The ExClergy Atheist Podcast: Recent Episodes
David Madison, PhD
Mark Twain said that the best cure for Christianity is reading the Bible. The focus of this podcast is studying the Bible without faith bias. Your host, David Madison, has a PhD in Biblical Studies from Boston University, and demonstrates through extensive analysis that the Bible is sufficient for the falsification of Christianity.
He is the author of "Ten Tough Problems in Christian Thought and Belief: A Minister Turned Atheist Shows Why You Should Ditch the Faith. ( www.TenToughProblems.com) and "Ten Things Christians Wish Jesus Hadn't Taught" (www.BadThingsJesusTaught.com).
Some of the sayings of Jesus reflect totalitarian monotheism, and it’s a good bet that many Christians themselves deny and resist these teaching: they just don’t take them seriously, as I discuss in Chapter 6 of my book, whose website is www.BadThingsJesusTaught.com.
In Chapter Four I discuss the blend of bad advice and bad theology in teachings of Jesus that qualify as religious extremism, which many Christians have the good sense to reject. The book’s website is www.BadThingsJesusTaught.com.
So many of the Jesus quotes I mention in this book fall into the category of bad advice, and here I discuss one major reason his advice hasn’t stood the test of time. The book’s website is www.BadThingsJesusTaught.com.
In Chapter Two of my book I focus on a few examples of bad advice we find in the teachings of Jesus. There are many more in the chapters to come. The book’s website is www.BadThingsJesusTaught.com.
The cherished assumption that Jesus personifies the love of God is inaccurate. The first chapter of my new book is titled, “Be Careful Not to Love Too Much,” and deals with alarming Jesus quotes that are rejected by most readers, including Christians. The book’s website is www.BadThingsJesusTaught.com.
Christians face quite a challenge: to read the gospels verse by verse, line by line, carefully analyzing all the quotes attributed to Jesus—this takes time, effort, courage, and honesty especially: being willing to admit that Jesus was wrong, far too much of the time.
This is Episode 1 in a new series of videos meant to accompany my new book, “Ten Things Christians Wish Jesus Hadn’t Taught: And Other Reasons for Questioning His Words.”
Nature provides massive evidence that a good, caring, competent god did not set up creation. We are at the mercy, not of a merciful God, but of a relentlessly cruel natural order.
The gospels were written decades after Jesus, and contain so many flaws, so much misinformation. So why doesn’t the New Testament include several Books of Jesus, and Letters of Jesus—written by the Son of God himself? That seems like a missed opportunity, a major blunder.
Here I mention two concise books that deliver eight knockout punches to Christianity, and five major books that explain, in detail, why this major world religion simply cannot be true.
Medical experts have analyzed the letters of the apostle Paul, and suspect that his supposed visions of Jesus were actually episodes of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Much of Christian theology may be based, therefore, not on revelation, but on Paul’s seizures.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God—so we’re told by the church. Hence it’s a surprise that so many Christians are biblically illiterate. They just aren’t interested.
A catastrophe early in this century crushed the idea that there is a loving, all-powerful, competent God concerned with human well-being.
Is the essence, the brilliance of Christianity summed up in that beloved verse, John 3:16? No, just NO. When we take a close look at this text, the bad theology becomes obvious.
It’s a scandal what God failed to include in more than a thousand pages of “inspired” Bible. Humans have suffered horribly because of God’s negligence.
Upon just a little study and reflection, we can see that John, chapter 3, is bad theology, especially that most beloved verse, John 3:16.
The inconvenient truth is that reliable, verifiable information about Jesus does not exist. The gospels offer no solution because they were written decades later, and never name credible sources that meet the standards expected by historians.
The Jesus portrayed in John’s gospel is so full of himself: arrogant and egoistical, he struts and brags. The church has convinced Christians to adore this Jesus, but John’s gospel should be a turnoff. His Jesus is a prototype for countless pretentious, conceited cult fanatics who have followed this example.
Christianity has succeeded because of the appeal of magical thinking. But the core briefs of this major world religion are shockingly bad, e.g., God set up a human sacrifice scheme to enable forgiveness of sins—and eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the human sacrifice will guarantee eternal life. Could it get any worse? Snap out of it.
