Religions are based in part on human beings making supernatural claims. But one of the monumental discoveries of the success of the scientific method was the reality that no one can actually demonstrate or verify anything supernatural. This does not mean the supernatural does not exist, but it does leave all religions in the same position of having to rely on semantic and rhetorical arguments to promote their different beliefs. This is also one of the reasons why there are so many different religions with enormous numbers of conflicting sects that are unable to come to agreement on any number of differing religious claims.
Most religious people base their faith on personal experience and the testimonials from fellow believers. But because such things are subjective to each individual, religions have tried to come up with other arguments called apologetics to try and convince non-believers that their religious claims are objectively true.
Why does a Humanist website need an apologetics section?
For those who think that people are more important than the beliefs they have, getting along with others who disagree with you is not a serious problem. We can join forces in our common interests and help each other make the world a better place for everyone. We can agree to disagree on subjects that are based on opinions and personal views.
But for many fundamentalist religious groups who think that beliefs are more important than people, dealing with others who disagree with their theological views is a dramatically different reality. For those who become convinced that people who die without having discovered the “one true version of the one true religion” will be tortured in some massive supernatural dungeon after death, the need to convince non-believers that their religious beliefs are true can be overwhelming.
One unfortunate consequence of this mindset for many fundamentalist believers is the rationalization, either intentionally or unintentionally, of engaging in misleading and misinformed slanderous attacks on anyone or anything perceived to be opposed to the goal of convincing others that their religious beliefs are true.
The apologetics section of this website is meant to provide quick and simple explanations for some of the more common apologetics arguments that often misrepresent and misinform people about a humanistic morality and scientific understanding of the natural world.