Counter Apologetics

“You were never a true Christian.”  “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” “It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship.” Atheists Before Darwin [AtheistRepublic] No True Scotsman [YourLogicalFallacyIs]  Michael Gungor Interview [Nomad]  (I can’t find the one I heard a year or two ago, which was just Michael without his wife. You can read more about him on … Continue reading CA54 Three Things Christians Should Stop Saying →

We continue our discussion of Michael Behe’s latest case for intelligent design. Not only does his “First Rule of Adaptive Evolution” betray his lack of understanding of natural selection, it also conflicts with empirical data. In his attempt to respond to these empirical difficulties, he creates even more problems for himself. We also discuss the … Continue reading CA53 Darwin Devolves (pt. II) →

Michael Behe recently published his latest case against naturalistic evolution and in favor of intelligent design: Darwin Devolves. Behe also authored Darwin’s Black Box, a creationist favorite, coined the term “irreducible complexity,” and was a key part of the famous Kitzmiller v. Dover trial in Pennsylvania. He’s also a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, … Continue reading CA52 Darwin Devolves: Michael Behe’s Case for Intelligent Design (pt. I) →

Irreducible complexity (IC) has become one of the most popular arguments in favor of intelligent design, if not the most popular. The biochemist and ID proponent Michael Behe coined the term in his book Darwin’s Black Box, bringing the notion of IC to prominence. Certain biological systems, the argument goes, cannot have evolved by small … Continue reading CA51 Irreducible Complexity →

We discuss the moral argument for god’s existence, religious fictionalism, anti-theism, 20th century atrocities, and being good without god. The discussion of Craig’s moral argument isn’t a comprehensive treatment, but I had to get him in there if we were going to address the question posed in the title. Craig has stated that on naturalism, … Continue reading CA50 “If there’s no god, why not rape and murder?” →

The biologist Stephen J. Gould proposed a solution to the apparent friction between religion and science: rather than being in outright conflict, science and religion each preside over distinct, non-overlapping magisteria (NOMA). Science can tell us nothing of the supernatural, and religion can only give us values, meaning, morality, and purpose. We discuss the utter … Continue reading CA49 Science vs. the Supernatural: the Failure of NOMA and the Triumph of Naturalism →

“Any responsible historian, then, who seeks to give an account of the matter, must deal with these four independently established facts.” William Lane Craig has four non-negotiable, “established facts” that we apparently need to explain as non-believers. (1) Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea in the tomb. (2) On the Sunday following his crucifixion, … Continue reading CA48 William Lane Craig’s Four Facts about the Resurrection →

If god cannot err, and the Bible is the word of god, shouldn’t we expect the Bible to be inerrant? And yet, we can find plenty of examples of the Bible making mistakes and even contradicting itself, and this would seem to imply that the Bible is not the word of god. Apologists have answered … Continue reading ​​CA47 Ten Contradictions in the Bible →

“[Religion] is the opium of the people,” said Karl Marx. This remark has been widely quoted and often misunderstood. While religion is an illusion that provides escape from the real world, it emerges from conditions that require illusions. There’s a well-established inverse correlation between societal health and religiosity, lending some credence to Marx’s view. But … Continue reading CA46 Is Religion the Opium of the People? — Marx and Religion →

What is Evangelical Christianity? Why is anyone surprised that Evangelicals love the president? We discuss the characteristics of Evangelical Christianity, speculate about its future, and wonder how everyone isn’t an anti-theist at this point. Eviction – Whalers [YouTube] Secular Talk – Franklin Graham [YouTube] Robert Wright Show – Sarah Posner [YouTube] Chapo Trap House [iTunes] … Continue reading Evangelical Christianity — Bonus →

We discuss how we’re supposed to get to heaven in the first place, substance dualism, emergence, the population demographics of heaven, religious epistemology, and dying as a naturalist.  Contact me at emersongreen@protonmail.com or on Facebook  Support on Patreon Read transcripts of the podcast at the Counter Apologetics Blog Rate the show on iTunes! Listen to … Continue reading CA45 Heaven, pt. II →

We discuss the possibility of god tinkering with our natures after death, free will in heaven, Satan, and god’s bizarre sense of justice. Contact me at emersongreen@protonmail.com or on Facebook  Support on Patreon Rate the show on iTunes! Listen to Magic Tricks by Whalers

The Christmas narratives in Matthew and Luke are supposed to contain fulfilled prophecies. However, these two Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth are not only discrepant, but conflict with our historical knowledge. Biblical prophecies are commonly invoked as compelling evidence for us to consider, so we examine the Christmas story and the prophecies believers claim were … Continue reading CA43 Biblical Prophecy and the Birth of Christ →

We examine a concept vital to the project of being a skeptic. We’re not perfectly rational beings, and we have to learn about our cognitive biases if we want to overcome them. This was originally released as Patron bonus episode #8. Russell Conjugation [Edge.org]

One of the weakest and most common arguments encountered, the argument from personal experience comes to us in many forms. Near death experiences, “feeling that there’s something more,” feeling god in worship or prayer, “just knowing,” and dozens of other commonplace mantras from believers all employ the argument from personal experience. Recognizing this kind of … Continue reading CA42 Argument From Personal Experience →