Just a few verses in Romans 7 reveal that the apostle Paul was a deeply damaged person. “Belonging to Christ” was the goal he advocated, but he couldn’t seem to manage it himself. He left too much bad advice and bad theology in his wake.
We get a strong taste of Paul’s bad theology in one of the earliest Christian documents, his first letter to the Thessalonians. In the fourth chapter he promises them a meeting with Jesus in the clouds, in which both living and dead Christians will take part. This is fantasy theology, based on his hallucinations. Comic book writers who create flying super-heroes know they’re making up stuff for good fun, but Paul was serious. He failed at reality-based thinking.
Every religious fundamental you take for granted: try to find out where it came from. Who thought of it first? What can you do to verify it? All priests and preaches ask their followers to accept received beliefs on faith. But serious research and study usually uncover the human origins of “sacred truths.” Reliable, verifiable, objective evidence is missing.
No matter how much preachers stress feel-good Bible verses, the vengeful God of the Old Testament didn’t get a makeover when Jesus came along. He’s right there in the words of Jesus, some of which are really bad.
We're out of luck trying to find substantial moral teachings about marriage in either the Old or New Testaments. In fact, both Jesus and the apostle Paul are a disappointment.
Close scrutiny of the Sermon on the Mount reveals that it was not preached by Jesus. It is the literary creation of Matthew, to compensate for the lack of moral teaching in Mark; Luke decided to modify and abbreviate it, and the author of John’s gospel ignored it altogether.
The gospels are supposedly about the “good news,” but the letters of the apostle Paul are actually bad news. He wrote too much bad theology, had bad attitude, and was given to magical thinking. What a shame his writings ended up in the New Testament.
The scene of Baby Jesus in the Manger is so familiar, but take a close look. The Matthew and Luke birth stories fail the test of history, and cannot be reconciled: the Jesus story gets off to a bad start.
Jesus gets demerits for scolding the disciple who was skeptical. It’s a virtue to be skeptical: Don’t settle for anything other than objective evidence. Always be suspicious of claims made by holy heroes.
We’re actually lucky that so many Christians have better value systems than what they find in the Bible—and thus ignore so much in scripture, even in the teaching of Jesus.
Religions offer the pious version of “…when you wish upon a star.” There is no substance to the claims made, and devout Christians—so many different brands!—Jews, Muslims, and Mormons have never agree about what God wants, or how he expects to be worshipped. So we can be very suspicious that their “truths” come from God.
Since Christians don’t bother to read the Bible carefully, they’ve bought the hype that “God is love.” In fact, the Bible is Exhibit A in showing that God’s supposed love is eclipsed by wrath. There’s too much nasty, vengeful theology in the thousand pages of Christian scripture.
Reading the Bible cover-to-cover can be quite a shock: God’s own conduct repeatedly falls far below high moral standards, and careful readers are startled by the many negatives about Jesus on full view in the gospels.
Any religion whose god commits targeted murder of babies and toddlers should close up shop and go out of business. Yes, it's in the Bible; see Exodus 12:29-30 for details.
Pastors and priests have always preached faith as a supreme virtue, precisely because there is no reliable, verifiable evidence for their doctrines. So it’s no wonder that even pastors and priests cannot agree on which doctrines are true: because of the lack of evidence.
Oh the irony: everything necessary to show that Christianity is false is right there in the gospels; what a mistake to publish them together. All the more reason to scrutinize them carefully.
If we heard these words of Jesus yelled by a street preacher today, we’d cross to the other side, muttering, “What a nut job!” It’s not okay that Jesus was big on fire as punishment.
The colossal ego of Jesus in John’s gospel is hard to realize—if you’ve been raised to believe that Jesus is part of God. But John is guilty of theological excess; he imagined an arrogant, unappealing, fantasy Jesus.
John's gospel takes the prize for giving us the most bad Jesus quotes. Here are a couple from chapter 9 (Jesus cures a blind man) and chapter 11 (the raising of Lazarus).
Our lives are enriched by great art, literature, and music; we appreciate athletic excellence. But such things, so prized by humans, are an abomination in the sight of God. How can that be? Yet another thing we wish Jesus hadn’t said.
