The Late Reason Driven Podcast

What's New?

2009-04-28T12:57:00.004-06:00

What's Danny Schade up to?
http://www.dannyschade.com

What's Mikyle Lockwood up to?
http://freefirezone.wordpress.com/
http://www.myspace.com/stratofurious

Goodbye!

2009-01-12T01:28:00.004-07:00

Danny here.
The podcast is over. Podcasting is really not our thing anymore. It's hard to explain, but we used to have a internal drive and passion to do the podcast... but that has faded. If it's no longer fun for us, we're not going to do a good job anyway. I don't want to further embarrass myself. I can't afford to host it and I don't feel like maintaining it. If you're pissed off at us, go ahead and talk smack on forums or something. You can also email reasondriven@gmail.com and I'll respond. Mikyle might as well, who knows. You'll either have to be nice or really, really mean. Try both.

Anyway... if you wanna keep up with our current goings on you can still hear me on the Apologia podcast, hosted by Dr. Zach Moore. http://www.drzach.net/apologia.htm
Here is a link to my personal blog, featuring mostly things to do with music: http://schadey.blogspot.com
And Mikyle's political and social commentary blog: http://freefirezone.wordpress.com/

33 - How Twisted Texts Scream

2008-12-18T23:17:00.001-07:00

Click Here to download episode 33 directly (right click, save link/target as)

Hey everybody! We've got a new hour of Reason Driven mayhem, straight out of the hood, right onto your digital media device! We talk about interpreting the Bible, and the problems therein, and also how it sounds kinda dochebaggy to overuse big words.

We mix it up a bit, so check it out folks!

We'll be finishing out the Podcast as soon as we can, thanks for sticking around, those of you that have. Have no fear, we're are working on the next new way to explore the new media that we tech-savvy people refer to as the "inter-web"!

Love,
Your Reason Driven Hosts

Chapter 33 Summary

2008-12-16T22:09:00.003-07:00

Click Here to download the chapter 33 summary directly (right click, save link/target as)

Point to Ponder: Whenever you are tempted to think how great you are, just think of Peggy Hill on King of the Hill.

Quote to Remember: "I'm humble -- and proud of it!" (Wheaton College lapel button)

Question to Consider: Does The Living Bible even count as a Bible?

32 - Being Who You Are

2008-10-28T19:34:00.002-06:00

Click Here to download episode 32 directly (right click, save link/target as).

The show is up!! Better late then never, right? Hey, in two weeks noone will know the diff. anyway. Wow, I really should let Mikyle write these.
Peace,
Danny

Chapter 32 Summary

2008-10-28T19:28:00.001-06:00

Click Here to download the Chapter 32 summary directly (right click, save link/target as).

Point to Ponder: Who am I when I feel most authentically myself?

Quote to Remember: "Idolatrous faith has a definite dynamic: it can be extremely passionate and exercise a preliminary healing power... But the basis of the integration is too narrow. Idolatrous faith breaks down sooner or later and the disease is worse than before. The on limited element which has been elevated to ultimacy is attacked by other limited elements... The fulfillment of the unconscious drives does not last; they are repressed or explode chaotically." (Paul Tillich, Dynamics of Faith)

Question to Consider: Reverend Warren warns: "You will find that people who do not understand your shape for ministry will criticize you and try to get you to conform to what they think you should be doing. Ignore them." (p. 254). Should that include Reverend Warren

31 - Cogs for Christ

2008-09-21T16:45:00.010-06:00

Click Here to download episode 31 directly (right click, save link/target as)

"We are the all-singing, all dancing crap of the universe. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. We are all part of the same compost heap."
-Tyler Durden

"On a long enough timescale everyone's survival rate drops to zero."
-Also from "Fight Club" (but this one isn't actually featured in the book)

Hey folks, we're back! By popular demand!

Sorry we've been a little...distracted. Life has been crazy you know? Well, we talk about our lives a bit, and current events, and get into the 31th chapter of Bob Price's The Reason Driven Life on this latest episode. Keep in touch with us, tell us about your own reason driven (or not so much) lives. It gets old hearing about just ours, you know?

P.S. I'd actually like to hear what people think about being a robot in this life. What do you think about the way things are going in our crazy world? It's a wonder how anyone can be reasonable in this crazy-ass modern-day Planet Earth.

And just for fun... here are some funny comics from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

Chapter 31 Summary

2008-09-21T13:19:00.002-06:00

Click Here to download the chapter 31 summary (right click, save link/target as).

Point to Ponder: I am not a robot programmed by God.

