No God.
Now What?
• An Introduction to Secular Humanism
Session II
A Few Reasons Why SH Don’t Believe
In Session I, we said that there are basically ten
reasons why Secular Humanists do not believe in the
supernatural worldview.
Among those reasons are four that are particularly
devastating to faith for anyone who has not closed
their mind to empirical evidence, scientific proof,
independent historical accounts, and sound logic. 1
The 4 Most Devastating Arguments
Against The Existence of God
1.
All rational arguments for God’s existence are
flawed.
2.
Faith is illogical.
3.
The Problem of Evil
4.
The Problem of Scripture
Why It Matters: Belief in God
Has Had Terrible Consequences
Historically, most Americans have relied on
their superstitions, willful ignorance, and
wishful, magical thinking to make horrific
political decisions that have caused
everything from ridiculous inconvenience to
social injustice to preventable suffering and
death on a massive scale.
Examples
Since the United States was founded, the superstitious
have managed to pass laws that prohibit:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
shopping on the Sundays;
possessing alcoholic beverages;
inter-racial marriage;
women & non-whites from voting;
atheists from holding public office;
practicing a religion other than Christianity;
having sex in any position other than missionary;
sale and consumption of marijuana, even for prescribed medical purposes;
sex with someone other than one’s own spouse;
the sale of birth-control devices and medicines;
physician assisted suicide;
abortion;
embryonic stem cell research;
witchcraft and
same-sex marriage.
Using sacred scripture to rationalize their
bigotry, superstitious Americans have also
passed
laws:
1. validating the superiority of the white race;
2. legalizing indentured servitude and slavery; and
3. mandating forced re-location of Native
Americans and destruction of their culture.
Despite The Faithful’s Best Efforts To Prove
The Existence & Goodness Of God Over
Thousands of Years…
All arguments have so far
failed.
Basically, There Are 10 (or 11)
Arguments For The Existence Of God.
All are ancient. All Are Fatally Flawed.
1. The Argument From First Cause
Sometimes called the Cosmological Argument originally
proposed by St. Aquinas in the 13th century.
Claim: everything had to have a prior cause
to bring it into existence.
 Yet, there has to have been a first cause for the
creation of the universe.
 This First Cause is called “God.”
 Therefore, God exists.
Flaws In The First Cause Argument
First, if everything has to originate from a prior cause,
who then created God?
Second, if God always existed, never needing a first
cause Itself, this statement would invalidate the
original hypothesis; i.e., everything requires a prior
cause to bring it into existence.
Flaws In The First Cause Argument
Third, Aquinas’ “logic” proved nothing more than that
he assumed God’s existence as a matter of faith.
Fourth, Aquinas ignores the more likely possibility that
the natural universe itself is eternal and no deity is
required to explain it. 2
2. The Argument From Design
(Sometimes called the Teleological Argument. Teleos = end or
purpose. Teleological = pertaining to the purpose of design.)
Claim: complex life could not have occurred by “random
chance.” *
Since we can observe complex design in the world, there must
be an Intelligent Designer, whom people generally refer to as
God. 3
* Theist’s misunderstanding of evolution.
Flaws In The Argument From Design
1. No evolutionary biologist claims that complex life
evolved by chance. Evolution by natural selection is
exceedingly purposeful (survival of the fittest for the
purpose of reproduction to perpetuate the species).
2. Complex life developed through gradual (billions of
years) non-random evolution by natural (sexual)
selection, a totally natural process.
3. Evolution by natural selection explains a great deal
about complex life, is easily tested, and is as well
supported scientifically as the theory of gravity,
electricity, and relativity.
Before & After Darwin’s Origins Of Species
 Before Darwin, the Argument From Design actually
made the existence of God seem plausible. 4
 After Darwin, the unprovable belief in God became
unnecessary for explaining the design & complexity
of life.
 This is why religious fundamentalists are trying so
desperately to downgrade evolution to “just another
theory.” 5
Flaws In The Argument From Design
Finally, even if this Intelligent Design
argument was provable, which it isn’t, it would
say nothing whatever about the character or
personality of the Designer.
For that, theists would have to rely on the
veracity of scripture.6
3. The Argument From Morality
Claim: without God, everything (every evil) is permissible.
Civilization, and all of its benefits, would be impossible.
 Without God, we could not know right from wrong.
 But we DO have an innate sense of right and wrong.
 This innate moral sense is universal.
 Therefore, it could only have come from God, our Creator.
7
Flaws In The Argument From Morality
 That moralities are similar across history and culture
does not prove the existence of God.
 There are also remarkable differences.
