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The BioLogos Forum is designed to foster a serious and comprehensive discussion of Christian faith and the sciences. We believe that charitable engagement of different perspectives within the Church helps sharpen our thinking and deepen our commitment to the truth that is hidden in Christ. So while many of the articles and videos under the distinctive Forum banner come from BioLogos staff and Senior Fellows, we feature a range of voices, including those that disagree with us and with each other. Unless otherwise noted, views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of The BioLogos Foundation. You can read more about what we believe here, and join the conversation in the comments section at the end of each post.
Exposing the Straw Men of New Atheism
This six part series by Karl Giberson exposes several “straw-man” arguments that New Atheists, especially Jerry Coyne, use when attacking religion. He first describes logical fallacies and then explains the nature of a straw-man argument. Throughout the posts, Giberson addresses claims made by Coyne such as “science uses evidence and religion uses faith” and “religion represents a fossilized set of ideas that only reluctantly change in the face of overwhelming pressure from science.”
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Exposing the Straw men of New Atheism: Part 1
In addressing these ideas, my goal is not to “win” the argument about whether God exists. I think belief in God is incredibly complicated and that there are solid and defensible reasons to reject belief in God.
Exposing the Straw Men of New Atheism: Part 2
The first straw man I want to examine is the argument that scientific ideas are empirical and testable and religious ideas are not.
Exposing the Straw Men of New Atheism: Part 3
The second straw man I want to dismantle is the naïve “believer” that Coyne insists represents religion.
Exposing the Straw Men of New Atheism: Part 4
The third straw man I want to examine is the claim about philosophical consistency, which is used repeatedly to argue that science and religion are incompatible.
Exposing the Straw Men of New Atheism: Part 5
The fourth straw man I want to look at in this series is the claim that religion represents a fossilized set of ideas that only reluctantly change in the face of overwhelming pressure from science.
Exposing the Straw Men of New Atheism: Part 6
The final straw man I want to torch in this series is the claim that science uses evidence and religion uses faith.