Better Know a Lobby: Atheism

August 28, 2008 on The Colber Report
With Lori Lipman Brown of the Secular Coalition for America

Islam's war on freedom

by Pat Condell

Bart Ehrman vs. William Lane Craig

Is There Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus?
On March 28, 2006, Dr. Craig, Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California, and Dr. Ehrman, James A. Gray Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, debated the status of the Christian claim to Jesus' resurrection from the perspective of historical data. The debate was sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture and the Campus Christian Fellowship.
Transcript (pdf)

God Only SEEMS Nonexistent!

by Edward Current

MythBusters: Does God Exist?

by Comedy Inc.

The Rapture Right: Boycott Religulous 2.0

by The Rapture Right
See also:
The Rapture Right: Boycott Religulous
(Thanks Deborah)

D'Souza vs. Hitchens | Freedom Fest 2008

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Dinesh D'Souza and Christopher Hitchens go at it again at the 2008 Freedom Fest as the "Main Event".

'Waffle Bike' with Call to Prayer System

Waffle Bike is a fully weaponized waffle making device complete with call to prayer public address system.

Film by Tom Sachs & Neistat Brothers. Editing by Brett Jutkiewicz.

Atheists: The Last Political Outcasts

From The Washington Post by Sally Quinn:

Bob Tiernan is an agnostic. "I'm not a hard-core atheist", he says. He was raised a Catholic and went to Jesuit College and law school. He is a practicing lawyer who specializes in issues involving separation of church and state. He is also a Democrat. This week he was in Denver to protest what he sees as the dangerous mixing of religion and politics, and the sad exlusion of non-believers in a party known for its inclusiveness.

On Sunday, Tiernan attended the first event at the Democratic National Convention, an Interfaith Gathering attended by some 2,000 people at the Colorado Convention Center. Speaking were distinguished priests, rabbis, imams and religion scholars. "I sat through, I guess I'd have to call it, a service," says Tiernan. "People were responding in unison. In the middle, Leah Daughtry (a pastor and CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee) spoke and said that despite what the media says, Democrats are people of faith."

Tiernan says he couldn't stand it any more. "I stood up and said, 'I'm a democrat but I'm not a person of faith.' I said, 'This looks like a church service to me and I never thought I would see the Democrats doing something like this." At that point, the police came and escorted Tiernan from the hall. They told him he could leave or stay and see what the Democrats wanted to do with him, so he stayed but nobody did anything so he left.

"The thing is," says Tiernan with a chuckle, "I'm not a career protester. I just don't like religion mixed with politics. It's wrong and it's dangerous." Read more

Note: This article is linking to us! Thanks Sally!
Picture by PJ Hanley

CNN: Jesus on a Moth

August 28, 2008

A Texas man has found the image of Jesus on the wings of a moth.

The History of the Devil

The idea of God's evil enemy has been around for thousands of years & it's still as powerful as ever. Where did Satan's story begin, where did he come from & how did he become the Prince of Darkness? This documentary seeks to answer these questions.

Also available on Youtube
(via Mindusion)

Czech Republic: The Church of Bones

The remains of over 40,000 people provide the 'unusual' decoration for Bohemia's most notorious church.

The bones grace the walls, ceilings and floors. "It looks to me like a scene from a horror movie -- but it is very nice," comments one visitor. The decor was inspired by the need to address overcrowding in the cemetery during the 19th century. Townsfolk see the church as a place of worship but detractors say the dead should be left to rest in peace -- not pieces.

Fred Phelps: Obama Biden Laden

Upright Citizen's Brigade: Christian Camp Counselor

Bill Maher at the DNC

August 25, 2008 on MSNBC

Penn Jillette on Headline News with Glenn Beck

August 25, 2008 on CNN

In a segment on global warming titled "Not easy being green", Glenn Beck introduces Penn Jillette as an author, illusionist, libertarian, and "a guy that looks suspiciously like Satan, if there was Satan".