 Example: Nazis vs. Jains 8
Examples (con’t)
 The faithful claim that without God, everything is
permissible. The ugly reality is that, “With God,
everything is permissible.”
 For thousands of years, the faithful have used
scripture, the so-called Words of God, to justify the
most horrific injustices and atrocities.
 It would be more logical to argue that since we are
not moral beings, God does not exist.
Examples (con’t)
Claim: “Without God, morality would be relative.
 The faithful argue that without God, there can be no absolute
rules for determining right from wrong. The truth is that God’s
(600+) laws are relative. It has been subject to personal
preferences & cultural biases in scriptural interpretations for
millennia.
 For instance, liberal believers argue endlessly with conservative
believers over the proper interpretation of scripture regarding
such matters as capital punishment, abortion, same-sex
marriage, and church-state separation.
 The greater truth is this: if you are inclined to reason &
compassion, you can find scripture to support loving others in
the name of God. And if you are inclined to irrational hate & fear,
you can find scripture to support killing others in the name of
God.
4. The Argument From Fear
Claim: without God, life would be terrifying.
 If God does not exist, we all are going to suffer and
die and there is no one to prevent it.
 This prospect is not only terrifying, but unacceptable.
We need God to make us feel safe.
 Therefore, God must exist.
Argument From Fear: the Corollary:
Claim: if God does exist, and we don’t
acknowledge His existence by slavishly obeying
His Divine Will, we will all be punished in this life
and in a hideous afterlife forever.
 Therefore, we should all act as though God exists
and obey His moral rules out of fear of punishment.
Flaws In The Argument From Fear
The argument from fear is merely wishful thinking.
 The implications of God not existing are frightening.
 Therefore, (we hope) God exists.
5. The Argument From Purpose
Claim: humans have an innate sense of wonder
and a basic sense of grand purpose & meaning.
Therefore, God must exists.
 We look at our lives and up at the stars and wonder;
“Is this all there is?”
 “Are we merely an accident of nature?”
 “Are we just another creature with no more inherent worth than a
worm?”
 “Does my life – my suffering and death; my moral choices –
mean nothing?”
 Only a being created by God could conceive such questions.
5. The Argument From Purpose (con’t)
Corollary claim: without God, people would have
no purpose, no reason to live.
 To the faithful, these thoughts are too depressing.
 Surely, us humans must be apart of some Grand Cosmic
Purpose.
 Human life must mean something in the great scheme of things.
Otherwise, there would be no point to our lives. It would all be
meaningless.
 Therefore, God must exist.
Flaws In The Argument From Purpose
 Just because we want our lives to have some cosmic
meaning does not make it so.
 Even young children can figure out this is merely
wishful thinking as soon as they are old enough to
figure out that wishing for a new bicycle will not
automatically make one appear.
More Definitions: metaphysics
The philosophical study of ultimate causes
and underlying nature of things.
 meta = beyond
 physics = physical or natural
 metaphysics = beyond the natural world
 Thus, metaphysics is speculation about the
supernatural.
More Definition: ontology
 A branch of metaphysics dealing with theories or
speculation about the nature of existence.
 The study of the kinds of beings, such as angels,
demons, and gods, that exist and their
characteristics, such as intentions & behavior.
 Remember: all metaphysical theories, including
ontological ones, are unprovable.
6. The Ontological Argument
Claim: logic alone can prove that God must
exists.
 First proposed by St. Anselm of Canterbury in the
11th. century A.D.
 Claims to derive the existence of God from the
concept of “a being than which no greater can be
conceived.”
6. The Ontological Argument (con’t)
 Anselm reasoned that, if such a being fails to exist,
then a greater being — namely, a being than which
no greater can be conceived, and which exists — can
be conceived.
 But this would be absurd: nothing can be greater than
a being than which no greater can be conceived.
 Therefore, a being than which no greater can be
conceived — i.e., God — exists.
6. The Ontological Argument (con’t)
In other words, God must exist because
we cannot conceive of anything greater.
6. The Ontological Argument (con’t)
Another way to express the “logic” of this argument.
 God, by definition, is the most perfect being
imaginable or even possible.
 Such a perfect being must possess all of the
attributes or characteristics of perfection.
 Since it is better (more perfect) to exist than not,
existence is an attribute of perfection.
 Thus, by definition, God exists.
Flaws In The Ontological Argument
 The only conclusion that follows logically from the
premise is:
 By definition: God or gods exist in our imagination.
 If you want to know more, go to:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ontologicalarguments/#ParOntArg.