Quote to Remember: "Flee, my friend, into your solitude: I see you stung all over by posonous flies. Flee where the air is raw and strong. Flee into your solitude! You have lived too close to the small and the miserable. Flee their invisible revenge!... They hum around you with their praise, too: obtrusiveness is their praise. They want the proximity of your skin and your blood... Often they affect charm. But that has always been the cleverness of cowards. Indeed, cowards are clever!... They punish you for all your virtues. They forgive you entirely - your mistakes." t(Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra)

Question to Consider: Why is some abstraction called "the meaning of lfe" better than just life?

30 - Cut Out The Holy Ghost Noise!

2008-08-02T12:47:00.006-06:00

Click Here to download episode 30 (right click, save link/target as)

Special Guest: Rich Orman!

Danny and Miles take the mics this week with a great interview with Dogma Free America's own host, Rich Orman!

The discussion takes a wild and unpredictable turn through many fascinating topics. This is also a chance for fans of Rich to hear a unique vocabulary you may not be used to on his podcast. :)

Chapter 30 Summary

2008-08-02T12:44:00.001-06:00

Click Here to download the chapter 30 summary (right click, save link/target as).

Point to Ponder: For Rick Warren, ''spiritual'' gifts are simply talents your church wants to exploit.

Quote to Remember: ''Men of thought seldom work well together, whereas between men f action there is usually an easy sense of camaraderie. Teamwork is rare in intellectual and artistic undertakings, but common and almost indispensable among men of action.'' (Eric Hoffer, The True Believer)

Question to Consider: Is the Pentecostal belief in spiritual gifts essentially any less strange than belief in parapsychology or pyramid power?

29 - Service Industry

2008-07-23T16:04:00.003-06:00

Click Here to download epidsode 29 (right click, save link/target as)

The duo discuss burning trash cans, divine intervention, robot slaves, superman aristocrats and have a lively discussion about the new Batman movie.

Chapter 29 Summary

2008-07-22T16:17:00.005-06:00

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

2008-07-17T22:15:00.006-06:00

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

2008-07-06T17:32:00.006-06:00

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"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

2008-07-05T11:51:00.003-06:00

"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

2008-06-28T09:00:00.001-06:00

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

2008-06-26T23:08:00.004-06:00

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

2008-06-01T11:09:00.002-06:00

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

2008-05-23T11:52:00.004-06:00

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

2008-05-20T08:55:00.002-06:00

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

2008-05-11T00:18:00.003-06:00

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

2008-05-06T10:42:00.004-06:00

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?

2008-04-23T13:48:00.009-06:00

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

2008-04-21T22:50:00.002-06:00

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

2008-04-13T15:59:00.006-06:00

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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

2008-04-13T15:46:00.001-06:00

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

2008-04-08T01:13:00.005-06:00

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

2008-04-08T01:02:00.002-06:00

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

2008-04-02T12:29:00.005-06:00

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

2008-04-01T23:59:00.004-06:00

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!

2008-04-01T00:12:00.005-06:00

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

2008-03-28T21:28:00.002-06:00

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

2008-03-24T19:53:00.007-06:00

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

2008-03-17T10:37:00.006-06:00

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

2008-03-16T12:12:00.003-06:00

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?

Episode 18: Heretics Anonymous

2008-03-10T22:17:00.007-06:00

Click Here to download episode 18 (right click, save link/target as).

"I've searched for community in many places, Jesus. I was often looking in the wrong places, but I don't think my motive was altogether wrong. I was looking futilely and hopelessly there for fellowship, belonging, and acceptance. Now, at this moment, which many people would call 'loneliness,' or 'nothingness,' I want to thank you, Jesus. In this moment-in this place with all these other persons-I have found community where and as it is. It seems to me it is your gift. I am here with these others for only a few hours. I will be gone tomorrow. But I won't be searching so desperately anymore. I know I must accept community where you offer it to me. I accept it in this moment. Thank you, Jesus."

-Malcolm Boyd, Are You Running with Me, Jesus?

Welcome to week 18 of the Reason Driven Podcasting Experiment Extravaganza! This week*, we address some recent "unpleasantness" between between the military and puppy-dog communities; then we engage Stephen L. Gibson (author of A Secret to the Universe) in a discussion about how to have great discussions...and other stuff, hopefully. But really, a great interview, plus another F.S.M. and our signature brand of "low-brow-pretending-to-be-high-brow" humor! Very nice!

*This week's episode is all messed up actually... We're relasing just the interview as the regular episode. The discussions by Danny & Mikyle got all bejeezled somehow and there is a weird interference in the recording that we couldn't get rid of. If you still want to listen to that, I'll post it as well... it'll be "18b - Leftovers"

Click Here to download to 18b - Leftovers (right click, save link/target as)

Chapter 18 Summary

2008-03-10T22:08:00.004-06:00

Click Here to download the chapter 18 summary (right click, save link/target as)

Point to Ponder: The moment you can no longer take your beliefs for granted, you have become a heretic.

