Fallacies 1: The sharpshooter fallacy

The Sharpshooter fallacy is a favourite of psychic con-artists, mediums, faith-healers, religious scammers and many more. Those who knowingly employ this fallacious argument cannot be trusted.

The God free guide is about critical thinking as well as counter-apologetics. This short video is the first of a series outlining logical fallacies. This one is the Sharpshooter fallacy (AKA Cherry picking). It’s a favourite of psychic scammers, mediums, faith-healers, religious scammers and many more. It works because we’re evolved to be pattern-seekers. The sharpshooter fallacy takes advantage of that and those who knowingly employ this fallacious argument cannot be trusted.

Fallacies 1: The sharpshooter fallacy

Atheists just want to sin!

But if sin is abusing others, condemning the innocent and sewing division within society where none exists then you Christians really ought to look closer to home.
Remove the plank from your own eye before you complain to your brother about the mote in his.

Christian apologists sometimes try to discredit atheists by claiming that we’re only turning away from God because we love to sin. The implication, of course is that we’re all violent, abusive drug addicts and promiscuous users, desperate to lead innocent believers away from the true path. This seems bizarre considering the stuff in the Bible advocating all kinds of abhorrent behaviour, even going so far as the murder of innocent children… and cattle.

Indeed, in the book of Exodus God makes a point of killing Pharoah’s cattle multiple times. I suppose he resurrected them between times which makes Jesus’ post-crucifixion antics fairly commonplace but I digress.

Apparently, as an atheist I like to sin. Well, yes – that’s true actually – but not in the way you think.

Let’s look at what sin really means…

Challenging the ‘Cumbria preacher’

Dale is a street preacher from my hometown. He’s the man who threatened a 13 year old autistic boy with damnation to Hell!
This video contains my challenge to Dale, If you’re so sure of yourself then come and debate me.

Dale is a street preacher from my hometown. He’s the man who threatened a 13 year old autistic boy with damnation to Hell! This video contains my challenge to Dale, If you’re so sure of yourself then come and debate me. We can both record it and both reserve the right to publish it unedited. We both get to speak through a microphone – not just one of us – and we both get to speak without our voices being drowned out by the other.person.

I’ll be linking this video in the comments there so he sees my challenge.

Dale, you can reach me via a YouTube comment or by commenting on my blog at http://www.TheGodFreeGuide.com

10 (revised) commandments

These are the God free guide’s 10 commandments, updated for the modern world. They’re much more in line with how the world really is today and with how genuinely decent people ought to treat each other.

So apparently this Moses guy, you know, the one who wrote in detail about his own funeral (as well as about towns that weren’t even founded until centuries after his death) also wrote some commandments. Yeah, I know he said God wrote them but since neither God nor Moses actually existed I think we can safely assume they were made up by ordinary men. Ordinary MEN, not women, mind you. Men who lived in the desert herding camels and treating anyone without a penis like property. Perhaps that’s why the 10 commandments are so control-orientated.

But worry ye not – I’ve improved them for you. These are the God free guide’s 10 commandments, updated for the modern world. They’re much more in line with how the world really is today and with how genuinely decent people ought to treat each other.

Here they are…

Intelligent design and a fat bloke bathing

God created everything with ‘saying stuff magic’ like “let there be…” or “Abracadabra”.

Creationists tell me that the world, life, the cosmos, everything was designed and created by God, simply by using ‘saying stuff magic’ like “let there be…” or “Abracadabra”. Furthermore they tell me that this design is all for our benefit (or at least for theirs) and that it’s all perfect. I have a few questions. I also have a bathtub.

Blasphemous shorts: The problem with faith

There’s a real problem with #faith in #Christianity but that’s not the only issue. Self-censorship is the underlying problem.

There’s a real problem with #faith in #Christianity but that’s not the only issue. Self-censorship is the underlying problem.

Salvation? Schmalvation!

It’s not really death, is it? He’s eternal. He’s not dead – he just had a few days off. The self-harm is over now and it’s business as usual in Heaven, with His father (who is also Himself) so nothing was really sacrificed and nothing was given. It’s a bit of a con job really, isn’t it?

The whole thing’s just a big con. Even if you assume the Bible is entirely true – every word – it’s still a con. Here’s why.,..

Love the sinner

This “Love the sinner, hate the sin” nonsense we hear from Christians is nothing more than a deceitful platitude. It’s a way to treat people hatefully and still pretend to be loving

This “Love the sinner, hate the sin” nonsense we hear from Christians is nothing more than a deceitful platitude. It’s a way to treat people hatefully and still pretend to be loving when called out about it. There is nothing loving about removing the rights of LBQT or trans people. There’s no love in denying access to public goods to non-binary citizens, These are hateful acts.

People have rights

We shouldn’t attack or hurt people for their beliefs

Ideas are up for grabs but people have rights. We shouldn’t attack or hurt people for their beliefs. They have a right to hold the beliefs they do. It’s unfortunate that so many Christians think that only applies to them. The rest of us can go to Hell where the God of love and mercy will see to it that we’re tortured forever.