 Thinking deeply about the ontological argument will only
convince you that God or gods exist if you want them to.
7. The Argument From Consciousness
Claim: I can think, therefore God
must exist.
Flaw In The Argument From Consciousness
 I can think, therefore it is highly unlikely that
God or gods exist.
 ‘Nuff said.
8. The Argument From Miracles
Claim: so many people claim to have
experienced phenomena so amazing
and seemingly in violation of the
laws of nature that such happenings
can only be explained by the
existence of God who intervenes in
people’s lives.
Flaws In The Argument From Miracles
 A lot of people believe weird things.
 Some sincerely believe they have been abducted by
aliens, others say they saw ghosts, and still others
claim to have communicated with the dead through a
medium at a séance.
 Many people have heard a voice coming from
somewhere inside their head which they assume
must be the voice of an angel or even God Himself.
The Prophet Mohammed is a good example.
Flaws In The Argument From Miracles (con’t)
 Antidotal evidence for the existence of God is hardly persuasive
but often amusing.
 The magicians, Penn & Teller, have been debunking such
claims for decades in the most entertaining fashion.
 Go to www.pennandteller.com.
 Philosopher, Michael Martin, “Since experiences of God are
good grounds for the existence of God, are not experiences of
the absence of God good grounds for the non-existence of
God?”
9. The Arguments From Scripture
Claim: scripture is divine revelation.
 We know scripture is the inerrant Word of God
because scripture tells us so.
 Therefore, God exists.
Flaws In The Argument From Scripture
 The argument commits a logical fallacy - Circular
Argument. The conclusion merely re-states the
assumption in the premise.
 Moreover, the claim is a belief unsupported by
empirical evidence, scientific proof, independent
historical accounts, or sound logic.
10. The Argument From Happiness
Claim: only a belief in God (or gods, eternal
paradise, etc.) can make us happy.
 When I believe in God, etc. I am happy (or at least
happier than if I doubt).
 Therefore God must exist.
Flaws In The Argument From Happiness
This is an argument for the benefits of
belief (i.e.; happiness) not an argument
for the existence of one or many gods.
In effect, it claims that we must believe
in order to be happy, whether or not god
or gods actually exist.
Three Free Thoughts on Happiness
Happiness requires only three ingredients (and
belief in God is not one of them):
1. Someone to love. (purpose & reason to live.)
2. Something to do. (e.g., keeping busy doing
something we believe is constructive or
useful to others. Makes life meaningful.)
3. Hope for the future.
Two More Free Thoughts on Happiness
Success: getting what you want.
Happiness: wanting what you get.10
Hope: A Secular Humanist Perspective
 Since we are all sentenced to permanent
death (annihilation), hope for the future is
sometimes the most troubling for atheists.
 But we can hope (and work) for a bright
future for our children and grandchildren and
be just as happy as someone who has hope
for a pleasant eternal life that will never be.
11. “Pascal’s Wager”
Claim: Blaise Pascal, a 17th century
French mathematician and philosopher,
said that we should believe that God,
heaven, and hell exist because:
1. if we are wrong, we lose little or nothing;
and
2. if we are right, we gain Eternal Paradise.
Flaws In “Pascal’s Wager”
1. Not really an argument for the existence of
God.
Only for the benefits of belief in God, whether
or not God actually exists.
Flaws In “Pascal’s Wager” (con’t)
2. Pascal, a Christian of sorts, was
arguing for belief in Jesus as the Savior
of Mankind.
But the same “wager” can be made with
any other religion.
Flaws In “Pascal’s Wager” (con’t)
3. Pascal’s wager” assumes that belief has little
or no cost.
 If in fact our life in the here and now is all
there is, as atheists claim based on the lack
of credible evidence for an afterlife,
 then sacrificing our lives in servitude to a silly
superstition would mean that we have lost
everything.
End segment: all arguments for God fail.
Faith Is Illogical
Begin segment
Our claim: all arguments for the
existence of an all-powerful, allknowing, and benevolent Supreme
Being are illogical.
Faith Is Illogical (con’t)
Fact #1. Each year, billion of believers pray to their god or
gods to intervene in human affairs and protect the innocent
and vulnerable from suffering and death – usually
themselves, their family, clan, or tribe.
Fact #2. Each year, tens of millions of innocent and
vulnerable people, particularly children, suffer horribly and
die.
Fact #3. Almost everyone at some point in his or her life
questions why prayers to protect these innocent and
vulnerable are not answered.
Faith Is Illogical (con’t)
Fact #4. There are only three possible logical explanations for why
God does not protect the innocent and vulnerable.
1.
