Michael Shermer's Baloney Detection Kit

Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic Magazine and has written numerous books including "Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time." I usually find myself disagreeing with Shermer's conclusions on religious matters but this video of his, hosted by the Richard Dawkins Foundation, I found myself agreeing with most of what he says.

Shermer gives ten questions we should ask when examining a claim:

• How reliable is the source of the claim?
• Does the source make similar claims?
• Have the claims been verified by somebody else?
• Does this fit with the way the world works?
• Has anyone tried to disprove the claim?
• Where does the preponderance of evidence point?
• Is the claimant playing by the rules of science?
• Is the claimant providing positive evidence?
• Does the new theory account for as many phenomena as the old theory?
• Are personal beliefs driving the claim?

Koorong 20% Off Everything Sale

Koorong.com is having a one week sale with 20% off everything in stock. The sale will last from April 29th to the 4th of May. If you're looking to get a couple of books, videos, or audio resources make sure to check it out; it's always nice to save a few bucks.

William Lane Craig Discusses Bart Ehrman

William Lane Craig is author of numerous books and founder of Reasonable Faith. Bart Ehrman is the author of "Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why" and is currently at the University of North Carolina.

Craig spends most of his time on the problems with Bart Ehrman's approach to the historical conception of Jesus and the resurrection.

» 6 Part Video Collection Here: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] «

Apologetics Conference at Saddleback

In September of 2009 Saddleback Church held an apologetics conference with some of the biggest names in the field. If you want to watch any of the videos, including seeing William Lane Craig is some awesome suspenders, Saddleback now has them up streaming on their website. However, some of the videos still have worship sets attached to them so you may have to wait a little longer for them to load.
Full lecture audios are available below:

• Dinesh D'Souza: How Do I Know God Exists? (43 mins)
• Norman Geisler: If God Exists, Why Is There Evil? (35 mins)
• William Lane Craig: How Did The Universe Begin? (41 mins)
• Greg Koukl: How Can I Defend My Faith Without Sounding Defensive? (51 mins)
• Darrell Bock: What Do The Gospels Really Say About Jesus? (43 mins)
• J.P. Moreland: Has Science Made Belief In God Obsolete? (40 mins)

Are Christianity and Evolution Compatible? - John West and Karl Giberson

This discussion/debate was hosted in February of 2009 at Biola University between Karl Giberson and John West. The topic in question was "Can A Christian Be A Darwinist?"

Karl Giberson is the author of "Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution" and is the Vice President of the BioLogos Foundation. John West is the author of "Darwin Day In America: How Our Politics and Culture Have Been Dehumanized in the Name of Science" and is the Associate Director of the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute.

» Full audio can be found here: Streaming Audio (140 mins) «

Behind the Kalam Series Coming Soon!

The Kalam Cosmological argument has become one of the most popular defenses for the Christian faith in the past couple decades. The popularization of the argument it typically attributed to William Lane Craig who has virtually made a career out of it. However, despite the popularity of this argument and the multitude who understand the argument well in itself; I find there are very few who actually understand the underlying pillars of the argument.

Over the next few weeks this series will take aim at those pillars. Pillars like the theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, the expanding universe, the second law of thermodynamics, and more. Chances are all of these names have crossed our paths before, but how much do we really know about them? This series will aim to help fill in those gaps to present a fuller understanding of the Kalam and to increase your confidence on this argument.

Why I am or am not a Christian - William Lane Craig vs. Keith Parsons

Keith Parsons is probably one of the best opponents I've heard go against William Lane Craig to date. The topic in questions is "Why I am or am not a Christian."


Craig presents some of his typical arguments like the Kalam, the resurrection, and the experience of the Holy Spirit. Parsons then responds with arguments like the problem of pain/evil and an intriguing argument against the resurrection. The debate includes one of the most amusing Q&A sessions I've heard in quite some time. If you're a fan of Craig or Parsons, this debate is a must.

» Full audio can be found here: MP3 Audio (130 mins) «

The South Park Controversy

Unless you've still been living in the 2003 blackout for the past week, chances are you have heard of the recent controversy over episode 201 of South Park. Now, I prefer not to make public my opinion on these type of issues so I will do my best to state the simple facts of the matter.

The now taken down website revolutionmuslim.com issued a warning to the creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The post suggested that if they depicted the prophet Muhammad on the show they could end up like Theo Van Gogh, who was murdered by Mohammed Bouyeri. Comedy Central then made the decision the censor the episode of South Park because of the threat.

The situation has brought up a number of questions including if it was right or not for Comedy Central to have given in to the threat and censored the episode; according to a poll by Zogby International 71% of Americans do not.

For further reading check out the links below:

• South Park's Depiction Of Muhammad Censored AGAIN - The Huffington Post
• South Park Watch: What the [BEEEEEEEEEP]? - Time
• Muslim Group Threatens South Park Creators - Time
• Not Funny: Americans Opposed to Censoring by Comedy Central - Zogby International

The Flying Spaghetti Monster

The Flying Spaghetti Monster has been a thorn in the side of serious apologists ever since it's conception by Bobby Henderson and popularization by Richard Dawkins. The objection to theism is a typical motif of the New Atheist movement and when examined is revealed to hold minimal (if any) philosophical authority.

The typical argument suggests that there is little to no difference between belief or disbelief in a God when compared to a mythical figure such as the Flying Spaghetti Monster; although other mythical figures such as Unicorns and Santa make frequent appearances. Personally, I believe that this particular argument stems from a simple lack of understanding in the Christian doctrine and has only become popular through the clever use of rhetoric.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is simply a misrepresentation of the Doctrine of God with respect to things like omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, etc. along with philosophical conclusions such as being timeless, spaceless, immaterial, etc. Typically, the proponent will build up the relation between the FSM and God and then proceed to beat down the FSM as a Straw Man in an attempt to make belief in God seem ridiculous.

For more information on the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Unicorns, and Santa Claus check out the links below:

• The Flying Spaghetti Monster - William Lane Craig (4 mins)

• God and the Flying Spaghetti Monster - Reasonable Faith

• Invisible Pink Unicorn, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Santa Claus and God - God and Science