Counter Apologetics

Is western civilization a product of Judeo-Christian values? Apologists claim that Judeo-Christian values influenced the thinkers of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment so greatly as to deserve credit as the foundation of western values. So even if Christian beliefs are entirely untrue, could the mythology still be a useful fiction that created the west as … Continue reading CA30 “Western Values Are Based on Judeo-Christian Values” →

Are we just electrified meat, or is there a ghost in the machine? Believers claim that naturalism cannot account for the phenomenal properties of consciousness, and tend to hold the position that the mind is more than the biological activity of the brain. We examine the conventional idea of the soul and how it conflicts … Continue reading CA29 Science vs. The Soul →

Christian apologists, citing a few twentieth-century regimes, often try to conflate atheism and authoritarianism. They ignore the fact that most atheists are secularists and don’t advocate for any form of state atheism. They also ignore the fact that the policies of the atheist states they cite, most frequently North Korea and the Soviet Union, were … Continue reading CA28 State Atheism →

Ten Things Christians Accidentally Tell Me About Themselves [Patheos] Paul Bloom on Freud — Yale Courses [YouTube] … CA Patreon CA Facebook Contact: [email protected] Counter Apologetics Blog Rate the show on iTunes! Magic Tricks by Whalers

Can consciousness only be explained on a theistic worldview? Christians often appeal to the phenomenon of consciousness and argue that it’s unlikely or impossible on naturalism. We discuss substance dualism, the hard problem of consciousness, identity, intentionality, and the unclear role the material realm plays in theism. CA Facebook CA Patreon Contact: [email protected] Counter Apologetics … Continue reading CA27 Argument from Consciousness →

A forbidden religion, originally composed of only a few devoted followers, eventually swept the western world. Believers think that the rise of Christianity was so unusual to suggest it was miraculous, and they argue that the stunning growth and eventual size of their religion is evidence that God really is on their side. We explore … Continue reading CA26 The Spread of Christianity →

Christians claim that the majority of the disciples were martyred for their belief in the resurrection. They were tortured and killed in horrible ways, supposedly for their beliefs. And who would go through that for a lie? CA Patreon Follow me on Facebook Contact: [email protected] Emerson’s Blog Rate the show on iTunes! Magic Tricks by … Continue reading CA25 “Who Would Die for a Lie?” →

Liar, lunatic, or lord? C.S. Lewis says we have to make our choice. Jesus must have been one of these three things, and there are definitely no other options. We also discuss the historical Jesus and clarify a detail from last week’s Easter episode regarding the women’s discovery of the empty tomb. I hope none … Continue reading The Trilemma: Lunatic, Liar, or Lord? — Easter Bonus →

Today, we discuss the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the evidence for the Gospel stories, and what it’s all supposed to mean. CA Patreon Follow CA on Facebook Contact: [email protected] Emerson’s Blog Rate the show on iTunes! Magic Tricks by Whalers … Oldest Manuscript of 1 Corinthians 15:6 [Wiki] The Ending of Mark [wiki] Bart … Continue reading CA24 Easter — The Resurrection of Jesus →

Once we get past the bloody and bizarre Old Testament, it’s all “Love thy neighbor” and “Help the poor” from there, isn’t it? We’re expected to accept that Jesus was a wise moral teacher and that the New Testament is a valuable document of morals, even if we aren’t believers ourselves. But the goodness of … Continue reading CA23 “The New Testament is Better” →