We are pleased to share this video from our recent presentation to the Fellowship of Freethought in Dallas, Texas. Special thanks to our good friend Zachary Moore for filming, editing, and uploading this presentation! Thank you for watching, and we invite any and all feedback! Cheers!
Rex Burks & Owen Younger: Answering the Five Claims of Christianity
Skeptical Texans 
Hello Rex and Owen
Was great to meet you today! I am a member of NTCOFT where you came to speak this morning. It’s a great and well thought out thing you are doing. I’ve never heard of a method as well thought out and comprehensive as what you guys do. I think, much like I was, there are a lot of people who still belong to and attend a church because they do not know there is a viable and honorable option. They really don’t believe in a god but they think because they have been told that unbelievers are bad people who are lost and miserable, having no direction or purpose in life. It’s a sad situation but all to true I am afraid.
I would like to talk to you more about what you do and if possible I would like to go with you to a few bible studies. If you do not allow visitors to go with you I understand so please don’t feel obligated.
Also, I would like to talk to Rex about a legal issue. Not a king for representation, more of an opinion about how courts function and how I might make a difference in that process. I have an idea, just not sure about how to go about it.
Thanks again !
Rory Tennes
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OK…The opening reference by Rex to open your hymn books is a bit off putting. As for Atheist “demanding” evidence, otherwise they are not persuaded to believe, here in lies the rub between faith vs fact. I see no problem having a healthy balance of both. If Christians presented solid evidence, by nature skeptics would not accept it simply based on the source, much like what happens in the political world today. Perhaps if Atheists themselves sought to prove the claims of the Bible themselves from a purely objective view instead of asking Christians to do so who have skin in the game, they may be able to find the answers they are looking for…Think of it as an independent counsel scenario. We see multiple interpretations of many documents in human history of not only religious texts, but secular ones as well. Look no further than the US Constitution which set in motion what most people claim has become the greatest most powerful country on the planet.You guys use slang terms like “cool” & “peace out” as you criticize an alleged divine plan laid out by an alleged supernatural deity & really offer no alternative ideas other than just going with the flow & accept the mass chaos we see around us daily as the way the world was meant to be. Even if religions & their texts are purely man made as you claim, at least they are making an attempt to improve the human condition, albeit not a perfect model, but it goes much further than the spectator type critical approach you two are taking with your Atheist “apology tour”. I think you are working just as hard to convince yourselves that religious texts are NOT true as much as believers do to convince themselves they are. I applaud your efforts for finding a niche to fill which I feel will only serve to shore up believers faith in a god & afterlife as you confirm what their leaders tell them every Sunday that they will suffer persecution for their beliefs, etc. Indoctrination in itself is not necessarily a bad thing as I was proudly indoctrinated as a US Marine early in life much like you have been indoctrinated in the law & aviation respectfully. Looking for quantifiable answers to life’s meaning & solving problems of the human condition are not endemic to any one group whether it be religious, Atheists, etc. Your alternative is a system of teaching critical thinking skills, logic & reasoning, often with the hope that once this skill set is mastered, it will open the eyes of the learner to what you view as absurd teachings of religious beliefs, but to what end. Does this not shift the burden of proof on to you to show evidence that simply learning critical thinking skills is the magic bullet needed by the masses to solve all of life’s ills.I could drone on forever on this topic as I am sure you could as well. I have traveled to & lived in the four corners of the Earth in my lifetime & exposed myself to most every facet of the human condition & belief systems possible. With that said, I challenge you to assign me a label based on my response here on your website. Thank you for indulging me with your time & kind consideration and this space/forum to pontificate on this very push button topic…Take care, Bud
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It appears that Bud is confused. He quasi-admires Rex and Owen’s presentation that debunks much of the bible as myth, but he laments that they don’t offer a sugar pill after faith is lost. His confusion is common: “But if I give up God, what then?” It seems to me that Rex and Owen are not trying hard to “convince” themselves that the religious texts are NOT true as much as they are simply debunking mythological narratives (i.e., Paul, the OT) that many people think of as fact – a talking serpent, a talking donkey, people walking on water or “ascending” into the clouds unaided, etc. Debunking doesn’t infer that they have an obligation to offer a substitute to lost faith once the illusory balloon might burst. Some people chew on toothpicks to quell their addiction to cigarettes…others quit cold turkey. Rex and Owen are not physicians, or renowned bible scholars. They merely present a set of facts as they see it, and the onus is on you to figure out if you agree or disagree, not them. Their presentation is not a substitute for religion – it’s an antidote. It’s called “critical thinking.” Knowledge and critical thinking can be a reward in and of itself regardless of your religiosity. You don’t need a belief in a higher power to ponder your navel or make sense of the universe. It just IS! I believe that Rex and Owen are suggesting that it’s OK to believe in myths if – and only if – we can extract a moral lesson that will make us better citizens and/or neighbors – moral lessons derived from fables like, for instance, the tortoise and the hare, Brer Rabbit begging not to be thrown into the briar patch or, dare I say, even Jesus’ parables. But don’t be hoodwinked by a culture of well-intentioned people who indoctrinated us as children to believe in the unbelievable. Icarus did NOT fly too close to the sun and Jonah did NOT live for three days and nights inside a great fish. Often it is easy to be ignorant of your own ignorance.
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