Quote to Remember: "For premodern man, heresy is a possibility- usually a rather remote one; for modern man, heresy typically becomes a necessity." -Peter L. Berger, The Heretical Imperative

Question to Consider: Evangelists tell me I have to choose Christ for myself. Why don't they want me to make up my own mind about anything afterward?

Episode 17: A Place to Conform

2008-03-03T20:23:00.005-07:00

Click Here to download episode 17 directly (right click, save link/target as)

Then Amaziah said to Amos, "Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying! But no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence." Then Amos replied to Amaziah, "I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people in Israel.'"
-Amos 7:12-15 (NASB)

Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs.
-Luke 11:47-48 (NASB)

Ever wonder why there's nothing much about that whole "Pope" thing in the bible? Are organized religions missing the point by espousing a set of standards that are resistant to criticism and change? Rick Warren is urging his readers to let others be the judge of their spiritual truth. Well, how about you judge that for yourself, as you should do with any so-called truth? Our favorite Reason Driven author, Bob Price, stops by once again; this time to chat about how cool it is to be have intellectual honesty and growth...and how uncool it is, after your dad kills him, to build your prophet a fancy tomb. Maybe you could have said something before your dad killed him, I don't know. Just a thought.

Chapter 17 Summary

2008-03-02T12:49:00.002-07:00

Click Here to download the chapter 17 summary by Bob Price (right click, save link/target as)

Point to Ponder: You have to admire the courage of a radical, not that it makes his opinions correct.

Quote to Remember: ''What after all are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchers of God?'' (Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science, 3:125)

Question to Consider: Is your church or group on the verge of buying building to meet in? Are you sure you want to do that?

Episode 16: The Greatest of These

2008-02-25T20:35:00.004-07:00

Click Here to download episode 16 (right click, save link/target as)

Special Guest: Kylie Sturgess!

"It is therefore natural that for John the believer has no duties toward 'the world,' but only towards those who like himself are saved from it. The new commandment (xiii, 34f.) is not that the neighbor is to be loved... still less the enemy (Matt. V, 44; Luke vi, 27), but rather the fellow -Christian... Looked at from John's perspective, it could not be otherwise: his ethics followed straight from his theological convictions." - J.L. Houlden, Ethics and the New Testament

"I hate those who are double-minded, but I love your law" - Psalms 119:133

"How happy shall he be who seizes your infants and dashes their brains out against the rocks!" - Psalms 137:9

Join Danny, Mikyle, Maureen and special guest host Kylie Sturgess (from the Podblack blog, and the TANK vodcast) as they discuss love, hate, and that funny feeling you get when you see something that you know is wrong but it still excites you. Well, maybe not that last one. Also, listen in for alien sitings, brain-wave reading video game controllers, plus part two of our own Wacky Bible Stories: Book of Job! All this, and we'll throw Kylie's Australian accent in for free. Wowzers!!!

Chapter 16 Summary

2008-02-24T09:18:00.002-07:00

Click Here to download the chapter 16 summary by Bob Price (right click, save link/target as).

Point to Ponder: If love accommodates even hell, what can't it accommodate? And then , what does it even mean?

Quote to Remember: ''JESUS LOVES YOU, BUT EVERYONE ELSE THINKS YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE.'' (bumper sticker)

Question to Consider: Do I really witness to people because I love them? Or am I afraid of guilt if I don't?

Episode 15: Joining the Sect

2008-02-19T18:39:00.008-07:00

Click Here to download episode 15 (right click, save link/target as)

Special Guest: Michael Shermer!

Howdy, you Reason Driven Listeners you! This week we've got some great stuff: we've got listener feedback to respond to, Wacky Bible Stories, and our patented Favorite Simpsons Moment (patent pending). We also have an interview...with one of the baddest skeptics of all time! Michael Shermer is the founder of the Skeptics Society as well as the editor of skeptic magazine. He's the author of several books including his newest, The Mind of the Market as well as the best selling Why People Believe Weird Things and The science of good and evil. In this interview, Shermer explains some of the concepts and arguments from his new book as well as a brief explanation of his views on theology and aliens! Enjoy!

Bible References mentioned in the show: What is required for salvation?
...faith alone?
John 3:16, Acts 16:30-31, Romans 5:1, Romans 10:10, Ephesians 2:8-9
... or water baptism also?
John 3:3, Acts 2:38, Romans 6:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Mark 16:16

Chapter 15 Summary

2008-02-19T18:23:00.003-07:00

Click Here to download the chapter 15 summary (right click, save link/target as)

Point to Ponder: Any God who could torment hapless mortals for failing to believe in a savior of whom there is no proof, for not belonging to a sect of whose superiority there is no evidence, is no better than the devil.

