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Category Archives: News
Reading Joseph’s Myth – Part 1
The Book of Mormon may be a tedious book normally, but AronRa will be reading it with commentary from hilarious critics of Mormonism – Brian Dalton, David Fitzgerald, and Jimmy Snow. Come join the fun!
See you Sunday, June 12, 2022, at 1 PM Central!
Why I’ve Cut Ties with Dr. Robert M. Price
In case you missed it: Derek Lambert recently announced with a heavy heart he was cutting ties with Dr. Robert M. Price. Derek’s courage gave me the courage to do the same. Why? I hope after you read this recent Facebook post from John W. Loftus and Dr. Price, and the responses from Seth Andrews and I, you’ll understand where I’m coming from.
There were many, many comments in response, but in the interest of time, Iet me just repost Seth Andrew’s:
If I may add to the conversation, hopefully constructively:
I’ve interviewed Dr. Price and was once an admirer. Then, I began hearing cheap-shot right-wing talking points, which only intensified with time. Antifa. “Hitlary.” Trump apologetics right out of OAN. Branding feminism as a mere man-hating “lesbianism” (his word). Advocating violence against free protesters. And constant dismissals of marginalized groups working for social change, equality, and humanity.
With such tragic positions (and an alarming level of petty schoolyard stone-throwing), Price’s antics threw his credibility on all topics into the grinder. I’m interested in mythicism, and I personally don’t know the answer to the mythical Jesus question, but given this man’s self-immolation on other critical issues, I can’t deem him – or his judgment – reliable. As such, I’ve looked to other sources.
I don’t know Derek Lambert well, but as a host, I completely understand his decision to remove someone he deemed in opposition to his values as a Humanist. If I had a co-host who’d slipped into the Alex Jonesian insanity of declaring the January 6th insurrection a “false flag operation” after the presidential election was “stolen,” I’d have removed his hall pass, too. The credibility of the whole platform would be at stake.
Finally, to be totally clear. Dr. Price isn’t a victim. He’s not an example of someone unfairly dismissed over a mere disagreement or a misunderstanding (and yes, those instances do happen). And as his social media accounts and broadcast channels can attest, he hasn’t been censored from speaking his opinions, however tragic they might be. His protests sound much like Donald Trump wailing about his deletion from Twitter over Terms of Service violations…and doing so with a global microphone.
This case isn’t Cancel Culture. It’s an example of Consequence Culture.
Do I hate Robert Price? Of course not. But I am fully in support of a host like Lambert withdrawing an endorsement and shoring up his house for the integrity of the channel and message.
Beyond that, I hold onto the hope that Dr. Robert Price will one day find his way clear of the bad ideas now grafted organically to his life’s work and reputation. I’m a big believer in redemption stories. In second chances. (I’m a redemption story, having once been a Fox News Christian.)
And I hope the tone of even our strongest disagreements can remain mature, constructive, productive, and indicative of the better world we want to build.
As usual, Seth has my respect and admiration for what he said. Here is my follow-up comment to his:
What Seth said, 100%.
As someone who has long respected. loved and worked with Dr. Price (and still loves him and has tremendous respect for him for his scholarship and brilliant biblical insights): No cabal of “woke scholars” is behind his separation from Derek and his podcast – like me, that decision was agonizing and heartbreaking – and necessary.
John, I do hope you’re not getting tarred with the same brush; and if you don’t know why Derek (and I, and many others) finally decided we could no longer ignore Dr. Price’s more extreme views, this may help:
For me it was listening to Dr. Price praising the January 6th insurrectionists as patriots who he hoped would start a new civil war, while arguing that BLM protesters were all anti-civilization rioters who needed to be shot on sight.
You don’t have to take my word for it:
I just want to repeat what Seth said here because it sums up my own feelings so well:
“This case isn’t Cancel Culture. It’s an example of Consequence Culture.
Do I hate Robert Price? Of course not. But I am fully in support of a host like Lambert withdrawing an endorsement and shoring up his house for the integrity of the channel and message.
Beyond that, I hold onto the hope that Dr. Robert Price will one day find his way clear of the bad ideas now grafted organically to his life’s work and reputation. I’m a big believer in redemption stories. In second chances. (I’m a redemption story, having once been a Fox News Christian.)
And I hope the tone of even our strongest disagreements can remain mature, constructive, productive, and indicative of the better world we want to build.”
I hope you’ll watch Derek Lambert’s heartfelt video. It is not easy to watch but explains why Derek, I, and many others have decided we could no longer pretend our difference with Dr. Price is just over simple political disagreements.
-D
2021 Recap: What has Dave been up to?
Three months into 2022 means my 2021 recap is that much overdue! It feels like I’ve been working and researching forever on the next books in The Complete Guide to Western Religion series — The Jehovah’s Witnesses and (working title) Sex & Violence in the Bible (and there are even more exciting developments coming; read on!)
So, what the hell have I been doing all this time?
