Atheist Disproves God (in a debate) | Part 1 of 8 The Non-Alchemist 2023-07-24 | This is a formal debate between myself and Cameron Bertuzzi on whether horrendous suffering disproves God. This is my Opening Statement.Citations:1. Elie Wiesel (2006), Night, Hill and Wang, p. 64-652. J.L. Schellenberg (2019), Progressive Atheism: How Moral Evolution Changes the God Debate, Bloomsbury Academic, p. 14 (Kindle)3. J.L. Schellenberg (2007), The Wisdom To Doubt: A Justification Of Religious Skepticism, Cornell University Press, p. 243-2444. Ibid, p. 2445. Ibid6. Ibid, p. 253-2547. Ibid, p. 2498. Ibid9. Ibid10. Ibid11. Ben Watkins, Personal Correspondence12. Schellenberg (2007), p. 253-254As a side note, there are other ways to cash these ideas out in more probabilistic terms. I did not do that here, so what I present stands or falls on its own merits. However, if you are curious to see this stuff defended slightly differently, See "The Holocaust is Strong Evidence Against Theism" by Jeff Lowder:naturalisticatheism.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-holocaust-is-strong-evidence.html
He Sold Out. The Non-Alchemist 2024-07-19 | It’s more probable than not that Cameron Bertuzzi sold out on his original principles for money.
Christians And Muslims Are TERRIFIED Of This . . . The Non-Alchemist 2024-07-15 | Citations:1. "Armin Navabi: The Poison Pill of Islam (Part 1 of 2)"youtu.be/kAEVyFT4Mkk?si=aHSduGMavkSlqRQ22. "Is Hell Just a Metaphor?"youtu.be/kq3xXxEeQ4s3. "THIS Led FORMER Atheist Peter Hitchens To a Belief in God!"youtu.be/oj3nyAemX9w?si=iMiQlFZWYfCi0oUB4. "Joe Schmid (The Majesty Of Reason) Shares His Story"youtu.be/P4WUa9HMNQE?si=FTL63afon15cdkhG
Jesus Made A HUGE Mistake The Non-Alchemist 2024-07-02 | Felipe Leon shares his deconversion storyThe original interview:"The Existence Of God: Some Reasons For Doubt - With Dr. Felipe Leon"youtu.be/PRRI7aN7DdQ?si=PqL3gUiEcX5pbBJxFurther Resources on this topic:"The Forgotten Meaning of Jesus' Resurrection"youtu.be/CFezkNxbOMQ?si=CIX0x8LtmlUfyBnH"Yes, Jesus was a FAILED PROPHET (feat Tim O'Neill) (Mike Winger / InspiringPhilosophy response)"youtu.be/LZ4nPw12B_c?si=9evyPYwAsQJMd20C"Why Mainstream Historical Jesus Scholars Think Christianity is False"exapologist.blogspot.com/2007/10/one-of-main-reasons-why-i-think.html
Why He Annoys Everyone The Non-Alchemist 2024-06-22 | Not hard to figure out"Deconstructing Jordan Peterson on Religion"youtu.be/5-yQVlHo4JA?si=owJ_haeyM-jJclun"Navigating Belief, Skepticism, and the Afterlife | Alex O'Connor @CosmicSkeptic | EP 451"youtu.be/T0KgLWQn5Ts?si=OBvDrXjgpGjICzK7
They Thought They Were Defending Their Faith . . . The Non-Alchemist 2024-06-18 | It had to be done.References:"Questions on Quantum Mechanics, Certainty, and Extreme Resistance | Reasonable Faith Podcast"youtu.be/K-5Q_zx9Etc"Are You a Christian With Doubts? Stop Doing This."youtu.be/wDvEYlwo_F0"My Apologist Friends = 1 Walks Away & 1 Goes Catholic"youtu.be/gqrSN8ZnYsY"A Catholic, Protestant, Atheist and Agnostic Discuss the Problem of Evil"youtu.be/hxUgziZ4vro?si=PVpi0yNC4gKjQTgV"Bear Kills Deer In Residential Neighborhood || ViralHog"youtu.be/Fg9_ZnojxmU?si=qYPwIHPPFJ396Ypl"Joe Schmid (The Majesty Of Reason) Shares His Story"youtu.be/P4WUa9HMNQE?si=7ExFWeLQADYs5nOV********************See:"Jesus Loves Canaanites: Biblical Genocide in the Light of Moral Intuition" by Dr. Randal Rauser+ "Did the Old Testament Endorse Slavery?" by Dr. Joshua Bowen********************"How You Should and Shouldn't Interpret Violence in the Old Testament"youtu.be/iNlMBrP2Jm8?si=gBvdYgqBCgyTHEJU"2nd Most Powerful Argument Against God"youtu.be/MvcaU6mHnqY?si=nxRIJETvQ5uRaPd2********************See:"The Collapse of the Moral Argument for God"youtu.be/0CwX6mNWBXk?si=rbRro-qdaYUp9Urw********************"The Evil God Challenge by Stephen Law"youtu.be/lqEl_mt7Hhk?si=-W3RxVYgonYztX6l"The Evil God Challenge: A Critique"youtu.be/tRG4W61IHHI?si=BPX4LG0FLBi0hE3s
Christians Have A Problem The Non-Alchemist 2024-06-15 | And their solutions aren’t great.References:"Matt Chandler - Preaching the Gospel to the De-Churched"youtu.be/d4jMFOJTglk?si=KX2CEFhIHr2kOsFy"Is it okay to have doubts?"youtu.be/eQdlRbsyzAU?si=eS9RpGxUncXpKuTe"4 Tips to Deal with Doubt and Deconstruction"youtu.be/fuBx0x5PDXQ?si=WrP7uKFXg1BA8lnrJosh Mcdowell & Sean Mcdowell (2012), "77 FAQs About God And The Bible", Harvest House Publishers, p. 19-21 (Kindle)"Coming Out Twice - With Beyond Belief"youtu.be/MgfvQAbxX1I?si=3-P4CHAFYlOtjlv8"How to Answer the Problem of Evil in 5 Steps 😨"youtu.be/70T8mm0W2tA?si=9pIxhhOuUt0qjZXP"The Psychology of Atheism: Defending Your Faith with R.C. Sproul"youtu.be/YinTb4jkdvs?si=7eS0x64BR9j5aJtt"Is The Old Testament Reliable? 3 Solid Evidences. SeanMcDowell.org"youtu.be/LCwrXcC52Co?si=kSQs6OD4EY_9g1wGMichael Coogan (2008), "The Old Testament: A Very Short Introduction", Oxford University Press, p. 157 (Kindle)Peter Enns (2013), "Response To R. Albert Mohler JR.", In "Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy", Zondervan, p. 61 (Kindle)