Quote to Remember: "He who begins by loving Christianity better than truth, will proceed by loving his own sect or church better than Christianity, and end in loving himself better than all." (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

Question to Consider: You wouldn't be a member of a club that banned Jews from membership. Is it any better belonging to a religion that bars nonfundamentalists from eternal life?

Episode 14: I Can't Get No Sanctification

2008-02-11T00:41:00.001-07:00

Click Here to download episode 14 (right click, save link/target as).

I am convinced that this anxiety running through my life is the tension between what I "should be" and what I am. My anxiety does not come from thinking about the future but from wanting to control it. It seems to begin whenever I smuggle an "I want to become" into my mind. It is the tension between my desire to control what I will be and the recognition that I can't. "I will be what I will be"-where is the anxiety in that?
-Hugh Prather, Notes to Myself

So you're trying to be a proper God-fearing individual, but keep falling short of the high expectations that Rick Warren suggests. That's okay, your weakness is just a sign of humility! Let God take care of it for you, since you can't do it alone anyway. But this might only work for a while...you may find yourself instead continuously falling into despair those inevitable occasions the holy spirit seems to drop the ball. Maybe you can try something else. Check out our discussion of chapter 14 of the Reason Driven Life, as we interview Rebecca Watson of Skepchick.com and the Skeptics Guide to the Universe, who graces our show with her crackling wit and intellect! Also, news items, Demon slaying, and the return of the F.S.M.!

Oh, and check out Rebecca's upcoming speaking engagement for the New York City Skeptics.

Chapter 14 Summary

2008-02-10T01:44:00.000-07:00

Click Here to listen to the Chapter 14 Summary by Bob Price!

Point to Ponder: Is the Christian life reducible to a kind of fantasy role-playing game inside my head?

Quote to Remember: ''Christ's virtue, the virtue of discipleship, can only be accomplished so long as you are entirely unconscious of what your are doing.'' (Diedrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship)

Question to Consider: If my Christian experience is a constant struggle of dissatisfaction, frustration, and seeking forgiveness for sin, aren't I being a hypocrite when I witness, telling people that Christ gives you inner peace?

Help Wanted!

2008-01-31T17:43:00.001-07:00

Click Here to hear our Help-Wanted message (and Danny playing the piano)!

Hello RDP listeners! We need your help in a big way.
Do you have passion for freethought and skepticism?
Do you have skills in audio, web design, mixing, comedy, philosophy or science?
Do you wanna be an integral part of the reason driven podcast?
Do you live near Boulder, CO? (or not?)

We're looking for help, this podcast is growing faster than we thought and we need passionate and smart people who want to help us tame it. We'll work with you and whatever you feel you can do to help us out, be it on the show, or in the background.

Contact us by email, reasondriven@gmail.com

Thanks!

Danny & Mikyle

Episode 13- Worship That Creates God

2008-01-28T22:11:00.001-07:00

Click Here to download episode 13 (right click, save link/target as)

Typical religious belief has us looking up to an independently existing God, and worshiping Him as such. But what if it were really that God is created by your act of worship? Taking this point of view, Dan Sawyer returns to discuss the issue of "sculpting God" (something he knows a little about)
and Bob Price's thought that perhaps what happens in church is to be taken as literally as the movie you just saw...only without rampaging monsters or scantily clad Spartans.

Anyway, check out the interview, plus news, trivial information, and jokes!

Mentioned in this show:
Skepticamp!
Sculpting God Podcast
Polyschizmatic Reprobates' Hour
Ol' Crusty
End Bumper Music by Jonathan Coulton

Chapter 13 Summary

2008-01-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Click Here to hear Bob Price discuss chapter 13 of The Reason Driven Life. (right click, save link/target as)

Also, you can support the RDP by voting for us on podcast alley and podcast pickle, telling your friends about us, giving feedback and suggestions at reasondriven@gmail.com and by donating through our Paypal account!

Thank you so much for listening!

Episode 12 - Providence and Superstition

2008-01-22T12:40:00.002-07:00

Click Here to download episode 12 (right click, save link/target as)
"O nobly-born, the Great Glorious Buddha-Heruka, dark brown of color, with three heads, six hands, and four feet firmly pastured... will come forth from within thine own brain and shine vividly upon thee. Gear that not. Be not awed. Know it to be the embodiment of thine own intellect... Simultaneously with the recognition, liberation will be obtained." - Bardo Thodol (Tibetan Book of the Dead)

"The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses." - Sir Francis Bacon

Special Guest: Richard Saunders!

That makes one dozen! And a fine batch they are... we had a sweet interview with one of the friendliest skeptics on earth. You may have seen him on the news as a lone voice of reason, or seen his TANK Vodcast videos on youtube.com. He also heads up the Mystery Investigators, a science based variety show targeted to kids and teens.

