Update 7/25: Brain died of an apparent suicide in 2024.
This project by one Marshall Brain is one I have gotten some questions about, and because it offers nothing new we have not addressed before, I will offer some summary comments here, but those who wish to see a fuller response may resort to my parody site.
However, here are some reasons why Mr. Brain's project deserves no credence or attention:
- A repeated premise of the site (hereafter WDGHA for short) involves exegetical misreadings of passages on prayer (see here) which are read with exceptional hyperliteralism and absolutely no concern for their social, literary, and religious context, particularly that of ancient patronage.
- WDGHA's critiques of the Bible are exceptionally misguided; the most memorable for me is the wayward treatment of the "women keep quiet" verse of 1 Cor. 14, which Brain does not know is actually Paul quoting (and then refuting) opponents. There are also the usual already-refuted objections about things like slavery.
- WDGHA makes no use of and seems to have no conception of use of qualified academic or scholarly sources. Among the sources used to demonstrate Christian belief are such luminaries as Guideposts magazine and Marilyn Hickey. As bad as that is, The Da Vinci Code is in one place used as a reliable source of information.
- The bulk of arguments on WDGHA are emotional and not rational. There is no treatment of any of the classic arguments for the existence of God. Repetition is the primary means of argument.
- Marshall Brain is himself unqualified to address the subject; his education is in electrical engineering and computer science, and he is the author of popular books.
- Curiously, WDGHA contains several statements presently hidden in the background code. Many of these are insulting to Christians or else reflect a sense by Brain of innate superiority. Even several of his "open" statements, however, do the same, eg, he refers to his own view as "normal" and asks readers to "grow up" and "use their brain". This is certainly not someone suffering from a deficiency in self-image. In one place it is suggested that Revelation was written under the influence of drugs.
In summation, this is a remarkably ill-informed production for someone allegedly of such prominence. Brain is trading upon the goodwill of his other projects in order to promote a misinformed agenda.
-JPH