Some of you may have heard of the Alpha Course, a course of study to learn about Christianity.
CelticBear, an atheist, decided to take the course at his wife’s request. It might sound painful, but he’s been blogging about each of the ten sessions, so he has plenty of reason to pay attention.
The course is called Explore The Meaning of Life: The Alpha Course. by an English Anglican priest, Nicky Gumbel. Evidently, he’s taken this course, which has been around for decades, and turned it from being an introduction for new Christians into a study for people outside the faith looking to understand more about Christianity.
The course takes place at his church — they eat food, watch a video, and break up into small groups for discussion.
Not surprisingly, CelticBear is not very impressed. Here’s just one of his many rebuttals:
… from Nicky, we have this gem: “Everybody exercises faith all the time. Sitting in those chairs, you have faith they’ll hold you.” Name that fallacy: false equivocation. The kind of faith one has in the stability of a chair is not remotely close to the kind of faith needed to believe in an invisible disembodied intelligence that has a personal relationship with humans he blames for their failings despite him being their all-knowing/all-powerful creator. Wee bit different.
Has anyone else sat through an Alpha Course? I’m sure your thoughts were similar to CelticBear’s, but what did you think of the course itself? Is it a good primer for atheists? Is it completely a waste of time?
I’m sure he’d appreciate hearing from others who have already gone through this!
It’s Moving Day for the Friendly ..."
It’s Moving Day for the Friendly ..."
It’s Moving Day for the Friendly ..."
It’s Moving Day for the Friendly ..."