Biblical Evidence for Catholicism: Atheism, Agnosticism, & Secularism (Index Page)

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662): combination of his portrait and death mask (Snark International)

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General

SHORTER PAPERS

The Atheist's Boundless Faith in Deo-Atomism ("The Atom-as-God")

Round III With Ed Babinski On Profound Christian Ignorance, and Every Subject Under the Sun Except the Topic (The Psalms)

Dialogue With an Atheist on the "Basics": Creation, Freedom, Rebellion, Suffering, Etc. (Dave Armstrong vs. Daniel Morgan)

Mike Huckabee Provides an Excellent Role Model For How to Converse With Militant Agnostics (Bill Maher)

On Whether Atheism is Inherently More Rational and Scientific, and Less Dogmatic and Axiomatic Than Christianity (+ Discussion)

Dialogue with Former Christian, Dr. Jim Arvo, on Various Aspects of "Deconversion" (+ Discussion)

Was I a "Troll" and Did I Merely Critique Deconversions During My Three-Month Stay at the Debunking Christianity Blog? (+ Discussion)

Garden Variety Atheist and Skeptical Objections to Christianity Briefly Answered

Stephen Colbert Interviews Richard Dawkins (You Tube)

LONGER PAPERS

The Defective Father Psychological Theory of Atheism / Christian Emotionalism and Fideism

How and Why Discussions With Agnostics and Atheists Often (Sadly) Collapse / The Many Logical Fallacies of Ed Babinski and Friends (Was [and occasionally still touches upon]: Discussion on the Psalms) (Dave Armstrong vs. Ed Babinski and Pals)

Dialogue With a Skeptic of Christianity (Dave Armstrong vs. Charlie Kluepfel)

Dialogue With an Agnostic Concerning Several Common Objections to Christianity in General and Catholicism in Particular (Dave Armstrong vs. Matt Fahrner)

Friendly Discussion on Presuppositions and Basic Differences (Particularly, Hell), With an Agnostic (Ed Babinski)

Stacked Deck: Losing One's Christian Faith in College / General Epistemological Discussion With an Atheist (Dave Armstrong vs. Daniel Morgan)

Discussion With Atheists on Hell, the Argument From Desire, and God's Justice and Ours (Dave Armstrong vs. "DagoodS" and Others) (+ Part Two)

Alvin Plantinga's Decisive Refutation of the Atheist Use of the Problem of Evil as a Disproof of God's Existence, Goodness, or Omnipotence (+ Discussion)

Reply to Former Christian John Loftus' "Outsider Test of Faith" Series (+ Discussion)

The Essential Silliness and Hypocrisy (Even Duplicity) of Atheist John Loftus: Webmaster of Debunking Christianity

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--- including the bestsellers A Biblical Defense of Catholicism and The One-Minute Apologist and featuring: 501 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura.

Common Ground

SHORTER PAPERS

Are all Atheists Utterly "Wicked and Evil"? The Multiple Complex Causes of Atheist Disbelief, Romans 1 and 2, and the Possibility of Atheists' Salvation

Can Atheists Be Saved? Are All Atheists Immoral? The Demands of Christian Charity

Atheists Can be Saved (Hypothetical Church Sign - "Photograph")

Fair-Mindedness Triumphant: Atheist Jim Lazarus Strongly Condemns Atheist Ad Hominem Attacks Against Christians (edited by Dave Armstrong)

Thoughts on Perfectly Possible Constructive, Enjoyable Atheist-Christian Discussion (and Frustration That It Is So Rare)

LONGER PAPERS

Secular Humanism and Christian Humanism: Seeking After Common Ground (Dave Armstrong and Sue Strandberg)

How Atheists and Christians Can Constructively Dialogue, With Mutual Respect (+ Related Censorship, Free Speech, Ethics and "Legalism" Issues)

God (Atheist Obsession With the Supposedly Nonexistent)

SHORTER PAPERS

Atheists' Unreasonable, Unrealistic Demands For Proof of God's Existence (Massive Miracles, Etc.)

God as Cosmic Santa Claus and the Bible as Fairy-Tale: Reply to Common Atheist Critiques Concerning the Christian Epistemology of Belief in the Bible and God

"Jittery John" Loftus Again Throws a Hissy-Fit When I Simply Critique His Argument Against the Biblical, Timeless, Transcendent God (+ Discussion)

LONGER PAPERS

Dialogue on the Argument From Non-Belief (ANB) as a Proposed Disproof of God's Existence (Dave Armstrong vs. Steve Conifer & Dr. Ted Drange)

Dialogue With an Atheist on the Epistemology of Disbelief in God and the "Demonization" of Opponents (Including Appendices on Conscience and Disproofs of Worldviews) (Dave Armstrong vs. Sue Strandberg)

