(September 26, 2014 at 4:24 pm)Exian Wrote: There's youtube guy (forget his name) who reads apologetic books. Search something like "An Atheist reads I don't have enough faith..."
He breaks it down into chapters.

Adam Lee at Daylight Atheism used to do this; I don't know if he still does. But he dissects 'em with fine attention to detail, chapter by chapter.

I've read a couple of books from Craig doing this, but it ends up being a chore -- the same shitty reasoning gets repeated not only chapter to chapter, but book to book.

As a former apologetic, I hate the fact these guy publish these books with points that have been disproven. I believe they are in it for the pride and money. I do not envy you.

Yeah, it was published 2004, there's no excuse to act like atheists are baffled at could possibly have kicked off the Big Bang. If anything, the problem is that there are too many plausible natural explanations.

Personally, I don't have enough rutabagas to be a quarterback, but that's just how I roll.

Oh shit -- BIG MISTAKE (I made this same mistake with my over-zealous step mother too many a decade ago). This book (also all the books by Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel which are all equally as stupid as Turek's) are simply not written or designed for an atheist audience (or any audience with a critical eye) -- despite the provocative titles.

Rather, they are merely meant to preach to the choir. They are designed to bolster the religious in their faith and that's it. They are the equivalent of heroin for the already drug-addicted faith-heads, like your step mother. That's why they are so smug sounding. That is why they present so many long-countered, false, and misleading arguments. That's why they rely so heavily on strawmen. And...that's why you cannot read a single page in any of these books without your head exploding. The godless were never meant to read them. These authors are little more than drug-dealers pushing apologetics to an already strung-out audience of junkies all in need of a good fix.

Your step mother is going to absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this book and you (as you already found out) will HATE HATE HATE it. Moreover, I predict, She will come away with a complete high, and you will simply get a raging hang-over. Worst of all (if my situation is any indication) this experience will actually enlarge the already sizeable rift between you and her on this topic of religion. After reading this book, she, like a satiated junkie, will find your continuing reluctance to shoot up the jesus-juice with her all that much more frustrating now that she has a line on some really good shit (as she will likely view Turek's book through her drug-addicted god-goggles). On the other hand, you, as the unaddicted clear-headed party, will see this book for the junk that it really is, and subconsciously you will simply lose a bit more respect for her as your own inner-child realizes she has no more intellectual capactiy than an australopithecine. Sharing apologetics books with the faithful is what proves the adage, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Get out now if you still can. Deny ever reading the damn thing if you value your relationship with her at all. (okay I am overstating it a wee bit, but don't say I didn't warn you!)

I watched a bit of a debate Turek did against Hitchens the other day; the guy literally title dropped his own book into the conversation. "I don't have enough faith to be an atheist!" he proclaimed, directly after stating that atheists believe everything came from nothing, and just before launching into the Kalam cosmological argument and the moral argument for the existence of god.

The irony of it all was almost palpable, and when Hitchens took to the stage and opted to not address a single one of those awful points, I had to switch off or else get progressively angrier.

(October 4, 2014 at 3:55 am)HopOnPop Wrote: Oh shit -- BIG MISTAKE (I made this same mistake with my over-zealous step mother too many a decade ago). This book (also all the books by Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel which are all equally as stupid as Turek's) are simply not written or designed for an atheist audience (or any audience with a critical eye) -- despite the provocative titles.

Oh yeah, Strobel is another raging twat. Almost forgot about him ... thanks a lot, pal.

I don't know if the book is going to be painfully stupid or if it's going to be stupidly laughable. I hope the later, but I'd be surprised if it didn't feel the need to be needlessly insulting and filled with general logical falacies and outright lies.

(October 4, 2014 at 8:46 am)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:

(October 4, 2014 at 3:55 am)HopOnPop Wrote: Oh shit -- BIG MISTAKE (I made this same mistake with my over-zealous step mother too many a decade ago). This book (also all the books by Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel which are all equally as stupid as Turek's) are simply not written or designed for an atheist audience (or any audience with a critical eye) -- despite the provocative titles.

Oh yeah, Strobel is another raging twat. Almost forgot about him ... thanks a lot, pal.

Lee Strobe really pisses me off. The reason is because he rants about how he used to be a atheist that followed evolution, but when he opens his mouth it becomes obvious that he has no idea what atheists actually believe from the strawmans he puts up. I think he maybe just a unscrupulous athiest fleecing the flock.

(October 5, 2014 at 7:47 pm)Lemonvariable72 Wrote:

(October 4, 2014 at 8:46 am)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: Oh yeah, Strobel is another raging twat. Almost forgot about him ... thanks a lot, pal.

Lee Strobe really pisses me off. The reason is because he rants about how he used to be a atheist that followed evolution, but when he opens his mouth it becomes obvious that he has no idea what atheists actually believe from the strawmans he puts up. I think he maybe just a unscrupulous athiest fleecing the flock.

I think he's ten pounds of shit in a five-pound bag ... the dimmest bulb in the chandelier.