The Reason Driven Podcast

29 - Service Industry

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:04:00 +0000

Chapter 29 Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:17:00 +0000

Click Here to download the chapter 29 summary (right click, save link/target as)

Point to Ponder: Slavery, even slavery to God, is degrading to human dignity

Quote to Remember: "All truly noble morality grows out of triumphant self-affermation." (Friedrich Nietzsche, The Genealogy of Morals)

Question to Consider: If I feel disdain toward someone who needs my help, what is it I am afraid of?

Special! Re: Ravi

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:15:00 +0000

Click Here to download Re: Ravi directly (right click, save link/target as)

A fantastic follow-up to our last episode with Ravi Zacharias! Danny and Mikyle are joined by Jeremy Beahan of the Reasonable Doubts Podcast and his *achem* lawyer, A.J.

We discuss what went bad, what went good and what we can all learn from this. A new segment introduced in the later half, after the interview, I hope you will enjoy. Not much else to say... Mikyle usually does these, but who knows where he's at. Come on, man! You're good at this kind of thing! ....

Episode 28: Jerusalem Wasn't Built in a Day

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:32:00 +0000

Click Here to download episode 28 directly (right click, save link/target as)

"There can be no depth without the way to that depth. Truth without the way to truth is dead."

-Paul Tillich, "The Depth of Existence"

This week we have Ravi Zacharias on board to apologize for Christianity...ok, not really, but he is a Christian Apologist, President of the Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, and author of many noted books. We had a great discussion with him, and he was especially gracious considering that he's been recovering from some extensive surgery. Listen in and turn on your brain, Ravi gave us plenty to think about!

Ep 28 teaser

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:51:00 +0000

"Do you think that thoughtful individuals who carefully reason out evidence and come to provisional, tentative conclusions, the only kind science allows, would ever be found howling for the blood of homosexuals?" - Robert Price

Man, that's a damn good quote. That's from chapter 28 of the Reason Driven Life. Forget the labels and mud slinging. I'm an atheist, a skeptic and a humanist. But throw away those labels for a moment and forget what any other atheist, skeptic or humanist has ever done or said. If you are thoughtful and you carefully reason out evidence and come to provisional, tentative conclusions, then you embody every positive quality that can be summed up in those labels. That is the true spirit of skepticism and it's pretty goddamn beautiful.

We're recording episode 28 tomorrow and we have a very, very special guest for this episode. His name is Ravi Zacharias and he's a world famous evangelical, Christian apologist and author. He's a real bright chap and even I enjoy his talks, because he talks respectfully and rationally. So, it should be a great show, I'll post it up a.s.a.p.

Episode 27: Temp Job

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Click Here to download episode 27 (right click, save link/target as)

"The food is his own enemy
The mischief he does is his undoing.
How bitterly he suffers?

Why do what you will regret?
Why bring tears upon yourself?

Do only what you do not regret,
And fill yourself with joy.

For a while the fool’s mischief
Tastes sweet, sweet as honey.
But in the end it turns bitter.
And how bitterly he suffers!"
-Dhammapada 5, “The Fool”

Yo, Mikyle here:

So, we’re back from a little bit of a hiatus. Both Danny and I have been dealing with our own shit, but we’ve got some updates. This episode we’re going to freestyle it with just the two of us talking about our trip to TAM-6, and then get into the chapter. We don’t have a guest this week. Fuck it, we’re funny enough, right?

Right?

Well, check it out anyway. We’re also going to be expanding the usefulness of the blog by adding the more “behind-the-scenes” stuff and other mayhem so that we can try and keep the actual show more concise. Get on board with a little feedback and let us know what you think, eh?

Sweet.

Chapter 27 Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:08:00 +0000

Click Here to download the chapter 27 summary (right click, save link/target as)

Point to Ponder: When I "sin," I am sinning against myself.

Quote to Remember: "Jesus says, 'Do not lie, and do not do what you hate, for everything is observed from heaven.'" (Gospel of Thomas, saying 6)

Question to Consider: If we are really supposed to let the Bible be our only moral guide, what are we supposed to to do when the Bible doesn't address some moral issue?