If that's not enough, he's an origami expert.
He invented an "origami" this! -> I'm just kidding... Phil Plait can't fly.

Send feedback to reasondriven@gmail.com.

Chapter 12 Summary

2008-01-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

Click Here to download the Chapter 12 summary (Right click, save link/target as)

Point to Ponder: Whoever thinks he can give you commands is not your friend.

Quote to Remember: "Verily, it is a blessing and not a blasphemy when I teach: 'Over all things stand the heaven Accident, the heaven Innocence, the heaven Chance, the heaven Prankishness.'" (Friedrich Nietzsche, Those Spoke Zarathustra)

Question to Consider: Have you ever decided, however reluctantly, that it was time to break off an abusive relationship? Maybe that time has come with God.

Episode 11 - Becoming Imaginary Friends w/ God

2008-01-16T21:39:00.001-07:00

Click Here to download episode 11 directly (right click, save link/target as)

Then they took the ox whic was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying "O Baal, answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the alter which they made. It came about at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened. " So they cried with a loud voice an cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. When midday was past, they raved until the time of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.
- 1 Kings 18:26-29 (NASB)

Special Guest: Richard Spencer! We had a great discussion about chapter 11 which included a peek into Richard and Danny's background of being former imaginary friends with Jesus. Unfortunately Mikyle never had the pleasure... perhaps he was better off, you decide. This episode is a little shorter than the rest and the ending is slightly unorthodox, but... well... you know...

You can hear more of Richard Spencer at Infidel Guy Radio on his show Faith & Freethought. Many of which can be heard in the archives of the Way of Reason Podcast.

send feedback to reasondriven@gmail.com

Chapter 11 Summary

2008-01-13T10:21:00.001-07:00

Click Here to download the chapter 11 summary directly (right click, save link/target as).

Point to Ponder: Pascal said it was worth living for God even if there is no God. Perhaps it is worth living without God even if there is one. Maybe that's even his will.

Quote to Remember: "Can God deliver a religion addict? Yes he can!" - Marjoe Gortner

Question to Consider: If my immediate reaction to this chapter is fear of going to hell, what is my faith really based on?

Episode 10: The Achilles' Heel of Worship

2008-01-08T23:05:00.001-07:00

Click Here to download episode 10 directly (right click, save link/target as)

"So our coming of age forces us to a true recognition of our situation vis a vis God. God is teaching us that we must live as men who can get along very well without him. The God who is with us is the God who forsakes us (Mark 15:34). The God who makes us live in this world without using him as a working hypothesis is the God before whom we are ever standing. Before God and with him we live without God."

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison

Episode 10 is here! It's the first full show of the New Year, featuring an interview with Dr. Steven Novella. He's the producer and host of the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe podcast, the author of several blogs and the president of the New England Skeptical Society!

What's the true meaning of morality? How does skepticism and critical thinking make us better people? Hark, for the good doctor speaks, right on your desktop or generic mp3 playing device!

Chapter 10 Summary

2008-01-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

Click Here to download the Chapter 10 Summary by Bob Price!

Point to Ponder: What do power relations have to do with spirituality?

Quote to Remember:

"And such thought makes us free men; we no longer bow before the inevitable in Oriental subjection, but we absorb it, and make it part of ourselves. To abandon the struggle for private happiness, to expel all eagerness of temporary desire, to burn with passion for eternal things--this is emancipation, and this is the free man's worship."

-Bertrand Russell, A Free Man's Worship

Question to Consider: Is there any difference between maturity and sanctification? Can there be one without the other?

New Years Eve "Power-Hour"

2008-01-01T10:58:00.001-07:00

Click Here to download the 'Power Hour' (right-click and 'save link/target as')

Here it is! Join Danny & Mikyle and celebrate New Years Eve in style. During the hour of power we gradually digress from a somewhat intelligible conversation to a rawkus ruckus of drunken laughs. Don't expect us to do too many of these again. What a headache!

Episode 9: What Makes Me Sick

2007-12-16T21:34:00.001-07:00

Click Here to download episode 9 (right-click and 'save link/target as')

"So our coming of age forces us to a true recognition of our situation vis á vis God. God is teaching us that we must live as men who can get along very well without him. The God who is with us is the God who forsakes us (Mark 15:34). The God who makes us live in this world without using him as a working hypothesis is the God before whom we are ever standing. Before God and with him we live without God."
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison

"The real reason that we can’t have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse: You cannot post 'Thou shalt not steal', 'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' and 'Thou shalt not lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges, and politicians. It creates a hostile work environment."
-George Carlin

Come on down and check out our discussion of chapter 9 on the Reason Driven Podcast! We hang out with Carter Pann and do a live interview, covering topics ranging from the story of Noah's ark to the odds of the planet being hit by a life-ending meteor. We also drink tea. We're missing the Bob Price summary this week due to some technical mishaps, but we still have the favorite Simpson's moment and other fun stuff (listen to the last minute and a half!).