Sunday Heroes: The Last Supper

(via Pharyngula)

The History Of Xenu, As Explained By L. Ron Hubbard

Link (Audio)
From Gawker:

Most of what we know about Scientology's "supreme ruler" we learned from South Park: 75 million years ago, the evil alien brought humans to earth in a spaceship and killed them; the psychic trauma of the event has affected us ever since. The Church of Scientology, embarrassed by the story, has always tried to hide its existence. Until now. The Church has been playing a cat-and-mouse game with YouTubers, getting it removed in many cases; we have the audio of founder L. Ron Hubbard explaining it all, his creepy voice sounding like it's narrating the weirdest Power Point presentation of all time. Link

Robot with a biological brain

From Live Science:

Scientists have created a robot controlled by a biological brain made of rat neurons.

The robot, named Gordon, is not exactly an Einstein but represents a remarkable bridging of the gap between biology and technology. Gordon relies a dish with about 60 electrodes to pick up electrical signals generated by the brain cells.

The brain drives the robot's movements.

Every time the robot nears an object, signals are directed to stimulate the brain by means of the electrodes, the researchers explained in a statement released today by the University of Reading in England. Read more

(via Doctor E)

Patricia Burchat: The search for dark energy and dark matter

Filmed Feb 2008; Posted Aug 2008 Link

Physicist Patricia Burchat sheds light on two basic ingredients of our universe: dark matter and dark energy. Comprising 96% of the universe between them, they can't be directly measured, but their influence is immense.

James Randi with Oprah Winfrey | 1980

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From the time when Oprah was co-host of the show "People are Talking"

Jesus in Rusty Sink

(via Doctor E)

Antony Thomas: A Question of Miracles

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Broadcast in 2001 on HBO

Large Hadron Collider Rap

Link
by Alpinekat and Will Barras

Christian Coalition's Ralph Reed Grilled over Pro-life vs Iraq

August 22, 2008 on C-SPAN - Full interview
See also:
FOX: Christopher Hitchens and Ralph Reed Interviewed on Jerry Falwell's Death

General Petraeus Endorses Evangelical Book for Soldiers

August 21, 2008 on Countdown with Keith Olbermann
*Title edit

The Most Amazing Bible Passages Ever!

by Edward Current

The Rapture Right: Boycott Religulous

by The Rapture Right
Thanks to CrucieFiction for the link

CNN London Reports on Honor Crimes and Forced Marriages

Take your god and shove him

With all due respect.

by Pat Condell

Bart Ehrman: How the Bible Explains Suffering

August 14, 2008

Bart Ehrman is renowned for his contributions to the field of religious studies, focusing on New Testament interpretation and the history of ancient Christianity in the first three centuries AD. Series: UC Berkeley Graduate Council Lectures

by UCTV

See also:
Dr. Bart Ehrman: Misquoting Jesus

Red State Update Meets the Westboro Babtist Church - Updated

*Updated with original video

The final chapter of Jackie and Dunlap's visit to Saddleback Church's Civil Forum on the Presidency in Orange County, California.

Buy the CD at RedStateUpdate.com
Thanks CrucieFiction

Godless Scientists Are Ignorant!

by Edward Current

Gallup News: McCain Leads Among Frequent Churchgoers

August 20, 2008

John McCain holds a commanding lead over Barack Obama, 53% to 37%, among Americans who attend church weekly.

Bill Maher on Larry King Live

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August 19, 2008

BBC Horizon: The Ghost In Your Genes

Link
Aired in 2005

Biology stands on the brink of a shift in the understanding of inheritance. The discovery of epigenetics – hidden influences upon the genes – could affect every aspect of our lives.

At the heart of this new field is a simple but contentious idea – that genes have a 'memory'. That the lives of your grandparents – the air they breathed, the food they ate, even the things they saw – can directly affect you, decades later, despite your never experiencing these things yourself. And that what you do in your lifetime could in turn affect your grandchildren.

This work is at the forefront of a paradigm shift in scientific thinking. It will change the way the causes of disease are viewed, as well as the importance of lifestyles and family relationships. What people do no longer just affects themselves, but can determine the health of their children and grandchildren in decades to come. "We are," as Marcus Pembrey says, "all guardians of our genome."

