Reasonable Doubts Podcast

In his book Faith of the Fatherless, Dr. Paul Vitz explains that atheism is the result of weak, absent or abusive fathers. Dr. Prof. Luke debunks Vitz's 'theory' through the wily use of actual research. In counter-apologetics, Justin offers desire utilitarianism as one approach to morality. And Fletch introduces us to a Celtic love god in PolyAtheism. Also in this episode: Props in Australia and Hawaii, a Stranger Than Fiction that'll help our single fans find like minded dates. And, we open up the Doubtcast Mail Bag and read some of your comments and questions.

First we take a look at XXXChurch.com’s latest attempt to dress puritanical sexual politics in a slutty outfit. Then, we take a look at recent events in Egypt and discuss whether or not we should be afraid of Glenn Beck’s Muslim Caliphate taking over the world. In response to listener comments from our previous episode, we take a look at Sarah Palin’s idiocy and look at the data about the claim that the American political Left is just as bad in its violent rhetoric as the Right. In our counter-apologetics segment, Justin Schieber schools apologist William Lane Craig on why there’s something rather than nothing. We wrap up this week with another adventure in the world of PolyAtheism as Fletch tells us the story of Enki, Mesopotamian god of mischief, water and incestuous rape.

Getting into debates over religion can be frustrating and people rarely ever change their minds. So why bother? What would an atheist possibly hope to achieve by debating religious apologists? Justin Schieber has had plenty of time to ponder those questions. He represents the atheist viewpoint for a monthly debate series called "A Christian and an Atheist walk into a Coffee Shop." For this episode the doubtcasters are joined by Justin for a roundtable discussion on the joys and frustrations of debate. Also on this episode: the latest development in the Catholic child-abuse scandal and inspiring proof that moderate Muslims do exist.

With exiting new developments in stem cell research hitting the media, we thought it would be a great time to revisit the science behind the controversy. Is stem cell therapy really the panacea it's advocates claim it to be? How is an embryonic stem cell different from an adult stem cell and is experimentation on embryos really necessary? For this RD extra, Dr. Greg Forbes gives us an overview of the current state of stem cell research. *The doubtcasters want to thank loyal RD fans for their patience during our recent unannounced hiatus. Look for regular shows to resume within the next week.

This extra was recorded at the Carl Sagan Day 2010 celebration hosted by the CFI On Campus group at Grand Valley State University. Doubtcasters Luke Galen and Jeremy Beahan share their respect for Carl Sagan with two short presentations. Luke talks about Sagan's "baloney detection kit" and Jeremy shares his favorite passages from Sagan's 1985 Gifford lecture series on natural theology.

A broad secular education can undermine dogmatic religious faith. Knowing this many conservative Christians choose to isolate their children intellectually through homeschooling or enrolling them in religious private schools and Christian colleges. Such children can reach adulthood without ever being challenged to think critically about their religious or political beliefs. In some cases they are recruited directly from Christian colleges into republican politics for that very reason. For this episode the doubtcasters examine this process of indoctrination and argue that it is a threat public education as well. Also on this episode: the religious right's reaction to the U.S. midterm election results and a counter-apologetics segment debunking "beatific vision" theodicies. We also introduce and a brand new segment on mythology called "polyAtheism"

America is one of the most devout nations in the west but it also has one of the lowest levels of religious literacy. According to the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey published by the Pew Research Center most Americans cannot correctly answer simple questions about their own faith. But America was not always this way…what changed? Stephen Prothero attempts to answer this question in his book "Religious Literacy". For this episode the doubtcasters discuss the Pew Survey and offer a short synopsis and critique of Prothero's ideas. Also on this episode: the fundamentalist response the recent string of gay suicides, the Crystal Cathedral goes bankrupt and a renegade Christian filmmaker discovers the founder's dark secret.

On October 7'th Jeremy Beahan debated Cliff Knechtle (of Give Me an Answer Ministries) on the question "Is Christianity Rational." The debate covered the following topics: the existence of God, the historical reliability of the gospels and the historicity of the resurrection. The debate was organized by Epic: the college ministry of Riverview Church in Lansing. Chuck Wynn moderated the debate.

While the doctrines of early Buddhism were pragmatic, skeptical and humanistic it did not take long for Buddhism to acquire the familiar trappings of an organized religion. Just a few hundred years after the Buddha's death many of his followers began to teach that the Buddha was not an ordinary human but rather a supernatural being living in a celestial realm. Mahayana Buddhists believed that they too could acquire supernatural powers by earning merit and becoming Bodhisattvas. How did Buddhism stray so far from the teachings of its founder? What happens when western converts to Buddhism start to question its metaphysical assumptions? Stephen Batchelor, former Buddhist monk and author of "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist", answers these questions and makes the case that Buddhism must become secularized if it is to remain relevant in our modern world.

For this, the second in a three part series on Buddhism, the doubtcasters turn their attention to the Noble Eightfold Path and its emphasis on mental discipline. While some meditation techniques aim at achieving deep trance-like states, Vipassana or "mindfulness" meditation is relatively free of mysticism. The goal of mindfulness is to carefully observe every aspect of ones experience in order to break free from habitual patterns of thought and behavior which cause suffering. In recent years, mindfulness has become popular in western therapeutic circles. Many insist that meditation is an effective treatment for a variety of mental health problems including depression and anxiety disorders. Is there any solid data to support these claims or is mindfulness meditation just the latest fad in a long series of pseudoscientific psychotherapies?