Ehrman EXPOSES Bad Apologetics The Non-Alchemist 2024-05-31 | They see what they want to see sometimesCitations:1. "Are the Gospels Historically Reliable? The Problem of Contradictions"youtu.be/AymnA526j9U?si=L-u_2Bba_j8Z2uhq2. Al Mohler (2013), "When The Bible Speaks, God Speaks: The Classic Doctrine Of Biblical Inerrancy", In "Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy", Zondervan, p. 51 (Kindle)3. "How You Can Know and Show Christianity Is True (Understanding Apologetic Methodology)"youtube.com/live/nI7etbNpFLU?si=XxC7-bdSa3iNC6C-4. "Questioning Darwin 'If the Bible said 2+2=5'"youtu.be/Ysecinv367w?si=57pTvHEiXuxcJSn55. "CFI UK: Dr Stephen Law on Young Earth Creationism"youtu.be/8pj02STCmQk?si=dDLmfQh0GpiurNQX6. "Ten Contradictions in the Bible"youtu.be/gYrq7cS1xE8?si=DVD6ln3lyaqXMr4B7. Kenton Sparks (2008), "God's Word In Human Words: An Evangelical Appropriation of Critical Biblical Scholarship", Baker Academic, p. 208 (Kindle)8. Christian Smith (2012), "The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism Is Not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture", Brazos Press, p. 25 (Kindle)9. "Is the death of Judas Iscariot a Bible contradiction? Bart Ehrman vs Peter J Williams"youtu.be/6JTXgYw8_fE?si=Oj64JPuoME_BkH1k10. Craig Evans (2012), "Mathew (New Cambridge Bible Commentary)", Cambridge University Press, p. 447-449 (Kindle)11. See "The Death(s) of Judas" by The Amateur Exegete to see these contradictions unpacked at length:amateurexegete.com/2019/05/21/the-deaths-of-judas
Christians And Muslims Don’t Want To Think About This The Non-Alchemist 2024-03-21 | Let’s talk about religious experienceCitations:1. "Spiritual Witnesses"youtu.be/UJMSU8Qj6Go?si=CZFPg8knDEzLMyCe"William Lane Craig's Short Testimony"youtu.be/KkAAE2_vLsY?si=tb-qjQC31cLEZdrd2. J.L. Schellenberg (2007), The Wisdom To Doubt: A Justification Of Religious Skepticism, Cornell University Press, p. 163 (Kindle)3. Michael Huemer (2022), "Understanding Knowledge", Independently Published, p. 453-455 (Kindle)4. Ibid5. Ibid, p. 459-4606. Stephen Law (2011) "Believing Bullshit: How Not To Get Sucked Into An Intellectual Black Hole", Prometheus, p. 150-151 (Kindle)7. Believing Bullshit, p. 1548. The Wisdom To Doubt, p. 1759. My analogy is based on Believing Bullshit, p. 148-150 10. The Wisdom To Doubt, p. 16311. Phillip Goff (2023) "Why? The Purpose of the Universe", Oxford University Press, p. 201 (Kindle)12. "Presuppositional Atheism?"apastasea.blogspot.com/2014/10/presuppositional-atheism.htmlSome of these thoughts are put humorously here13. Stephen Law, "The X-Claim Argument Against Religious Belief"stephenlaw.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-x-claim-argument-against-religious.html14. Understanding Knowledge, p. 463-465
How Apologists Try To Manipulate You The Non-Alchemist 2024-03-10 | Here are 6 waysCitations:1. "William Lane Craig & Scott Clifton Discuss the Kalam Cosmological Argument"youtube.com/live/TmYCwjU_5Wc?si=_7Te0aPi_Ow9OhPj2. "Better Call Saul S04E02 Breathe - Jimmy's epic job interview (HD)"youtu.be/FaJToC27bcg?si=PrladNENdqjDEtF53. "Atheism: Why I converted to Christianity"youtu.be/mtVP7N8mAQw?si=iuAf1ZEdVC3q6uqQ4. "A Girl Asks Frank Turek If She's Going to Hell"youtu.be/dJFig3n1N9s?si=ug6mOZRtMp8DihTu5. "4 Weird Questions That Might Make You an Atheist"youtu.be/JE-P6mw60-A?si=251neBnzp_Gwfag7"4 Weird Questions That Should Not Make You an Atheist"youtube.com/live/6NZ591dt8cA?si=4rrl4I7g3nBpL5yz6. "William Lane Craig Q&A: Was There Animal Death Before Adam's Sin?"youtu.be/RnIfkKP2ipw?si=Om6Ygmjo0J_BHek87. 3. Felipe Leon (2019), "Varieties of Naturalism", in "Is God the Best Explanation of Things?: A Dialogue", Palgrave Macmillan, p. 91
Christians Should Be WORRIED About This . . . The Non-Alchemist 2024-01-19 | It’s not going awayCitations:1. "A Fundamental Flaw of Deconstruction"youtu.be/ZKHlK1v2Vqg?si=eQ4rBgzb5mge-xjm2. I'm obviously not speaking for all atheists. There are some anti-theists whose main goal is to make as many atheists as possible. 3. "Conversation with The Non-Alchemist: Deconversion Story, Atheism, and Apologetics"youtu.be/w9KHr7FEqfM?si=pm4GZuZ2VVPWyBp44. "Jesus was dead. He is risen."youtube.com/shorts/AnY2H9KCSyI?si=NT33ZVU5TG7xSOG4
