AE 11/19/06

[ExTech]

Great show! I wonder if starting to take calls earlier results in you getting more "believers" calling in. Do they lack the patience to wait around for their chance to proselytize?

Regarding your first caller, "John," and, to a lesser extent, some of your later callers, I thought their crude threats were well-exposed by you. One of the more annoying tactics apologeticists seem to employ continually is the ad hominem; in particular, they seem to delight in accusing atheists of arrogance, anger or bitterness. So enamored are they with this approach that, like some of the clowns who called in, they try to deliberately provoke you in order to bemoan your anger and bitterness.

First time I noticed this was on a panel talk show where, I think, the American Atheists president was debating with a Catholic priest, and when the president started scoring points (by getting the audience to laugh) with comments about "some invisible man" he didn't need to believe in, the Catholic immediately started shaking his head and commenting about how "bitter" the president was (though he wasn't coming off so much bitter as boisterous).

The way you guys handled that approach, to call it for what it was and point out how evasive and cowardly it was, is probably the best way to tackle it on a public forum.

Like I said, great show!

[jhawksgirl]

They did, indeed, have some "special" callers today.

I'm still wondering if the first caller was for real or not. He almost seemed too stereotypical (as a Christian, country yokel) to be to true.

I laughed out loud when Matt schooled one caller on the fact that AE is on a public access channel and, therefore, NOT something the ACA paid for to "convert" people. I thought it was pretty ironic that the caller would accuse Matt and Jeff of "buying time to convert" when there are whole, cable networks devoted to Christian televangelists.

[Sans_Deity]

...when there are whole, cable networks devoted to Christian televangelists.

A very good point that I completely failed to make....doh!

-Matt

[jhawksgirl]

...when there are whole, cable networks devoted to Christian televangelists.

A very good point that I completely failed to make....doh!

-Matt

No worries. Now it will have crept into your subconscience and it'll be in your arsenal next time that guy calls...and you know he will.

Seriously, when I was listening to the show (on Mp3), I almost wondered which church pointed out your program as "evidence" of some atheist insurgency and urged the congregation to watch? There were just TOO many stereotypical, Christian callers.

Either that or Jeff just brings out the hellfire and brimstone in people.

[Sans_Deity]

I've been thinking about printing up some hand bills and posting them on bulletin boards at churches around town.

[Steve]

I found myself wondering if the calls were actually being screened. Most of the time, the types of callers you had never make it through.

[jhawksgirl]

I've been thinking about printing up some hand bills and posting them on bulletin boards at churches around town.

*taps fingertips together ala' Mr. Burns* Exxxxxx-celent.

[Anne]

I just listened to the 11/19 show today myself...the callers were almost unbelievable. One person in particular made me laugh out loud (though it was actually kind of sad)...he made some comment about how he hoped God would "forgive your ignorance" (or something to that effect) and then had the nerve to call one of you guys (Jeff?) "condescending" because you asked him what he thought would happen if the True God turned out to be Odin. I don't know how people can live with that kind of cognitive dissonance and still manage to figure out how to use the phone.

Also, Jeff gets major props from me for mentioning life extension...death really DOES suck, but making up fairy tales so you don't have to think about it is silly and damaging to real progress. Not to toot my own horn, so to speak, but I recently wrote a blog entry on life extension from a rational standpoint: http://rationallongevity.blogspot.com/2006/10/what-is-meant-by-rational-longevity.html

I've not been as active here as I'd like to yet, there just aren't enough hours in a day, but I have been listening to all the AE and NP shows like a dutiful little fangirl. Keep up the good work!