Thanks to Mike for the link

Q&A with Richard Dawkins after lecture at UC Berkeley

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On Saturday, March 8th, 2008, Richard Dawkins gave a lecture on The God Delusion during his US Tour. The event took place on the UC Berkeley campus in Wheeler Auditorium, and was completely sold out. A line of hopeful attendees stretched around the side of the building, waiting to see if there would be any 'no-show' tickets at the last minute! This is the Q&A session after the lecture

See also:
Richard Dawkins Lecture at UC Berkeley

Rick Warren: I Could Not Vote For an Atheist

August 18, 2008 on Larry King Live

Christopher Hitchens on Al Jazeera English

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August 18, 2008

Riz Khan takes a look at the state of al-Qaeda 20 years after it was founded and explores what the future holds for Osama bin Laden's operation.

Does al-Qaeda remain the primary terrorist threat to the US and the rest of the world?

Al Jazeera: Nigeria's child 'witches'

*Starts after 1 min
August 18. 2008

Human rights groups have warned that some chilren in Nigeria have been branded as witches or evil spirits and are at risk of abuse, or may even be killed, as a result.

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa reports from Akwa Ibom, in southern Nigeria on some of the children who have been cast out by their families.

CNN: No Credit for Creationism

(via RichardDawkins.net)

PBS: Lord's Children (Trailer)

Full program at PBS Wide Angle
Aired: July 29, 2008

The region of Northern Uganda was ravaged by one of Africa’s longest civil wars until 2006. For over 20 years, more than 65,000 children, some as young as five years old, have been kidnapped by Uganda’s anti-government rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and forced to serve as child soldiers and sex slaves.

Under the command of LRA leader Joseph Kony, these children have been terrorized into committing the worst atrocities, even killing their own families. Lord’s Children follows three former LRA soldiers who escaped from the bush and have since taken refuge in a rehabilitation center. WIDE ANGLE is with the center’s counselors as they help the physically and emotionally scarred children put their lives back together.

BBC: The Lost Gospels

Link
Aired: March 15, 2008 on BBC 2

Anglican priest Peter Owen Jones explores the huge number of ancient Christian texts that didn't make it into the New Testament.

Shocking and challenging, these were works in which Jesus didn't die, took revenge on his enemies and kissed Mary Magdalene on the mouth.

Pete travels through Egypt and the former Roman Empire looking at the evidence of a Christian world very different to the one we know, and finds over seventy gospels, acts, letters and apocalypses all circulating in the early Church.

John Cleese: The God Gene

John Cleese Podcast #32: The Scientists At Work

Delivered to you from a laboratory deep in the heart of Northamptonshire, England, a short lecture on God.

From JohnCleesePodcast.co.uk

CNN: Is Obama the Antichrist?

Aired: August 15, 2008

CNN's David Mattingly reported that a John McCain ad is fueling speculation that Barack Obama is the antichrist. CNN quotes one online poll that says 73% believe that Obama could be the antichrist.

From Raw Story

Richard Dawkins Lecture at UC Berkeley

Link

On Saturday, March 8th, 2008, Richard Dawkins gave this lecture on The God Delusion during his US Tour. The event took place on the UC Berkeley campus in Wheeler Auditorium, and was completely sold out. A line of hopeful attendees stretched around the side of the building, waiting to see if there would be any 'no-show' tickets at the last minute! There was a Q&A session that followed the talk, which will be posted to the site soon.

Camera by Josh Timonen and Wayne Marsala
Edited by Josh Timonen

From RichardDawkins.net

Countdown: Keeping the Faithful

August 14, 2008

Rachel Maddow talks to Rob Boston about the Saddleback Civil Forum.

Saudi Cleric: Nothing Makes Satan Happier Than the "Bikini" Olympics

August 10, 2008 on Al Majd TV (Saudi Arabia)
Transcript:

Muhammad Al-Munajid: how come modern sports – especially women’s sports – involve the exposure of private parts? It is well known that the Olympics – both in the past and the upcoming games... the world’s worst display of women’s clothing is the women’s Olympics. No exposure of women’s private parts on a global scale could make Satan happier than Olympic games that include women’s sports.

Interviewer: And in a scandalous manner...