Point to Ponder: I smile when I trust myself.

Quote to Remember: But he [Jesus] said to him, "Man, who appointed me a judge or arbitrator over you?" Luke 12:14 NASB

Question to Consider: Why does Rick Warren quote only bible paraphrases that already smuggle in the evangelical interpretation.

For more Carter Pann, check out his website!

Episode 8: God: Created For Our Pleasure

2007-12-12T09:30:00.001-07:00

Click Here to download episode 8 (right-click and 'save link/target as')

"Wait a minute: if I could somehow stay on the air, I'd have 100% of the audience. Think of the ratings!"
-Krusty the Clown

Episode 8 features an exclusive interview with J. Daniel Sawyer! Dan is an author, photographer, producer and videographer and podcaster (like us!). Check out his fine work at Artistic Whispers and Literary Abominations. He also appears on the Apologia podcast, is the host of the Polyschizmatic Reprobates Hour and creator of the Sculpting God Podcast.

Despite a fiasco involving a blown circuit breaker, we managed to attain a wonderful interview. We discuss Chapter 8 of the Reason Driven Life by Bob Price. Enjoy!

Send feedback to reasondriven@gmail.com

Point to Ponder: How about a bumper-sticker that says JESUS IS MY IMAGINARY FRIEND.

Quote to Remember:

"It is of course not difficult for an imaginative person so to conjure up the Person of Christ before himself that the picture shall take a kind of sensuous distinctness...Someone thinks he sees Jesus Himself, and consequently begins to commune with Him. But what such a person communes with in this fashion is not Christ Himself but a picture that the man's own imagination has put together."

-Wilhelm Herrmann, The Communion of the Christian with God

Question to Consider: Am I listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit? Or am I listening to my own? Do I need to pretend to be speaking for Jesus in order to take my inner voice seriously?

Vote Quimby!

2007-12-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

...I mean... Vote Reason Driven Podcast! At Podcast Alley! We need/want to get the word out about the Reason Driven Podcast. So vote, become a fan, join the facebook group, invite your friends, link to us on your blog or pimp us on your podcast!

Also, we here at the Reason Driven Podcast want to get to know the types of people who listen to our show. If you want to, please send us an email at reasondriven@gmail.com and tell us about yourself! Your name, age, location, beliefs and how you found the Reason Driven Podcast, or whatever else you feel like sharing. We'll read it on the air as well (if you want).

Happy Thinking!

Episode 7: The Mystery of Everything

2007-11-30T13:15:00.001-07:00

Click Here to download episode 7 (right-click and 'save link/target as')

Special Guest: Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer!

I'm seeing double; FOUR Phil Plaits! ->

"As for the Christian theology, can you imagine anything more appallingly idiotic than the Christian idea of heaven? What kind of deity is it that would be capable of creating angels and men to sing his praises day and night to all eternity? It is, of course, the figure of the Oriental despot, with his inane and barbaric vanity. Such a conception is an insult to God."
- Dialogues of Alfred North Whitehead

Celebrant: Forgive us, Lord, for this, our dreadful toadying.
Congregation: And bare-faced flattery.
- Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

What of the baffling mysteries of the universe? Do we surmise a divine god and proceed to worship said creator? Do we stand with mouths gaping, faces contorted in dumb-founded puzzlement? Or should we do as Phil Plait does, and pursue a life of scientific inquiry, so as to breach the enigmas of the cosmos? We answer all that and more, on the 7th edition of the Reason Driven Podcast! Featuring a full-length interview with the Bad Astronomer himself, who was kind enough to join the podcast whilst attempting to absolve a plumbing leak in his house. What a trooper!

Point to Ponder: What difference could it possible make to an all-sufficient Being whether I worship him or not?

Quote to Remember:
Oh Lord, please don't burn us,
Don't grill or toast your flock,
Don't put us on the barbecue,
Or simmer us in stock,
Don't braise or bake or boil us,
Or stir-fry us in a wok
Oh please don't lightly poach us,
Or baste us with hot fat,
Don't fricassee or roast us,
Or boil us in a vat,
And please don't stick thy servants Lord,
In a Rotissomat...
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

Question to Consider: How long has it been since I have meditated on the vast extent of the universe or the complexity of the subatomic world?

