Ben Stein vs. Richard Dawkins

Accounting for Evil

I thought this was an interested argument made by Dinesh D'Souza (as
quoted by Dennis Prager):

It is always said and it is true that believers in God have to
account for the existence evil and suffering. How does a good
God allow evil? But the atheists have to account for the existence
of human evil as well. There's absolutely no evolutionary or
Darwinian explanation for human evil. It serves no purpose.
That's why animals don't engage in evil....There's no genocide
in the animal kingdom.

Headlines 11/16/2007: The Mostly Religious Edition

As always religion is a hot topic and today I noticed a plethora of
news headlines that fall under this category. So here are my headlines
for today:

• The Atheist Who Came In From the Cold - A conversion.
• Religious scholars ponder Flying Spaghetti Monster - Bravo! This
  is a good way to make a demeaning parody into a real discussion.
• Campaign Soul Searching - That is why religious leaders need to be
  careful when they get into politics.
• Celebs mum about donating to GOP - Say what! There's actors in
  Hollywood who vote Republican! You have got to be kidding me.
  

Headlines 10-12-2007

Oh so many headlines today with so many controversial
issues.

Al Gore gets Nobel Peace Prize- Last weekend I saw a speech
by Bjorn Lomborg about his book "Cool It" on Book TV (I know
I'm need to get a life). He argues global warming is indeed occurring
but there are other humanitarian issues that should be higher priorities
because they save people right now. I know I'm probably over simplifying
his arguments but I like to keep these headlines snappy. " In the AP article
you will notice that Lomborg is quoted as stating, "Awarding it to Al Gore
cannot be seen as anything other than a political statement. Awarding
it to the IPCC is well-founded." Agreed.
One in 5 pregnancies worldwide ends in abortion- "Of the 41.6 million abortions
worldwide, 35 million were in the developing countries, and 6.6 million in
developed countries." The WHO study also found the legal status doesn't
deter abortions from occurring.
Atheists radio show goes national- Because really we haven't heard enough
of the atheists' voices in our media. Not in the book publishing world (see
Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Julia
Sweeny). There's no atheist talk show pundit (um, Bill Maher). There's no
fictional character's that are atheists in television (see House and Bones).
Oh so underrepresented really.
Let the flip-flopping allegations begin!- And we haven't had a primary yet!

Top Science-Faith Myths

(Via Scibel at Gospelcom.net)

I try to go to Gospelcom.net for the daily Bible verse
they display and found this interesting list. I'm a big fan
of lists myself. Here are the top science-faith myths:

1. Myth: "Until Darwin, Christians took the Bible literally."

2. Myth: "You can't be a real Christian and accept evolution." -
This page has an interesting definition of "fundamentalists."

3. Myth: "Few great scientists throughout history have been
true Christians." - I guess atheists can claim that some of
the people listed lived during strict religious time, for example the
Middle Ages, having no choice but to believe. Really debunking this
myth is a moot point to me.

4. Myth: "In the days Christopher Columbus, everyone thought the
world was flat."- Apparantly, some people are still not sure if the
Earth is round. Sorry, I know that is mean of me. Ms. Shephard
cleared it and said it was just "on of those senior brain poopy moments."

5. Myth: "Eventually, science will explain everything." - Pftt. Science
can't even explain why I'm such a weirdo. Or can it?

Flawed Argument

Ok, I thought I would never address this argument because
it so flawed that it's not worth it. However, I keep hearing
it repeated by atheists so I thought I should take a go at it.
I even hear this claim from intellectuals such as Christopher
Hitchens and Richard Dawkins. You know that "religion is
the reason why we have wars" spiel. Well, I again I was
presented with this argument when I read a Letter to the
Editor in today's Caller Times. Here is what Mr. Stone
said:

"Until the religious teachings of each faith is forever discarded
to the ash bins of history, there can never be viable peace in
the Middle East, or anywhere else for that matter. The solution,
obvious to a pagan infidel such as me, is to create two states side
by side."

He then goes on to write:

"The whole world is now hostage to a quarrel that could eventually
end in nuclear war. But then, violence, irrationality and intolerance
have been the theme of organized religion since the beginning of man."

Oh, where should I begin. First, one can easily make the claim
that most wars are much more about land and gaining political
power than they are about doing the will of God. I would say
greed is the mitigating factor not religious zealousness.

Second, if we stripped people from religious beliefs there would
still be war. I do believe Joseph Stalin outlawed religious sects.
Oh, and Fidel Castro has oppressed the Cuban people for decades
and he has no religion. So no religion does not guarantee no war.
Try again.

I would also make the argument that religious people are often part
of peace movements too. I'll give you two names: Reverend Martin
Luther King and Ghandi. But people who want to attack religious people
don't want to point that out.

