Counter Apologetics - podcast cover

Counter Apologetics

with Emerson Green
Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

CA138 The Demand of Theism – Is it immoral to believe in God?

We shouldn’t be surprised by a world containing pointless suffering if it’s not set up with the welfare of conscious creatures in mind. But there’s a deeper problem with theism and its demands. Affirming theism requires moral judgments, as it entails endorsing the permissibility of suffering allowed by a benevolent God, which feels like a … Continue reading CA138 The Demand of Theism – Is it immoral to believe in God? →...

May 11, 202511 min

CA137 Why are autistics less religious? w/ Christianity on the Spectrum

I’m joined today by Jonathan Machnee, an autistic researcher who has conducted the largest English language ethnographic study of Christians and ex-Christian autistics (autism 1, or what was formerly known as Asperger’s Syndrome or high-functioning autism). His research has included data mining over 26,000 autistics and conducting over 500 interviews with autistic Christians and ex-Christians … Continue reading CA137 Why are autistics less religious? w/ Christianity on the Spectrum →...

Apr 22, 20251 hr 28 min

CA136 Nobody Dies For A Lie

I critique Mel Gibson’s claim on the Joe Rogan Experience that “nobody dies for a lie,” which many apologists have used in the past to argue that the martyrdom of Jesus’ disciples supports the truth of the resurrection, as they wouldn’t die for something they knew to be false. First, I challenge this by questioning … Continue reading CA136 Nobody Dies For A Lie →

Mar 18, 202527 min

CA135 Why are theodicies so unconvincing?

Do apologists actually believe what they’re saying? I’m joined by Counter Apologist to discuss his “Paradise Hell” thought experiment and to try to explain why theistic attempts to account for evil are so unpersuasive. What decision would you make if eternity were on the line? Linktree

Mar 10, 20251 hr 7 min

CA134 Philip Goff’s Conversion to Christianity

We discuss Philip Goff’s conversion, the online reaction to it, and what his “heretical Christianity” involves. Is he a real Christian? What does he think about the resurrection, the ascension, the miracles of Christ, the virgin birth, the trinity, inerrantism, the atonement, and God’s nature? Amos Wollen – Conversion Review: Christianity gains a new smart person Randal … Continue reading CA134 Philip Goff’s Conversion to Christianity →...

Oct 10, 202455 min

CA133 The Moral Argument for God – Have I Been Debunked?

Two Christian apologists reviewed my series on the moral argument for God on their channel, Democracy of the Dead. I recorded my own counter-response shortly thereafter, but thought it was too profanity-laden and impolite to release. Generally speaking, it’s good to remain dispassionate in these online spaces, but I let my frustration get the better … Continue reading CA133 The Moral Argument for God – Have I Been Debunked? →...

Jul 02, 20243 hr 36 min

CA132 From Atheism to Agnosticism (w/ Adherent Apologetics)

Zac (Adherent Apologetics) and I explore a few of the things that drew me to agnosticism. Religious ambiguity, disagreement among epistemic peers, the diversity of the theistic tradition (as well as the varieties of non-theism), the seeming inscrutability of the prior probability of theism, and my acceptance of the value-selection hypothesis have all played a … Continue reading CA132 From Atheism to Agnosticism (w/ Adherent Apologetics) →...

Jun 30, 202446 min

Losing My Religion – with Fuad Abdullah Harahap (@fubilosophy)

I’m interviewed by Fuad Abdullah Harahap (@fubilosophy) about my deconversion, the sad state of Christian apologetics, my issues with the skeptic community, free will, the afterlife, agnosticism, and a few other topics. Fubilosophy Linktree

Apr 04, 202457 min

CA131 What would convince you?

What would convince you of God’s existence? Specifically, the Christian God. What would change your mind and cause you to convert? I name three things: Christian aliens, miracles, and religious experience. That’s not an exhaustive list, but those things would dramatically raise my credence in Christian theism. I spend the most time talking about religious … Continue reading CA131 What would convince you? →...

Mar 04, 202417 min

CA130 Am I Agnostic?

The world is religiously ambiguous: It can be interpreted in various incompatible ways, and the interpreters are not necessarily violating any standards of rationality in doing so. As for me, I don’t feel any position being forced on me by the evidence. My best efforts to judge the total balance of evidence weighing for and … Continue reading CA130 Am I Agnostic? →

Feb 24, 202425 min

CA128 No, math does not prove God

I respond to the wildly popular Redeemed Zoomer video about proving God’s existence with math. To see the open hangout that took place afterwards, you can watch the original livestream (unedited with no postscript) on YouTube Linktree

Jan 14, 202435 min

CA127 What’s wrong with the moral argument?

We wrap up our series on the moral argument for theism, summarize several problems with the argument famously associated with William Lane Craig, and discuss two other moral arguments for God that are not abysmal failures like the standard moral argument. Linktree

Dec 27, 202322 min

CA126 Euthyphro’s Revenge

Today, we continue our series on the moral argument for theism. We discuss the Euthyphro dilemma, Hume’s Law, and explore a back-and-forth between William Lane Craig and Michael Huemer on the question, “Why obey God?” Common Mistakes about the Moral Argument | Majesty of Reason Majesty of Reason – Moral Arguments for God: An Analysis … Continue reading CA126 Euthyphro’s Revenge →

Dec 24, 202358 min

CA125 The Moral Argument for God

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And morality. The standard moral argument popularized by William Lane Craig and others goes as follows: (1) If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist. (2) Objective moral values do exist. (3) Therefore, God exists. Today, we cast some doubt on the … Continue reading CA125 The Moral Argument for God →

Dec 19, 202340 min

CA124 Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Conversion to Christianity

Ayaan Hirsi Ali recently announced her conversion to Christianity. But has she only adopted a form of cultural Christianity? I examine her reasons for becoming a Christian and draw some parallels between Ayaan and another political convert: Andrew Tate. I think her reasons for adopting Christianity are quite clearly explicated, even though some Christians have … Continue reading CA124 Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Conversion to Christianity →...

