New Comments Moderation Policy in Effect
In order to maintain a high quality of discussion in the comments box, I have made the executive decision to moderate all comments on all posts. This decision is effective immediately. The following policies are in effect.
Link: Matthew Ferguson on “Understanding the Spirit vs. the Letter of Probability”
A while back, I wrote a brief commentary on William Lane Craig’s critique of Bart Ehrman on the probability of miracles. Matthew Ferguson recently weighed in. He agrees with my conclusions, but greatly amplified them by writing an entire essay expounding on supporting points. I highly recommend his essay to anyone interested in the topic … Link: Matthew Ferguson on “Understanding the Spirit vs. the Letter of Probability”
Humor: Non-Denominational Terrorist Organization Welcomes Extremists Of All Faiths
In the “Why didn’t I think of this?” category, The Onion brings you this: http://www.theonion.com/article/non-denominational-terrorist-organization-welcomes-50742
Plantinga Calls This A Good Argument for God’s Existence?
The title of my post might come across as snarky, so I want to begin my making it clear that is not my intent. In fact, I want to go on record as saying I have great respect for Plantinga’s skill as a philosopher. Among other things, I think he succeeded in his attempt to … Plantinga Calls <I>This</I> A Good Argument for God’s Existence?
25 Questions for Theists
Almost five years ago, I published my “20+ Questions for Theists.” They say hindsight is 20/20. After reading the numerous comments in the combox, I can see that I was not as clear as I would have liked to have been. So I’d like to offer a clarification before reposting the list of questions, which … 25 Questions for Theists
Is It Completely Unfair for Dawkins to Equate “Faith” with “Blind Trust”?
While going through some old files, I discovered this passage at the end of a book review. The book being reviewed was Dawkins’ God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life by Alister McGrath. The reviewer was Paul Pardi, a philosopher at Seattle Pacific University. Here is what Pardi wrote: “I also have one technical … Is It Completely Unfair for Dawkins to Equate “Faith” with “Blind Trust”?
Announcing New Blog: “Opposing Trump”
I’m going to be spending less time blogging about the philosophy of religion in order to spend more time blogging about President Trump. Since one can be a consistent atheist and a Republican–see, e.g., Robert Price–I am not going to mix anti-Trump politics with the atheistic focus of the Secular Outpost. Instead, I have decided to … Announcing New Blog: “Opposing Trump”
J.L. Schellenberg’s Wisdom to Doubt, Chapter One: The Subject Mode
This is the first in a planned series of blog posts reviewing J.L. Schellenberg’s important book, The Wisdom to Doubt. The first chapter of Schellenberg’s book is valuable to anyone who wants to think clearly about unrecognized evidence, including the implications of unrecognized evidence for arguments from silence and cumulative case arguments. See why.
Chad Gross’s Review of my Debate with Frank Turek
Chad Gross at Truthbomb Apologetics has written a fair, open-minded review of my debate with Frank Turek: “Lowder’s debate style is very similar to that of William Lane Craig. He begins with the contentions he intends to defend and then supports them with his arguments. This should be modeled by all those who desire to debate successfully…. It … Chad Gross’s Review of my Debate with Frank Turek
Graham Oppy: Yes, There Really Is Such a Thing as Expertise in Philosophy of Religion, and, No, You Can’t Get it from Pop Philosophy of Religion Books
Note: The following post is written by Graham Oppy and posted with his permission. Suppose I wanted to learn all about quantum gravity, starting from a position of total ignorance. How likely is it that there is a book that physicists could recommend to me that I could read, and that would give me the … Graham Oppy: Yes, There Really <I>Is</I> Such a Thing as Expertise in Philosophy of Religion, and, No, You Can’t Get it from Pop Philosophy of Religion Books