Doubts Aloud Podcast

Episode 6 – Show Notes

Ed and Andrew report to Frances on their experiences of the Book of Mormon Show in London. We also chat about SkyDivePhil who presented on Animal Suffering at the London Unbelievable Discussion Group. We recommend seeing him debate recently in Texas. Here is a link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKQWrbeoA2E

In last month’s show we mentioned an impressive poem by Glen Scrivener “Given” which he read at this year’s Unbelievable Conference. We play his reading and then discuss it. Here is a link to the poem as text:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ex8GvfVysyZW4qde6WT83anCr9qQYSgwipUGJCe4jXo/edit

The “Is that in the Bible” slot (Genesis 8:20-22) introduces ideas of sacrificing animals to please or appease God. This leads to a historical take on the Atonement as the next instalment of our continuing discussion we’re calling a ‘Summer of Atonement’. How did the early Christians get to the idea that Jesus’ death could take away sins? The link between animal sacrifice and removal of sins in the Hebrew Bible is surely an important source. But as we look into it these Old Testament ideas don’t seem to hang together that well.

Then Ed is put in the interviewer’s spotlight as he explains his double conversion. He still has breath left to do a Climate Endnote on the old idea the ‘Tragedy of the Commons’, which has relevance to how we should address Climate Change today.

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Please leave us a review on iTunes and we will respond to any question asked there with the review.

Or give feedback and ask questions using : [email protected]

Join the Facebook Group discussions:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023280847835278/
Meet us all in person at the monthly “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see:
https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London

Episode 5 – Show Notes

Frances and Andrew report back on the great Unbelievable Conference and we then give the answer ‘no’ to “Is that in the Bible?”. The earliest gospel, Mark, does not have anything at all on the central Christian idea that Christ died to do something about sins.

We then we get to grips with a chapter in our 50 Arguments for Faith book “Is Jesus the Only Way?” This addresses the idea of exclusive truth as well as the apparent unfairness for cultures not familiar with Jesus.

We consider how Jesus could be the Way to God or salvation. This idea that he dealt with sin, called the Atonement, is central. The “Is that in the Bible” discussion highlighted some problems here and they became worse as Andrew introduced us to his YouTube channel on Christian Diversity and the episode on the doctrine of Penal Substitutionary Atonement.
https://youtu.be/P6TnqGa9Z3g

We have decided to dig a bit deeper and make this a ‘Summer of Atonement”. We should all feel a lot better when it is done!

Frances tackles a key problem for Penal Substitutionary Atonement, which is how the guilt of one person can be transferred to another. Christian philosopher William Lane Craig thinks he has solved this and used Anglo-US practice in Law as his basis. That is Frances’ professional expertise and she puts us straight on the matter. Here is Craig’s material
https://www.reasonablefaith.org/media/reasonable-faith-podcast/what-is-the-correct-view-of-the-atonement-part-2/



Doubts Aloud Links:

Please leave us a review on iTunes and we will respond to any question asked there with the review.

Or give feedback and ask questions using : [email protected]

Join the Facebook Group discussions:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023280847835278/
Meet us all in person at the monthly “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see:
https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London


(Note - 50 Arguments for Faith book:
“Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy and Science” by Mike Licona and William Dembski. It can be found on Amazon.)

Episode 4 – Show Notes

Andrew uses his ‘Is That In The Bible?’ slot to introduce us to a topic he researched deeply when a Christian and is a part of his journey to doubt. The verse is Matthew 24:34 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” It turns out not to be isolated. The prophecy of Jesus’ early return is found throughout the New Testament. So much so that a whole movement in the church believes that he must have returned, but the church fathers did not really notice. There is variety and nuance in these beliefs and Andrew helps us explore them.

Then we move to our section “Reason and God” and we look at a less well known argument for God’s existence by Thomas Aquinas, using his ideas on Essence and Existence. We use this to explore how some, often Catholic, apologists need to us first to adopt medieval thinking to understand the argument they are making.

A good peer reviewed article to pursue this further is on the Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/aq-meta/
(You don't have to read past Section 1 & 2. )

Then Frances is in the hot seat as the other hosts interview her regarding her journey to atheism, which she completed rather earlier than Andrew or Ed managed. Watch out for a mention of Anthony Flew.