A Surprising Reason To Doubt Christianity The Non-Alchemist 2024-01-13 | Not expected at all…Citations:1. "Jesus Is Dead"youtu.be/eTWml9aVdvA?si=L-Z0MTjzh3eI6arE2. "Christianity Is False"youtu.be/QKsEL1wNQtQ?si=pjdseRxraxPH-oqs"The McGrew Failure - With Matthew Hartke and The Amateur Exegete"youtu.be/Dn6GR4QFLgo?si=VPA_dItUwDcg8HzO3. "Apologist Doesn’t Know What Words Mean"youtu.be/S054Lvj3AJc?si=bJqBwvp5Gh0oqrap"Yes, Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence"youtu.be/ULIRA7Lcfe8?si=ngUq1evHL5OvFc-R
Sneaky Christian Double Standards The Non-Alchemist 2023-12-30 | They can be hard to missCitations:1. "Skyrim Sneak Logic"youtu.be/-8e4JsGSBZo?si=fMiD5WgTuR9MJYjp2. "How to Answer the Problem of Evil in 5 Steps 😨"youtu.be/70T8mm0W2tA?si=9pIxhhOuUt0qjZXP3. "World's Smartest Atheist Finally Admits What Christians Knew All Along"youtu.be/I51eqacBv9Q?si=rjJ1dEAAwSVLOvIq4. "My Apologist Friends = 1 Walks Away & 1 Goes Catholic"youtu.be/gqrSN8ZnYsY?si=hS_hgj7ZQtcWbytH5. "Spiritual Witnesses"youtu.be/UJMSU8Qj6Go?si=CZFPg8knDEzLMyCe6. "William Lane Craig's Short Testimony"youtu.be/KkAAE2_vLsY?si=tb-qjQC31cLEZdrd7. "Do Mormon Experiences Undermine Christian Experiences? (Short Clip)"youtu.be/F7z02sXpDr0?si=4nr43ca6ay_NR8LF8. "244 Witness of the Holy Spirit and Defeasibility of Christian Belief"reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/witness-of-the-holy-spirit-and-defeasibility-of-christian-belief
Atheist Helps Apologist Answer A Question The Non-Alchemist 2023-12-22 | I can be nice sometimes, I swear!Citations:1. "20 Questions with Mike Winger (Episode 112)"youtube.com/live/yQ49hAADiRQ?si=3cJ6u8hVfnYR-N_E2. Ibid3. "Jesus Is Dead"youtu.be/eTWml9aVdvA?si=4nyTtBFiAgOEw_Vi4. "Atheist Disproves God (in a debate) | Part 1 of 8"youtu.be/UENXrKW98Ws?si=6sbJtlWaIPD2ojrh5. "A Catholic and an Atheist Debate God and Religion"youtube.com/live/k5k48FeQqE4?si=DdKiKR27-oiX2TRf
When Smart Christians Look SILLY The Non-Alchemist 2023-12-16 | Sometimes it happensCitations:1. "R.C Sproul (You Will Rejoice that your family is in Hell)"youtu.be/4VXQIa7-Y58?si=epTDC7hvngads1yk2. Sermons of Jonathan Edwards (2005), Hendrickson Publishing, p. 407-411These are a selection of passages combined found on the pages above3. R.C. Sproul (2014), "Everyone's A Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology", Reformation Trust, Location 4416 (Kindle)4. I'm aware that people have sometimes used the phrase "eternal conscious torment" to almost refer to CS Lewis style versions of an eternal hell. This is not what most people have meant historically by this phrase. Either way, if you want to use it that way, it's cool - just know there are still a lot of problems with a view like that, which David Bentley Hart points out in his book "That All Shall Be Saved"5. Peter Enns (2014), "The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made us Unable To Read It", HarperOne, p. 296. Peter Enns (2013), "Inerrancy, However Defined, Does Not Describe What The Bible Does", in "Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy", Zondervan Academic, p. 1047. "Why did God command the OT killing of women and children?"youtu.be/YYBjetEebEY?si=PfDZweQyhtigK2LJ8. Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy, P. 1069. See Exodus 22:16-17, Leviticus 25:44-46, Exodus 21:2-6, Deut 22:23-24, Lev 19:20-21
Apologist FAILS To Defend Christianity The Non-Alchemist 2023-12-03 | This is Cringe1. "5 SHOCKING PROOFS OF JESUS' RESURRECTION | APOLOGETICS #1"youtu.be/qK6Z03dg1kQ?si=stwUOQ5ne99eCh2D2. Dale Allison (2021), "The Resurrection of Jesus: Apologetics, Polemics, History", T&T Clark, p. 559 (Kindle)3. The New Testament is not reliable in the way many Christians need it to be, see:"The McGrew Failure - With Matthew Hartke and The Amateur Exegete"youtu.be/Dn6GR4QFLgo?si=xRpeHclqGYlhpAuL4. "Did Jesus Rise From The Dead? More Reasons For Doubt"youtu.be/zkTRePlfHvM?si=1gMh2TsoNmQHP_Nh5. "Non-Christian Sources | Risen Jesus Podcast S5E6"youtu.be/icUghWWnLVQ?si=Pry6hOZ8ancw-QvM
Apologist Makes Fun Of Atheists, But Then . . . The Non-Alchemist 2023-11-24 | Things don’t go well...Citations:1. "World's Smartest Atheist Finally Admits What Christians Knew All Along"youtu.be/I51eqacBv9Q?si=SSxUi_HgMPtb4b1K2. "Atheists Won’t Shut Up!"youtu.be/45qgcqFpI2o?si=tufB_JzOoHwfBS8Z3. "Apologist Has No Self-Awareness"youtu.be/1E-429WpDTg?si=fw8K8IY3Q6nNnCIk4. Not literally "he himself", but you get the point5. "Atheist Answers Apologist’s Questions"youtu.be/0Q6brSsMfac?si=x6wSaxLa6RtwKdBk