There is no all-powerful, all-knowing & benevolent God.
2.
There is a benevolent God, but It does not have the power or
knowledge to protect the innocent and vulnerable.
3.
There is a God with the power & knowledge to protect the
innocent and vulnerable, but It chooses not to - so It is not
benevolent.
Faith Is Illogical (con’t)
In other words:
Either (1) God is omnipotent, but not
benevolent; (2) benevolent, but not
omnipotent; or (3) an omnipotent, benevolent
God does not exist.
Thus, belief in an all-powerful, all-knowing,
and benevolent God is illogical. 11
End segment: faith is illogical.
Five Biblical Reasons Why People
Suffer & Die
Begin Segment on Problem of Evil
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Suffering is punishment for sin (teach misbehaving people a
lesson they won’t soon forget - God is just being a “good”
parent).
Suffering builds character. (“That which doesn’t kill you makes
you stronger.” Nietzsche). 12
Suffering is test of faith (God needs to know that your
professed love for Him is authentic).
Evil spirits cause bad things to happen to good people (i.e.;
not God’s fault).
God created people with free will. Thus, people are free to
ignore God’s will and harm the innocent & vulnerable for
personal gain (again, not God’s fault).
The Problem Of Evil
The problem of evil simply stated…
The horrific suffering and miserable deaths of
billions of innocent people cannot be
reconciled with the concept of an all-powerful,
all-knowing, & benevolent God.
But the faithful try to rationalize the problem
away…as we shall now see.
The Problem Of Evil
Why good people suffer & die according to
the Bible.
Claim # 1. Suffering is punishment for sins.
So claimed many Hebrew prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
etc.
 This theory speculates that some people have not
pleased God. Thus, they are not innocent and He
punishes them for their sins. Pain is punishment for
disobedience.
 Flaw: this explanation does not explain why the
innocent suffer and die by the billions.
Problem Of Evil (con’t)
Claim # 2: suffering builds character.
So claimed St. Paul. Also Nietzsche: “That which does not kill you
makes you stronger.”
 According to this theory, suffering is actually a
blessing from God. It is as if we need to suffer in
order to exercise our “spiritual muscles.”
 Flaw: the problem of course is that much suffering
kills innocent people by the billions. Apparently, God
the all-knowing, does not know when enough is
enough.
Problem Of Evil (con’t)
Claim # 3: suffering is a test of faith.
So claimed the author of the Book of Job.
 This theory speculates that God allows innocent
believers to suffer as a test of faith.
 Flaw: this God is so insecure that He needs
reassurance that the believer’s faith is strong and will
withstand adversity. But how can an all-powerful
Deity be insecure?
Problem Of Evil (con’t)
Claim # 4: suffering is caused by evil spirits.
So claimed St. Paul and other apocalyptics, such as NT Jesus and OT
Daniel.
 This theory fantasizes about a cosmic war going on
between God and Satan; good vs. evil.
 Good people suffer and die because Satan and his
minions hate those who try to follow God’s ways and
these evil forces cause God’s followers pain and
death.
Problem Of Evil (con’t)
Jesus claimed that suffering & death is caused by
evil spirits.
 Obviously, this explanation does not explain why an all-powerful,
all-knowing, & benevolent deity would allow this to happen. The
Jesus of the gospels claims that the final battle, Armageddon,
will take place very soon (within a few years) and God will
defeat the powers of evil (Satan), re-take charge of this world,
and inaugurate the Kingdom of Heaven – an eternity of sublime
Peace on Earth. 12
Problem Of Evil (con’t)
Claim # 5: suffering is a result of mankind’s free
will.
 This theory is a favorite of Christian fundamentalists
today. It attempts to explain man’s inhumanity to
man.
 Good people suffer and die because we are free to
disobey God’s commandments (to love one another)
and inflict terrible suffering upon the innocent and
ignore their desperate needs.
Problem Of Evil (con’t)
 Christians think of God as a “good father”
figure. The basic problem with the “free will”
argument is it paints God, at the very least, as
a grossly irresponsible parent. 13
Problem Of Evil (con’t)
Why does God allow
earthquakes to kill
thousands and leave
10’s of thousands of
innocent people
homeless every year?
Are they being
punished or just tested?
Afghan earthquake.
The Problem Of Evil (con’t)
Why doesn’t God
intervene to help the
millions of refugees
around the world?
Does God ignore this
desperate woman
because she is not a
Christian or Muslim?
Darfur refugee.
The Problem Of Evil (con’t)
Why doesn’t God prevent
cyclones that kill thousands
of innocent people and leave
millions homeless?