26 - Satan's Sunday School

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:09:00 +0000

Click Here to download episode 26 (right click, save link/target as)

"We may not pay Satan reverence, for that would be indiscreet, but we can at least respect his talent” - Mark Twain

"But your daughter doesn't say she's a demon; she insists she's the devil himself, and that's the same thing as saying you're Napoleon Bonaparte! You see?" - William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist

Another great discussion featuring Dan Sawyer! Dan and Danny discuss the Bible and the myths surrounding the character of Satan. Dan Sawyer says he's and atheist, but he actually believes in Satan! Listen to find out why!

Check out more of Dan and his work at http://www.jdsawyer.net/

Point to Ponder: Believers are actually pretty optimistic about the world: if only we could get rid of this cosmic troublemaker, everything would be okay.

Quote to Remember: "I cannot omit calling attention to the interesting fact that whereas the central Christian symbolism is a Trinity, the formula of the unconscious mind is a quaternity. As a matter of fact even the orthodox Christian formula is not quite complete, because the dogmatic aspect of the evil principle is absent from the Trinity, the former leading a more or less awkward existence as [the] devil." - Carl Jung, "Dogma and Natural Symbols"

Question to Consider: Doesn't a literal belief in Satan implicitly mitigate the severity of human sinfulness?

Update - sorry for the delay

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:52:00 +0000

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the recent delays. We're still on track with booking guests and such, but I'm having serious computer malfunction problems. You see, I have to edit and mix our shows on my iBook G4 using a very unstable, free program. And I hates it. So, because of some random glitch or something, our last interview with Edward Current has been chopped to bits and is beyond repair save hours and hours of manual crash recovery. Doing said crash recovery on my computer would be like sending granny through Navy Seal training... neither would survive. So, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I might try to schedule another interview with Edward and we can just start over. If not, I'll try to maybe get as much of the interview up as I can, though it won't be complete.

In other news, we've just fixed the DONATE button on the side of the blog. We've never really campaigned much but we've decided that the real boost in the quality of this podcast is going to require money. So, it's like this: If you listen to and enjoy and episode, go ahead and donate a dollar for that show. If you liked 15 of our shows, throw down 15 dollars. This is completely on the honor system, of course, but we'd appreciate our listeners supporting the podcast by contributing financially. Only donate if you enjoy the episode, so we have more motivation to put out only great shows. Thanks so much.

Also, if you have a business, website, service...etc and are interested in advertising on the Reason Driven Podcast, contact me at reasondriven@gmail.com

Chapter 25 Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:55:00 +0000

Point to Ponder: What happens to me is ''good'' if I decide it is.
Click Here to download the chapter 25 summary (right click, save link/target as)

Quote to Remember: ''A theory is a theory, not a reality. All a theory can do is remind me of certain thoughts that were a part of my reality then. A statement or a 'fact' is an emphasis - one way of looking at something. At worst it is a kind of myopia. A name is also just one way of seeing something. I can't make a statement about reality without omitting many other things which are also true about it. Even if it were possible to say everything that is true about a reality, I still would not have the reality I would only have the words. In fact, the reality changes even as I talk about it. When I outgrow my names and facts and theories, or when reality leaves them behind, I become dead if I don't go on to new ways of seeing things.'' (Hugh Prather, Notes to Myself)

Question to Consider: Is Warren saying that things will actually turn out ''good'' for me in some way, or that I will have to redefine ''good'' as meaning ''whatever happens to me''?

Episode 24 - This Paper Idol

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Sun, 11 May 2008 06:18:00 +0000

Click Here to download episode 24 (right click, save link/target as)

"I have not the slightest doubt that the reason we have anything at all to do with Christianity today is not that we have swallowed what Christianity has told us to believe and do, but that out of our own sense of how to live we have come to look seriously at Christianity because it seems in part at least to be saying the same thing we know to be right." - Robin Scroggs, "Tradition, Freedom, and the Abyss"

Special Guest: The Logically Critical Guy!

Join the Reason-Driven crew as we chat with long-time-no-hear guy from the Logically Critical podcast! If you've never heard his podcast, you're missing out! The guys discuss chapter 24 of Bob's book and discuss his reasons why the bible shouldn't be touted as the "infallible word of God". Not just another atheist peanut gallery, the reason-driven discussion tries to provide resources for good, healthy dialogs with believers. Enjoy!