Why Christians Hate Him… The Non-Alchemist 2023-11-22 | There’s a reason they do, and it’s obvious.Citations:1. "Six Times This Christian Was WRONG About This Bible Scholar (feat Dr Bart Ehrman)"youtu.be/IwcZ4vHmp-I?si=-tMEflSfZGtiH79h2. "Christian Apologetics are Academically Irrelevant (feat Derek Lambert) (William Lane Craig response)"youtu.be/IYSjEJFWa0c?si=fXhjbIfnn8ReVlcn3. "Bart Ehrman Explains ALL of the New Testament | FULL DOCUMENTARY"youtu.be/feF1rDcicZM?si=EVXDRIsdHFGS9weF4. "The McGrew Failure - With Matthew Hartke and The Amateur Exegete"youtu.be/Dn6GR4QFLgo?si=D-ktFSML0g39Xx_B
Hidden Problems For Christianity The Non-Alchemist 2023-11-18 | You need to up your gameCitations:1. See The Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 10 2. Chad Van Dixhoorn (2014), "Confessing the Faith: A Reader’s Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith", Banner of Truth, p. 154-1553. I will never stop citing A Pasta Sea - the quote comes from his blog post here:apastasea.blogspot.com/2015/01/afterlife-demographics.html4. Peter Van Inwagen (2006), "The Problem of Evil", Oxford University Press, p. 305. From part of my debate with Cameron Bertuzzi here:youtu.be/Cvaqjv4PSII?si=1dtciWmfYUwW0g926. I explain in this Video:youtu.be/HBMR7Rzy4JI7. Phillip Goff (2023) "Why? The Purpose of the Universe", Oxford University Press, p. 137 (Kindle)
Jesus Is Dead The Non-Alchemist 2023-09-04 | Here’s whyCitations:1. Michael Martin (2005), "The Resurrection As Initially Improbable", in "The Empty Tomb: Jesus BeyondThe Grave", Prometheus Books, Location 458 (Kindle). The argument and style of reasoning put forward in the intro is based on this chapter2. Michael Huemer (2022), "Understanding Knowledge", Independently Published, p. 221 (Kindle)3. I heard the Gremlin example used in this kind of context first from Ben Watkins, though I think it originates with Elliot Sober4. Erik Wielenberg (2008), "God and the Reach of Reason: C. S. Lewis, David Hume, and Bertrand Russell", Cambridge University Press, p. 128-1295. Understanding Knowledge, p. 319-321 (Kindle)6. "Licona vs. Cavin: Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?"youtu.be/-tlCIqDPxwc7. John Danaher, "Did the Resurrection Happen? A Sceptical Perspective"philosophicaldisquisitions.blogspot.com/2022/11/did-resurrection-happen-sceptical.html8. "Case for the Resurrection in 2 Minutes!"youtu.be/KE6Y_GPxvSc?si=nQ58S70StbNu9WOv9. "Evaluating the Ehrman vs Bass Debate"reasonablefaith.org/media/reasonable-faith-podcast/evaluating-the-ehrman-vs-bass-debate10. Dale Allison (2021), "The Resurrection of Jesus: Apologetics, Polemics, History", T&T Clark, p. 614-620 (Kindle)11. Ibid12. "How Cognitive Dissonance Explains Christianity"youtu.be/_x8SB_gy8jg?si=uhH4ABkGeTQEVKKL13. One Chance In A Million!reasonablefaith.org/media/reasonable-faith-podcast/questions-on-quantum-mechanics-certainty-and-extreme-resistance14. Michael Huemer (2021), Knowledge, Reality, And Value: A Mostly Common Sense Guide to Philosophy, Independently Published, p. 88 (Kindle)15. Michael D. Coogan, Marc Z. Brettler, & Carol A. Newsom (2018), The New Oxford Annotated Bible; New Revised Standard Version; An Ecumenical Study Bible, Oxford University Press, p. 1380. This version does not contain the Apocrypha.16. "Markan Priority (The Synoptic Problem) — Ian N. Mills"youtu.be/8FV2CrIv6xU?si=VQOwf-4TaDzpY4ca17. This quote came from Tweets:twitter.com/LauraRbnsn/status/1175818464583438336?s=20&t=6NJji2FweKvqq2_IZ2LFaAtwitter.com/LauraRbnsn/status/1175819611633266688?s=20&t=6NJji2FweKvqq2_IZ2LFaA18. Luke Timothy Johnson (2010), The New Testament: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, p. 8 (Kindle)
Craig’s Moral Argument Will Backfire The Non-Alchemist 2023-08-13 | Trust me.Links:"How Can We Demonstrate that Objective Moral Values Exist to a Nihilist Who Holds They Are Illusory?"youtu.be/fbeoe2_6qx4"Who Really Killed Jesus? God or Humans?"youtu.be/r_Ti7jRi2d0"Richard Dawkins and Driving Out the Canaanites"reasonablefaith.org/media/reasonable-faith-podcast/richard-dawkins-and-driving-out-the-canaanites
