Intro: 

This series is an atheist's review of an important anthology critical of Christian beliefs called, "The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails" (TCD), that is likely to be popularly discussed across the web.  I'll be reviewing the book in light of just about every other response to TCD on the web (pros and cons) and responding to new Christian objections as I find them.  I think this will be the best that I personally can contribute to improving the online dialogue between Christians and non-believers on popular battleground issues.

---

Chapter 5, "The Cosmology of the Bible" by Ed Babinski (part 4 of 5): 

Christian reviewer, Randal Rauser generated 7 posts in response to Ed Babinski's chapter and eventually linked us to 9 other posts supporting where he was coming from.  To summarize this tour requires only noting that Rauser doesn't care about the actual case demonstrating the Bible's false cosmology because Rauser has God feelings and vague existential experiences that he associates with Biblical Christianity which (in his mind at least) outweigh anything like this.  God can appropriate fiction that people are intended to take as authoritative.  Who cares?  No, don't call God a liar!  Etc.  I catalog the fallacious and inappropriate reasoning Rauser uses to avoid Babinski's basic conclusion and challenge Rauser on his "truth optional" view of divine inspiration.  Enjoy!

Table of Contents:

Outro:  So who won?

Continue reading →

Intro: 

This series is an atheist's review of an important anthology critical of Christian beliefs called, "The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails" (TCD), that is likely to be popularly discussed across the web.  I'll be reviewing the book in light of just about every other response to TCD on the web (pros and cons) and responding to new Christian objections as I find them.  I think this will be the best that I personally can contribute to improving the online dialogue between Christians and non-believers on popular battleground issues.

---

Chapter 5, "The Cosmology of the Bible" by Ed Babinski (part 3 of 5): 

Any kind of issue like this gets you a wide range of responses from Christian audiences.  I can't recall ever having an online debate about this with anyone and it had been a long time since I'd read up on the issue myself in my Christian years.  So I wanted to know how things look across the spectrum.  And since I've generally covered all the important stuff, the following is really just for fun. 

General Christian Excuses Around the Web (that may or may not have to do directly with Babinski's chapter):

Continue reading →

Intro: 

This series is an atheist's review of an important anthology critical of Christian beliefs called, "The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails" (TCD), that is likely to be popularly discussed across the web.  I'll be reviewing the book in light of just about every other response to TCD on the web (pros and cons) and responding to new Christian objections as I find them.  I think this will be the best that I personally can contribute to improving the online dialogue between Christians and non-believers on popular battleground issues.

---

Chapter 5, "The Cosmology of the Bible" by Ed Babinski (part 2 of 5): 

I have created a study guide and reference all of Babinski's links: 

It should be noted up front that it is a mistake to try to win every single battle here, at least in an absolute sense.  A more sensible reader would do their best, verse by verse, to allow for various levels of uncertainty.  I haven't counted, but let's say there are a hundred relevant verses here.  And on the vast majority of them, even if we can't be absolutely certain the author believed in what he was saying, it may turn out there are strong indications.  What business do we have going with a weaker explanation in every case?  There are certainly problems of ambiguity to deal with.  Despite the apologetic list of excuses that could defend virtually any ancient document from these kinds of false cosmological beliefs, the authors are mixing in poetry, metaphor, and possibly referring to things in anachronistic ways uncritically.  There are also at least 66 documents in the Protestant Bible with lots of authors who may well have their own perspectives, cosmological convictions (or lack thereof), and vantage points in history.  We don't necessarily know when exactly any of that begins or ends and so our claims need to be careful and provisional.  And that's also why looking at the overall case is so important rather than over-focusing on vaguely possible interpretations here and there. 

Note, I have yet to update this with responses from The Infidel Delusion, but I will be sure and do that when I find time.

Outro:  My Rating:  5 out of 5 stars

Continue reading →