The website of John C. Snider
Many readers will know that the late, great public intellectual Christopher Hitchens was celebrated as one of the Four Horsemen, a quartet of brilliant atheist writers, debaters, and orators that included Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. When Hitchens died in 2011, many wondered who might step in to continue the fight against …
Several weeks ago, I recorded an interview for a podcast called The Divide. It’s co-hosted by Drew (a Christian turned skeptic) and Bill (a skeptic turned Christian). Here, we talk about my journey from faith to atheism, my experience as a secular officiant of weddings and funerals, and more!
Remember when presidential candidate John McCain was confronted at a townhall by a half-addled little old lady who (mistakenly) lamented that McCain’s opponent, Barack Obama, was “a Muslim”? He immediately, firmly, but kindly, corrected her, emphasizing that Obama was a good man with whom he simply disagreed. Weeks later, McCain was visibly shaken by the …
Ecclesiastes tells us that “there is nothing new under the sun,” and this certainly holds true when it comes to Christian apologetics. Apparently, it is also true that nothing is lost in translation if the apologetics originates from outside the Anglosphere. Case in point: Guillaume Bignon’s memoir Confessions of a French Atheist: How God Hijacked My …
Today is the NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER. Let us pray that American Christians come to realize that: * The NDP is a propaganda and publicity stunt organized by politicians and activists to manipulate the faithful into equating (conservative)(Protestant)(Christian) religion with patriotism, and to send a signal that non-religious Americans are second-class citizens. It is, to …
[Originally posted on April 2, 2008 at AmericanFreethought.com.] Yes, I blew $20 at the Creation Museum, brainchild of Answers in Genesis front-man Ken Ham. It’s located in northern Kentucky, across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. On the drive up along I-75 I didn’t see any billboards advertising it, but there was one of those brown …
Bishop John Shelby Spong’s controversial demolition and (hopeful) rehabilitation of Jesus of Nazareth. [Originally posted February 10, 2008 at AmericanFreethought.com.] Jesus was born in a perfectly natural way in Nazareth. His mother was not the icon of virgin purity. His earthly father, Joseph, was a literary creation. His family thought he [Jesus] was out of his …
[Originally posted on October 26, 2007 at AmericanFreethought.com.] The Bible is pretty straightforward in its message when it comes to homosexuality: it’s a sin, and those who insist on practicing it are going to Hell. It’s simple. Or is it? The growing movement to reconcile gay rights with Christianity is the subject of a fascinating …
According to orthodox Christian tradition, Jesus of Nazareth died at the age of 33, executed by the Roman governor at the insistence of Jewish authorities, rising from the dead after three days before finally being taken bodily to Heaven. Most of what was written about Him deals with the three years of His ministry; very …