Peter Boghossian, author of “A Manual for Creating Atheists,” will be speaking in Spokane on Feb. 9 to discuss his ideas about how and why people should be talked out of faith, rather than into it.
The Portland State University philosophy professor argues that the faithful are taught to proselytize to non-believers, which he says has resulted in a broken world. He says this brokenness comes, in-part, from unquestioned faith.
Boghossian draws on the tools he has developed and used for more than 20 years as a philosopher and educator to teach “how to engage people of faith in conversations that will help them value critical thinking, cast doubt on their religious beliefs, mistrust their faith, abandon superstition and irrationality, and ultimately embrace rationality and reason,” according to a press release.
The event, organized by The Spokane Secular Society, will be held at CenterPlace at Mirabeau Point Park at noon on Feb. 9 as part of local Darwin Day celebrations. He will read from his book, and follow it with a time for questions and answers.
This event is free and open to the public, though suggested $5 donations will be accepted.
Our world was and is broken by the rejection of and rebellion against our Creator God. It happened first in our original parents and is continued in each of our hearts until we humble ourselves and return to Him. Proselytization is a word that attempts to de-humanize what is for many sincere Christians, just a heartfelt desire on their part, to share the hope of eternal life, beginning immediately, that they themselves have received. After all, that is the promise given by Jesus Christ to us, nothing less. To say that this life, freely offered to all, paid for at indescribable cost to God’s Son, is what has “broken” the world is nothing short of ludicrous. I say then, may the brokenness increase!
I will be attending Pete’s speech (I lectured on Intelligent Design a couple years ago for one of his courses at PSU) and hope lots of Spokane Favs people can attend and have lots of good questions.
That Sunday will be a busy day, as S3 will be having our Darwin Day table at RiverPark Mall that weekend, which I will try and be helping man in between all the other activities.