Also, the doubtcasters wanted to express thier thanks to RD listener Jim Tuckwell for creating the logo and banner for the new website.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
WE HAVE MOVED!
Reasonable Doubts has moved to its new home on at freethought blogs. A new place, a new look and a new community, but besides that not much has changed. Hope to see you there!
Episode 88 Summer Genocide Series part1
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RD kicks off its "Summer Genocide Series" with a critical review of Paul Copan's book "Is God a Moral Monster?" Copan argues that the holy war waged against the Canaanites was not the blood-soaked genocide that critics of the Bible make it out to be . It was a limited, relatively humane campaign that was morally and spiritually justified. Thom Stark disagrees. He's written a massive point-by-point refutation of Copan's book entitled "Is God a Moral Compromiser?" (free pdf available here!). We'll take a look at Copan's arguments and Stark's response for this weeks Counter-apologetics segment. Also on this episode: the doubtcasters discuss the religion and politics of Anders Breivik and for a new segment of "God Thinks Like You" we share new data which proves fundamentalists are kind and helpful--except towards people who are different from them.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
RD Extra: Deceived Into Thinking
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Description:
After trying (unsuccessfully) to get young students excited about learning informal logic, Jeremy Beahan began flirting with a different strategy. Perhaps a better way to convey the value of fair-minded/ critical thinking would be through the study of its intellectual opposite — deception. This simple idea had a surprisingly strong impact on how students engaged with the material.
Instead of endlessly rehearsing procedures for analyzing arguments, students delight in examining real "case studies in deception"-- everyday instances of fraud, distortion, manipulation,self-deceptio
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Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Episode 87 The Unintelligent Design of Sex
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20130121131437im_/http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SEzFTQsqHAk/ThOm7hPWZ6I/AAAAAAAAAes/XtSAwYLY5tM/s200/atheists_sex.jpg)
Check back soon for links to articles and research from this episode.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Episode 86 The Man Who Didn't Sell His Soul on eBay
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Hemant Mehta (author of the friendly atheist blog) was only looking to expand his horizons and raise a little money for a local freethinking student group when he came up with the idea that made him a media sensation. He started a page on Ebay where he offered to attend the church of the highest bidder. Stories quickly spread in the media of an atheist "selling his soul" on eBay, which drove the bid higher and higher. Soon Mehta was traveling across the country visiting different churches to make good on his commitment. These church visits became the basis of his book "I Sold My Soul on eBay"--which gave Christians a chance to see church through the eyes of a friendly but critical atheist. For this episode Hemant joins us in the studio to talk about what he saw and how Christian readers reacted to his book.
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Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Episode 85 They Had It Coming
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Life isn't always fair. Sometimes good people suffer needlessly while immoral people prosper. Nevertheless belief in a just world persists. Deep within the human psyche is a strong urge to believe people get what they deserve and while this mentality may bring some comfort to the individual it can also result in victim blaming or turning a blind eye toward real injustice. Unfortunately religion often bolsters just world belief--especially when the believer is forced to reconcile the idea of a righteous God with the reality of suffering. Also on this episode: the doubtcasters remember Jack Kevorkian and argue in favor of allowing physician assisted suicide; the Myan goddess of suicide and a stranger than fiction that will make you loose your head.
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Thursday, May 19, 2011
Episode 84 Armageddon Outta Here
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On May 22nd, 2011 dozens of people will be disappointed to find that the world is still spinning, hundreds of billboards across the world will look ridiculous and Harold Camping will struggle to find an explanation for how he could have gotten it wrong once again.
Yes, yet another "Judgement Day" draws nigh. The Doubtcasters take the opportunity to discuss end of the world prophecies past and present and what happens to the true believers when their dreams of leaving us behind are inevitably dashed.
In counter-apologetics Justin takes on the moral argument from a new perspective and asks the question: If Yahweh is so moral, how come people like Abraham and Moses need to remind him to do the right thing? Then in God Thinks Like You, Luke looks at a study that reveals how your view of God affects your moral choices. We offer Props to yet another godless institute of higher learning and making the Shit list is a Southern Baptist minister playing a part in a case of anti-gay international parental kidnapping.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Episode 83 Exodus; Pursued by Pharaoh
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20130121131437im_/http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VTr9B4m15cU/Tbl_8wdk9tI/AAAAAAAAABA/Gk_cwK_OjUs/s320/moses-pharoah_001.jpg)
Luke and Justin take on recent criticisms concerning the roots for morality and the sacrificial practices of ancient Jews and early Christians. Dave takes a look at another springtime resurrection god in a PolyAtheism segment and the doubtcasters discuss Terry Jones trip to Michigan, a "miraculously healed" child, and some people in the Philippines who take their Easter celebrations very serisously. Also, more bad news and some potentially good news out of the on-going Catholic sex abuse scandal.
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