Is God trying to build their
character & make their faith
stronger?
Burma cyclone victim.
The Problem Of Evil (con’t)
What kind of god would not
intervene to prevent the
horrors of the Cambodian
“killing fields” in which 2
million people were tortured,
slaughtered, or starved to
death?
Is God impotent?
Malevolent? Disinterested?
Non-existent?
The Problem Of Evil (con’t)
Why should anyone put
their trust in a god who
would not or could not
intervene to prevent the
horrors of the slave
labor camps and gas
chambers?
Auschwitz
The Problem Of Evil (con’t)
According to the Bible, on some
occasions God intervened to save
his loyal followers from suffering and
death resulting from “free will,” such
as when God intervened to help the
Israelites escape their enslavement
by the Egyptians or to help the
Israelites destroy their enemies,
such as the heathen Canaanites.
But it does not explain why God
does not intervene on so many
other desperate occasions, such as
the Jewish holocaust or the
Rwandan genocide.
The Problem Of Evil (con’t)
 In 1918, the flu virus killed
50 million people.
 Since 1981, the virus that
causes AIDS has killed over
25 million people.
 Were these people really
killed by evil spirits? And
God the Father didn’t
intervene because…?
AIDS victim - India
The Problem Of Evil (con’t)
Ultimately, the argument from
“free will” leads to the
conclusion that either (1)
God is fickle or (2) suffering
is an unsolvable mystery.
For Secular Humanists, the
problem of evil is
insurmountable. If God will
not or cannot stop the
preventable suffering &
death, then He, She, or It is
not worthy of worship.
Famine - Africa
Maybe the reason good people suffer and die is
unanswerable. Suffering Is A Mystery
Did 10’s of thousands of
Chinese children die in the 2008
earthquake because their
parents were godless
communists?
In contradiction to most of the
prophets of the OT, & Jesus &
Paul of the NT, the prophet of
Ecclesiastes tells us its all a
mystery. So we might as well
eat, drink & be merry as best we
can. 13
The Problem Of Scripture
Begin segment.
 More people abandon their faith because of the problem of evil,
rather than because they figured out that their scriptures have
this one little problem: they are not credible.
 Why don’t more people abandon their faith based on scriptural
scholarship? Because…
 Scriptural criticism requires serious intellectual effort. Scriptural
scholarship requires years of intense study in ancient cultures
and languages.
 Most people are intellectually lazy.
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
Secular Humanists believe the stories of scripture
(Torah, Bible, Qur’an, etc.) are mere legends, not
historical facts. As you will soon learn, our beliefs are
well-founded.
As most class participants will be most familiar with
the Bible, we will use it to illustrate why we doubt the
veracity of scripture. But we could just as easily
deconstruct the Qur’an or any other “holy” book.
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
We will show examples of:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
a Bible riddled with inconsistencies, contradictions,
absurdities, and falsehoods.
who the earliest gospel writers thought Jesus was.
the thousands of alterations made to the New Testament over
the past two thousand years.
what is known of the earliest gospel manuscripts in existence.
the real message of the gospel’s Jesus.
the wisdom of Jesus for what it really is.
the real ethics of Jesus.
books and websites that make scriptural scholarship easier.
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
SH Claim: there are over 600 logical inconsistencies and
contradictions in the Bible. Examples:
Is it right to kill?
1a. “Do not kill (murder other humans).” Ex. 20:13
1b. “Slay every man, his brother, companion, & neighbor.” Ex.
32:27 (also: 1 Sam. 6:19; Num. 15.36.
Is it right to steal?
2a. “Do not steal.” Ex. 20:15; Lev. 19:13.
2b. “…you shall (are to) spoil (pillage) the Egyptians.”
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
Can we get into heaven by good works or only by
the grace of god?
3a. For by grace (unmerited help) are you saved
through faith…not of works.” Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16.
3b. “…by works (good deeds) a man is justified (saved),
and not by faith only.” Matt. 19:16-21.
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
Is it OK to own slaves?
4a. “Moreover of the children of the strangers (nonJews) that do sojourn among you, of them shall you
buy…and they shall be your possession…your
bondsmen forever.” Ex. 21:2-7; Luke 12:47; Col.
3:22.
4b. “Undo the heavy burdens…let the oppressed go
free.” Is. 58:6; Matt. 23:10.
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
Is it right to punish children for the
transgressions of their parents?
5a. “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting
the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the
third & fourth generation.” Ex. 20:5 & 34:7.
5b. “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father.”
Ezek. 18:20.
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
Was Jesus a man (or man-god) of peace?