For the Climate Endnote, Ed mentions G7 government subsidies on fossil fuels, which he found amazing when he heard about them. Ed has started blogging on these Climate Endnotes here:
https://citizensclimatelobby.uk/

Doubts Aloud Links:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023280847835278/?ref=bookmarks

Please leave us a review on iTunes and we will respond to any question asked there with the review.

Episode 3 - Show Notes

We dive straight into an interview with our first guest –Andrew has a wonderful discussion with a Christian John Nelson who has studied at Nottingham University. John’s studies included a deep dive into Historical Jesus research and he puts the recent and current research approaches into context.

Then we move to our section “Reason and God” and we respond to Chapter 6 of the Christian book “Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy and Science” by Mike Licona and William Dembski. It can be found on Amazon.

The chapter is “Responding to the Argument from Evil: Three Approaches for the Theist”. The main point we address is the appeal to ignorance of what God would do to make ‘goods’ in the world. How do we know that God isn’t producing a greater good from the death of a child from illness? Cynics may call this ‘playing the mystery card’ but its more honourable name is ‘sceptical theism’. We mention the online 'Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy' on sceptical theism, see

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/skeptical-theism/
also this is helpful
https://www.iep.utm.edu/skept-th/#SH5a

Our main discussion is on the implications for the believer in adopting sceptical theism, which are unexpected, unwelcome and far reaching (in our view).

For Is that in the Bible?, we look at the verses before that famous “my ways are higher than your ways” verse in Isaiah 55. We start at verse 6 and see a different message.

For the Climate Endnote, Ed gives some parallels between the 1833 Abolition of Slavery in the British Empire and the massive policy change required to properly address climate change. Ed has started blogging on these Climate Endnotes here:
https://citizensclimatelobby.uk/

Doubts Aloud Links:

Please leave us a review on iTunes and we will respond to any question asked there with the review.

Or give feedback and ask questions using : [email protected]

Join the Facebook Group discussions:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/247243319147813/
Meet us all in person at the monthly “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see:
https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London

Episode 2 – Show Notes

We dive straight into our section “Is that in the Bible?” and this month look at Leviticus 27 v28-9– which introduces a scary Hebrew word ‘herem’ that is often translated ‘devoted to destruction’ and is frequently applied to human communities in the Old Testament. Is this human sacrifice?

We spend the rest of the show unpicking the issue of God’s character in the Old Testament where He commands ‘herem’ destruction of cities and peoples. How can the Bible be accurate and God still good and loving? There is a spectrum of Christian responses here, and we attempt to engage with them all. In particular we discuss the two approaches used by the guests on the recent Unbelievable shows on the topic.

https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-Greg-Boyd-Paul-Copan-debate-Old-Testament-violence-and-Boyd-s-new-theology-in-Crucifixion-Of-The-Warrior-God

and
https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-Boyd-Copan-pt-2-debating-Amalekite-destruction-Ananias-and-Sapphira

Should we take this as intellectual material to assess whether the Bible really is from God? In that spirit we will be engaging with a Christian book in many future episodes “Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy and Science” by Mike Licona and William Dembski. It can be found on Amazon.

Or should we be more moral in tone and condemn the “Apologists for Genocide”?. The 2011 debate in Oxford is pertinent here:

https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-5-Nov-2011-Is-God-a-Delusion-William-Lane-Craig-in-Oxford

Dr Craig defends genocide right at the end of the recording, approaching the 2hr mark.

For the Climate Endnote, Ed sees how easy it is to use policy to drive out the worst polluting fuel - coal. Ed has started blogging these Climate Endnotes here:
https://citizensclimatelobby.uk/

For those not familiar with the Christian Premier Radio Unbelievable Show that we praise, it is podcast as “Unbelievable?” and on the web:
https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable

Doubts Aloud Links:

Please leave us a review on iTunes and we will respond to any question asked there with the review.

Episode 1 – Resurrection on Trial & A Journey to Doubt

After introducing ourselves we use Frances’ expertise as a prosecution lawyer to mull over the claim that conflicting witnesses to an event help show its veracity. This claim lies behind some Christian approaches to demonstrate that the resurrection of Jesus must have been an actual physical event in history. We read the trial of Jesus in Mark to guide us (Mark 14 v55-59) and discuss Matthew’s use of prophecy to guide his apparent description of Jesus riding on two donkeys together into Jerusalem (Matthew 21 v1-7).

