Bob Blogs with Agnostic Santi Farella
This is the show from Thursday August 13th, 2009.
SUMMARY:
* Santi A. Farella of Prometheus Unbound! Santi blogged about the American RTL YouTube video The Ann Coulter Hang-ups, which partly thanks to him
is nearing 40,000 views. He wrote, "On the Far Right, Ann Coulter and Mitt Romney Are Not Conservative Enough!" You bet your life (especially if your less than nine months old . To which Bob replied:
* Prometheus, Do You Realize: that God made us and that we are accountable to Him? -Bob Enyart
* Bob, I’m Happy to Concede: that we are living within an ontological mystery, but could you offer me some justification for your claim that “God made us.” How do you know this? Secondly, I’d like to ask you a personal question: When you doubt, what is it exactly that you doubt? –Santi
* Santi! I’ve Had a Great Time Debating Atheists: and I’d be happy to post a concise list of evidence for God’s existence from 10 areas if you’d like. BTW, here’s a list of atheists I’ve debated. You can find links to those debates and a fun “Trochlea Challenge to Atheists” at a single show on KGOV.com! (Includes debates with ABC’s Reginald Finley, called The Infidel Guy, TheologyOnline’s psychologist Zakath, anti-creationist Eugenie Scott with the Nat’l Center for Science Education exhuming her now debunked claim that 'junk' DNA is the best evidence for evolution, and Michael Shermer, an editor with Scientific American and the Skeptic Society who in this famous 73-second excerpt on BEL denied that the Bible was correct when it stated that the sun should not be worshipped because it is not a god, but rather, that the sun is a light. Illustrating that it’s tough debating atheists when they’re hesitant to admit to even the most obvious common ground, Schermer famously replied, “The sun is not a light.” So Santi, I could post that list of 10 areas of evidence, or I could post 7 atheist cliches each with a rebuttal that takes less than 8 seconds to make. Thanks! -Bob Enyart
* Bob, Sure. But I Would Like You to Improvise: and not just go into machine mode in talking to me. What do you doubt when you doubt, and why do you doubt it, and what do you tell yourself to make the doubt go away for awhile? I’m not asking you such a question, by the way, to set you up. I just want vulnerability expressed in the people I talk with. I don’t mind going first. When I doubt my agnosticism it’s with regard to the ontological mystery—why is there something when there might have been nothing? I think that the physical constants, their “just-so-ness”, is an enormous puzzle, and constitutes (to my mind) perhaps the strongest argument that prior to the material universe there was some sort of telos [Purpose]. I suppose that I stay an agnostic and not some sort of theist when I think of this because I think that the multiverse hypothesis [BE: this is the invoking of infinite universes to explain the existence of a single universe, not solving the problem but multiplying it a thousand fold] is equally probable with the telos explanation. On the other hand, the multiverse hypothesis runs to an infinite regress, and telos [Purpose, i.e. a Creator] seems to be a simpler (if pseudo) explanation that at least stops the regress with “a necessary telos made the contingent object-world.” –Santi
* Santi, You’re Request that I Improvise: and not go in machine mode is a great request. What do I doubt?
I doubt that as the mountain of evidence utterly refuting Darwinism continues to rise, that a majority of evolutionists will acknowledge our Creator God. I doubt that… But wait, I’m sure that’s not the kinds of doubts you’re asking me about. You’re asking me to indicate, of the beliefs that I hold, which ones do I sometimes doubt. To help myself think this through, I’ll first list the things I never ever doubt.
- I never doubt that I exist (unlike Denver's curator); and therefore I know that there is a reality.
- I never doubt that truth exists, because for example, I exist.
- I never doubt that the universe exists.
- I never doubt that the universe must have had a beginning because it does not have a uniform temperature and stars are still burning available energy [and for many other reasons].
- Since truth exists, I never doubt that logic and reason exist.
- Since I exist and reason exists, I never doubt that existence itself must be rational and logical.
- Since logic and reason exists, I never doubt that the effect cannot be greater than the cause.
- And since the effect cannot be greater than the cause, I never doubt that logically there must be an uncaused Cause of the universe and of my own existence as a person.
- And I never doubt that if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead as prophesied, that Christianity is false.-
- Nor have I ever doubted that if Jesus Christ did rise from the dead, then all other religions are false and as He claimed, He is the only way to eternal life.
