Author Archives: Rich Prendergast

The essence of the pro-life argument against abortion is their belief that “life begins at conception”. They declare that this isn’t just their opinion; science itself says so. They claim that biologists are in broad agreement on this fact. And if we’re simply talking about the organism itself, they’re 100% correct. When an egg isContinue reading “When Does Human Life Begin?”

William Lane Craig is well known as a purveyor of sophistry. I only recently came across his bizarre and reprehensible take on the ancient Jews’ campaign of genocide against the Canaanites, as detailed in the Old Testament. From Craig: “So whom does God wrong in commanding the destruction of the Canaanites? Not the Canaanite adults,Continue reading “The Moral Bankruptcy of William Lane Craig”

The Argument from Fine Tuning comes in a variety of forms, each making the claim that various features of our planet, our solar system, the universe (including a variety of physical constants) exist within an extremely narrow range of values that allow life to exist. They argue that these are each individually unlikely, and areContinue reading “The Argument from Fine Tuning”

In response to criticisms by atheists, theists frequently ask the question, ”Why do atheists care?” This is often supplemented with ”Why do atheists spend so much time attacking a god in whom they say they don’t believe?” Some further express the opinion that either we hate god, or we’re just trying to convince ourselves ofContinue reading “Why Do Atheists Care?”

Here’s a new gospel, given to me by the one true god. 1. You humans have finally developed enough for me to reveal myself to you. 2. I’m actually not the only god. There are lots of others like me, but they have absolutely no involvement in your universe. 3. All the thousands of otherContinue reading “The Gospel According to Me”

Classic Version of the Ontological Argument The Ontological Argument for God was first advanced by Saint Anselm, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1033 to 1109. in the Proslogium: [Even a] fool, when he hears of … a being than which nothing greater can be conceived … understands what he hears, and what he understandsContinue reading “The Ontological Argument for God”

A popular argument by apologists is the claim that the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics prove the universe had a creator.  The argument goes as follows (from  “The First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics and the Origin of the Universe” Dr. Danny Faulkner, 2019) Excerpt: “The first law of thermodynamics is the familiar conservation of energyContinue reading “The Big Bang and the Laws of Thermodynamics”

Many theists claim that atheism is a religion, but that claim is inherently a dishonest one. As evidence, they often refer to the following Merriam-Webster definition of religion. re•li•gion \ri-ˈli-jən\ noun [Middle English religioun, from Anglo-French religiun, Latin religion-, religio supernatural constraint, sanction, religious practice, perhaps from religare to restrain, tie back — more at rely] 13th century 1       a : the state of a religious 〈aContinue reading “No, Atheism is Not a Religion”

A common claim of Christians is that “God is good.” Some go even further, saying, “God is good – always.“ The two variants are assumed to be synonymous, as I’ve never heard any suggestion from believers that God is good just some of the time. This claim can be evaluated in two ways: In neitherContinue reading “God is Not Good”

(Updated May 6, 2021) One of the most popular arguments of Christian apologists is the Kalām Cosmological Argument. Kalām is so-named because it originated within Islamic discipline of scholastic theology, known as Ilm al-Kalām, which is commonly abbreviated as Kalām. Its history actually predates both Islam and Christianity, going back (at least) to Plato andContinue reading “The Kalām Cosmological Argument”