6a. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.”
John 14:27; Luke 2:14; Acts 10:36.
6b. “Think not that I am (have) come to send peace on
earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword
(violence against the enemies of God).”
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
Dare we question the veracity of the Genesis
creation story?
7a. God made all the animals before he created Adam
(first man). Gen. 1:25-27.
7b. God created Adam first. Gen 2:18-20.
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
Can the rich get into heaven?
 In the Old Testament, Psalms 112:1-3 says, “Blessed (happy) is
the person who honors the Lord, who takes pleasure in obeying
his commandments. The good man’s children will be powerful in
the land; his descendants will be blessed, his family will be
wealthy and rich, and he will be prosperous forever.”
 Then the Jesus of the New Testament contradicts the authors of
the richly poetic Psalms. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and
Luke all have Jesus saying, “It’s easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven.” (Matt
19:24; Mark 10:25; and Luke 18:25)
 Why do you suppose this Judeo-Christian deity would bless his
faithful followers with riches when it is impossible for the rich to
get into heaven?
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
For a long list of irreconcilable biblical
contradictions, start with
http://www.biblicalnonsense.com/
chapter13.html and do your own
research.
More Problems Of Scripture
 Christians say they base their faith on the life of
Jesus as portrayed in the New Testament in general
and the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
John) in particular.
 But if you really read these books with an
understanding of the period in which they were
written and understand the historical development of
the New Testament, there is little support for faith.
 Here are a few facts that lead to serious doubt.
The Problem Of Scripture # 1
Question: what can we tell from the gospels about Jesus’
divinity, wisdom, and ethic?
1. None of the Gospels were written by eye-witnesses to the
life and teachings of Jesus.
 The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the earliest
accounts we have of the life and teachings of Jesus – all written
decades after the death of Jesus.
 Mark’s gospel is the earliest and it was written decades after the
alleged crucifixion of Jesus.
 The authors simply wrote down oral traditions that had been
circulating for a generation among a small, ignorant,
superstitious, frightened, and unpopular Middle Eastern Jewish
cult.
The Problem Of Scripture #2
Biblical Claim: the modern-day gospels tell us, not
only did Jesus do miracles, but also that his was a
virgin birth and after he died he came back to life.
Consider these claims:
2. The earliest copy of Mark that have survived
only mentions some petty miracles, but said
nothing about a virgin birth or resurrection.
Those fantasies were added later to compete for
converts with the other religions in the region.
The Problem Of Scripture #3
3. We do not have the original gospel manuscripts.
We do not know what the originals said.
 One might wonder, if God the all-powerful was so
anxious to communicate with us, why did He not
preserve His Words in the original manuscript so we
could read them?
The Problem Of Scripture #4
4. To make matters worse, we only have very poor
copies.
 New Testament has been altered over 200,000 times
in the past 2,000 years;
 Sometimes by accident;
 Sometimes intentionally to change the meaning of a
passage.
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
Example #1. This first example of gospel alterations
comes from early copies of Mark. Mark 1:41 tell us
that when Jesus met a leper who wanted to be
healed, Jesus became angry. Later copies were
changed.
 To quote Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman, scribes found
it difficult to ascribe the emotion of anger to Jesus in
this context, and so modified the text to say, instead,
that Jesus felt “compassion for the man.” Was Jesus
angry or compassionate? No one today knows.
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
Example #2. The authors of the gospels that followed Mark’s
changed the oral and written accounts they inherited. For
example, in writing his gospel, Luke drew on Mark’s earlier
account, but changed it radically in places. For instance, Mark
portrays a Jesus who anguishes over his impending death on
the cross. Mark’s crucified Jesus cries out, “My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me?”
 By contrast, Luke’s crucified Jesus is not in deep despair, but is
rather sanguine; someone who is in the mood to forgive those
responsible for his horrific torture and eminent death. “Father,
forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke’s
Jesus is calm because he has certain knowledge that his death
has a cosmic purpose and that he will soon be in Paradise with
his “Father”, the one and only God.
The Problem Of Scripture (con’t)
 That is the lesson Luke wants to convey to his
readers, even if he has to make it up. Luke says, in
effect, don’t despair over your suffering and
impending death. Jesus didn’t. A better life awaits
those of you who believe that the crucified Jesus is
the “Son of God” and He will come back soon to
establish justice and peace on earth.
 What a nice resurrection myth. It is not unlike the
many other resurrection myths anthropologists have
found in primitive cultures around the world, such as
New Guinea, that faced extreme deprivation or
repression like the Christians in Roman times.
