Now watching other Dan Barker debates on YouTube

*Sooner or later, in any discussion with an atheist, the Christian will claim that Hitler was an atheist, despite historical evidence to the contrary. Thus the atheist will be associated with Hitler, a clear case of Godwin’s Law.

This also applies if the Xian employs Stalin or Pol Pot as the stalking-horse.

Christian apologetics isn’t really a defense of the faith, aimed at unbelievers, it’s a comfort for the fears and doubts of Christians themselves–this is why it doesn’t require logical argumentation, or any kind of evidence, or fair tactics.

Darryl,

Absolutely spot-on. I’ve said this here before – one of the early 20th century British authors said something along the lines of, “Proselytizing is the outward manifestation of an insecure faith”. I’ve believed this all of my adult life. If the missionary can convince you he’s right, then, he figures, he must actually be right, and he can stave off for while longer the ever-present doubt that threatens to overtake him.

Addicts, the lot of them. I should be more compassionate, but I just can’t find it in myself any longer. I’m thoroughly sick of them. I wish the fucking Rapture would happen already, so that they’d all just go away.

It is long, but man, is it an enjoyment to read.

. . . arguments supporting an atheistic position don’t provide any comfort for the atheist.

Good point. We really have nothing to gain for ourselves. We do have things to lose, like the consequences of the dumb decisions of true-believing leaders like Bush, and bad legislation that hurts people, like anti-gay laws, and Christians who believe that conservatism is Biblical and hence that Global Warming is a conspiracy (because liberals believe it), and evolution is of the devil, etc. But, we don’t lose for ourselves; we all lose.

Sure it’s not a parody?

Yeah, I sometimes get that message in the feed window, and sometimes even at a blog, but when I click through to YouTube directly it is actually still available. Probably some glitch in the embedding process.

Darryl,

Great point. On the other side, arguments supporting an atheistic position don’t provide any comfort for the atheist. But I suppose a Christian would reply that they actually do, since they allow us atheists to keep on enjoying our delicious sin. Mmmmm sin…. (Insert eye-rolling emoticon here)