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Debate Aftermath
We had a good turnout, with about 100 people showing up. I’ll share some observations that will give you a feel for how things went at the debate two days ago.Christian opponent. The organizer of the...
View Article“Does God Exist?” Debate: Rand Wagner vs. Bob Seidensticker
The video of my November 15, 2014 debate with Rand Wagner in Shelton, WA is now available.Here’s my summary of some of the highlights.And here is the video. If you want just my 20-minute opening...
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The Backfire Effect: When Accurate Information Is a Miscalculation
Barack Obama is a Christian. He easily passes the tests you’d give to anyone else: he uses Christian language, he goes to church, and (most importantly) he says he’s a Christian!It’s been fact checked,...
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Correcting Misinformation While Minimizing the Backfire Effect
In part 1, we explored the Backfire Effect, the surprising effect in which a correction to deeply held misinformation often reinforces that misinformation.The first lesson is that the obvious...
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How Do You Decide What to Believe?
For a clear and succinct discussion of what evidence is enough to support a claim, there’s not much better than the observations of German philosopher Gotthold Lessing (1729–81). Lessing was a...
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Christian Cowardice and the Suicide Tactic
A popular tactic within the Christian apologetics community is to identify and reject self-refuting arguments. There is some wisdom here, but dig into this advice and you’ll find that it betrays a fear...
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How Do Science and Religion Overlap? NOMA Imagines Not at All.
Can science say anything about religious claims? Does religion have anything to say in the domain of science?Stephen Jay Gould (1941–2002) a paleontologist, biologist, and popularize of science wrote...
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Upcoming Debate: Does God Exist?
If you’re in the greater Seattle area, you may want to attend an upcoming debate on the topic “Does God Exist?” The organizers recently had to find a new venue because the original 400-seat lecture...
View ArticleDebate Results!
We played to a packed house last night—about 550 people, including some friends who made the long drive up from Seattle. I don’t know what the special sauce was that made it happen, but Western...
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Video From 5/20/15 Debate at WWU
Let me give the final bits to the debate last week.Here are the opening remarks of my partner, blogger, author, and psychologist Valerie Tarico.I prefer to listen to debates like this as audio only. If...
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25 Stupid Arguments Christians Should Avoid (Part 10)
Who’s ready for more facepalming? It’s time for more stupid arguments Christians should avoid. For the first post in this series, go to Part 1.Stupid Argument #32: Providing good evidence is hard!...
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Street Preacher Cage Match
The public Christmas tree lighting in Seattle is the day after Thanksgiving. I attended years ago and was surprised to see a number of people carrying big signs with Christian messages. One said:...
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When My Rules Trump Yours
In the aftermath of 9/11, I worked with a group of concerned citizens in Seattle to create Pangea, a nonprofit that supports nonreligious community-building projects in East Africa, Central America,...
View ArticleUpcoming Debate 3/19/16: “Is it Reasonable to Believe in God?”
I will be participating in a public debate on the question “Is it reasonable to believe in God?” this Saturday (March 19, 2016) at 6:30 pm near Port Townsend, Washington. I’ll be debating local a...
View ArticleDebate Aftermath
The video for my recent debate is now available. I’ll summarize the arguments on both sides and give a few thoughts on debate strategy.
View ArticleMy Visit to Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park
I visited the famous Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park in London. It wasn’t quite what I expected.
View ArticleFor This Election Season: How to Say, “I Told You So”
Say you have an argument that ends with no agreement. Months or years later, facts prove you right. So at least you have the satisfaction of an admission that you were correct, right? Of course not—it...
View ArticleAvoid Christian Rationalization With This One Rule
How we evaluate evidence often underlies disagreement between atheists and Christians. Here’s a procedure to get everyone on the same page.
View ArticleAtheists: I Need Your Help with a Scam
Lee Strobel’s “The Case for Christ” isn’t the only high-profile story of an atheist-turned-Christian. What if there were a way to make Christians wary of the next ex-atheist author with a conversion...
View ArticleChristians: Why You Need an Atheist Speaker at Your Next Conference
Christian conferences are often an echo chamber of reassurance and elementary arguments. Do they effectively train Christian apologists? Here’s one missing ingredient.
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