The Problem Of Scripture #5
5. We do not know of any contemporary
independent historical accounts of the life of
Jesus (i.e.; no independent validation = no
credibility).
 All of the so-called “contemporary” accounts of the
life of Jesus, such as the histories written by
Josephus, were written decades after the alleged
crucifixion of Jesus and only mentioned a minor
Jewish cult that called themselves Christian. These
few independent accounts did not validate the stories
recounted in the gospels.
The Problem Of Scripture #6
6. The earliest gospel pages that have
survived do not mention anything about
Jesus as the “Messiah,” “Christ,” or
“Savior of Mankind” who died for our sins,
as the church claims today.
The Problem Of Scripture #6 (con’t)
The earliest gospel writings that
survive are from codices
(earliest form of books that
replaced scrolls) by an unknown
author or authors that scholars
call Q. These writings predate
the Gospel of Mark by decades
and are a collection of sayings
attributed to Jesus that were
compiled from oral traditions.
For example, the Q books
contain the earliest known form
of the Sermon on the Mount, the
Lord’s Prayer, and the parable
of the lost sheep.
The Problem Of Scripture #6 (con’t)
 Moreover, Q does not mention Jesus’ birth, death, or
resurrection. Why? To his earliest followers, all of
whom were Jews, Jesus was a wise teacher, but not
the Messiah (or Christ in Greek) they longed for.
 To Jesus’ earliest followers, his crucifixion was not
seen as a world-shattering, cosmic event. There is no
evidence that the earliest Christians had any idea
that Jesus had died for their sins or was resurrected
three days after dying on the cross.
 These myths were added by the early Christian
Church many decades after Jesus died.
The Problem Of Scripture #7
7. Nor does Q mention the resurrection,
which seems odd, since one would think
that overcoming death would have been a
big story even back then.
The Problem Of Scripture #8
8. Jesus was an apocalyptic, not a social reformer.
 Contrary to what the liberal Christian churches preach today,
peace and love was not what Jesus was selling.
 Jesus was not much concerned with the suffering he witnessed.
 Jesus was not a proponent of social justice. He never
challenged the injustices of the status quo, except to whine
about the hypocrisy of the priests & temple money-changers.
 Jesus never advocated liberal democracy or universal human
rights.
 Jesus never explicitly condemned slavery, the treatment of
women as second class citizens, abortion, capital punishment,
or environmental destruction.
The Problem Of Scripture #9
What was the Jesus of the earliest Gospels selling?
9. The Jesus of the gospels was really only
concerned about one thing: that everyone should
repent (ask God to forgive their sins) because the
final battle between God and Satan – good and
evil – was about to take place at Armageddon
after which God would establish the Kingdom of
Heaven on earth and those who kept the faith
would reign supreme.
The Problem Of Scripture #10
10. Moreover, those who did not repent, God would torture for
eternity.
 So much for that “God is love” nonsense preached from liberal
church pulpits. Throughout the Bible, the Hebrew god was
shown to be a capricious, insecure, petulant deity with serious
anger management issues. He was unimaginably cruel and
unjust. Kindness and justice was never the Hebrew god’s
priority. Nor was it Jesus’ central message.
 In short, the Jesus of the gospels did not bring us a new ethic as
claimed by Christians.
The Problem Of Scripture #11
11. Contrary to popular belief, the gospels do not
portray a compassionate Jesus who uses his
divine power to alleviate suffering, impart
wisdom, or teach a new ethic of brotherhood.
 If Jesus was divine, wise, compassionate, and a
moral genius as Christians claim, why didn’t he
alleviate preventable suffering and death by
explaining germ theory or unlocking the mysteries of
DNA?
The Problem Of Scripture #11 (con’t)
What good did the Jesus of the gospels do?
 If Jesus was divine, you’d think He could have
casually mentioned something about antibiotics so
that the billions of people who suffered horribly and
died from infection over the past 2000 years could
instead have been cured to live a long and happy life.
The Problem Of Scripture #11 (con’t)
 Jesus is said to have cured a leper, but did he give us the
knowledge to cure leprosy? No, he did not. Jesus’ followers
hardly knew enough to keep their own excrement separate from
their drinking water, let alone how to cure disease. They all
thought disease was caused by evil spirits. 14
 Did Jesus instruct his followers to value reason and evidence.
To the contrary, Jesus was selling childish emotionalism. He
actually said that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we would
have to think like a little child and believe in magic.
 Pardon us if Secular Humanists are not impressed by Jesus’
wisdom or ethic.