Muhammad Al-Munajid: Yes. It is an enormous Satanic issue. Read more

Physicist Leonard Susskind Rejects Intelligent Design

July 23, 2008 - NASA Research Park
Full Program:
Leonard Susskind: The Black Hole War

Man asks people to pray for rain during Obama's DNC speech

Focus on the Family guy Stuart Shepard is asking people, in a video he made, to pray for rain on the day Barack Obama gives his speech in Denver during the Democratic National Convention. Shepard, a one-time TV meteorologist according to KOAA, wants it to start raining two minutes before Obama’s speech starts, and he wants that rain to be so hard that it will block out network TV coverage so no one will be able to see or hear Obama’s speech during the DNC.

(via Cynical-C Blog)

Marjoe (1972)

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From Wikipedia:

Marjoe is an 1972 Academy Award winning documentary film produced and directed by Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan about the life of evangelist Marjoe Gortner. Marjoe was a precocious child preacher with extraordinary talents, who was immensely popular in the American South. His parents earned large sums of money off him up until the point he outgrew his novelty. Marjoe rejoined the ministry as a young adult solely as a means of earning a living part-time, and not as a believer. The film Marjoe documents his last revivals before coming out publicly as a non-believer. At the time of the film's release he generated considerable press, but the movie was never shown in theaters in the Southern United States, based on the fears of the distributor over the outrage it would cause in the Bible Belt.

John Lennon: Serve Yourself

Shortly before his December 1980 shooting, John Lennon, a skeptic of organized religion, recorded "Serve Yourself", a negative response to Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody".

From Lyrics:

You say you found Jesus Christ
He's the only one
You say you've found Buddha
Sittin' in the sun
You say you found Mohammed
Facin' to the East
You say you found Krishna
Dancin' in the streets

Well there's somethin' missing in this God Almighty stew
And it's your mother (your mother, don't forget your mother, lad)
You got to serve yourself
Ain't nobody gonna do it for you
You got to serve yourself
Ain't nobody gonna do it for you
Well you may believe in devils and you may believe in lords
But if you don't go out and serve yourself, lad, ain't no room service here
...More

Debate: Hitchens, D'Souza, and Prager

Play all videos (15)
May 1, 2008

Texas Church Loses Fight to Change Name of Gay Street

Religulous: Low IQ Senator Doesn't Believe in Evolution

With Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas

WBC Church Set on Fire

See also:
Fred Phelps: George Carlin is now in Hell

"Atheists are immoral" - debunked

A common criticism of atheists is that they have no values, no moral compass, and a philosophy of "if it feels good, do it." But is that really borne out by the evidence? And, if not, where does their moral compass come from?

by Potholer54debunks
See also:

• Creationist junk debunked #1
• The Made Easy Series

New Ideas, New Fuels: Craig Venter at the Oxonian

July 30, 2008 Link

The man who mapped the human genome has a new focus: using microbes to create alternative fuels. Craig Venter, maverick biologist, wants to cure our addiction to oil. To do so, he proposes creating a designer microbe -- the heart of a biological engine -- from scratch, then adding genes culled from the sea to turn crops such as switch grass and cornstalks into ethanol.

This could prompt a major shift in the economics of the energy industry and in the process bring Venter to a secondary goal: showing the world he can be as successful as he was at sequencing human DNA. Venter, a former Vietnam medic, brought about a paradigm shift in genomic sequencing that has entered him in the mythology of science.

He wanted to play God, so he cracked the human genome. Now he wants to play Darwin and collect the DNA of everything on the planet. Venter has graced the covers of Time and BusinessWeek - The Oxonian Society

PBS Nova: The Bible's Buried Secrets (Trailer)

Premiers November 18, 2008 on PBS

In this landmark two-hour special, NOVA takes viewers on a fascinating scientific journey to the beginnings of modern religion. "The Bible's Buried Secrets" vividly recounts the saga of the ancient Israelites and digs deeply into both the Bible and the history of the Israelites through the archeological artifacts they left behind. The documentary focuses on the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament, as the foundation for the great monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. NOVA's producers worked with an international team of scholars and researchers who studied stories, examined artifacts, deciphered ancient manuscripts, and hypothesized how—in a time of human sacrifice, idolatry, and slavery—the concept of one God emerged. Read more

*CrucieFiction notes that Donald E. Wildmon from the "American Family Association" has already issued an "Action Alert" asking the congress to stop funding PBS because of this documentary:

The Public Broadcasting System (PBS), probably the most liberal network in America, will present a program this fall that says the Old Testament is a bunch of made-up stories that never happened. "The Bible's Buried Secrets" says the Bible is not true. It is scheduled to air on November 18.