Stephen Batchelor, author of "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist" joins us for the first installment of a three part series on Buddhism. Batchelor, a former monk in both the Tibetan and Zen traditions, was trained by monks in the Dali Lama's inner circle. Over time he began to doubt many core doctrines of Buddhism when he found they could not withstand the test of reason. This crisis of faith prompted him to closely examine the earliest Buddhist texts. In them he found a very different conception of the Buddha and his teachings--one that is surprisingly humanistic. Also in this episode: the doubtcasters give a thumbnail sketch of the religious and social context of early Buddhism and a summery of Buddhist doctrines such as "the three marks of existence" and "the four noble truths".

Each year 2 million women worldwide are subjected to the practice of female circumcision, sometimes called "cutting" (we prefer the term Female Genital Mutilation). This brutal practice is not limited to the Islamic world. As many as 2,000 British school girls may be forced to undergo this horrific procedure over the summer. Apologists for Islam claim FGM is a cultural practice, not a religious requirement while some cultural relativists argue FGM is just a different way of celebrating womanhood and should not be condemned by western outsiders. By addressing these claims, the doubtcasters make their case that Religion may not be the sole source of sexism but it is the greatest obstacle in challenging patriarchy. Also on this episode: the overturning of California proposition 8 may set the stage for legalizing gay marriage nationwide. Also a new "stranger than fiction"

The following is a lecture entitled "Which Jesus: Examining Diffrences in the Gospel Narratives" by Jeremy Beahan recorded at CFI Michigan. A pdf file of the PowerPoint slides for this lecture is available at www.doubtcast.org Description: Christian apologists spend time and ink trying to smooth over the many contradictions within the Gospel narratives. But according to biblical critics, such discrepancies hold the key to understanding how stories of Jesus evolved. This lecture will examine some of the methods used in redaction criticism and the patterns they reveal when applied to the gospels.

Two decades ago David Berkowitz, the infamous "Son of Sam" serial killer, became a born-again Christian in what may be the most publicized jailhouse conversion of our time. For many his story proves religion's power to transform the lives of even the most hardened criminals. Today groups like Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministries aim to convert inmates while seeking public funds for their sectarian programs. But are these programs as successful at lowering recidivism rates as they claim? And are there any secular alternatives to such programs? Dr. Michael DeWilde, founder of the Community Working Classics Program, joins us to discuss the joys and challenges of teaching philosophy to prison inmates. Also on this episode: American evangelicals are meddling in foreign affairs from Uganda to Palestine; plus a new "Stranger Than Fiction"

Are Science and Religion compatible? The New Atheists argue that a proper understanding of science undermines faith. But according to atheists such as Chris Mooney (author of Unscientific America and host of CFI's podcast Point of Inquiry) not only are science and moderate religion compatible , but the uncompromising rhetoric and harsh tone of the New Atheists "can only damage the cause of scientific literacy." For this episode, the doubtcasters share their take on the "accommodationist" vs "confrontationist" debate. Also on this episode: a critical look at the Templeton Foundation and we look at the psychology of persuasion for a new installment of God Thinks Like You.

Forty years ago Ernest Becker theorized in his "Denial of Death" that our culture and our cherished worldviews serve the purpose of maintaining our self-esteem and sense of meaning in the face of inevitable death and insignificance. More recently a body of work in the social sciences called "Terror Management Theory" has lent empirical evidence to these provocative ideas. The unconscious anxiety about our own mortality has been linked to group conflict, aggression against those who challenge our worldview, denial of our animal nature including the theory of evolution, and the unreasonable belief that the world is predictable and just.

Through billions of years of evolution, small molecular machines have acquired an amazing range of abilities including the capacity to think, feel and change. For this episode the doubtcasters once again return to the subject of determinism--answering questions from our listeners about Jeremy's debate with Don Johnson. Also on this episode: a witch hunt in Nigeria targets young children, Muslims consider creative ways around Sharia law, and we'll explore the connection between atheism and Asperger's syndrome for this weeks installment of God Thinks Like You.

Recently the Don Johnson Radio show (a Christian apologetics podcast) devoted an episode to critiquing the doubtcaster's case for determinism (made in episodes 29, 30, 34). After several listeners of both shows asked for a follow up, Don Johnson graciously allowed Jeremy from RD to come on the show and clarify his position. The conversation generated "more heat than light" but we submit it for your listing (dis)pleasure.

Brian McLaren, evangelical author and leading voice in the "emergent church" movement, is creating controversy with his latest book "A New Kind of Christianity." Some evangelicals see McLaren as a wolf in sheep's clothing. He rejects the notion of a vengeful God that would punish all non-Christians with eternal torment. He questions traditional evangelical doctrines like original sin and the inerrancy of the Bible and he argues in favor of a number of (gasp!) progressive political causes. McLaren joins us on the show to discuss his perspective on Christianity and the Bible. Also in this episode: for a new installment of "God Thinks like You" we critique a recent Christianity Today article "the Case for Early Marriage" and discuss research regarding "blue state" vs. "red state" views on marriage and divorce.

Not content with attacking evolution, the Discovery Institute and its cultural allies are taking aim at psychology. Believing that any naturalistic approach to psychology is inherently biased against religion they seek to overturn the "materialist paradigm" in neuroscience and replace it with their own version of mind-body dualism. For the second part of a two part series, the doubtcasters are joined by Dr. Steven Novella, author of the Neurologica Blog and host of the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe. Novella refutes ID nonsense by showing how successful the naturalistic approach in neuroscience has been.