Chapter 24 Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:42:00 +0000

Click Here to download the chapter 24 summary (right click, save link/target as)

Point to Ponder: If you believe the Bible is an infallible authority because your pastor said so, then he is really your infallible authority, isn't he?

Quote to Remember: "That which does not preach Christ is not apostolic, though it be the work of Peter or Paul; and conversely, that which does teach Christ is apostolic even though hit be written by Judas, Annas, Pilate, or Herod." (Martin Luther, preface to James)

Question to Consider: What isn't any true statement just as good as the "Word of God"? what makes any true statement something other than the word of God?

Episode 23: When Is a Religion Not a Religion?

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:48:00 +0000

Click Here to download episode 23 (right click, save link/target as)

"The attempt to reduce Judaism to a religion is a betrayal of its true nature"
-Milton Steinberg, The Making of the Modern Jew

"It is hardly possible...to say whether [Hinduism] is a religion or not, in the usual sense of the word."
-Jawaharlal Nehru, The Discovery of India

"Buddhism is not a religion in the sense in which a religion is commonly understood."
-U Tittila, "The Fundamental Principles of Theravada Buddhism"

"Islam is not merely a 'religion' in the sense in which the term is understood in the west."
-Said Ramadan, Islam, Doctrine and Way of Life

Special Guest: Dave VanAllen!

So, it looks like no one really likes to think of their faith as a "religion" per se, but as a relationship with a higher power...a higher power that is invisible, thus allowing for multiple interpretations to be offered. Fair enough. Your faith is based on truth, and the others just on wacky superstition, right? Dave VanAllen of ExChristian.net joins Danny, Mikyle, and Miles for a discussion on whether one lives a particular lifestyle, or dwells within an alternate conception of reality, and the issues with both. Also, internet news featuring cruelty against both man and beast.

Chapter 23 Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:50:00 +0000

Click Here to download the chapter 23 summary (right click, save link/target as)

Point to Ponder: If justice is not built into the structure of the universe, then our duty to establish it as best we can here on earth is all the greater.

Quote to Remember: ''In this respect fundamentalism has demonic traits. It destroys the humble honesty of the search for truth, it splits the conscience of its thoughtful adherents, and it makes them fanatical because they are forced to suppress elements of truth of which they are dimly aware.'' (Paul Tillich)

Question to Consider: Why would it be bad to admit that Christianity is a religion after all?

Episode 22: The Character of Christ

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:59:00 +0000

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"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. " - Jesus, Luke 14:26,27

Special Guest: Brian Worley

Danny is flying solo for this episode. Featuring a short and sweet interview with the creator of exminister.org, we discuss the different "Jesuses" presented to us in the bible. Also features a reading of my critical review of Jonathan Wells' "Icons of Evolution". Finally a good long angry rant about an encounter with a self-proclaimed prophet. Enjoy! Send feedback to reasondriven@gmail.com

"John said to him, 'Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.' But Jesus said, 'Do not hinder him; for there is no one who will perform a miracle in my name, and be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he who is not against us is for us." Mark 9:38-40 (NASB)

"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters." Luke 11:23 (NASB)

"I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth." Revalation 3:15 -16 (RSV)

My blog: The World Through Schade-Colored Shades

Chapter 22 Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:46:00 +0000

Click Here to download the chapter 22 summary (right click, save link/target as).

Point to Ponder: Jesus is too important to be left to Christians.

Quote to Remember: "Like beauty, perhaps Jesus is in the eye of the beholder." (Harry Reasoner)

Question to Consider: When I ask myself, "What would Jesus do?" am I perhaps doing just what the gospel writers did?

Episode 21: Damage Control

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:13:00 +0000

Click Here to download episode 21 directly (right click, save link/target as)

Special Guest: Kyle Demming! Kyle does the Skeptical Christian podcast and is the first Christian guest on the Reason Driven Podcast. Kyle was a great sport dealing with us heathens. It was a great discussion which will be enjoyed by theist and atheist alike. Enjoy!

Chapter 21 Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:02:00 +0000

Click Here to download the chapter 21 summary (right click, save link/target as)

Point to Ponder: It is easy to disguise cowardice as forbearance.

