This podcast examines, page by page, the ideas proposed by Christian writer Ross Douthat in his book Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious.
In his book, Ross Douthat claims that religious belief in general, and Christian belief specifically, is the rational choice. Do his arguments hold up to scrutiny?
Why make this podcast? Well, not everyone believes. We want to know why Ross Douthat thinks that’s so terrible, and why he’s using his power as a member of the media elite to try to get everybody in America to believe the same thing.
Following Magical Omens Is Not Rational, Ross Douthat
Following omens is the opposite of building a logical line of thinking. In chapter 5 of his book, Ross Douthat is advising his readers to presume that they should choose a religious path on the basis of vague intuition, not by thinking about the choice rationally.