I believe atheists have many good points about religion but the
argument if we got rid religion we would have no problems is not true.
Really, it's almost like saying if there was no religion we would no longer
have poverty. I feel like I'm stating the absolute obvious but I guess we
all need to be reminded of things from time to time.

Interesting conversation

I'm having an interesting conversation on Chuck Olsen's
blog, check it out. Some of the comments are somewhat
long but I think it is getting good even though it has been
going on for almost a week. I was a little snotty at first but
I apologized. I know that doesn't come off very well.

Is there hostility towards Christianity?

The people of Barna Group has posted results on a new
poll. Here are some of the interesting findings:

-Most atheists and agnostics (56%) agree with the idea
that radical Christianity is just as threatening in America
as is radical Islam. Two-thirds of Christians (63%) who have
an active faith perceive that the nation is becoming more
hostile and negative toward Christianity.

-Perhaps partly due to the younger nature of the audience,
atheists and agnostics are more likely than are active-faith
adults to say they are into new technology (64% among no-faith
individuals versus 52% among active-faith adults) and to assert
that they adapt easily to change (81% versus 66%). Atheists
and agnostics are also significantly less likely to say they are
convinced they are right about things in life (38% versus 55%).

-One of the most significant differences between active-faith and
no-faith Americans is the cultural disengagement and sense of
independence exhibited by atheists and agnostics in many areas
of life. They are less likely than active-faith Americans to be
registered to vote (78% versus 89%), to volunteer to help a
non-church-related non-profit (20% versus 30%), to describe
themselves as "active in the community" (41% versus 68%),
and to personally help or serve a homeless or poor person
(41% versus 61%). They are also more likely to be registered
to vote as an independent or with a non-mainstream political party.

Hitchens vs. Hannity

Finding meaning

I remember in high school, I was debating an atheist(who later
said she was Catholic because that's what her mom said) and we
were debating the existence of God. During the debate she asked me,
"Why would God let a young, innocent six year old die?"

The question kind came out of nowhere. I have no idea why she in her
rhetorical question she used a certain age. Perhaps, I thought in our
discussion we were speaking in hypotheticals but she was speaking from
experience. Or she was trying to give specifics to make a more emotional
appeal.

The question bothered me. I really didn't know how to respond to that
question. How does one respond to the question of human suffering?
It is so hard. However, I don't believe non-believers have a sufficient
answer to the question either.

I thought about it for a minute and I went up to her later and asked her
something like, "Then if there is no God then what was the meaning of that
child's six years of life ?" I honestly can't remember exactly how she answered.

I was young and stupid maybe it wasn't the best response. I think as humans
we try to find meaning and purpose for our life and suffering.

Today I remembered a scene from House where the atheist doctor is trying
find out why a young Christian girl who was raped won't abort.

Reaction to Nightline Debate

I watched the Nightline debate on Atheists vs. Christians.
I must admit it was poorly argued by both sides. Above you
can see I have edited together some highlights. I wanted to
responded to one of the questions an atheist, Brian Sapient,
brought up in the discussion. He asked, "If God is the creator
than who created God?"

My response: I believe that God has always existed and
is not in need of a creator. As humans we have a day that
we are born and a day when we die. Therefore, it is difficult
for people to grasp that idea that an entity could not have a
beginning and end. It boggles the mind. As a child the thought
of forever scared me. I would stay up at night thinking how it is
possible that time would never cease. But that thought no
longer perplexes me.

I believe we have become a materialist society and I am
not talking in terms of possessions. We can only think in terms
of what we can see, touch, and hear and anything outside that realm
is illogical. But when we view the world in these terms we restrict
ourselves, the complexity of life and our role as humans in this universe.

The Nightline Face Off

Get your Tivo's ready! Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort
of the Way of the Master will debate the Rational
Response Squad in the first "Nightline Face Off."
It will air Wednesday on Nightline.

The Evangelical Atheist

Last night on The Colbert Report, Steven talked
about the rise of a more aggressive spreading
of atheism. He gave an example of atheist Michel
Onfray giving two hours lectures (or sermons) every
Sunday about "freethinking." The members are
"debaptized."

It also seems the best seller's list has seen an onslaught
of books trying to debunk God. For example, the ones
pictured above. I've also noticed in the online community
a growing a number of websites doing the same.
One website is offering a Youtube blasphemy challenge.
It is encouraging blasphemers to post their rhetoric.

I find all this ironic, as Colbert does, because the
Christian community has often been criticized
for being too aggressive. You know that whole,
"Don't shove it done my throat," bit. But now
non-believers seem to be doing the exact thing.
Continue reading after jump

All I have to say to atheists is be careful you don't
want people to think your "too preachy."
Side note: Only three Republicans last night
at the debate said they did not believed in evolution.