Dialogue With an Atheist on the Premises and Axioms of Atheism (Dave Armstrong vs. Steve Conifer)

Dialogue With an Agnostic on the "Logic of God," Science, Axioms, and Biases (Dave Armstrong vs. Dr. Jan Schreurs)

Preliminary Replies to Atheists' Questions About Christianity (Particularly the Trinity and Salvation) (Dave Armstrong vs. Dr. Ted Drange)

Angry, Irrational Atheists and Other Ex-Christians On the Prowl Again: Christopher Hitchens vs. Fr. George Rutler / The Good Folks at ExChristian.Net (+ Discussion)

"The Butcher and the Hog": The Atheist Approach to the Bible

[see also related papers in the "Alleged Biblical Contradictions" section of The Bible, Church, Tradition, & Canon Index Page]

SHORTER PAPERS

Reply to a Skeptic Regarding Elijah the Prophet's Extraordinary Departure From Earth and Relation to John the Baptist (Dave Armstrong vs. "paul")

Dialogue With a Skeptic Regarding Elijah and John the Baptist, Round Two (Dave Armstrong vs. "paul")

LONGER PAPERS

Examination of Atheist Bible Scholarship and Exegesis

Reply to "The Problem of Pain and the Egomania of the Psalms" (Dave Armstrong vs. Ed Babinski [agnostic])

Second Reply to Agnostic Ed Babinski on the Supposed Irrationality and Immorality of the Psalms and the Christian Worldview (Dave Armstrong vs. Ed Babinski)

Postscript to Dialogue With Agnostic Ed Babinski on the Psalms, Etc.: Ed's Attempt to Enlist an Ancient Near East Scholar in Support Backfires (Dr. James Roger Black vs. Ed Babinski; compiled and additional commentary by Dave Armstrong)

Reply to Alleged Biblical Contradictions Concerning Judas and His Death (vs. Dave Van Allen and Dr. Jim Arvo) (+ Discussion)

Atheist "Deconversions"

SHORTER PAPERS

Reply to Bob Hypes' Article: "Religion and How I Lost It" (Dave Armstrong vs. Bob Hypes)

Response to the "Deconversion Story" of a Pastor's Wife

"DagoodS" Deconversion Story, Part I: Projection, Open-Mindedness, and Presuppositional Issues (+ Discussion)

Critique of "DagoodS"' Deconversion Story Meets a Sudden Premature Death (+ Discussion)

LONGER PAPERS

Bob Hypes' Reply to My Critique of His Article: Religion and How I Lost It and My Counter-Reply (Dave Armstrong vs. Bob Hypes)

Critique of Some Key Fallacies in Atheist Joe E. Holman's Deconversion Story (+ Discussion)

Critique of John W. Loftus' "Deconversion" Story From Church of Christ Pastor to Atheist (+ Discussion: John's astonishing [non-]"reply" & my counter-reply) [includes section on whether God created the stars after the earth: Genesis 1-2] (Dave Armstrong vs. John W. Loftus)

Atheist John W. Loftus and His "Deconversion" Story: The Strange Saga Continues and the Plot Thickens

Now I Am a "Spiritual Predator" Who Wants to "Attack, Maim, and Torture" Because I Dared to Critique an Atheist Deconversion [John Loftus] (+ Discussion) (Dave Armstrong vs. RubySera Martin)

Reply to Deconversion Story of Dave Van Allen, Webmaster of ExChristian.Net (+ Discussion)

Famous Atheists (Real and Imagined)

SHORTER PAPERS

Philip Pullman (of The Golden Compass Fame) Takes on God, C.S. Lewis, Christianity, & J.R.R. Tolkien (+ Discussion)

LONGER PAPERS

Were Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain Atheists?

Was Skeptical Philosopher David Hume an Atheist?

[For related reading, see: Philosophy, Science, & Christianity Page]

Last updated on 9 December 2008

Orthodoxy & Citation Permission

To the best of my knowledge, all of my theological writing is "orthodox" and not contrary to the official dogmatic and magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church. In the event of any (unintentional) doctrinal or moral error on my part having been undeniably demonstrated to be contrary to the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church, I will gladly and wholeheartedly submit to the authority and wisdom of the Church (Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Timothy 3:15).

All material contained herein is written by Dave Armstrong (all rights reserved) unless otherwise noted. Please retain full copyright, URL, and author information when downloading and/or forwarding this material to others. This information is intended for educational, spiritual enrichment, recreational, non-profit
purposes only, and is not to be exchanged for monetary compensation under any circumstances (Exodus 20:15-16).

Discussion Policy, Socratic Philosophy, Dissings & Rah-Rahs

Thoughts on Amiable and Constructive Dialogue

Purely Slanderous Posts

Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making.

--- John Milton

I Peter 3:15: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect".

