This blog explores intellectual arguments supporting Christianity (Christian apologetics) from an atheist perspective and critiques Christianity’s impact on society.
About the Author
After graduating from MIT in 1980, I designed digital hardware, about which I wrote my first book, The Well-Tempered Digital Design (Addison-Wesley, 1986). I have programmed in a dozen computer languages and in environments ranging from punch cards, to one of the first windowing environments, to MS-DOS, to Windows (starting with version 1.0). I am a co-contributor to 14 software patents and have worked at a number of technology companies from a 10-person startup to Microsoft and IBM.
Since leaving Microsoft, I have focused on writing. Future Hype: The Myths of Technology Change (Berrett-Koehler, 2006) explored technology change—how we see it and how it really works.
My focus now is on Christianity and atheism. I’ve written a novel that explores these intellectual arguments, Cross Examined: An Unconventional Spiritual Journey, which is available as a paperback or ebook.
I live in the Seattle area. Please contact me with feedback about the book or this blog, including suggestions for new posts, at crossexaminedblog AT gmail DOT com.
Bob Seidensticker
Banner artwork by Kyle Hepworth.
Are you Jewish or were you Jewish or is it once Jewish always Jewish?
Nope. I was raised Presbyterian. During college, church attendance was no longer mandatory, so I didn’t go. After a few decades of not caring about religion, I became an atheist. It was a pretty easy transition.
By contrast, I was surprised at Julia Sweeney’s “Letting Go of God” story. I’ve heard many similar stories since, but that was the first time I’d heard how religion could have such a tenacious hold.
G’day Bob. Just curious – how many blogs do you have (I know of this and Galileo Unchained) and why do you have more than one on topics that seem to me to be very similar? Just curious. Thanks.
Just these two. They’re the same content, but one doorway is customized to be friendlier to Christians and the other to atheists.
Yes, I can see that now. Also I hadn’t realised before that this site is also linked to your book. That’s an interesting idea. Do you find you get any different responses from the two sites?
The mix of readers is different, which changes the comments, and I get a lot more Facebook links from Galileo Unchained.
Another (deeper) question Bob, if you don’t mind.
What motivates you to write two identical anti-christian blogs plus a novel? Do you have blogs opposing other viewpoints you think are wrong? Or do you think christianity is the greatest evil in the wold today? Or is it just that you have an interest in christianity for some reason even though you don’t believe it? Or is it just an intellectual exercise? Or is it something else I haven’t thought of?
I ma not trying to pick an argument, just curious. Thanks.
I see things a little differently. They’re two doorways into the same content. I’m trying to make the content applicable/comfortable to different audiences.
My motivation is that Christianity is a powerful force within American society, often not for the good. My goal is to have Christians think about the foundation of their beliefs.
No other blogs.
Christianity isn’t the greatest evil, but it’s one that i have something to say about.
Thanks Bob.
I wonder if you’d be the same then if you lived outside the US, say in Australia as I do, where christianity isn’t a powerful force? Perhaps it isn’t christianity per se that is your problem, but a majority christian culture, I don’t know.
If I were an atheist, I doubt I’d bother quite so much, but it is interesting to understand your motivation. Thanks and best wishes.
Christianity has a bit of an uncaged feel in the US, so you’re probably right that I wouldn’t find the issue to be as big a problem elsewhere. IMO, politics helps fan the flames of nutty Christianity (kinda like with Islam!).
“politics helps fan the flames of nutty Christianity “
I agree here. I would find it difficult to be a church going christian in many parts of the US.
I don’t really know how I found this site, but it does contain a lot of entertaining food for thought. I have thought about most of your points over the years, and I had considered myself an atheist until I got some additional information recently from “the Urantia book.” I feel like I was searching for something, and this book was the answer. Have you ever heard of it? It answers a lot of questions that I have had about the bible, that people always told me to just have faith about. I’d like to get some input from someone with your level of education, because I am a nonreader. I’ve never read a complete book and I am 37. I started reading it to disprove it, since I’m the guy who laughed at my friends and called them week willed, when they brought up religion, and I have come to accept it as a pretty accurate account of the history of our planet and the evolution of species and religion. If you haven’t had any experience with the book, I would suggest that you do. I think it will give you a good middle of the debate that you are presenting on this site.
Thank you for your time,
Dave
David:
I’ve heard of the book but haven’t read it. I don’t have too much interest in spiritual approaches to reality, since science seems to do the best job.
If you have a brief summary of what this book explains so well (particularly if it explains things better than science does), I’d be interested in reading it.
I’m sorry, but I do not. The book consist of 4 parts and the 3rd part is a scientific and historical account of the creation and implantation of our planet. It has more information in it than I can explain. I was hoping that you could explain those aspects to me. I found a lot of the information to be greek to me, so I was actually looking for a bit of feedback from an educated individual. I enjoyed the story and it seemed to be believable to me, but it is beyond me to pass on a brief scientific explanation to you. If you ever do decide to look into it, I would appreciate your feedback. Thank you. Dave
I have learned for myself that your beliefs are not true. sir.
Disciple,
would you like to elaborate on how you came to that conclusion?
Bob are you still there? 2012 is a long time since someone has written to you at least from this page.
Yes and no. The blog has moved here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/crossexamined. There’s a lot of new material there.
OK Thanks, got it. Can I ask a stupid question? Why do you keep this blog open then?
Because I might want to switch back in the future.
The bigger question: why are you still here?? You should be at the other location.
I went and had a peek, I think I am out of my league, I will go back and have read. Thanks.
Dear Bob Seidensticker, I’ve been receiving your Patheos – Cross-Examined stuff which I enjoyed reading tremendously and have benefited much from it. However, for reasons unknown to me, I’ve not been able to open Patheos for quite sometime now in my Yahoo Mail inbox. It reads: “404 – File or directory not found.The resource you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.”
I lived in Malaysia. Has Patheos stuff been blocked by the authorities in my country. Please help as I want to continue reading your writings in Patheos.
Yunon:
The blog has moved. You should go here:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/crossexamined/
Bob, I was amazed to find that I’ve been banned from Cross Examined, posting under the name Gord O’Mitey.
Posing as God Almighty, I try to write humorous, anti-religious commentary that’s on topic with the Patheos Cross Examined post I’m responding to, in this case, “Tracking Animals, Tracking God”. I try to show the irrationality of religious beliefs.
My banned post was “My ways are mysterious, so that’s why I can’t be tracked. Otherwise, I’d become a commonplace presence amongst you, and even more of you’d ignore Me, whereas I must be worshipped. I know, that’s the hallmark of a narcissist, but what the fuck! I created the Universe and humanity, Don’t I deserve to be worshipped by you poor suffering mortals? And if you don’t worship Me, I’ll have you tortured for eternity in Hell.”
Is there any possibility that my ban can be rescinded?
This blog is just an archive of very old posts. You should visit the new location: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/crossexamined