- And I never doubt that the Cause of the universe and of me must be eternal, and powerful and personal (because I am personal, i.e., I have a will, self-awareness, moral consciousness, etc. and the effect, ‘me,’ cannot be greater than the Cause, ‘Him’ [and because the universe, that other effect, with its unfathomable energy content, cannot be greater than Him])
Santi, these are some of the things I never doubt.
Now, what do I sometimes doubt? There are many particulars regarding the universe, the world, mankind, doctrines of Scripture, points of history, economics, science, etc. that I’m eager to learn more of and to be corrected where in error. On the home page of my site, KGOV.com, in the footer I have a link to our Errata page that lists the more significant errors I’ve made over the years. And when I make a lesser error in a radio program, etc., we correct that error on that show’s summary page. Was this a sufficient answer, or would you like some particular detail? Thanks Santi! -Bob Enyart
* To Be Continued…
* Any New Listener or Donor to BEL: You can help us jumpstart our vital September telethon! If you have never given before to Bob Enyart Live, if you donate this month, or sign up for one of our DVD or Bible Study monthly subscriptions, or purchase anything as a first-timer to BEL, we will apply the amount of your purchase, or your donation or your subscription (which we will multiply times ten!) to help jumpstart our September telethon to raise $40,000 to keep BEL on the Internet at KGOV.com for another year!
Today’s Resource: If you want to give a copy of Bob's great debate, Does God Exist? to an atheist, you might want to read it first, but then you'll have a hard time parting with it! And have you seen the Science Department at our KGOV Store? Check out Guillermo Gonzalez’ Privileged Planet (clip), Illustra Media’s Unlocking the Mystery of Life (clip)! You can consider our BEL Science Pack; Bob’s Age of the Earth Debate; Walt Brown’s In the Beginning and Bob’s interviews with this great scientist in Walt Brown Week; the superb kids' radio programming, Jonathan Park: The Adventure Begins! Remember, unlike virtually any other book, audio or video publisher, BEL offers a money-back guarantee if not satisfied! However, we're usually perfectly satisfied with your money Actually, if YOU are not satisfied, you can return any particular BEL resource within 90 days for a full refund! And finally, free for an unbeliever who requests it, Bob Enyart's Mount Moriah DVD examines the powerful historic and geographic evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
This is the show from Thursday August 13th, 2009.
SUMMARY:
* Santi A. Farella of Prometheus Unbound! Santi blogged about the American RTL YouTube video The Ann Coulter Hang-ups, which partly thanks to him
is nearing 40,000 views. He wrote, "On the Far Right, Ann Coulter and Mitt Romney Are Not Conservative Enough!" You bet your life (especially if your less than nine months old . To which Bob replied:* Prometheus, Do You Realize: that God made us and that we are accountable to Him? -Bob Enyart
* Bob, I’m Happy to Concede: that we are living within an ontological mystery, but could you offer me some justification for your claim that “God made us.” How do you know this? Secondly, I’d like to ask you a personal question: When you doubt, what is it exactly that you doubt? –Santi
* Santi! I’ve Had a Great Time Debating Atheists: and I’d be happy to post a concise list of evidence for God’s existence from 10 areas if you’d like. BTW, here’s a list of atheists I’ve debated. You can find links to those debates and a fun “Trochlea Challenge to Atheists” at a single show on KGOV.com! (Includes debates with ABC’s Reginald Finley, called The Infidel Guy, TheologyOnline’s psychologist Zakath, anti-creationist Eugenie Scott with the Nat’l Center for Science Education exhuming her now debunked claim that 'junk' DNA is the best evidence for evolution, and Michael Shermer, an editor with Scientific American and the Skeptic Society who in this famous 73-second excerpt on BEL denied that the Bible was correct when it stated that the sun should not be worshipped because it is not a god, but rather, that the sun is a light. Illustrating that it’s tough debating atheists when they’re hesitant to admit to even the most obvious common ground, Schermer famously replied, “The sun is not a light.” So Santi, I could post that list of 10 areas of evidence, or I could post 7 atheist cliches each with a rebuttal that takes less than 8 seconds to make. Thanks! -Bob Enyart
* Bob, Sure. But I Would Like You to Improvise: and not just go into machine mode in talking to me. What do you doubt when you doubt, and why do you doubt it, and what do you tell yourself to make the doubt go away for awhile? I’m not asking you such a question, by the way, to set you up. I just want vulnerability expressed in the people I talk with. I don’t mind going first. When I doubt my agnosticism it’s with regard to the ontological mystery—why is there something when there might have been nothing? I think that the physical constants, their “just-so-ness”, is an enormous puzzle, and constitutes (to my mind) perhaps the strongest argument that prior to the material universe there was some sort of telos [Purpose]. I suppose that I stay an agnostic and not some sort of theist when I think of this because I think that the multiverse hypothesis [BE: this is the invoking of infinite universes to explain the existence of a single universe, not solving the problem but multiplying it a thousand fold] is equally probable with the telos explanation. On the other hand, the multiverse hypothesis runs to an infinite regress, and telos [Purpose, i.e. a Creator] seems to be a simpler (if pseudo) explanation that at least stops the regress with “a necessary telos made the contingent object-world.” –Santi
* Santi, You’re Request that I Improvise: and not go in machine mode is a great request. What do I doubt?