Evidence Against The Bible The Non-Alchemist 2023-08-06 | The Bible is not God’s WordThe original video:"Bishop Barron on Violence in the Bible"youtu.be/1A65Wfr2is0Did the Old Testament Endorse Slavery? Find out!amazon.com/Did-Old-Testament-Endorse-Slavery-ebook/dp/B0CC13NMZR/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3VZHCJEQGRYIP&keywords=did+the+old+testament+endorse+slavery&qid=1691351077&sprefix=did+the+old+testament+%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-2Donald K. McKim (2014), "The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms (2nd Ed)", Westminster John Knox Press, p.32 (Kindle)Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed), Doubleday, p. 31
Atheist Debunks Apologist (in a debate) | Part 7 of 8 The Non-Alchemist 2023-07-29 | This is a formal debate between myself and Cameron Bertuzzi on whether horrendous suffering disproves God. This is my closing statement.1. I heard this disturbing example when Joe Schmid cited Sharon Street in this video around the 6hr(!) 50min mark2. See Rebuttal 1…3. I was already aware of the Craig post, which is why when I quoted him in my first rebuttal, it was from a 2019 publication. Either he’s changed his mind, thinks these features generally speaking constitute a good argument, doesn’t review popular level books published in his name by other people, or is dishonest (I don’t think this last option is the correct choice btw). 4. Maybe those who experience horrific suffering and feel like they’re growing closer to God because of it are in tune with reality, and those who don’t experience it in this life will in an afterlife. Alternatively, maybe those who are destroyed by horrific suffering are the ones who truly look reality in the face and buckle, and the ones that don’t are just making the best of a bad situation based on predictable human psychological features produced by evolution. Either way, the empirical data of people’s testimony doesn’t seem to be the best way to adjudicate between these two options when considering the kind of argument we’re discussing here. 5. See Erik Wielenberg, A morally unsurpassable God must create the best6. Taking some inspiration from what Wielenberg said in my interview with him around the 31 min mark. He seems to also endorse the moral principle I have suggested.
Atheist Corrects Apologist (in a debate) | Part 5 of 8 The Non-Alchemist 2023-07-28 | This is a formal debate between myself and Cameron Bertuzzi on whether horrendous suffering disproves God. This is my second rebuttal.Citations:1. There is a distinction between 100% certainty and certainty simpliciter. Certainty is just a firm conviction that something is the case.2. J.L. Schellenberg (2007), The Wisdom To Doubt: A Justification Of Religious Skepticism, Cornell University Press, p. 2553. Elie Wiesel (2006), Night, Hill and Wang, p. 64. Peter Van Inwagen (2006), The Problem of Evil, Oxford University Press, p. 305. Stephen Maitzen (2019) “Normative Objections to Theism”, A Companion To Atheism And Philosophy, Wiley Blackwell, p. 208 (Kindle)6. Ibid, in reference to Eleonore Stump7. David Lewis (2007), “Divine Evil”, Philosophers Without Gods: Meditations On Atheism And The Secular Life, Oxford University Press, p. 231 (Kindle)
Atheist Refutes Apologist (in a debate) | Part 3 of 8 The Non-Alchemist 2023-07-26 | This is a formal debate between myself and Cameron Bertuzzi on whether horrendous suffering disproves God. This is my first rebuttal.Citations:1. Joshua Rasmussen & Felipe Leon (2019), Is God the Best Explanation of Things? A Dialogue, Palgrave Macmillan, p. 202 (Kindle)2. Graham Oppy (2006), Arguing About Gods, Cambridge University Press, p. 288-289 (Kindle)3. William Lane Craig (2019) Does God Exist?, Impact 360 Institute, Location 91 (Kindle)4. J.L. Schellenberg (2007), The Wisdom To Doubt: A Justification Of Religious Skepticism, Cornell University Press, p. 253-2545. J.L. Schellenberg (2015) The Hiddenness Argument: Philosophy’s New Challenge to Belief in God, Oxford University Press, p. 47 (Kindle)6. J.L. Schellenberg (2007), p. 2557. Ibid, P. 253-2548. Ibid9. J.L. Schellenberg (2013), A New Logical Problem of Evil, in "The Blackwell Companion to the Problem of Evil", Wiley-Blackwell, p. 37 (He is quoting Peter van Inwagen in this specific instance) 10. Ibid, p. 38
Craig’s Profound Answer To “Absurd” Question The Non-Alchemist 2023-07-22 | Double standards galore!Link:"387 If ISIS’s God Were Real, Would I Be Obliged to Follow Him?"reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/if-isiss-god-were-real-would-i-be-obliged-to-follow-him
The Worst Argument Against God? The Non-Alchemist 2023-07-20 | Let’s see whether this one holds upYouTube Links:"God's God"youtu.be/ODetOE6cbbcCitations:1. Richard Dawkins (2006), "The God Delusion", Mariner Books, Location 2560 (Kindle)2. Erik Wielenberg, "Dawkins’s Gambit, Hume’s Aroma, and God’s Simplicity"philpapers.org/archive/WIEDGH
