Comments on: People Taking the Debunking Christianity / Ultimate Truth-Seeker Challenge

By: Roger

Roger — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:58:13 +0000

I started reading everything that I could about refuting Christianity.I am the only non church-goer in my family.I have sibling that are preachers and missionaries.I was absolutely stunned when I read Matthew 24:34 and realized then that there was no turning back.Jesus was clear about his return.It was to have been in the first century.I have asked almost all the “net” apologist as to what they think Jesus meant.They ALL come back with the most far fetched ways of explaining away those first century return scriptures.They are nothing more than “spin doctors” and love to misdirect you away from the original question.I’m really pissed that someone did not point all this out to me years ago.It’s amazing how long that a lie can hang around.”As for me and my family,we shall live by logic,common sense and reason.”

By: The Ultimate Truth-Seeker Challenge. at Precept Press

The Ultimate Truth-Seeker Challenge. at Precept Press — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:19:16 +0000

[...] keeping with twenty-one other fellow Guinea Pigs, I will keep a blog of my thoughts after each book. There will be a link to this area of [...]

By: lukeprog

lukeprog — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:30:01 +0000

Cool, Michael.

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:40:48 +0000

Definitely will. just bought “warranted belief”, “Jesus, interrupted”, and “Sense & Goodness Without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism” today. For others interested, check spotcost.com for great book prices. Shows who has it for what price and if any coupons are available as well.

By: lukeprog

lukeprog — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:20:39 +0000

Michael,

I hope you’ll track your progress for it!

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:20:29 +0000

And I like your list much better, simply because your list allows both sides to be spoken for, while his is all atheistic, which would really be quite depressing and I’m sure convincing if you never read what the other side had to say to defend themselves. It would be like a debate in which the Christian was never able to speak but just stood there, wonder who won? So thanks for giving bot sides equal opportunity.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:07:02 +0000

Count me in. I kind of started in 2006, at least that was when I read my first of many atheist books. Still working on more, although time is much less permitting now. 19 years old, college student.

Status in 2006: Skeptical Christian
Status in 2010: Confident Christian

By: Tim Egg

Tim Egg — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:43:42 +0000

I’m a 15 year-old atheist, and while I plan to go through that nice-looking reading list of yours, I hesitate to Doing it as part of a challenge, since it’s sure to be slow and interrupted process dependent on time, money, and what unrelated books I read in between.

By: Wade Anes

Wade Anes — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:10:10 +0000

Ah, cool. Thanks.

By: lukeprog

lukeprog — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:25:11 +0000

Wade,

Do I know of other sites with free academic articles? Yeah. Mine. (I link to tons of PDFs.)

Where to start? I arranged my list by what order you should read first.

By: Wade Anes

Wade Anes — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:31:36 +0000

Oops! I meant the SWL (Secular Web Library). Do you know of any other sites with free acedemic articles like that one?

By: Wade Anes

Wade Anes — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:16:38 +0000

Luke,

Definitely,I’ve been saving for books and reading tons of articles on the SC. I’ve already read most of the online content of the atheist authors (Martin, Oppy, Parsons, ect) so now it’s just reading the theist stuff. What apologetic book would you suggest I start with?

By: lukeprog

lukeprog — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:32:49 +0000

Wade,

So, are you planning to continue the challenge?

By: Wade Anes

Wade Anes — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:54:01 +0000

Don't forget, people, while your saving money to buy those expensive acedemic books, you can read tons of free articles by the authors suggested at the Secular Web Library.

By: Wade Anes

Wade Anes — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:48:38 +0000

Yeah, I bought & read Loftus’s & Carrier’s books last year, so you could say I started in 2009.

By: lukeprog

lukeprog — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:19:52 +0000

Mitchell LeBlanc,

Cool. Good luck.

By: Mitchell LeBlanc

Mitchell LeBlanc — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:17:41 +0000

I have many books on that list completed already, but if it is still in line with your goals for the challenge I’ll gladly add my name to the list. I do so mainly since this is something I’ve intended to do anyhow!

I’m working towards graduate school to pursue studies in the philosophy of religion so I’ll gladly take notes during my progression through the list you’ve outlined.

I’ll certainly start this year, in fact, you could say I’ll start right now as until the summer I will be reading in my spare time.

P.S: I’m currently an ‘agnostic atheist’.

By: Bram van Dijk

Bram van Dijk — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:12:43 +0000

Well, google translate works better than I expected, but it’s still a kind of puzzle game to understand what the original meaning was of some of the sentences.

By: lukeprog

lukeprog — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 08:56:02 +0000

Bram, Thanks for chiming in. Luckily, there's Google Translate. This post in particular resonates with the revelations that most disturbed me as a Christian just beginning to read the Bible critically.

By: Bram van Dijk

Bram van Dijk — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 08:09:32 +0000

Hi Luke,
You could say that I have been kind of doing this already for the past two years, though there is very little overlap in the books I read and the books on your list. Partly because about half of what I read is in Dutch, partly because I’m reading more on historical Jesus and less on philosophy.

But what I do like from your list, and what I have been doing, is reading both christian and sceptical books.

But anyway, I turned from christianity to something like atheism, of agnosticism, depending in the exact definition you use.

I write some things about my journey and stuff I read on my blog, but as it is in Dutch I don’t think that it will be of use to any of you guys here.

By: lukeprog

lukeprog — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:34:27 +0000

Kai,

Excellent! I hope you will track your progress on your blog.

By: Kai Haswell

Kai Haswell — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:16:16 +0000

Luke, I accept your challenge.

I am a student atheist who is relatively new to atheism (I converted from fundamentalist Christianity in my second year of college, two years ago). My conversion was largely guided by my own reflections and the discussions I had with other religious people, so I’m relatively unversed in the philosophy of religion. I see your challenge as the perfect chance to familiarize myself with the best authors in that area.

I’ve been attempting my own haphazard version of such a challenge, but it seems much more efficient to rely on the advice of someone who has already read through the literature and has separated the worthwhile books from the crap. Thanks for taking the time to compile this list.

By: Desperately Seeking

Desperately Seeking — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:00:23 +0000

A. Sabio and Dan have have good suggestions.
B. Can anybody link to a Christian who purports to improve on Luke’s pro-belief selections?

By: lukeprog

lukeprog — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:40:00 +0000

Dan,

Yeah, I’ll think about that.

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:50:48 +0000

Thank you, Luke!

My suggestion to implement Sabio Lantz’s idea is to divide the top 5 or so books in the list as the ones people should read with limited time. Then read further down the list if you have more time.

If we’re talking visual ways to display the list on the site, I see nothing wrong with:

THE MINIMUM YOU NEED TO READ
——————————–
1. Book One
2. Book Two
3. Book Three
4. Book Four
5. Book Five
.

IF YOU HAVE MORE TIME
——————————–
6. Book Six
7. Book Seven
8. Book Eight
.

By: lukeprog

lukeprog — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:16:51 +0000

Ah, I see.

By: John W. Loftus

John W. Loftus — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:23:58 +0000

Luke, my list of ten books are skeptical ones that can be found in the first link you provided above. Unlike you, I limited it to ten relatively inexpensive books for accessibility too. Your list has the advantage of suggesting Christian books, although I presumed Christians can choose their own books. My list is chosen for college level readers and geared to the conservative Christian. I don’t think philosophical books are as useful as you do for this challenge. And I don’t really want to argue the merits and demerits of each one of these books. I jested earlier when I challenged you to a duel. I welcome any such challenge. Thanks for keeping track of people who are doing this. I am very interested in hearing of the results and admire people who are willing to look into both sides.

By: lukeprog

lukeprog — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:32:30 +0000

He had me at ‘Is God a Black Swan?’

By: Jordan Peacock

Jordan Peacock — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:22:50 +0000

I have been reading Vridar, and I know Greg so that’ll be interesting.

I’ve also been reading Richard Beck (experimentaltheology.blogspot.com); from the Christian side of things he nails a lot of stuff on the head – he has an uncanny way of articulating things that I experience but have trouble defining.

By: lukeprog

lukeprog — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:02:14 +0000

J.K. Jones,

Cool! Keep us updated.

I don’t expect everyone who takes on the challenge will get through ALL the books, but it’s worth a shot. :)