Episode 6: No Change is Permanent, But Change is

2007-11-25T21:40:00.001-07:00

Click Here to download episode 6 (right-click and 'save link/target as')

"What I must do is die now. I must accept the justice of death and the injustice of life. I have lived a good life - longer than many, better than most. Tony died when he was twenty. I have had thirty-two years. I couldn't ask for another day. What did I do to deserve birth? It was a gift. I am me - that is a miracle. I had no right to a single hour. And yet I have had thirty-two years. Few can choose when they will die. I choose to accept death now. As of this moment I give up my 'right' to live." -Hugh Prather, Notes to Myself

"You've changed, China. You used to be cool."
"China still cool: you pay later. LATER!"
-Bart's Older/Future-Self to future Chinese Ambassador, The Simpsons

Change is an inevitable thing, and we discuss that and a whole basket of other topics in this week's "Reason Driven Podcast." Comedian, writer, and general philanthropist Dave Burdick joins in our discussion of Chapter 6 in the Reason Driven Life, which adds Buddhist wisdom to our material existence, and proposes a wild idea: maybe happiness in this life is a good thing to work towards (without the guilt, I might add). What is the American Dream? Should we care about Global Warming? All this and much much more! Check it out, and feel free to leave your comments and send us some hate-mail!

Point to Ponder: This world is fleeting, and so am I. Maybe I should learn to surf instead of drowning.

Quote to Remember: "I cannot 'make my mark' for all time-those concepts are mutually exclusive. 'Lasting effect' is a self-contradictory term. Meaning does not exist in the future and neither do I. Nothing will have meaning 'ultimately.' Nothing, will even mean tomorrow what it did today. Meaning changes with the context. My meaningfulness is here. It is enough that I am of value to someone today. It is enough that I make a difference now." -Hugh Prather, Notes to Myself

Question to Consider: Paul said that "if in Christ we have hope only for this present life, we are of all men the most miserable" (1 Corinthians 15:19). But Blaise Pascal said the Christian life would still be worth living even if it turned out there was nothing after death. Who was right?

Episode 5: My View is God's View

2007-11-19T23:06:00.001-07:00

Click Here to download episode 5 (right-click and 'save link/target as')

Jesus says, "Do not lie, and do not do what do what you hate, for everything is observed from heaven." -Gospel according to Thomas, saying 6a

"'You ought to' means 'I want you to,' so why not say so?" -Hugh Prather, Notes to Myself

So you believe that beating up small children is bad. Is it because God believes it to be true? Or is it because you believe it? What if those are one in the same? Weird, huh? Wrap your head around this and much much more as we discuss chapter 5 in week five of the Reason Driven Podcast. Emery Wang (of the A Christian and an Atheist podcast) stops by to give Danny and Mikyle a Reason Driven Beat-down (in a good way).

Points to Ponder: My life is about what I say it is.

Quote to Remember:
My prayer is: I will be what I will be
And I will do what I will do.

All I want to do, need to do, is stay in
rhythm with myself. All I want is to do
What I do and not try to do what I
don't do. Just do what I do. Just keep
pace with myself. Just be what I will be.

I will be what I will be-but I am now
what I am, and here is where I will
spend my energy. I need all my energy to
be what I am today. Today I will work
in rhythm with myself and not with what
I "should be." And to work in rhythm
with myself I must keep tuned into myself.

God revealed his name to Moses, and it
was: I AM WHAT I AM.
-Hugh Prather, Notes to Myself

Question to Consider: What story am I living as my life's script? Do I like it? Did I choose it? Is it too late to change it?

Reason Driven group on Facebook!

2007-11-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

Do you have an account on Facebook?

If "YES", you do have facebook you must complete two tasks.

Task, the first: Find "Danny Schade" and "Mikyle Lockwood" and be our friends. Yay, friends!

Next, you must join the "The Reason Driven Podcast Group"! http://colorado.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14010695366

This can serve as a makeshift forum until we decide to get a real one. Invite your friends, comment about the show and even post pictures and videos which might insure learning or extreme hilariousness.

If "NO", you do not have facebook, get it... then go back to the beginning of this article and follow the directions.

Episode 4: Sons of Dust

2007-11-14T09:57:00.002-07:00

Click Here to download episode 4 (right-click and 'save link/target as')
"He knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." - Psalms 103:14 (KJV)

"'But how are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?' (1 Corinthians 15:35, RSV) A good question." - Bob Price

Join us in episode 4 of the RDP, featuring George Hrab! We all know it, but we might be afraid to admit it; we're all gonna die! Even the religious folks hopeful on eternal life better take a second look at their own scripture. Many places in the bible describes humans as nothing more than sons of dust, destined to die and return to the earth. So how do we deal with that scary truth? Does our life still have beauty and meaning? We think so! Check it out, and please leave a comment!

more Hrab -> http://www.geologicrecords.net
http://www.georgehrab.blogspot.com/

Points to Ponder: Maybe I really am a mortal.