Archaeologist William Dever said: "...It's (The Bible's Buried Secrets) designed for intelligent people who are willing to change their mind. …it will give intelligent people who want to read the Bible in a modern way a chance. If we insist on reading the Bible literally, in 25 years, nobody will read it any longer."

Among highlights of "The Bible's Buried Secrets":

• The Old Testament was written in the sixth century BC and hundreds of authors contributed.
• Abraham, Sarah and their offspring didn't exist.
• There is no archaeological evidence of the Exodus.
• Monotheism was a process that took hundreds of years.
• The Israelites were actually Canaanites.
• The Israelites believed that God had a wife.

See More

Religulous: Bill Maher Talks to Jesus

Bill Maher argues with an actor playing the role of Jesus at "The Holy Land Experience" theme park in Orlando, Florida.

Oh My God (Trailer)

In theaters Fall 2008

Directed by Peter Rodger and music composed by Alexander van Bubenheim. Shot in over 22 countries, Oh My God explores the different ideas and thoughts people from around the world have on God. Further information can be found at www.omgmovie.com

Ayaan Hirsi Ali on CNN: Muslim Women Are The Key

Play all videos (2)
August 3, 2008 with Fareed Zakaria

God Is Not A Jerk!

by Edward Current

The Tyranny of Scripture

by Pat Condell

The Stories of the Wives of Joseph Smith

From Youtube:

For more information see:
JesusNotJoseph.com
WivesOfJosephSmith.org

Is the Mormon Church lying?

The LDS Church lies by 1) not educating the common Mormon people about the nature of Joseph Smith's polygyny and polyandry, and 2) allowing gigantic "faith-promoting rumors" concerning polygamy to perpetuate, all to the benefit of people maintaining their belief in Smith as a prophet. More

(via Midwest Atheist)

ABC Nightline: Jesus of Siberia

Deep in the heart of Siberia's birch forests lies one of the largest and most remote religious communes of the planet. More than 5,000 people have left their families and their homes to move here and join the Church of the Last Testament, which has more than 10,000 followers worldwide. The church centers on one man. He is known simply as Vissarion, meaning "he who gives new life," or simply as the teacher, and he claims that he is Jesus Christ.

Thanks to Elie for telling me about this story.

NOFX: You're wrong

by NOFX

Christian Preacher vs. Muslim Woman

(via Friendly Atheist)

FOX News: Religion & Politics - Should They Go Together?

August 5, 2008

Father Jonathan Morris discusses the new campaign ad by John McCain that equates Barack Obama to a savior-life figure, and the controversy behind blending too much politics and religion.

See also:
John Mccain's "The One" Ad

Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture 2008

Link

Steven Pinker gives the 2008 Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture, sponsored by RDFRS.

From RichardDawkins.net

The Genius of Charles Darwin (Episode 1 of 3)

Link
Aired: August 4, 2008 on C4 | Episode 2 | Episode 3

As we approach the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, Richard Dawkins presents the ultimate guide to Darwin and his revolutionary theory of evolution by natural selection which Dawkins considers the most important idea ever to occur to a human mind.

In this powerful three-part polemical series, Dawkins explains who Charles Darwin was, how he developed his theory, what it is, and why it matters. He reveals how Darwin changed forever the way we see ourselves, the world and our place in it, and hopes to convince us that "evolution is a fact, backed by undeniable evidence".

According to recent polls four out of 10 British people still believe in God as the creator of the universe and everything in it. As a scientist, and Britain's best-known atheist, Dawkins believes that such people simply don’t know enough about the evidence for Darwin's entirely natural explanation of life on Earth – evolution.