Most people I've had discussions with on this blog have been and continue to be very kindly . . . even though we have dissenting views. I appreciate it from everyone and continue to thank Dave for hosting this and welcoming us Protestants. . . . We often have extremely differing views, but I've rarely been treated harshly. I thoroughly enjoy coming here and discussing stuff with y'all.

--- "Grubb" (evangelical Protestant regular on this blog), 12-11-06 and 2-13-07

There isn't any way this guy should be taken seriously as a professional apologist. He's a guy sitting behind a computer, somewhere in Michigan.

--- John Q. "Deadhead" Doe (anti-Catholic Reformed Protestant), 17 April 2007

I keep coming back here, because conversation at other Catholic-Protestant discussion blogs tends to get venomously anti-Catholic [with] ad hominem attacks on anyone who doesn't agree with the blogmaster and his pool of apparatchiks, whether the dissenter is Catholic OR Protestant. Cor ad cor loquitur is something of an internet anomaly: we engage in virtually ANY discussion without being censored and yet still manage for it not to get profane, something I rarely (if ever) see anywhere else on the net.

--- "Jon" (Catholic)

I find your site very refreshing and very informative . . . It's nice to find people who realize that being ecumenical doesn't mean ignoring important differences in doctrine, but rather means celebrating all that we have in common, while holding fast to all dogma. Your defenses of Catholicism are very well-written and very thought-provoking.

--- Baptist seminary student

I guess then we can see how sincere you are about wanting to discuss scripture. That is, not at all.

--- "Hilasterion" (anti-Catholic Protestant)

Dave Armstrong writes me really nice letters when I ask questions. As someone ridiculed by the arsonists [Phil Johnson's blog], I have to have a liking for the guy. Really, his notes to me are always first class and very respectful and helpful. . . . Dave Armstrong has continued to answer my questions in respectful and helpful ways. I thank the Lord for him.

--- Michael Spencer (evangelical Protestant), aka "The Internet Monk", on the Boar's Head Tavern site, 27 and 29 September 2007

. . . even Dave Armstrong’s blog has had some basically good posts . . .

--- Steve (aka "St. Worm": Anglican), on Tim Enloe's blog, 10 June 2009

8 years. Wow! I can’t even imagine putting up with the apologists for that long. Now, I pity you. :-) Even as a Catholic, I’ve gotten into it with Bryan Cross and Dave Armstrong, both of which are completely frustrating to have a dialog with. Just going at it with the two of them made we want to stay away forever. Bryan, at least I can say is a good guy and truly does mean well; even if he does have amazing powers of sophistry – and he has an odd sense of “unity” and “ecumenism”. Armstrong on the other hand…. I’m still speechless.

--- Mark (Catholic) [link], on Frank Ramirez' ("kepha's") blog, fides quarens intellectum, 6 November 2008 [link]

Dave . . . rises to any challenges against the Catholic faith coming his way. He's exhaustive, punctilious and for most of his adversaries, quite aggravating. He's the Catholic that no one can seem to shut up, and this grates on the nerves of anti-Catholic controversialists, whether of the scholarly kind, or of demagogues, bigots, and sophists. Dave will perform a real analysis of their postulates, atomize their arguments into individual thought components, and judge every single one individually on its merits, and also within their literary context. Anti-Catholics lose patience very quickly under this kind of scrutiny; many of them escape it by attacking Dave personally. Yet the man is completely unassuming, a simple soul, living simply with no pretensions at anything. I would say that his is a monastic life of work, prayer, and vast amounts of writing.

--- Pedro Vega (Catholic), 11 June 2005 on his blog, after we met [link]

. . . not interested in serious argument . . . handwaving and pseudo-philosophical mumbo-jumbo . . . hysterics . . . martyr . . . immaturity . . . [like] fundamentalists at the Pizza Parlor . . . arrogant, smug, pseudo-philosopher . . . behave like an ass . . . braying . . . crybaby . . . no understanding [of] basic philosophical method . . . logical fallacies and valueless tautologies . . . smug assertions . . . name-calling . . . hollow ridicule . . . baseless accusations . . . [no] substance . . . [doesn't understand] science or logic . . . closed mindedness . . . ignorance . . . lack of mental prowess . . . laziness.

---several scientific materialists in a November 2002 thread about same (This is my favorite set of personal insults of all time, and a source of endless amusement :-)

Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

--- Matthew 5:11-12

But no human being can tame the tongue -- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so.