Andrew moves into the hot seat as we ask him about his journey in faith and doubt. Hear why he called himself “the apocalyptic child” and what influence that had on his whole life. What was behind his doubts? How did he address them? Here is the link for his Christian Diversity YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY7ZxvV5qbg&list=PLIyesuRCrlRFYCYs_XMDKhd_MAyeF8esH

We introduce a section “Is that in the Bible?” and this month look at Exodus 22 v29–30 “Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. You must give me the firstborn of your sons. Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day.” We also referenced Exodus 34 v19-20.

For the Climate Endnote, Ed asks how large a solar panel would need to be if it were to power all of humanity.

For those not familiar with the Christian Premier Radio Unbelievable Show that we praise, it is podcast as “Unbelievable?” and on the web:
https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable

Andrew’s appearances on Unbelievable were 31/10/2009 on the Return of Jesus, 26/04/2014 with Greg Boyd on Doubt and 10/07/2015 with Nabeel Qureshi on Christian Diversity.


Doubts Aloud Links:

Please give feedback and ask questions using :
[email protected]

Join the Facebook Group discussions:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/247243319147813

Meet us all in person at the monthly “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see:

https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London


Facebook Page Intro Text

This is the page for news and discussion around the Doubts Aloud podcast launched in February 2018. Please feel free to post material and engage in discussions.

The podcasters are Frances Janusz, Andrew Whyte and Ed Atkinson. We value the use of reason and evidence to assess matters of faith and worldview. (Should we doubt those assumptions?) We like to discuss philosophy, theology, Biblical Studies and human experience. We greatly value respect for those we disagree with and engaging in genuine discussion. You can meet us all in person at the monthly Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group in central London

We are especially keen to uphold respectful exchanges, so tolerance for rude or demeaning language will be low.

Episode 1 – Resurrection on Trial & A Journey to Doubt

After introducing ourselves we use Frances’ expertise as a prosecution lawyer to mull over the claim that conflicting witnesses to an event help show its veracity. This claim lies behind some Christian approaches to demonstrate that the resurrection of Jesus must have been an actual physical event in history. We read the trial of Jesus in Mark to guide us (Mark 14 v55-59) and discuss Matthew’s use of prophecy to guide his apparent description of Jesus riding on two donkeys together into Jerusalem (Matthew 21 v1-7).

Andrew moves into the hot seat as we ask him about his journey in faith and doubt. Hear why he called himself “the apocalyptic child” and what influence that had on his whole life. What was behind his doubts? How did he address them? Here is the link for his Christian Diversity YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY7ZxvV5qbg&list=PLIyesuRCrlRFYCYs_XMDKhd_MAyeF8esH

We introduce a section “Is that in the Bible?” and this month look at Exodus 22 v29–30 “Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. You must give me the firstborn of your sons. Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day.” We also referenced Exodus 34 v19-20.

For the Climate Endnote, Ed asks how large a solar panel would need to be if it were to power all of humanity.

For those not familiar with the Christian Premier Radio Unbelievable Show that we praise, it is podcast as “Unbelievable?” and on the web:

https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable

Andrew’s appearances on Unbelievable were 31/10/2009 on the Return of Jesus, 26/04/2014 with Greg Boyd on Doubt and 10/07/2015 with Nabeel Qureshi on Christian Diversity.

Doubts Aloud Links:

Please give feedback and ask questions using :

Join the Facebook Group discussions:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/247243319147813

Meet us all in person at the monthly “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see:

https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London

Facebook Page Intro Text

This is the page for news and discussion around the Doubts Aloud podcast launched in February 2018. Please feel free to post material and engage in discussions.

The podcasters are Frances Janusz, Andrew Whyte and Ed Atkinson. We value the use of reason and evidence to assess matters of faith and worldview. (Should we doubt those assumptions?) We like to discuss philosophy, theology, Biblical Studies and human experience. We greatly value respect for those we disagree with and engaging in genuine discussion. You can meet us all in person at the monthly Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group in central London

We are especially keen to uphold respectful exchanges, so tolerance for rude or demeaning language will be low.