The Problem Of Scripture #12
12. As to Jesus’ alleged benevolence, we are not
impressed. Jesus was not exactly Mr. Tolerant.
 According to the later gospels, he made it clear:
either you believe that He (Jesus) is God (or at least
God’s little helper, depending on your interpretation)
or else His Father in Heaven will poor gasoline on
you, set you on fire, and let you burn alive for eternity.
 How benevolent is that? If you actually read the
damn thing, the Bible is its own best argument for
atheism.
The Problem Of Scripture #13
Consider the god Jesus & his followers think is good and
who Secular Humanists think is a monster.
 The Hebrew & Christian god sends plagues and famines to wipe out
thousands of innocent people (Num. 25:1-9 & 2 Sam. 21:1 & 24:10-15).
He kills little children (2 Kings 2:23-24) for the most ridiculous reasons.
He wants men banished for having sex with their own wives during
menstruation (Lev. 20:18). Blasphemers he wants stoned (Lev. 24:16)
and if a prostitute is the daughter of a priest, she must be burned alive
(Lev. 21:9).
 The Hebrew & Christian god commanded the Israelites to commit
ethnic cleansing (Ex. 34:11-14) and genocide in which millions of
innocent people were slaughtered (Num. 21:2-3; 21:33-35; Deut. 7:2;
Josh; 1-12; Judg. 20:21, 25, 35; 2 Chron. 13:15-20; 14:8-13).
 Children may be sacrificed as a “Thank you” to the Hebrew & Christian
god for his help in battle (2 King. 3:26-27) or to persuade him to end a
famine (2 Sam. 21).
The Problem Of Scripture #14
14. And what about Jesus’ “family values?”
 The gospels have Jesus saying he wants people to hate their relatives
so they will love him more (Matt. 10:35-37) and he promises everlasting
paradise to men who leave their wives and children and follow him
(Matt. 19:29; Mark 10:29-30; Luke 18:29-30).
 Jesus wants children who disrespect (curse) their parents to be killed
(Matt. 15:4-7; Mark 7:9-10).
 The New Testament promises that when Jesus returns, the unbelievers
will be tortured and killed by the billions, even little children (Matt.
10:14-15; Luke 10:12; Matt. 24:37; and Revelations through and
through).
 Following Battle at Armageddon, all non-Christians will be set on fire
for eternity (Matt. 13:42; 25:41; Luke 3:17; John 3:15-16 , 18, 36; 6:47;
11:25-26). If “God is love,” as Christians claim, he certainly has a funny
way of showing it.
The Problem Of Scripture #15
15. Finally, one more fact that casts doubt on the
veracity of scripture.
 The books that form the New Testament are only
some of the books written by early Christians about
the life and teachings of Jesus. Many other books,
such as the Gnostic Gospels of Mary Magdalene and
Judas, were written and disseminated by Christians
whose sincere beliefs about Jesus differed from the
accounts that became the officially approved,
orthodox version of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John.
The Problem Of Scripture #15 (con’t)
 The books of today’s New Testament are accepted
orthodoxy, not because they were credible
independent historical accounts, but only because
the Roman church authorities said so. 15
 By official decree, the other books were banned and
their versions of the Jesus story became heresy.
 It could just as well have been otherwise. Perhaps
the heretical accounts were more historically
accurate than the orthodox versions.
 Today, no one can possibly know.
The Response Of Faith
According to the faithful:
 The Secular Humanists’ arguments are irrelevant.
 It does not matter that the intellectual arguments for
faith are flawed; or that faith is illogical; or that
scriptures have some internal contradictions we
cannot easily explain away.
 All that matters is that we have a “relationship with
God.”
 We know God exists because we can feel His
Presence. We know He loves us because we can
feel His love.
Response Of Secular Humanists
 We don’t “feel” the presence of God, so all we have
to go on to form our worldview is our capacity for
reason & compassion.
 What we do know is this: where reason &
compassion have prevailed over superstition, willful
ignorance, & wishful, magical thinking, people have
benefited measurably & dramatically.
The Only Viable Argument For Faith
There is only one intellectually honest argument for belief:
1. I believe because I want to.
 I have a compelling emotional need to
believe in the supernatural.
 This worldview makes me feel good.
 I do not wish to think too hard about the
arguments that would destroy my selfdelusion. Doing so would make me
exceedingly anxious and depressed.
Suggested Useful Sources
 http://www.infidels.org
 http://skepticsannotatedbible.com
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_the_
Bible
 Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It
into the New Testament. Bart Erhman
 Misquoting Jesus. Bart Erhman
 God’s Problem. Bart Erhman
End Session II.