I doubt that as the mountain of evidence utterly refuting Darwinism continues to rise, that a majority of evolutionists will acknowledge our Creator God. I doubt that… But wait, I’m sure that’s not the kinds of doubts you’re asking me about. You’re asking me to indicate, of the beliefs that I hold, which ones do I sometimes doubt. To help myself think this through, I’ll first list the things I never ever doubt.
- I never doubt that I exist (unlike Denver's curator); and therefore I know that there is a reality.
- I never doubt that truth exists, because for example, I exist.
- I never doubt that the universe exists.
- I never doubt that the universe must have had a beginning because it does not have a uniform temperature and stars are still burning available energy [and for many other reasons].
- Since truth exists, I never doubt that logic and reason exist.
- Since I exist and reason exists, I never doubt that existence itself must be rational and logical.
- Since logic and reason exists, I never doubt that the effect cannot be greater than the cause.
- And since the effect cannot be greater than the cause, I never doubt that logically there must be an uncaused Cause of the universe and of my own existence as a person.
- And I never doubt that if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead as prophesied, that Christianity is false.-
- Nor have I ever doubted that if Jesus Christ did rise from the dead, then all other religions are false and as He claimed, He is the only way to eternal life.
- And I never doubt that the Cause of the universe and of me must be eternal, and powerful and personal (because I am personal, i.e., I have a will, self-awareness, moral consciousness, etc. and the effect, ‘me,’ cannot be greater than the Cause, ‘Him’ [and because the universe, that other effect, with its unfathomable energy content, cannot be greater than Him])
Santi, these are some of the things I never doubt.
Now, what do I sometimes doubt? There are many particulars regarding the universe, the world, mankind, doctrines of Scripture, points of history, economics, science, etc. that I’m eager to learn more of and to be corrected where in error. On the home page of my site, KGOV.com, in the footer I have a link to our Errata page that lists the more significant errors I’ve made over the years. And when I make a lesser error in a radio program, etc., we correct that error on that show’s summary page. Was this a sufficient answer, or would you like some particular detail? Thanks Santi! -Bob Enyart
* To Be Continued…
* Any New Listener or Donor to BEL: You can help us jumpstart our vital September telethon! If you have never given before to Bob Enyart Live, if you donate this month, or sign up for one of our DVD or Bible Study monthly subscriptions, or purchase anything as a first-timer to BEL, we will apply the amount of your purchase, or your donation or your subscription (which we will multiply times ten!) to help jumpstart our September telethon to raise $40,000 to keep BEL on the Internet at KGOV.com for another year!
Today’s Resource: If you want to give a copy of Bob's great debate, Does God Exist? to an atheist, you might want to read it first, but then you'll have a hard time parting with it! And have you seen the Science Department at our KGOV Store? Check out Guillermo Gonzalez’ Privileged Planet (clip), Illustra Media’s Unlocking the Mystery of Life (clip)! You can consider our BEL Science Pack; Bob’s Age of the Earth Debate; Walt Brown’s In the Beginning and Bob’s interviews with this great scientist in Walt Brown Week; the superb kids' radio programming, Jonathan Park: The Adventure Begins! Remember, unlike virtually any other book, audio or video publisher, BEL offers a money-back guarantee if not satisfied! However, we're usually perfectly satisfied with your money
Actually, if YOU are not satisfied, you can return any particular BEL resource within 90 days for a full refund! And finally, free for an unbeliever who requests it, Bob Enyart's Mount Moriah DVD examines the powerful historic and geographic evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ!