Put Your Money Where Your Marriage Is

Last updated on: October 13, 2012 at 5:52 pm By Leah Libresco

After New York legalized gay marriage Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler posted the following message to twitter (h/t Daylight Atheism): Now, fully 1 in 9 Americans will live in a state with legalized same-sex marriage. Our mission field is getting more complicated. Adam of Daylight Atheism offered his own gloss on this pronouncement, I’ve got a different hypothesis that requires some feedback by any opposed-to-gay marriage readers. First off, here’s what Adam wrote: My wife and I discussed... Read more

Final Turing Question List

Last updated on: October 13, 2012 at 5:44 pm By Leah Libresco

Thanks for all your input, and here’s the final list of questions (the final additions are in italics): Christian questions: What’s your best reason for being a Christian? What evidence or experience (if any) would cause you to stop believing in God? Why do you believe Christianity has a stronger claim to truth than other religions/On what basis do you reject the truth claims of other traditions and denominations but accept your own? How do you read the Bible? Do... Read more

Last Call for Turing Test Questions!

Last updated on: October 10, 2012 at 12:30 pm By Leah Libresco

I’ve already posted three questions each for the Christian and Atheist rounds of the upcoming ideological Turing Test. I’ll be making and posting the final list of questions tonight, so it’s your last chance to look over the shortlist and weigh in. Please post any question-related comments in the shortlist thread, to make my life easier. If you want to comment in this thread, I’m all ears for suggestion about possible prizes for the Christian Best at Imitating Atheists and... Read more

False Neutrality and Anorexia Mirabilis

Last updated on: October 10, 2012 at 12:30 pm By Leah Libresco

In the wake of New York’s legalization of gay marriage (Excelsior!) and the Pride marches happening around the country, I thought it might be a good time to take a look at the article in last week’s New York Times Magazine about therapists who help gay Christians stay in the closet. Here’s how one therapist approached the problem: “Throckmorton’s approach was, first of all, not to argue. “If we try to subtly or directly advocate for our personal loyalties, then... Read more

Picking the Turing Test Questions

Last updated on: October 10, 2012 at 12:28 pm By Leah Libresco

I’ve gotten too many emails from people interested in participating in the Turing Test to be able to include everyone without making it a slog. I’ll reply to all the emails I’ve gotten with a definitive yes or no by tonight. I’m glad to run the whole shebang again in a month or so if this one turns out to be fun and thought-provoking, so, if you get a ‘not now,’ make sure to let me know if you want... Read more

The Threat that Can’t be Beat

Last updated on: October 10, 2012 at 12:26 pm By Leah Libresco

In my “Pugilist in Good Faith” post, I explained why I didn’t see a contradiction between aggressively going after other people’s ideas and remaining open to revising my own opinions. After reading it, commenter dbp had a question about whether this balance is possible when you’re doing it in public, and his question deserves a longer response. He wrote: The point isn’t so much that you’re out to persuade people of a position you’re also (on this blog) publicly subjecting to... Read more

Logistics for Turing Test Challenge

Last updated on: October 10, 2012 at 12:24 pm By Leah Libresco

In lieu of seven quick takes today, I want to start hammering out logistics for the ideological turing test challege mentioned yesterday. (Visitors from the Quick Takes blog carnival, click the link to get up to speed and feel free to email me or post a comment if you’d like to be a guestblogger). In brief, the goal is to test how well you understand the arguments and beliefs of the people you disagree with trying to see if you... Read more

Guestblogging Challenge: Take the Ideological Turing Test!

Last updated on: October 9, 2012 at 11:07 am By Leah Libresco

UPDATE: Two Christians have contacted me to tell me they’re interested. Please suggest format ideas for us to talk over and let me know if you’d like to join in! While picking a fight with Paul Krugman, Bryan Caplan came up with an interesting idea. Both Caplan and Krugman thought that, on average, their own side of the libertarian/liberal split had done a better job considering the other side’s ideas before rejecting them. Inspired by the Turing Test for machine... Read more

A Pugilist in Good Faith?

Last updated on: October 9, 2012 at 11:08 am By Leah Libresco

After reading my earlier post on rhetorical strategy for deconversion, Alex Knapp from The League of Ordinary Gentlemen thought I blew it. He wrote: “Getting a reputation for arguing in good faith is good tactics.” And thus, by writing this, you obviate your good faith. It’s important to seek knowledge and truth, and engaging with others is a part of that. But the goal with engaging with others should simply be to listen to and understand critiques to your own... Read more

My Approach to Deconversion

Last updated on: October 9, 2012 at 11:03 am By Leah Libresco

In response to my recent post critiquing P.Z. Myers’s tone and tactics, commenter Kogo questioned the assumptions undergirding my complaint. Kogo wrote: You’re really invested in the idea that there are a lot of disinterested “fencesitters” out there, aren’t you, Leah? I mean maybe there’s someone on this planet who doesn’t have a pretty f*cking firm opinion about god, but I’ve certainly never heard from them. I’ve known a number of people who didn’t have firm opinions about God, were... Read more