Chances are you’ve never heard your priest or preacher say, “Think hard about this doctrine and see if you can figure out its flaws.” No surprise: Neither Jesus nor Paul put a high premium on thinking.
Christianity emerged in the first century CE, when such cults were in vogue. It accrued many of the mythological features common to others, such as virgin birth and resurrection.
The author of Matthew’s gospel was wrong about so much. He even made mistakes in a simple story about Jesus sending his disciples out to preach.
Christianity is supposed to be “the good news.” But the apostle Paul is bad news; he was wrong about so many things, and thus damages the credibility of the faith.
Who is the most immoral character in the Bible? As anyone who reads the Bible can figure out, it turns out to be God himself. Exhibit A: the Noah genocide.
Does Jesus deserve an A + for the Sermon on the Mount? Is it the best collection of moral teachings ever—as Christians assume? On close examination, it’s not what it seems to be, and here too we find things we wish Jesus hadn’t said.
Is there really much power in prayer? Here are some homework suggestions: just think about a few of the things that cast serious doubt on prayer.
The gospel resurrection stories are fundamental to Christian faith and dogma—but there’s bad news when we see how the gospel authors fashioned their accounts.
If Jesus didn’t say you have to hate your family to be his disciple (Luke 14:26), then why did Luke SAY that he said it? This could be the biggest Bible blunder of all. But Luke made other mistakes as well.
The New Testament has fueled virulent anti-anti-Semetism for centuries. One Jesus quote ended up on Nazi street signs.
For thousands of years humans have invented gods. One’s own god is real of course, and usually demands worship and servitude. But is there anything—anything at all—to indicate that the Christian god is any more real than all the others? No amount of faith can make it real.
That most beloved Bible verse, John 3:16, is bad theology—and it’s not hard to figure out. In fact, John’s gospel offers heavy helpings of bad theology.
Two of greatest evils in human history, slavery and anti-Semitism, are endorsed by the Bible.
The Bible’s concept of the Cosmos is wrong, and its snooping, control-freak God can’t be taken seriously.
Matthew, in his 24th chapter, copied the horrible 13th chapter of Mark’s gospel; read both and be alarmed: cult delusion/fanaticism put on the lips of Jesus. What an embarrassment for Christianity.
Did you know that on the Day of Judgment you will be held accountable for every careless word you utter? Well, Jesus said so, and he added that angels will toss people into the furnace of fire.
The story of Jesus “cleansing” the Temple doesn’t work as history, and is theologically confusing as well.
A careful reading of Mark’s gospel prompts the question: How weird do Christians want their religion to be?
Why aren't Christians alarmed when they read so many of the barbaric and violent texts in the Bible? Maybe they don't read the Bible enough—perhaps they're afraid Mark Twain was right: the best cure for Christianity is reading the Bible!
Just think of how much the followers of Jesus have despised each other—even to the point of massacre and warfare. Something is seriously wrong with this religion.
It’s no good for Christians to just wail and protest when scholars voice skepticism about the existence of Jesus. No matter what you feel in your hearts, examine the issues: find out WHY they have their doubts. Hint: the New Testament itself is to blame.
Evangelists and missionaries, in their enthusiasm to win new converts, don’t bother to mention the ugly side of the Bible and of the church. Telling the whole truth just won’t do.
The apostle Paul damaged the Christian faith with his madness, magical thinking, and bad theology.
What would happen if a colossal worldwide bureaucracy existed to get people to believe that Star Wars is a true story? With threats if you didn’t believe it? Actually, something very much like that has happened: The church still pushes the story of the Ancient Jesus Mystery Cult…as if it were true. AND you’ll go to hell if you don’t believe.
Christians don’t seem to notice or care that Jesus is shockingly arrogant in John’s gospel; he is so full of himself, claiming that he is the only way to know God. Too bad he set an example for countless other cult fanatics to follow.
Is it even remotely conceivable that God allows only Jesus-Believers into heaven? A lot of Christians are sure this is true, but the concept of a loving God takes a big hit if he abandons most of humanity to be tortured in hell for eternity.