Powerful Reasons To Doubt Christianity The Non-Alchemist 2023-07-08 | A manual for doubting ChristianityCitations:1. See "The Best Argument Against God" by Graham Oppy. You can also just search his name on YouTube and you'll be able to get a sense of what he's arguing 2. See the chapter "A Perfectly Good Personal Foundation: Some Reasons for Doubt", in "Is God the Best Explanation of Things?: A Dialogue" by Felipe Leon. Emerson Green also defends points like these in a debate:youtube.com/live/k5k48FeQqE4?feature=share3. See "The Everlasting Check: Hume on Miracles" by Alexander George. He unpacks Hume's reasoning really well, even though he has some reservations about it. I also cover my general views on miracles in this video:youtu.be/Te2nl1KdwwQ4. See "The New Testament: A Very Short Introduction" by Luke Timothy JohnsonThe Amateur Exegete has an excellent blog on Biblical topics that you can check out as well:amateurexegete.com5. See "Why Apologists Don't Talk About the Ascension" by Matthew Hartke:youtu.be/u-tU3Ea8IGM6. See the chapter "Jesus Was Wrong or, It's the End of the World as We Know it and I Feel Fine" in "The Human Faces of God: What Scripture Reveals When It Gets God Wrong (And Why Inerrancy Tries To Hide It)" by Thom StarkAnd/or watch Matthew Hartke's video "The Forgotten Meaning of Jesus' Resurrection"youtu.be/CFezkNxbOMQ7. See Rom 13:11-12; 16:201 Cor 7:27-311 Cor 10:11Phil 4:51 Thess 4:15-172 Thess 1:5-10; 2:1-12Jas 5:1-9(ESV)Check out a good blog post covering these topics by The Apostate:http://apastasea.blogspot.com/2013/03/resurrection-reply.html8. See "How Cognitive Dissonance Explains Christianity" by Matthew Hartke for an in depth discussion of thisyoutu.be/_x8SB_gy8jg9. See "Inspiration And Incarnation" by Peter Enns. He's an honest Christian, so show some love10. I go over an argument against divine inspiration in more depth here:youtu.be/TD1du3UmuMo11. Dale Tuggy is another Christian of the non-traditional variety - he has some good material regarding the implausibility of the Trinity/Incarnation on his website (both Biblical reasons and philosophical reasons)trinities.org/blog
Atheist Answers Apologist’s Questions The Non-Alchemist 2023-07-04 | Short, sweet, and to the point.Links:"10 Questions for Atheists"youtu.be/E1SDYPaUNiY"CFI UK: Dr Stephen Law on Young Earth Creationism"youtu.be/8pj02STCmQkCitation:Felipe Leon (2019), "A Perfectly Good Personal Foundation: Some Reasons for Doubt", in "Is God the Best Explanation of Things?: A Dialogue", Palgrave Macmillan, p. 192-217 (Kindle)
The Worst Christian On The Internet? The Non-Alchemist 2023-06-30 | Strike 2 for Ruslan 😢Links:"Rhett OPENS UP About Christian DECONVERSION"youtu.be/uS3tLCdTGj4Below is where the "these things have been explained to him" quote comes fromreasonablefaith.org/media/reasonable-faith-podcast/evaluating-the-ehrman-vs-bass-debateI responded to Craig on these comments about Hume here:"Atheist Corrects Ehrman & Craig"youtu.be/DFM2YJ8UxMUThe Craig clips displayed while the audio is playing are from here:youtu.be/yqaHXKLRKzgThe Mike Winger clips displayed while I talk over him are from here:"A powerful argument against Christianity."youtu.be/IDgZ5JPI6kMI respond to him here:"Apologist Might Not Be A Real Christian?"youtu.be/sEhfVPTCpyo"Circular Reasoning? We Know the Bible Is Inspired Because It Says It Is?"youtu.be/7khhojzNw6s
Apologist Doesn’t Know What Words Mean The Non-Alchemist 2023-06-25 | These things are very complicated!Links:"Extraordinary Evidence For Extraordinary Claims"youtu.be/XAQhv-GGiiI"Deconstructing Jordan Peterson on Religion"youtu.be/5-yQVlHo4JA"The STRONGEST Argument Against Catholicism w/ Dr. Jerry Walls"youtube.com/live/DgtyTtGlGrQ?feature=share"The 3 BIGGEST Mistakes Made By Atheists"youtube.com/live/Ou6hi-r6GlM?feature=shareCitations:1. Michael Huemer (2022), "Understanding Knowledge", Independently Published, p. 221 (Kindle)2. "Licona vs. Cavin: Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?"youtu.be/-tlCIqDPxwc
Atheist Corrects Ehrman & Craig The Non-Alchemist 2023-06-22 | Ehrman is less wrong, but stillLinks:"Bart Ehrman & Justin Bass • Did Jesus of Nazareth rise from the dead?"youtu.be/LVUQAVQS1-U"Evaluating the Ehrman vs Bass Debate"reasonablefaith.org/media/reasonable-faith-podcast/evaluating-the-ehrman-vs-bass-debateThe Craig clips displayed while the audio is playing are from here:youtu.be/yqaHXKLRKzgCitation:John Earman (2000), "Hume's Abject Failure: The Argument Against Miracles", Oxford University Press, Location 1002 (Kindle)