Update [Aug 7]: Blogger was duplicating the post so i had to repost it. I apologize for the lost comments and to everyone that linked here.

Polygamist Gangsta Rap

Jailed FLDS Church leader Warren Jeffs attempts to demystify his much-maligned polygamist sect in this new hip-hop video.

by National Banana

John Hagee: Stay-At-Home Dads Go to Hell

Super Deluxe: Naturally Selected

A country song in which Darwin breaks up with Jesus.
Edit: Not from Godtube (Thanks Andrew)

Lou Engle on the Road

See also:
Lou Engle on Benny Hinn's Show

Jeffrey Goldberg on the Theology of Muslim Supremacy

Recorded Jul 4, 2008 at the Aspen Institute Link

By examining Muslim theology, Jeffrey Goldberg uncovers the root of Islamic extremist violence.

He finds much of the conflict arising from a "collision between theology of supremacy and the debased reality of the followers."

Richard Dawkins' face found on tortilla

From UnNews - August 2, 2008:

AREA 51, Roswell, Sunday (UNN) — A tortilla has been found bearing an image in the shape of the face of Richard Dawkins.

Atheists from around the world have united in claiming this as an important sign. "It's a sign of pareidolia, which is what it's called when you see faces in random things — clouds, the moon, Mars, tortillas. Truly, this is a miraculously improbable confluence of random chance."

Over 35,000 atheists and sceptics have flocked to the town, bringing photographs of sick loved ones so that the image of Professor Dawkins may have no scientifically detectable effect upon them. Atheist irreligious nonservices have been packed out with people coming together to fail to worship a lack of God. Sales are at an all-time high of "WWDD" bracelets ("What Would Dawkins Do?"), which atheists look at when confronted by superstition and irrationality. (The usual answer is "shag Lalla Ward.") Read more

(via DoctorE)

The Call USA (TV Ad)

Link
From Right Wing Watch:

The Call is a kind of youth-oriented spin-off of the Promise Keepers 1997’s rally on the National Mall that claims to be less about politics and more about “fasting and prayer for the benefit of the nation.” Of course, that claim is somewhat undermined by the fact that The Call first came to DC just before the presidential election in 2000 because, according to their own video, “the crisis was so real [and] we knew that the nation was a stake and the only hope was massive fasting and prayer.” And wouldn’t you know it, eight years later, just before another presidential election, The Call is coming back to DC. Read more

Church Pastor Arrested for Breaking into Home, Stealing Sex Toy

July 31, 2008
ABC News:

A Haywood County pastor is accused of breaking into a woman's home and stealing a sex toy and a bottle of personal lubricant.

48 year old Scott Murray faces felony burglary and larceny charges. He was part of the Pastoral Ministries and Outreach programs at New Covenant Church in Clyde for nearly a decade.

Thanks to Thad for the Link

Guy P. Harrison: 50 Reasons People Give For Believing In A God

Link | Download MP3
August 1, 2008
From Point of Inquiry:

Guy P. Harrison is a graduate of the University of South Florida with degrees in history and anthropology. he currently lives in the Cayman Islands, where he is a columnist and travel writer for a national newspaper. He has won several international awards for his writing and photography.

In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, Guy P. Harrison talks about his new book 50 Reasons People Give For Believing In A God, and details such reasons for god-belief as the obviousness of God, "playing it safe," the fear of hell, that belief in gods brings genuine happiness and comforts, and the fact that so many people are religious. He explores similarities between the reasons people give for their belief in Western gods and Eastern gods, and also similarities between the reasons people give for belief in gods and in the paranormal. He calls for a wider understanding of religion in general as an important first step in inculcating skepticism about religion. He argues that the reasons people proffer are often very different than the reasons theologians argue that people should believe. And he offers advice for what he thinks is the best approach for engaging believers on these matters of belief. Link

National Geographic: The Rivals of Jesus

Link
Aired in 2006

Info: Discover a lost chapter of religious history when we examine competing faiths and rival prophets that challenged early Christianity, including forgotten "messiahs" Mithras, Simon Magus, Apollonius of Tyana, Simon Bar Kochba, and Isis.