I don’t expect analytic philosophy of religion to be able to settle much about a God, any more than I’d expect an analytic philosophy of botany to be able to tell me how to obtain a banana. Whenever you think you might have a nice armchair argument for atheism, the cure is simple. Summon a … Philosophy (eye-roll)

On my blog, I have recently returned to working on an analysis and evaluation of the Trilemma argument for the deity of Jesus: http://crossexamination.blogspot.com/search/label/Trilemma Post #8 and on: Does the evidence from the synoptic Gospels for the premise that “Jesus claimed to be God” hold up under closer examination? Posts #4 – #7: Most leading … Trilemma Update

As a rule of thumb, never trust anything coming from a non-physicist with the word “quantum” in it. Hell, be wary even when it comes from a physicist. For example, don’t too easily trust philosophical musing about quantum physics emanating from the first generation of physicists who were inventing quantum mechanics. They were just trying … Quantum drivel for ID

I’m going to give a talk next month on atheists and stereotypes next month. It occurs to me that “atheist” is not a natural kind, and I’m wondering if the following analogy might help to bring this across. People who don’t believe in a God are like people who don’t drink bottled water. Statistically speaking, … Non-drinkers of bottled water

I’ve just read Does God Hate Women? by Ophelia Benson and Jeremy Stangroom. They very effectively point out how conservative religious doctrines on gender roles subordinate women. I got the book not just because of Benson and Stangroom’s excellent reputation as no-nonsense skeptics, but because I wanted a single go-to source I can use or … Does God Hate Women?

Vic Stenger’s new book, The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for Science and Reason is now out. It’s an affirmation of the “New Atheism” by Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens, Dennett, and Stenger, including responses to some of the critics. I’m not going to say a lot about the book, other than recommending it as a very … The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for Science and Reason

Most nonbelievers think there is something absurd about the denial of death. Sam Harris expresses this view well: We live in a world where all things, good and bad, are finally destroyed by change. Parents lose their children and children their parents. Husbands and wives are separated in an instant, never to meet again. Friends … Death

In both the United States and Turkey, the two countries I can observe most closely, the strength of conservative religious movements has a lot to do with how the religious are better at organizing care-giving and social solidarity compared to more secular people. In the US, much care-giving is linked to churches. From pastoral visits … We don’t care

And now, the Christian creationists—intelligent design proponents in this case—come out in defense of freedom of speech. That is, they decry the “Darwinist” persecution of alternative points of view. How many intellectuals and media conveyers will defend free speech and the importance of an unfettered debate of ideas? Fewer and fewer. We are witnessing in … Christian creationists for freedom of speech

We often hear of Muslims demanding restrictions on free speech, to prevent religious sensibilities from insult. In fairness, here is a group of Muslims standing up for free speech. They are, in fact, enraged about Western and secularist restrictions of freedom of speech. They demand that THE DARWINIST DICTATORSHIP SHOULD APOLOGIZE o For banning and … Muslim creationists for freedom of speech