Nov 21, 202322 min

AMA

I recently asked for your questions, and I posted my responses on YouTube here. We touch on compatibilism, NDEs, aliens, euthanasia, abortion, death anxiety as an atheist, idealism, incest, Islam, Mormonism, subjectivism, psychophysical harmony, and more. (For those listening via podcast, I left the introduction in to preserve the timestamps for those who want to skip … Continue reading AMA →

Nov 19, 20233 hr 23 min

CA123 Christian Universalism w/ Andrew Hronich

I’m joined by Andrew Hronich, author of Once Loved, Always Loved: The Logic of Apokatastasis. We discuss universal reconciliation, eternal conscious torment, annihilationism, and much else! Watch the interview here Linktree

Oct 14, 2023

Where New Atheist Epistemology Goes (Very) Wrong – Interview on Adherent Apologetics

Here’s my appearance on Adherent Apologetics to talk about the recent series of Counter Apologetics episodes on epistemology. Where New Atheist Epistemology Goes (Very) Wrong | @EmersonGreen | Ep. #259 5 Mistakes Atheists Make About Epistemology 4 Things I Learned About Epistemology Epistemology playlist on YouTube Linktree

Sep 05, 20231 hr 10 min

Debate: Is God Finite?

Alex Strasser (Protestant) and John Buck (Catholic) debate the merits of finite theism, the view that God is limited in power. Theistic finitism is less vulnerable to the problem of evil than perfect being theism, but are there other trade-offs that make the notion of a finite God less defensible overall? John is defending the … Continue reading Debate: Is God Finite? →

Sep 05, 20232 hr 20 min

CA122 Substance Dualism w/ Michael Huemer

Dr. Michael Huemer joins me to defend interactionist substance dualism, the view that the mind and body are composed of different substances and can exert causal influence over each other. Knowledge, Reality, and Value: A Mostly Common Sense Guide to Philosophy Linktree

Aug 28, 20231 hr 37 min

CA121 Encountering Mystery w/ Dale Allison

Today I’m speaking with Dr. Dale Allison, historian and author of many books, including The Resurrection of Jesus, The Historical Christ and the Theological Jesus, and our subject today, Encountering Mystery: Religious Experience in a Secular Age. The subtitle of the book notwithstanding, the unusual experiences we discuss are not explicitly religious. They’re usually interpreted … Continue reading CA121 Encountering Mystery w/ Dale Allison →...

Aug 13, 20231 hr 9 min

CA120 Debate: Limited vs. Unlimited God

LDS Philosophy and Dry Apologist join me for a debate on the nature of God. We compare the virtues of a limited model of God versus a model on which God is unlimited in power, as well as simple, impassible, etc. Are the classical models of God too impersonal and abstract, incapable of sustaining a … Continue reading CA120 Debate: Limited vs. Unlimited God →

Jun 28, 20231 hr 39 min

CA119 Intuition, Lacktheism, & Charity

We close out our series on atheism and epistemology with the epistemic value of intuition, the issue of lacktheism, and whether or not I’ve been charitable to my fellow atheists throughout these episodes. Linktree

Jun 20, 202316 min

CA118 Testimonial Evidence

Can we really trust the testimony of others? Does testimony provide any evidence or justification for a claim? I defend the idea that we should trust testimony, and that the epistemic value of testimonial evidence is supported by induction, the principle of charity in interpretation, and coherence. Linktree

Jun 19, 202316 min

CA117 Is Theism Unfalsifiable?

This is part two of a five-part series. For even more on epistemology, check out Walden Pod for a completely different epistemology series. Understanding Knowledge – Michael Huemer Linktree

Jun 11, 202314 min

CA116 Mistakes Atheists Make About Epistemology: “There is no evidence for God.”

There are a number of slogans one hears in the online atheist community, some of them purporting to be epistemic principles or rules of thumb. Unfortunately, many of them are only correct if we interpret them very narrowly and often not in the way they were intended, while others are just plain wrong. Today, we’ll … Continue reading CA116 Mistakes Atheists Make About Epistemology: “There is no evidence for God.” →...

Jun 08, 202317 min

CA115 Post-Debate Interview w/ Justin Schieber of Real Atheology

Justin Schieber joins me for a lighthearted breakdown of his debate with Eric Hernandez on the existence of God. We critique the arguments put forward by Eric, discuss the evidence presented by Justin, and talk about a few of our favorite moments from the debate. Huge shoutout to Capturing Christianity for organizing the debate, and … Continue reading CA115 Post-Debate Interview w/ Justin Schieber of Real Atheology →...

May 10, 20231 hr 17 min

CA114 Animal Suffering is Evidence Against God

Is the kind, degree, and distribution of animal suffering evidence against theism? We discuss why teleological evil, the scale of suffering in evolutionary history, and the moral randomness of animal pain is strong evidence against the existence of God. Transcript YouTube Tip Jar Linktree

Apr 30, 202311 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android