--- James 3:8-10

What a special blessing it was yesterday and today to have as my guests Dave and Judy Armstrong . . . Judy Armstrong is a loving brown-eyed beauty, the kind of wife and mother many families could only dream of having. When she and Dave look at each other, their bond is obvious, a long history of shared crosses and blessings with a respected partner and an attraction which still has plenty of sparks and sparkle. Together, they are rearing terrific children and supporting each other in ministry. What a blessing it was to have hours of private conversation with Dave and Judy . . . Who is this Dave Armstrong? What is he really like? Well, he is affable, gentle, sweet, easily pleased, very appreciative, and affectionate . . . I was totally unprepared for the real guy. He's a teddy bear, cuddly and sweet. Doesn't interrupt, sits quietly and respectfully as his wife and/or another woman speaks at length. Doesn't dominate the conversation. Just pleasantly, cheerfully enjoys whatever is going on about him at the moment and lovingly affirms those in his presence. Most of the time he has a relaxed, sweet smile.

--- Becky Mayhew (Catholic), 9 May 2009, on the Coming Home Network Forum

Dave Armstrong . . . isn’t just a narcissistic little jerk. He’s actually evil.

--- Steve Hays (anti-Catholic reformed Protestant apologist and polemicist), 13 April 2009

Let me just say a word here for Dave Armstrong. Despite his tendency to unload hundreds of pages and somewhat excessive self-promotion, he is a former Protestant Catholic who is in fact blessedly free of the kind of "any enemy of Protestantism is a friend of mine" coalition-building we've been discussing . . . Maybe he went through a 'I despise all of my past' stage at one point in his life, but at least now, he's pro-Catholic (naturally) without being anti-Protestant (or anti-Orthodox, for that matter).

---"CPA": Lutheran professor of history [see his site]: unsolicited remarks of 12 July 2005

Dave Armstrong is not merely closing the comments section of his apologetic blog -- he's getting out of the apologetic blog business entirely!

--- Dr. Eric Svendsen (anti-Catholic Protestant apologist), 4 January 2005

Thanks again for the great work you're doing for Christ and His Church.

--- Dr. Scott Hahn (Catholic apologist)

Usually the foaming at the mouth stuff is reserved for the Dave Armstrongs of the world. Get a real job Dave. Maybe you can debate people and lose for a living.

--- Bret L. McAtee (anti-Catholic Reformed Protestant pastor)

You are one of the most thoughtful and careful apologists out there.

--- Dr. Edwin Tait (Anglican Church historian)

I am reading your stuff since I think it is the most thorough and perhaps the best defense of Catholicism out there.

I have had many run-ins with Dave via email and he has been nothing but respectful and kind to me. He has shown me great respect despite knowing full well that I disagree with him on the essential issues.

--- Sam Shamoun (Reformed apologist who specializes in outreach to Muslims)

DA will use anything to attack the truth.

--- Right Reverend Bishop James White (anti-Catholic Reformed Baptist apologist), 28 March 2004

As for the body of your work generically considered, I think that certainly there must be some things of great value in your work . . . I do like your stuff on Lewis and Tolkien and “mythopoeics”. No doubt your materials on Mormonism and other counter-cult issues are valuable, too. I’ve read a few of your blog posts about abortion, and yes, those have been truly outstanding. Clearly you’re not some fringe kook just blabbing on a blog; you have a serious purpose in God’s Kingdom, and I’m glad for it. I have erred, I suppose, in not telling you when I found things of yours to be good, and so for that I ask your forgiveness.

--- Tim Enloe (Reformed Protestant apologist and controversialist)

Dave Armstrong is part of that narrow, clustered source of a body of anti-traditional Catholic thought . . . I feel safe enough saying that I think they have a hand in the destruction of the Faith . . . in general terms, I believe that they do immense damage to the Church.

--- "Emerald" ("traditionalist" Catholic)

I can testify to [Dave's] friendship with non-Catholic Christians personally; we built a good friendship when I was Anglican. He has always treated me with respect, never was he arrogant, triumphalistic or anything like that.

--- Bret Bellamy (Catholic)

. . . a moron . . . arrogant . . .

--- Brian Mershon ("traditionalist" Catholic)

I genuinely appreciate those few, like Dave . . . who are interested in the discussion in terms of both explaining their own views well and thoroughly and pushing people to do the same with their own. Based on my experience in this case, forming a dialogue successfully is like pulling teeth, no matter how sincere your motives. Of course, that just makes what Dave and others do (and the amount of effort it requires) look all the more impressive!

--- Jonathan Prejean (Catholic apologist)

When I was in a similar position -- i.e., when a lot of people thought the microwave had been going for long enough and I was about to pope any second -- a lot of Catholic e-pologists annoyed me to no end, badgering me about when I was going to take the plunge, etc., which only made my ornery nature want to stay away. Dave Armstrong was the Catholic who showed the most respect for my position. He asked questions, but he never badgered.

--- Greg Krehbiel (Catholic)

I admire, as ever, your fantastic and penetrating work.

--- Patrick Madrid (Catholic apologist)

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Atheism, Agnosticism, & Secularism (Index Page)

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