; however their similarities stop there. The big agnosticism claim is that there is, nor ever will be, anyway to prove beyond a responsible doubt that a God does or does not exist, and therefore we humans should not waste our time even worrying whether or not one exists.
Now please do keep in mind these are very basic descriptions and differences of atheists and agnostics. If you are interested in learning more I invite you to search around online and read up on what each group’s values are.
Which group you decide you are part of or feel you relate to more the most important thing is that you posses the ability to use logic. Sadly too many people in this world give in to blind faith and live their lives in fear. They also look at us as if we are the ones to fear, but in reality we know that atheists and agnostics alike are some of the most peaceful and loving people to grace this beautiful earth.
Mike
Verbal Battle
As Mike said, these are very basic descriptions of each. There are quite a few subtypes and varying beliefs within each broad class of belief systems. Over the next little while I’ll try to touch on those a bit.
Tags: Agnosticism, Atheism