Quote to Remember: ''Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out.'' (Proverbs 22:10, NASB)

Question to Consider: How do I know whether I ought to consider a troublesome member more like the demoniac in the Capernaum synagogue (Mark 1:23-26), to be expelled, or more like the Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:12-13), to be pursued and persuaded?

Spring Cleaning

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:29:00 +0000

You may notice some of the episodes disappearing from the RSS for the next few days. I'm reformatting each episode at a lower bit rate. This will hopefully transform 60mb files into 20mb files or even smaller. Sorry if this inconveniences anyone!

Episode 20: Healing Religious Divisions

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:59:00 +0000

Click Here to download episode 20 (right click, save link/target as)

"He drew a circle the shut me out-
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!"
Edwin Markham, "Outwitted"

Special Guests: Dave Driscoll and John Snider!

A Reason-Driven Double Header!!! It's a full house this evening as Danny, Mikyle and Miles join John and Dave, the hosts of a great podcast called American Freethought, go check it out! We had a great discussion about chapter 20, which is about trying to make friends with people you disagree with, particularly fundamentalists. So... go hug a fundy.

Happy April Fools Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:12:00 +0000

Two nights ago I gave up my atheism to God. I'm no longer a follower of Satan, but of the Lord, Jesus Christ. He touched my heart in a radical way.

Don't worry, the JESUS DRIVEN PODCAST is going to be 10000 times more awesome than the Reason Driven Podcast was!

Update: I just remembered something. Remember how I said I tried drugs? I actually dropped acid a few minutes before going to that tent revival. That might explain the miracles... and the breathing walls...

Chapter 20 Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:28:00 +0000

Click Here to download the chapter 20 summary (right click, save link/target as).

Point to Ponder: It's more important to have good relations than to have shared beliefs.

Quote to Remember: "Only Nixon could go to China." (Old Vulcan Proverb)

Question to Consider: Do you want to win an argument? Or do you want to win a friend?

Easter Special - Chatting with Bob

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:53:00 +0000

Click Here to download the Easter Special (right click, save link/target as)

Books by Bob:
Jesus is Dead
The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man
The Pre-Nicene New Testament
Deconstructing Jesus
The Empty Tomb
Jesus Christ Superstar: The Making of a Modern Gospel
The Quest of the Historical Jesus

Books by other guys:
Who Wrote the New Testament?: The Making of the Christian Myth by Burton L. Mack (read online)
Jesus and Christian Origins outside the New Testament by F.F. Bruce
Comprehensive list from Bob's Site

Online Articles:
By This Time He Stinketh: The Attempts of William Lane Craig to Exhume Jesus By Robert Price (1997)
The Historicity of Jesus' Resurrection by Jeffery Jay Lowder (1995)
Why I Don't Buy the Resurrection Story 6th ed. by Richard Carrier (2006)

Other:
JESUS: Legend, Teacher, Critic,
or Son of God?
Debate between
Dr. Robert M. Price and
Dr. Gregory Boyd (video)

"Easter Bunny" Bumper music by Dream English

Episode 19: Price's Ten Commandments

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:37:00 +0000

Click Here to download episode 19 directly (right click, save link/target as).

Special Guest: John Armstrong! Author of God vs the Bible.

"Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting by, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be encouraged."
-1 Corinthians 14:29-31

Everyone has that friend who always has something to say about everything. Have you ever wanted to respond to something that he or she has said and tell them to stuff it in their ear? Well, we don't necessarily encourage that, but we do think you should speak your own mind! Folks seem to shy away from intellectual discourse, or find it boring, but we at the Reason Driven Podcast think it's the best way to expand your knowledge-base and acquire better reasoning skills. This week author John Armstrong tells us about Deism as we follow Bob Price's 10 Commandments of Philosophical Discussion. Try it out with that jerk from the beginning of the post!

Chapter 19 Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Schade & Mikyle Lockwood) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:12:00 +0000

Click Here to download the Chapter 19 Summary (Right lick, save link/target as).

Point to Ponder: Don't hesitate to request clarification: if you're mystified, chances are most others present are, too.

Quote to Remember: "No one is wrong. At most someone is uninformed. If I think a man is wrong, either I am unaware, or he is. So unless I want to pay a superiority game I had best find out what he is looking at." (Hugh Prather, Notes to Myself)

Question to Consider: So what if I make a fool of myself?