A Powerful Argument Against God The Non-Alchemist 2023-06-10 | The Hiddenness of God is a problemCitations:1. J.L. Schellenberg (2019), "Progressive Atheism: How Moral Evolution Changes the God Debate", Bloomsbury Academic, p.97-107 (Kindle). This portion is a summary of what was stated in the chapter.2. Ibid, p. 102-103 3. Ibid, p. 97-107 (resuming the summary of the chapter)4. J.L. Schellenberg (2015), "The Hiddenness Argument: Philosophy's New Challenge to Belief in God", Oxford University Press, p. 103 (Kindle)5. "John Schellenberg: The Hiddenness Argument and the Contribution of Philosophy (1/5)"youtu.be/7hBpZ-ystOg6. See here for a quick overview:youtu.be/srUC_gPcA5M
Apologist Might Not Be A Real Christian? The Non-Alchemist 2023-06-02 | Don’t hold double standardsLink:"A powerful argument against Christianity." (Mike Winger)youtu.be/IDgZ5JPI6kMCitations:1. J.L. Schellenberg (2015), "The Hiddenness Argument: Philosophy's New Challenge to Belief in God", Oxford University Press, p. 103 (Kindle)2. J.L. Schellenberg (2019), "Progressive Atheism: How Moral Evolution Changes the God Debate", Bloomsbury Academic, p.183 (Kindle)3. J.L. Schellenberg (2007), "The Wisdom To Doubt: A Justification Of Religious Skepticism", Cornell University Press, p. 227-242
Frank Turek Is Wrong The Non-Alchemist 2023-05-27 | Don’t Defend Him…Links:"Jesus: your ONLY ticket to Heaven. Why?" #shorts #frankturekyoutube.com/shorts/s63wnQq0Mg8?feature=share"You have to explain how reality works better without God!" #shorts #atheist #existenceofgodyoutube.com/shorts/bp-MhB1OQeU?feature=share"Who has the burden of proof in an argument?"youtu.be/DAuUcVKy3zc"How to talk to someone that hates God" #gospel #apologetics #drfrankturekyoutube.com/shorts/4j3LqWn43HA?feature=shareCitations:1. James McGrath, "What’s Wrong With Penal Substitution?"patheos.com/blogs/religionprof/2007/12/whats-wrong-with-penal-substitution.html2. John Hick (2013), "Problems with the Doctrine of Atonement", in "Debating Christian Theism", Oxford University Press, p. 378 (Kindle)3. C.M. Lorkowski (2021), "Atheism Considered: A Survey of the Rational Rejection of Religious Belief", Palgrave Macmilan, p. 46-55 (Kindle)4. See my Video:youtu.be/DHbYWjwATEMAnd this portion of Joe Schmid's Video:youtu.be/iP0Mh42jvV4?t=197835. David Bentley Hart (2016), "A Splendid Wickedness: and Other Essays", Eerdmans Publishing, p. 3 (Kindle)
The Bible Gets This Wrong The Non-Alchemist 2023-05-26 | Is it really surprising?Citations: 1. "Behold Your Queen The Real Conflict in Captain Marvel"desiringgod.org/articles/behold-your-queen2. Bryan Chapell (2012), "1–2 Timothy and Titus: To Guard the Deposit (Preaching the Word)", Crossway, p. 683. Ibid, p. 734. Thom Stark (2011), "The Human Faces of God: What Scripture Reveals When It Gets God Wrong (and Why Inerrancy Tries To Hide It)", Wipf & Stock, Location 1338-1352 (Kindle)5. Thomas Aquinas (2010), "Summa Theologica (Complete & Unabridged)", Coyote Canyon Press, Location 4947-4948 (Kindle)6. John Calvin (2009), "Sermons on Genesis: Chapters 1-11", Banner of Truth, p. 239-240
Apologist Hopes You Don’t Think Too Hard The Non-Alchemist 2023-05-24 | Let’s talk about the fallLink:"Why Was Sin Handed Down From Adam And Eve?"youtube.com/shorts/oY6ZEqTR2f8?feature=shareCitations:1. "Biola University’s Theological Positions"https://www.biola.edu/about/theological-positions2. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary "Abstract of Principles"https://www.sbts.edu/about/abstract/3. Josh Mcdowell & Sean Mcdowell (2012), "77 FAQs About God And The Bible", Harvest House Publishers, p. 54-55 (Kindle)4. John Hick (2013), "Problems with the Doctrine of Atonement", in "Debating Christian Theism", Oxford University Press, p. 375 (Kindle)
BIGGEST Problem With Atheism? The Non-Alchemist 2023-05-14 | William Lane Craig thinks atheism is terrible.Links:"The Absurdity of Life Without God | William Lane Craig"youtu.be/ZqNTT0E_T70"William Lane Craig - "The dragon"" youtu.be/MeOwjxogF9UThe above is a really funny compilation of WLC talking about the devil, very funnyCitations:1. C.M. Lorkowski (2021), "Atheism Considered: A Survey of the Rational Rejection of Religious Belief", Palgrave Macmilan, p. 251 (Kindle)2. J.L. Schellenberg (2005), "Prolegomena to a Philosophy of Religion", Cornell University Press, p. 212-213 (Kindle)
