arguments for atheism

God is a Person

INTRODUCTION Joe Hinman wants to debate the existence of God with me, but before we can have an intelligent debate on this issue, we need to come to some sort of mutual understanding about the meaning of the word “God”. In my view God is a person.  In Hinman’s view God is NOT a person. God is a Person

Geisler’s Five Ways – Part 13: Existence and Attributes of a Necessary Being

In Phase 1 of his case for the existence of God, Geisler reformulates the argument from being as follows: Argument from Being #2 – Initial Version 50. If God exists, [then] we conceive of Him [God] as a necessary Being.   51. By definition, a necessary Being must exist and cannot not exist.   THEREFORE Geisler’s Five Ways – Part 13: Existence and Attributes of a Necessary Being

Video of Lowder’s Debate with Frank Turek on Naturalism vs. Theism

Topic: “What Better Explains Reality? Naturalism or Theism”Link: https://youtu.be/ENZYEPpR2Jc Links to Specific Elements of Debate: Moderator’s Introduction: https://youtu.be/ENZYEPpR2Jc Lowder’s Opening Statement (20 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENZYEPpR2Jc#t=02m23s Turek’s Opening Statement (20 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENZYEPpR2Jc#t=20m55s Lowder’s First Rebuttal (10 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENZYEPpR2Jc#t=44m55s Turek’s First Rebuttal (10 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENZYEPpR2Jc#t=55m38s Lowder’s Cross-Examination of Turek (10 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENZYEPpR2Jc#t=66m27s Turek’s Cross-Examination of Lowder (10 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENZYEPpR2Jc#t=77m37s Audience Q&A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENZYEPpR2Jc#t=90m30s Lowder’s Closing Statement (5 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENZYEPpR2Jc#t=121m09s Video of Lowder’s Debate with Frank Turek on Naturalism vs. Theism

Unapologetic Review – Part 7: Two Definitions of “Faith”

The Two Main Definitions of “Faith” in Unapologetic There are seven short statements in Unapologetic that appear to be definitions of the word “faith”.  The definition given in Chapter 1 (p.37) is an incomplete version of the definition given in Chapter 2.  The definition given in Chapter 2 is clear and worthy of serious consideration: Unapologetic Review – Part 7: Two Definitions of “Faith”

In Defense of an Evidential Argument from Evil: A Reply to William Lane Craig

Abstract: In a popular article about general arguments from evil against the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good God, William Lane Craig raises objections to such arguments that are consistent with those he earlier raised against Paul Draper’s evidential pain-and-pleasure argument from evil in an oral debate with Draper in 1998. In this article In Defense of an Evidential Argument from Evil: A Reply to William Lane Craig

Black Holes and the Problem of Evil

Data produced by the Hubble Space Telescope show that the brightest supernova ever recorded was actually a star being torn apart by a black hole in what is being called the ASASSN-15lh event. This has a high “coolness factor” for astronomy enthusiasts. But I couldn’t help but wonder a little whether there were any planets Black Holes and the Problem of Evil

Unapologetic Review – Part 1

John Loftus’ new book has just been released: Unapologetic: Why Philosophy of Religion Must End (Durham, NC: Pitchstone Publishing, 2016) My copy arrived from Amazon by UPS yesterday. The text starts on page 7 (the Forward); the introduction starts on page 11, and the main body of the text ends on page 235.  There is Unapologetic Review – Part 1

The Essentially Good-vs.-Morally Responsible Argument for Atheism

In the spirit of Ted Drange’s 1998 article, “Incompatible-Properties Arguments: A Survey,” I wish to sketch the following argument for consideration. Suppose we define “God” as a being who has, among other things, the following attributes: (m) essentially good; and (n) morally responsible for His actions. Using these definitions, we can construct the following argument. The Essentially Good-vs.-Morally Responsible Argument for Atheism

Cases for God

I’m thinking about which cases for the existence of God to focus in on, for my evaluation of Christianity.  Right now, I’m thinking about examining the cases of four well-known Christian apologists: I just realized that two of these philosophers are Thomists, and two are not Thomists. Geisler is a conservative Evangelical Christian, but his Cases for God