Issue 135

News: Ray Comfort has no idea about atheism.
I first discovered Ray Comfort through his claim that the Banana is evidence of God's design, failing to notice that it was more likely "designed" by New Guineans over generations. Later, I stumbled upon a blog he uses to try to convert atheists. Here is a list of 10 things he thinks atheists do, with annotations by me (in italics).

1. Whenever you are presented with credible evidence for God's existence, call it a "straw man argument," or "circular reasoning." This, of course, depends on the proposition that there really is credible evidence for his existence. If something is quoted from somewhere, label it "quote mining." It's only Quote mining if you take a small quote out of context, like claiming that Darwin thought that the evolution of the eye seemed improbable without noting that he went into a three-page spiel about how it could be done.

2. When a Christian says that creation proves that there is a Creator, dismiss such common sense by saying "That's just the old watchmaker argument." The Design argument only implies a powerful creator, not with all of the qualities we assign God. Indeed, why can natural processes count as a Creator?

3. When you hear that you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by obeying the Gospel, say "That's just the old 'Pascal wager.'" Pascal's Wager is quite possibly the most debunkable argument for God's existence. For instance, suppose you get another God than YHVH in the afterlife and he's just as jealous?

4. You can also deal with the "whoever looks on a woman to lust for her, has committed adultery with her already in his heart," by saying that there is no evidence that Jesus existed. The existence of Jesus and questions of the morality of his teachings are two totally different issues.

5. Believe that the Bible is full of mistakes, and actually says things like the world is flat. Do not read it for yourself. That is a big mistake. Many Atheists have read the Bible cover to cover, and some (such as Julia Sweeney) have lost their faith as a direct result of reading it.

6. Say that you were once a genuine Christian, and that you found it to be false. Additionally, if a Christian points out that this is impossible (simply due to the very definition of Christianity as one who knows the Lord), just reply "That's the 'no true Scotsman fallacy.'" According to What dictionary does the definition of Christian mean "somebody who knows the lord?"

7. Believe that nothing is 100% certain, except the theory of Darwinian evolution. Indeed, few things are 100% certain to most educated people (except math). A lot are 99.99999999999% certain, and Evolution is most likely one of them.

8. Deal with the threat of eternal punishment by saying that you don't believe in the existence of Hell. The mere denial of something does not make it false. It is the absurdity of the fact that a just God would give infinite punishment for finite sin. Even the Holocaust was supposed to end.

9. Blame Christianity for the atrocities of the Roman Catholic church. Christianity is a mixed bag, with people whose aims range from world peace to perpetual war claiming inspiration from the Bible. The sheer malleability of the Word seems to be another thing that takes away from the crebility of Christianity.

10. Finally, keep in fellowship with other like-minded atheists who believe as you believe, and encourage each other in your beliefs. This tends to be true. Of course, a lot of atheists have theist friends who are willing to agree to disagree. Indeed, I tend to be willing to do that as long as they don't push Jesus on people like they're dealing Jesus heroin to unsuspecting youth, or if they can admit that they can't prove it, like Kierkegaard.

Band Name of the Day: The J-Men. From an interesting mash-up of many old movies that I've seen recently, J-Men Forever (perhaps a review will come in a later issue).

Film Idea of the Day: Don Giovanni. I've come up with the idea, from Ken Branaugh's doing a similar film, to create a modernized and translated version of Mozart 's Don Giovanni, whose dark comedy tends to fit in better with my style than The Magic Flute's Enlightenment Optimism. Translation is certainly a must, and Perhaps I could turn the recitatives into standard dialogue, among other things, most likely including a modernization of the plot, maybe with Leporello reading the catalogue of his master's conquests not from a scroll, but from a PDA.

Film Review of the Day: S.F.W. I recently discovered this film in a DVD bargain bin, and found that it was certainly quite interesting and not at all deserving of the obscurity it's gotten. It's about how Steven Dorff managed to get kidnapped by terrorists and held in a quick stop, only to shoot his way out, and become a celebrity, only to get shot himself by an honors student screaming "Everything Matters!" who would eventually usurp his stardom. Perhaps the aforementioned climax was what turned off a lot of critics upon its release, but as a satire of the media, it certainly works.

Quote of the Day: "I heard, I heard what you were saying. You, you know nothing of my work. How you ever got to teach a course in anything is totally amazing."
____________________Marshall McLuhan, Annie Hall.

Link of the Day: Some funny and concise articles and stories explaining atheism. Anything with a paper icon next to is highly recommended by me.