I’ve now added my popular course “Counter-Apologetics: Learning the Best Ways to Refute Arguments for God” to my monthly roster. You can register now and join us starting next week or any subsequent month. (Among any of my Ten Courses in philosophy and history you can take in any month as well or instead.)

This course includes special advice on arguing against Islam as well as both liberal and conservative Christianity, tips and tactics of in-person and online argument and debate, the most effective way to frame ten key arguments for atheism so that theists can’t get around them (without looking silly), and a whole lot else. It’s affordable and has no scheduled events; it’s all learn-at-your-own-pace and ask-all-the-questions-you-want, and you can participate as much or as little as you like.

So join us! Register (using the method below). Then purchase the course text, Malcolm Murray’s The Atheist’s Primer, at Google Play or Amazon (the digital version is probably best until the present pandemic lets up and manufacturing resumes; print copies might not be available this June).

Let anyone else know who you think might also be interested in this!

Benefits of the Course

Learn how to most effectively dismantle Christian and Islamic apologetics in the public arena from Dr. Richard Carrier, a published historian and philosopher with a decade of experience in formal and informal debate, cross-media counter-apologetics, and the history and philosophy of religion and naturalism. You will consult targeted readings, answer challenge questions, engage in moderated discussions, and you can ask all the questions you’ve ever wanted about this subject and get answers from an experienced pro.

There are many benefits to taking this course. You can improve your ability to inoculate fence-sitters and the misled by debunking bogus or trick claims (so you can be your own Snopes); to discredit the dishonest authorities believers rely upon (thus embarrassing or shocking them into no longer trusting the untrustworthy); to concisely take-down arguments and claims in a way that maximizes cognitive dissonance; and to get a believer to rethink how they think about their own arguments and claims.

I will also be discussing tactics and advice for engaging both formal and informal debates, based on my extensive experience with both.

New Method of Registering

I am moving all my online courses to a Google Groups platform. They will be more affordable, and any class can be taken in any future month you like, not just this June. I will gradually set things up so any of my ten standard courses will be available in any month. Courses will always start the first of the month and end at the close of that month.

For this June—starting Monday, although you can join in and catch up anytime during the first ten days—only five courses are on the roster (follow the links to explore each): Historical Methods for Everyone, the Science & Philosophy of Free Will, Moral Reasoning from Theory to Practice, and Developing & Defending Naturalism as a Worldview, and now Christian & Islamic Counter-Apologetics.

Registration for any single one-month course is only $49. Every course also requires you purchase a single course text, in either print or digital format, which you should give yourself plenty of time to receive before starting the course. The required text is explained in each course description. For Counter-Apologetics, it’s Dr. Malcolm Murray’s The Atheist’s Primer (Broadview Press 2010), available on Amazon and Google Play.

Additional course readings will be provided for free, including special lectures on tactics of debate, the cognitive science of persuasion, the goals and aims of counter-apologetics, and how to understand and covertly deploy Bayesian counter-apologetics to confound and disturb the defenders of religion (and without even using math).

Students will require a Google Account (creating one is free and easy and has many other uses) and must pay the registration fee using my PayPal portal (you don’t need a PayPal account; any suitable credit or bank card will do). After paying the $49, email me with a note that you’ve paid and what for (which month and course; you can choose to start in any future month, any course I am offering; remember to also get the course text, per above). In that email please provide me the same name you used with PayPal, and your Google Account email address, so I can invite you into the course forum. You will be sent that invite by email on or before the first of the month you chose.

Then participate as much or as little as you like! Read the assigned course materials each week, answer the forum challenge questions, and post any questions or challenges you have on the subject. I’ll provide serious and attentive answers and assessments and continue to engage with you as much as you need throughout the month.

Also consider registering for any other of the several courses on my roster—this next or any future month, and the following is just a sample of all ten:

• Historical Methods for Everyone
• Science & Philosophy of Free Will
• Moral Reasoning from Theory to Practice
• Developing & Defending Naturalism as a Worldview

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