Arrogant Apologist Calls Atheism Arrogant The Non-Alchemist 2023-05-07 | Atheism is not uniquely arrogant or dismissiveLinks:"Dr. Bobby Conway breaks down why Atheism is so absurd"youtube.com/shorts/yKNJej3-C_0?feature=shareCraig's testimony:youtu.be/KkAAE2_vLsYCompilation of spiritual experience clips:youtu.be/UJMSU8Qj6GoCitations:Felipe Leon (2019), "A Perfectly Good Personal Foundation: Some Reasons for Doubt", in "Is God the Best Explanation of Things?: A Dialogue", Palgrave Macmillan, p. 216"WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A PHILOSOPHER? YUJIN NAGASAWA"http://www.whatisitliketobeaphilosopher.com/yujin-nagasawa
You Can’t Prove The Resurrection The Non-Alchemist 2023-04-29 | but you can try thoLinks:"TikTok Pastor: 'There's NO PROOF for the Resurrection'"youtu.be/vDii27Nt1io"Dealing with Christian Doubt: Tony Costa and Jonathan McLatchie"youtube.com/live/2w-8n10zTzY?feature=shareCitation:Erik Wielenberg (2005), "Value And Virtue In A Godless Universe", Cambridge University Press, p. 9-10 (Kindle)
The Bible Isn’t Special The Non-Alchemist 2023-04-13 | The Bible isn’t that uniqueLink:"What Makes the Bible So Special? SeanMcDowell.org"youtu.be/CpHiDdNgFS8
Your Religion (probably) Isn’t True The Non-Alchemist 2023-04-08 | Think about itLinks:"379. Does Birthplace Determine Belief?"youtu.be/n2ovksgp3WI"Where Does Religion Come From? Religion for Breakfast (Ep. #25)"youtu.be/LxQFxtc-0xY"A Catholic and an Atheist Debate God and Religion"youtube.com/live/k5k48FeQqE4?feature=shareCitations:1. Timothy Keller (2008), "The Reason for God", Penguin Books, p. 9 (Kindle)2. Stephen Law (2011), "Believing Bullshit: How Not to Get Sucked into an Intellectual Black Hole", Prometheus Books, p. 14-19 (Kindle)3. Felipe Leon (2019), "A Perfectly Good Personal Foundation: Some Reasons for Doubt", in "Is God the Best Explanation of Things?: A Dialogue", Palgrave Macmillan, p. 212-2134. Daniel Linford & William R Patterson (2015), "God, Geography, and Justice"philarchive.org/archive/LINGGA.See the above for a defense of why a perfect being would desire equality
Would Atheists Believe With Enough Evidence? The Non-Alchemist 2023-04-01 | Apparently notLink:"Would Atheists REALLY Believe if They got Proof w/ Michael Jones"youtu.be/9nvYeV4zoM4My video covering the Hiddenness Argument:youtu.be/_MUUXpoLFO0Citations:1. J.L. Schellenberg (2019), "Progressive Atheism: How Moral Evolution Changes the God Debate", Bloomsbury Academic, p.173 (Kindle)2. Ibid, p.102-103 3. J.L. Schellenberg (2015), "The Hiddenness Argument: Philosophy's New Challenge to Belief in God", Oxford University Press, p. 81-82 (Kindle)
The Best Argument For God? The Non-Alchemist 2023-03-25 | Is this the best argument for God’s existence?Links:"Christopher Hitchens Impressed With The Fine Tuned Universe Argument"youtu.be/YL3wwlh5KS0"Why Ben Watkins Is An Atheist (and you should be too)"youtu.be/NjMXHiTCWps"Douglas Adams: The Sentient Puddle"youtu.be/v8mJr4c66bs1. C.M. Lorkowski (2021), "Atheism Considered: A Survey of the Rational Rejection of Religious Belief", Palgrave Macmilan, p. 109 (Kindle)2. Quoted in Nicholas Everitt (2004), "The Non-Existence of God", Routledge, p. 95 (Kindle)3. Elliot Sober, "Fine-Tuning is Not Evidence that God Exists", in Michael L. Peterson & Raymond J. VanArragon (2020) "Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Religion (2nd Ed)", Wiley Blackwell, p. 40-46 (Kindle)4. The Non-Existence of God, p. 945. Graham Oppy (2013), "The Best Argument Against God", Palgrave Macmillan, p.28 (Kindle)6. Neil Sinhababu, "Divine Fine-Tuning Vs. Electrons In Love"philpapers.org/archive/SINFAP.pdf
Apologist Tells Christians They’re In A Cult?! The Non-Alchemist 2023-03-18 | David Wood says a little too much about cult tacticsLinks:"Did Richard Dawkins Start a Cult? (The Psychology of the New Atheism)"youtu.be/KbS5KfVWDyM"244 Witness of the Holy Spirit and Defeasibility of Christian Belief"reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/witness-of-the-holy-spirit-and-defeasibility-of-christian-belief
Don’t Stay A Christian Because Of This The Non-Alchemist 2023-03-10 | An unpersuasive argument for ChristianityLinks:"With all this suffering, how could there be a God? | Tim Keller at Columbia University"youtu.be/dkn5lfutSrY"Penn Jillette: Reading the Bible (Or the Koran, Or the Torah) Will Make You an Atheist | Big Think"youtu.be/E3rGev6OZ3w
They Keep Making This Mistake About Atheism The Non-Alchemist 2023-03-01 | Will it never end?Links:"The Basics Of Atheism - With Dr. Graham Oppy"youtu.be/CZA_LYyfjaoKen Ham & Bodie Hodge, "Atheism Is A Religion"answersingenesis.org/world-religions/atheism/atheism-is-religion