Just like the apocryphal Chinese curse says, life during the global pandemic has been… interesting. In late 2019, Dana and I lost our house, priced out by the skyrocketing Bay Area real estate market, and on March 1st, 2020, after 30 years (to the day!) in our beloved San Francisco, we moved north with the help of wonderful friends and family to our new home in Eureka, CA, a sleepy little seaport town behind the Redwood Curtain—right in the heart of Bigfoot country.
Sasquatches aside, it really did feel like we were dropped right into a Stephen King novel: a big city couple and their tribe of 10 cats and a faithful dog moves into a spooky 130+ year-old Victorian house in a strange new small seaside town—and then the Zombacalypse strikes…
But despite the challenges of the move, making a living, and adjusting to the isolation of quarantine life in an unfamiliar world, we feel very lucky. We love this big spooky old house and are growing to love our funky new small town. Both of us found jobs at the local history museum (Dana as the Marketing and Events Coordinator, me as Concierge for the Eureka Visitor Center).
We’ve been through unexpected adversities; hardest of all, in August of last year, losing my Dad. On election morning 2016, he had suffered a massive stroke and was never the same again. I’ll always be grateful to my family and the caregivers who took such loving care of him for those last five hard years. Still, despite all that, we’ve been blessed with unexpected atheist miracles, too.
One of those came around New Year’s when I was beating myself up that the new Complete Heretic books were still not done. But then, during a podcast interview, when the host brought up everything that I had done in 2021, I felt a little less like a total slacker:
- Dana and I released TEMPUS FURY (!!!), the final book in our Time Shards sci-fi trilogy (More about that later—I’m so super proud of that series, and the critics love it too!).
- I wrapped up The Secret History of Mormonism series on Derek Lambert’s Mythvision Podcast, along with Naked Mormonism’s Bryce Blankenagel. We had originally thought it would be good for, I dunno, maybe 8, maybe 10 episodes—and then we finished up around episode 28 or so…
- I contributed the opening chapter (“Why Mythicism Matters”) to Robert M. Price & John Loftus’ newly-released anthology The Varieties of Mythicism. There I argue for the value of the ongoing Jesus mythicist/historicist debate for atheists (and Christians, for that matter!) no matter which side ultimately triumphs.
- I spoke to the fantastic students at the Humanist Alliance Philippines, International about Jesus – Mything in Action.
- At the Global Center for Religious Research’s International eConference on the Historical Jesus in July, I presented some surprising facts, not just about Jesus, but the founder figures of the other major world religions (and definitely stay tuned here for more info on that!).
- The next day I gave a presentation on the Evolution of Religion to Recovering From Religion Foundation (and stay tuned here for more info on that as well!).
- I was asked to become a book reviewer for the Journal of Higher Criticism; so far I’ve reviewed a terrific transcript of Bart Ehrman’s debate with Craig Evans (“Can We Trust the Bible on the Historical Jesus?”) – and a truly, truly horrible book on Paul by a midwestern philosophy professor grossly unqualified to write it. Look for sneak previews of these – and more(!) – on my Patreon page (see below).
- I launched a brand new podcast! The Myth of Jesus with David Fitzgerald is a monthly podcast talking about not just aspects of the Jesus historicity question, but all kinds of eye-opening topics of interest and featuring special guests. Joining me every episode are: Daniel Sanderson, author and founder/CEO of the science and philosophy media outlet planksip; and Scott Heftler, Ph.D. Philosopher at The University of Texas at Austin.
- As well as numerous appearances on various other podcasts throughout the year.
- And yes, still on track for Sex & Violence in the Bible to come out this year (fingers crossed!)
In case you missed it: I also now have a Patreon Page! If you’re chomping at the bit for news updates, sneak previews or postings of hard-to-find writings, and other special rewards – or if you appreciate what I do and just want to support my writing and activism, why not consider becoming a Patron? There’s no minimum, it’s a huge help, and you’ll get benefits, personal access, and incentives not available anywhere else! See here for more.
Latest News (March 2022): For now, here’s the biggest upcoming bombshell:
The twin topics of: a) the evolutionary stages of the major world religions and b) the dodgy origin stories of their founder figures have been brewing for several months now and I can’t wait to publish! The research will soon hit critical mass in the form of a book-length special report. I think you’ll find it as surprising and fascinating as I am…so again: stay tuned!
(Patrons, you can find out the whole story on the Patreon Page)
More to come very soon!
Join us!!
“The One Biggest Secret of All World Religions” Online presentation via Zoom – this Sunday, February 13, 10 am Pacific/1 pm Eastern Every religion around the world and throughout human history appears to be pretty much completely untrue—and yet, there is still a shocking commonality all of them share.
AFS welcomes David Fitzgerald, author of Nailed and The Complete Heretic’s Guide to Western Religion series—a writer known simultaneously for his light, witty touch and his careful, thoughtful scholarship. Host Ed Buckner says “Fitzgerald is a delight as a writer or speaker—his words pull you along, inform you meticulously well, and make you laugh aloud.”
Feel free to ask me or Atlanta Freethought Society for the Zoom link to the show!
brand new monthly show – Join me!