What would Jesus do? Nobody knows. Christians need to study one of the biggest problems that New Testament scholar face: there’s no way to verify any of the supposed “words of Jesus.”
Christians would have us believe that the Bible is the Word of God. But just how did we get the Bible? That copy you hold in your hand is highly processed Word of God. So this question requires serious homework: Can it really be trusted?
Top priority homework for Christians: Read the Bible. Spend as much time with it every week as you do watching movies. If you really believe it’s the Word of God, why wouldn’t you do that? Many surprises await.
It turns out that one of the biggest problems for Christianity is Jesus himself. Anyone can find out why by just reading the gospels. There are far too many negatives about Jesus in full view.
The Church’s Easter Story is a generous helping of bad theology. Bunnies and colored eggs are a much better idea!
It’s hard to take Christianity seriously because Christians don’t agree with each other. The faith has splintered into thousands of brands and factions. Right from the get-go, Paul and Peter didn’t get along.
How in the world does Christianity survive when everyone can see the far-from-perfect Jesus in the gospels?
While worshipping and praising Jesus as Lord, few Christians grasp the level of hype about Jesus in the gospels. A careful, critical reading of the texts prompts the suspicion that he is far more legend than lord.
Why are Christians okay with the gruesome, sadistic doctrine at the heart of the faith? Can’t they do better than ancient blood/sacrifice superstition?
Challenge for Christians: Show us, exactly where in the gospels, we can find the account of Jesus resurrecting. Oh what a surprise! It’s not there. No one saw it happen. The gospels offer lame, contradictory stories about an empty tomb: the resurrection tale is embarrassingly bad.
Christians scoff at the suggestion that Jesus never existed—yet would be unable to discuss the issues that prompt suspicion that Jesus was a fictional character. Knockout Punch Number 6, however, is NOT that Jesus didn’t exist. Rather: verifiable information about Jesus does not exist. Period. Full Stop. He is, in fact, unretrievable and unknowable.
Believers disagree: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Mormonism differ radically about God. Even Christians war amongst themselves, having splintered into thousands of factions and denominations. What a mess. How can we take any of it seriously?
So many conflicting, wildly improbable ideas have been piled on to the concept of God, rendering theism incoherent.
So many conflicting, wildly improbable ideas have been piled on to the concept of God, rendering theism incoherent.
On Easter morning, Christians will celebrate “He is risen!” But hold on, the gospel accounts of the resurrection fall apart on careful examination. We can give up on this ancient superstition.
A Christian theologian admits too much about the uphill battle to understand the Bible.
The apostle Paul bragged that he didn’t learn about Jesus from the disciples. He preached about Christ based on his hallucinations, hence Paul's letters fail to qualify as historical evidence for Jesus.
Don’t trust those who claim to know the will of God. Especially Christians, who have splinted into more than 30,000 denominations, divisions, factions, cults, sects: so much contention and disagreement. What a scandal.
How come the folks in the pews are so okay with the creepy superstitions of their religion? Self-delusion seems to be part of the faith-game.
We really have no idea what Jesus said. "Reliable oral tradition" is wishful thinking on the part of devout Bible scholars who want to believe that the gospels preserve the authentic words of Jesus.
Perhaps the biggest problem for Christianity: there is no way, at all, to verify the words and deeds of Jesus reported in the gospels.
It's a shame that Christians know so little about their own faith. Their ignorance allows preachers and priests to get away with so much.
The feeling in your heart that your religion is true doesn't count as evidence for God. It counts as evidence for what you're feeling. Period.
Resurrection was a common motif in ancient religions; it qualifies as superstition, and there is no reliable evidence for the resurrection of Jesus in the New Testament.
These are so many errors, contradictions, inconsistencies, and opposing opinions in the Bible. Truly, it is a self-destructing artifact.
A God who withholds clear, unambiguous evidence or proof of his existence? What kind of a game is that?
The gospels fail to deliver the goods on Jesus; their authors were theologians, not historians.
A few obvious examples: The suffering in the world eliminates the possibility of a caring, all-powerful God.
Few Christians display enthusiasm for reading the Bible—because most of it is not worth reading. Just what percentage of Bible verses could be deleted, and nobody would care?