Designing Information, Spiders With Wings and Peaceful(?) Jesus | The Atheist Experience 28.07

00:00 Intro
21:15 Adam-(GB-ENG) | Information Causing Design
1:07:34 RJ-CO | Spiders With Wings Would Have Evolved
1:55:03 Mikael-GA | Jesus Is Peaceful, Not Apocalyptic

SHOW NOTES

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Forrest Valkai, Armin Navabi, and Seth Andrews sort through information that causes design as they dodge spiders with wings because Jesus just was not an apocalyptic creature.

Adam in England wants to talk about the relationship between information and design where the information needs a mind to exist and therefore the mind must be god. How is this different from the argument that says DNA is so perfect we must need a designer? Why do people have different understandings of words like “mind” and “freewill”? Where do we d===raw the line for what has a mind? Being too inclusive with how these words are defined cause them to lose their utility. What is one example of something that was chosen by god to be the way it is? Why add dead weight to the universe to try and explain it?

RJ in CO asks why spiders have not developed wings if evolution is real? If you are such a hard worker, why are you not blowing glass yet? Spiders have some terrifying ways of traveling through the air and there is just no reason to develop wings, just like not having a reason to blow glass. What are the benefits and cons of spiders having wings? Why would the wing mutations have any advantage over what spiders are now? Why would god create a spider to cause its prey to die so horribly? If your god is real, he is evil. Why would god punish a child that he designed for things a child does not understand?

Mikael in GA asks why atheists feel that Jesus is an apocalyptic preacher, when he presented himself as a peaceful Messiah. Why can’t Jesus be both? How do you reconcile the verses that suggest the second coming would happen within the lifetime of his followers? Was it right or wrong for god to forcibly impregnate a young girl?

Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: It is a bad idea to (blank) at church.

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[indrahaloking]

RJ: if evolution is real, spiders should have wings because their lives would be easier.
Also RJ: I believe spiders were created by an omniscient, omnipotent God.
Why didn't that god create spiders with wings?

[Itsadate]

As my father would say to his bishop cousin "why don't you tell your god to pay for his own advertisements and stop asking money from the poor"

[xmillion]

It's a bad idea to let your child, sibling, spouse or parent ever be alone with a cleric at church.

[TimHass-qeer]

“That’s not salvation, that’s extortion.” This may be my new, favorite quote.

[birdieerdie]

I wish this particular episode had zero calls. I could listen to these three bad asses talk to each other all day. Great minds !!

[feffiescottage]

Possibly the best trio on AXP ever. I love this combination of hosts and the triumvirate's banter is 100% pure gold.

[ARoll]

Seth, Armin, and Forrest, WOW, and a 3 hour episode it's like the all star version of AXP

[Nexils]

Time stamps for the callers during this three hour long episode!:
21:16 Adam - Wants to talk about the design argument.
1:07:36 RJ - If evolution's real, why haven't spiders developed wings?
1:55:41 Mikael - Wants to talk about atheists that keep insisting that Jesus is an apocalyptic preacher.

[krm]

As an antitheist, thank you Seth! Sometimes I need a kick in the butt to remember that kindness and understanding needs to remain part of my arsenal.

[Unintelligentful]

Armin Navabi is a breath of fresh air and SO handsome

[JohnSmith-vmrx]

The mental gymnastics RJ was doing was impressive!

[latamuse]

Armin smashed it today, with the ' jesus was not an apocalyptic preacher' call.

[sanjeevgig]

Xtian: My god designed everything perfectly.
Atheist: Why is this part of nature SO SH1T DESIGN ?
Xtian : Because Adam ate the apple.
LOLZ

[DH-pwdo]

Armin is amazing. I love the way he lays out the logical process of defining "mind" and defining god into existence. Seth and Forrest are great too. You guys are so patient, I just don't know how you do it.

[UrgoMeister]

Loved Armin's point - If you have no restrictions in how you expand your definition of the terms (e.g. mind), you can fit any pet deity into your beliefs that you like.

[UrbanTreasureHunter]

This is possibly my favorite Atheist Experience of all time! Having the 3 best, yet diverse atheist minds together on the show…Wow!!! Thanks for giving us such a rich, high quality show! A biologist, former Christian, and former Muslim cover all of the major bases. And that doesn’t even cover the amazing personalities of you all! Thanks sooo much for giving this to us. 😃

[bonnieboyz]

With RJ - Seth is the type of voice (literally and figuratively) that disarms such a caller and allows a glint of light in past the barriers.

[henrypadilla]

That first 15 mins is the ultimate reason to have different hosts. And they are great. We need all these views because one of them is the one that will get through to someone at some time.
Thanks for providing access to resources like these thinkers.

[martinchatterton]

The chemistry with this team just works

[kerribeari]

I fell asleep while listening to the Mikael part of this episode (it was very late at night), and had a dream that Forrest and Armin were running a reality show to cast a production of Jesus Christ Superstar, and so much of the dialogue from this part worked in the dream.