Quote to Remember:

As for the days of our lives, they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, eighty years,
Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we fly away.
Who understands the power of your anger
And your fury, according to the fear that is due you?
So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to you a heart of wisdom.
Psalms 90:10-12 (NASB)

Question to Consider: Would I bother with Christianity if I knew there was no life after death?

Episode 3: One Track Mind?

2007-11-05T20:49:00.002-07:00

Click Here to download episode 3 (right-click and 'save link/target as')

"An ass which turns a millstone did a hundred miles walking. When it was loosed, it found that it was still at the same place. There are men who make many journeys, but make no progress anywhere... In vain did the wretches labour."
-Gospel of Philip

"What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet."
-Woody Allen

Kicking off with Robert Price's response to Rick Warren's chapter "Who Drives Your Life?" we delve into the topics of guilt, forgiveness, sin, and even evil. What makes us feel bad after doing something wrong? Were we committing a sin against God, and in our fear of holy retribution we seek forgiveness? Price points out that the word "repent" comes from the Greek word for "changing one's mind." Is that all we are doing, changing our minds and choosing not to feel bad about something we did (and forgiving ourselves), or about something another person has done to us (forgiving others)? Brian Dunning of Skeptoid.com offers his take on the whole idea of forgiveness, the nature of "sin" and is sure to make you turn your head and say "Hmm," thoughtfully.

Points to Ponder: Becoming is better than being.

Quote to Remember: "Why do you not judge for yourself what is right?" (Luke 12:57, RSV)

Question to Consider: What decisions have brought me to where I am today, whether I like that place or bemoan it? Was I even aware of making those decisions? Did I let others make them for me?

Send feedback to reasondriven@gmail.com

Episode 2: You Are a Work of Art

2007-10-28T21:28:00.001-06:00

Click Here to download episode 2 (right-click and 'save link/target as')

"The Atheist believes there is no God. The superstitious man believes there is but wishes there weren't." -Plutarch

"Striker, listen, and you listen close: flying a plane is no different than riding a bicycle, just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes." -Rex Kramer, "Airplane"

Are you troubled by the notion of a God who is in complete control of your life and can smite you at any given moment, with or without any discernible reason? Well, so are a lot of people. You may not be an "accident", but you're not here for a specific purpose that is clearly predetermined by God either. YOU are the one who decides what you are here for; much like a painting, the meaning of your life is strictly open for interpretation. YOURS!

Check out Episode 2, where Danny and Mikyle discuss how you are beautiful, no matter what they might say about you when you're not around. Zachary Moore of the Apologia, and Evolution 101 podcasts stops by the studio (a.k.a. the neighbor's tool-shed) to give his take on the issue (SPOILER: he thinks you're a bit stuck up...and fat).

Points to Ponder: I won the sweepstakes just by being born!

Quote to Remember: "The universe was not pregnant with life, nor the biosphere with man. Our number came up in a Monte Carlo game." -Jacques Monod

Question to Consider: There are things about me that I don't like. Do they really make much difference? Which are worth trying to change? Can I see my way to resigning myself, with a laugh, to the rest?

...these are arguably much better thoughts than that random quote from the movie "Airplane". Great movie, though, check it out after listening to the podcast!

Send feedback to reasondriven@gmail.com

Episode 1: It IS about you

2007-10-22T22:38:00.002-06:00

Click Here to download episode 1 (right-click and 'save link/target as')

''Man is the measure of all things: of the things that are, that they are, and of the things that are not, that they are not.'' - Protagoras

"An inspired and infallible passage whose meaning you cannot be sure of is not much more useful than an uninspired, fallible passage." - Robert Price

It's time to stop fooling yourself. It IS about you and no one else. It's time to take responsibility for our own actions, good and bad alike. We can't leave it up to a book, a pastor or even god to make our lives worth something we must do it ourselves! Join Danny and Mikyle in our premier episode of the Reason Driven Podcast, featuring a full interview with Robert M. Price the author of The Reason Driven Life.

CLICK HERE to visit Bob's website.

Point to Ponder: It is about me.

Quote to Remember: "If you will not know yourselves, you are in poverty; indeed, you are in poverty." (The Gospel according to Thomas, saying 3)

Question to Consider: Why can't I get it through my head that a religious self-help program, even one that quotes some Bible verses, is just as subjective and debatable as a secular one?

Bob Price can be heard on his weekly brodcast at his website: http://BibleGeek.org

...by the way, there is a significant archive of Bob Price audio and more on the The Infidel Guy Show, the largest collection of freethought audio on the web! There's a ton of stuff for free on the podcast, but there is even MORE amazing audio if you subscribe to his site. It's well worth the few bucks a month.

Send feedback to reasondriven@gmail.com

The Reason Driven Podcast

2007-09-05T15:44:00.000-06:00

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