About ATP

Skeptic Ink Network (SIN) provides a great platform for philosophy, particularly the philosophy of religion. A Tippling Philosopher is a blog dedicated to such, with a popular, easy to digest approach. The name comes from the casual philosophy and theology group that author and blogger Jonathan MS Pearce frequents in Hampshire, UK. This blog is an extension of that, with guest posts by other thinkers with the same questioning vein from around the world. What started with Socrates, in challenging the legitimacy of religious beliefs of his time, will hopefully be continued several thousand years later with this lively community of critical thinkers.

As an author, Pearce writes about the subjects which fascinate him hugely. His first book “Free Will?” is a work dedicated to investigating free will and determinism, presenting a wealth of evidence to support a deterministic worldview. His second book “The Little Book of Unholy Questions” is a cumulative case against the existence of God written in the form of a set of questions asked directly to God. His last book “The Nativity: A Critical Examination” is a synthesis of the work detailing the analysis of the infancy narratives in the New Testament, showing that the two Gospel accounts are clearly a-historical. Since then, he has continued to produce books and chapters at an impressive rate.

Pearce has also guest blogged for John Loftus’ Debunking Christianity and has given some public talks in the UK on a number of different topics. He is an agnostic atheist who finds the subject of the existence of God an all-consuming and obsessive one.

But enough of that. What he really wants to do is engage religious thinkers in debate in order to show them the error of their ways, to sharpen his own mind and to improve his own epistemological approach to life, the universe and everything. May this be an oasis in a wilderness of nonsense (not Skeptic Blogs, that is, but the internet as a whole!).

 

Other Contributors

Thanks to the often irregular contributors of these good people:

Andreas Schüler:

Andy was born and raised in Germany. He became fascinated with Biology at an early age and, after doing an apprenticeship as a lab assistent and serving in the German army, he studied Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics. His research has been published in four peer-reviewed papers on protein and genome evolution and one book chapter on the evolution of protein interaction networks. Currently, he is finishing a PhD in Molecular Evolution. Andy was nominally a member of the German lutheran church for 27 years, but was never a “true believer”. His interest in challenging Christian ideas stems mainly from observing the ongoing conflict between science, especially Evolutionary Biology, and religion.

Cody Rudisill:

I was raised in an evangelical Pentecostal Holiness church; witnessing what most only hear by rumor or television (unless, of course, you are from the so-called “Bible Belt”).  If anyone has seen the documentary “Jesus Camp” then you are getting close to a picture of my early life growing up.   At the age of 16 I dropped out of high school and completed a GED, remaining at the church I was raised in up until I was old enough to drive.  This was a major transitioning point for me as it is when I began to amass textbook after textbook in theological and biblical studies.  This study pushed me from my Pentecostal worldview smack into a Calvinistic understanding of God, salvation, and the Bible.  I joined a small Orthodox Presbyterian Church before removing myself (for theological reasons) and becoming a member of a Baptist church within the Southern Baptist Convention.  During this period I had become enrolled in R.C. Sproul’s recently opened Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies wherein I began a certificate program (which I am still involved) on the Theology of the Westminster Confession of Faith and, on the side, began packing away work after work in philosophy and logic.  Later I made a move that would change everything.  I moved just 8 hours away from my family and ended up homeless living in my car.  This was a period of self-reflection: away from my family; away from old friends; away from the church.  It was during this time I read John Loftus’s “Why I Became an Atheist” and for the first time was sympathetic toward an Atheistic writing.  That door opened me to a world of freethinking.

I am back home now.  My family and my friends know that I am an Atheist (whether they can grasp why is another question).  My fields of study are New Testament and Philosophy of Physics with a focus on the Philosophy of Time.

And for those curious, I am also a furniture and mattress salesman who loves selling great mattresses for people.

Aaron Adair:

Aaron Adair is a graduate student in physics and education at the Ohio State University. Previously he has done work at SETI and CERN, helping to search for civilizations and bosons. Currently he is working on his doctorate on teaching curricula and student misconceptions. He also studies history and the Bible, hoping to publish on the theories of the Star of Bethlehem. He usually blogs at https://gilgamesh42.wordpress.com/.

 Dan Yowell:

Dan Yowell is a graphic design based out of the Philadelphia area. When he’s not working, he enjoys doodling, fine beers and whiskies, writing, and contemplating the nature of humanity’s plight (usually all at the same time).

To learn more about Dan and his work, visit his website at www.Danyowell.com.

Bert Bigelow:

Bert Bigelow graduated from the University of Michigan engineering school, and then pursued a career in software design.  He has always enjoyed writing, and since retirement, has produced short essays on many subjects.  His main interests are in the areas of politics and religion, and the intersection of the two.  Many of his writings are posted on his web site, bigelowbert.com.  You can contact him at bigelowbert@aol.com.

 

Comment Policy

 

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