Producers and cohosts – Scott Heftler Ph.D. and
planksip founder Daniel Sanderson
NOTE: These events are pre-recorded but we will be able to take questions live and possibly talk about your question in the next recording.
David Fitzgerald has been called “one of the busiest atheist activists in the Bay Area.” In addition to serving on the board of San Francisco Atheists and CFI-SF, he has also been the Director/Co-Founder of both the world’s first Atheist Film Festival and Evolutionpalooza!, San Francisco’s oldest annual Darwin Day celebration.
In addition, he is an author and historical researcher who has been actively investigating the Historical Jesus question for over eighteen years. He has a degree in history and was an associate member of CSER (the former Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion). He lectures around the world at universities, churches, and national secular events, and also speaks to religious groups.
David lives in San Francisco with his wife—writer, producer, and movie actress Dana Fredsti. They have a new science-fiction trilogy, TIME SHARDS, from Titan books. David’s latest book is Jesus: Mything in Action (the follow-up book to his NAILED: Ten Christian Myths that Show Jesus Never Existed at All) and the newest addition to his new series, The Complete Heretic’s Guide to Western Religion.
A Short List of Topics David is eager and qualified to Talk About: “Jesus: Mything in Action” Argues why the “Real Jesus” of secular historians is just as mythical as the “Jesus of Faith” – and why the argument matters to atheists, no matter if Jesus really existed or not.
“Sexy Violence! Violent Sex! The Weird-ass Morality of the Bible” IS every sperm sacred? Was Paul gay? Where’s MY concubines? The latest presentation from David Fitzgerald asks these and other important biblical morality questions. A hard-hitting and hilarious investigative report on how the Bible is even more twisted than you already thought (note: As you may guess, this talk gets a little racy & contains strong language) “The Complete Heretic’s Guide to Western Religion: Mormonism” – Drags all the skeletons out from Joseph Smiths’ closet.
David can also put together humorous and informative presentations on most of the other topics in the CFI Bureau Topics and Sub-topics lists.
Watch as David gives his presentation titled “The Ten Thousand Christs and the Evaporating Jesus”
Scott Heftler is a Ph.D. Philosopher at The University of Texas at Austin with specialties in Early Modern philosophy, Madhyamika, historical Christianity, Kant, and the Frankfurt School.Twitter; https://twitter.com/ScottHeftler
LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-hef…
Web; https://philpeople.org/profiles/scott
Daniel Sanderson is the Founder and CEO of planksip®, which has a registered Canadian trademark describing a methodology of promoting and propagating thought concepts and intellectual property for non-fiction authors and Academics. As a Science and Philosophy writer, Daniel is an active blogger, author, and father of two living on Vancouver Island. Daniel draws inspiration for his epistemological schema on topics related to Newtonian Giants, Artificial Intelligence, Free Will, Philosophy, Psychology, Mathematics, and Quantum Physics. Phrases like, “driven by Data and propagated through the Praxis of planksip®”, summarize his ‘modus operandi’ of Truth supported by evidence and evolution.
#GoogleplanksipTwitter: https://planksip.me/onTwitter
Facebook: https://planksip.me/fb
Instagram: https://planksip.me/Instagram
YouTube: https://planksip.me/YouTube See Less
Tempus Fury has published!!
Early Reviews
5 Stars “Dana Fredsti and David Fitzgerald blend together horror, science fiction, and a dystopian perspective for a riveting adventure.” —Seattle Book Review
5 of 5 Stars, and A+ “Fan-freakin-tastic! The world, the world, the world! So intricately pieced together in both a fascinating complexity, and a provocative paradox…It has everything you want in a book like this…If I could give a rating out of ten for technical set-up, I would give eleven stars… I highly recommend this book to all.”—My Book Abyss
“Dana Fredsti & David Fitzgerald blew me away with TIME SHARDS! A cool blend of History and Sci-Fi where I was able to really push myself with character voices and narration styles. This is one of those amazing stories you can’t help but read all in one sitting. It just grabs hold and doesn’t let go until it’s over.”—Aaron Shedlock, Voice Artist, Tantor Audiobooks
“I love this series!” —My Shelf Review
The Complete Series
CLICK LINKS TO PURCHASE
JOIN THE DISCUSSION!
HAPI – Humanist Alliance Philippines, International
Was Jesus Christ a legitimate historical figure who walked the earth (and then ascended beyond)? What do actual historians have to say about him?
The Humanist Alliance Philippines, International invites you to the second episode of HAPIstorya: Jesus – Mything in Action with historical researcher and renowned author David Fitzgerald on May 23, 11AM (GMT+8).
More details and how to register here: http://bit.ly/HAPIstorya2
Register now before all seats are filled! See you there!
WELCOME TO MY NEW WEBSITE!
We’re live! 🙂
During the pandemic, I have been hard at work on the next two books in The Complete Guide to Western Religion series: The Jehovah’s Witnesses and (working title) Sex & Violence in the Bible. Stay tuned…
In the meantime, check out the new documentary, Marketing the Messiah!