PHILOSOPHICALTOPICS Volume XVI, No. 2, Fall 1988 The “Inductive” Argument From Evil: A Dialogue* BRUCE RUSSELL Wayne State University STEPHEN WYKSTRA Calvin College   The following is a conversation between Beatrice Leaver, Athea Ist, and Agnes Tic. Bea and Athea teach philosophy–Bea at a Christian college, and Athea, at a large midwestern university. Agnes is […]

Some Questions for Duane Gish (1998) Brian Pietruszewski   [Note: The following questions were written in preparation for a visit by Duane Gish to Rice University. They are meant to be confrontational and asked face-to-face with Gish.] 1. Why does your web page tout “research” that attempts to dispute potassium argon (K-Ar) dating at Mt. […]

Turkel and the Trilemma by Brian Holtz [Editor’s note: This essay summarizes a long debate between these two authors, which is available at “Turkel Rebutted on Trilemma.” Robert Turkel does not include this link in either of his essays where he quotes Holtz’s edited responses. This is Turkel’s modus operandi: he avoids linking to or […]

The Compatibility of Naturalism and Scientific Realism (2003) Brian Holtz   In “The Incompatibility of Naturalism and Scientific Realism” (1998), the U.T. Austin philosopher Robert Koons argues that “Nature is comprehensible scientifically only if nature is not a causally closed system–only if nature is shaped by supernatural forces.” Koons’ fundamental mistake in his paper is […]

The Not-So-Impossible Faith (2002) Brian Holtz In “The Impossible Faith: Or How Not to Start an Ancient Religion“, Robert Turkel (aka James Patrick Holding) attempts to “explain why Christianity succeeded where it should have clearly failed or died out.” He attempts to identify a series of disadvantages that Christianity overcame and claims that it could […]

Secular Wedding Ceremonies (1999) by Bill Schultz The question arises, from time to time, about what nontheists can do if they want something more elaborate than a courthouse wedding, performed by some clerk, but they don’t want to go through anything which looks like its a “church wedding.” Well, there is an alternative, but it […]

Religion And The U. S. Supreme Court – Now by Bill Schultz Table of Contents Introduction The Legacy of the Founding Fathers The “Sleeping Dog” 14th Amendment An Era Of Religious Orthodoxy The Great Change The Changed Law Evolves New Laws Against Religious Discrimination The Modern Teeter-Totter The Law as Things Stand Now The Law […]

Religion And The U. S. Supreme Court – Cases (4 of 4) by Bill Schultz From 1981 through the Present Table of Contents   Main Text The Law as Things Stand Now Links To Supreme Court Opinions, Etc., Founding-1942 Links To Supreme Court Opinions, Etc., 1943-1960 Links To Supreme Court Opinions, Etc., 1961-1980 Links To […]

Religion And The U. S. Supreme Court – Cases (3 of 4) by Bill Schultz From 1961 through 1980 Table of Contents Main Text The Law as Things Stand Now Links To Supreme Court Opinions, Etc., Founding-1942 Links To Supreme Court Opinions, Etc., 1943-1960 Links To Supreme Court Opinions, Etc., 1961-1980 (this file) Links To […]

Religion And The U. S. Supreme Court – Cases (2 of 4) by Bill Schultz From 1943 through 1960 Table of Contents Main Text The Law as Things Stand Now Links To Supreme Court Opinions, Etc., Founding-1942 Links To Supreme Court Opinions, Etc., 1943-1960 (this file) Links To Supreme Court Opinions, Etc., 1961-1980 Links To […]

Religion And The U. S. Supreme Court – Cases (1 of 4) by Bill Schultz From the nation’s founding through 1942 Table of Contents Main Text The Law as Things Stand Now Links To Supreme Court Opinions, Etc., Founding-1942 (this page) Links To Supreme Court Opinions, Etc., 1943-1960 Links To Supreme Court Opinions, Etc., 1961-1980 […]

Religion And The U. S. Supreme Court by Bill Schultz Table of Contents Introduction The Legacy of the Founding Fathers The “Sleeping Dog” 14th Amendment An Era Of Religious Orthodoxy The Great Change The Changed Law Evolves New Laws Against Religious Discrimination The Modern Teeter-Totter The Law as Things Stand Now The Law on School […]

    The Epistemological Necessities for Persuasion by Bill Schultz 1. INTRODUCTION. Jeff Lowder recently circulated a draft essay entitled “Is a Proof of the Non-Existence of a God Even Possible?” In discussing the premise of that essay, it became clear to both of us that Jeff’s piece was centered on the issue of whether […]

O’Hair vs. Huxley – Appendix A The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia – Agnosticism ***The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Gutenberg Encyclopedia*** !!!Remember. . .the information contained herein is OLD. . .!!! *!!!It reflects the mindset of the turn of the last century!!!* **Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** **Etexts Readable By Both […]

Introduction to Metaphysical Naturalism [1] (1999) Understanding the Warfare Between Science and Religion by Bill Schultz Introduction Many people from both the communities of science and religion lack certain basic understandings of what issues truly divide these two camps. Among common people on both sides, the lack is endemic. And in fact, the dividing line […]

Understanding the Limits of Knowing Answering The False Claims of Creationists by Bill Schultz Table of Contents Introduction How We Come To “Know” Things Science Is The Organized And Methodical Accumulation Of Knowledge Why Science And Religion Might Disagree About What “Knowing” Entails Why Science Is “Biased” Towards Naturalism Dualism: The Essence Of The Disagreement […]

A Formal Justification of Agnosticism by Bill Schultz Introduction There has long been a trend among some strong atheists to savagely attack any who declare themselves to be agnostics. The usual mode of attack is to bifurcate the decision, claiming that if you fail to assert that God exists (and to thereby become a theist), […]

Were Humans Intelligently Designed? Science Says No! by Bill Schultz Table of Contents Introduction Why You Can’t Exactly Copy Christy Brinkley Electronic Chips: Design vs. Evolution The Human Genome Is A Mess Correlating Evolutionary and Geological History My Conclusion: Science Denies “Intelligent” Design Further Reading Acknowledgements Footnotes Introduction As an officer of the Internet Infidels, […]

Holy Trinity Church v. U. S. (1892) The following text is taken from the Supreme Court Reporter, Volume 12, pages 511 through 517, which reprints from the United States Reports, Volume 143, pages 457 through 472. As these are each over 100 years old, no copyright subsists in these materials for any reason, other than […]

At the Intersection of “Metaphysical Naturalism” and “Intelligent Design” by Bill Schultz Table of Contents Introduction God Is What We Define God To Be Dimensions Beyond Our Senses TANSTAAFL A Brief Romp Through Flatland Our Universe As Art Into The Extra-Dimensional Reality “Metaphysical Naturalism” and “Intelligent Design” Some Conclusions Further Reading Acknowledgements Footnotes Introduction I […]

Is God A Criminal? – Appendix A: Bible Citations by Bill Schultz Appendix A: Bible Citations I am indebted to Donald Morgan for his essay, Bible Atrocities, which summarizes many of the most egregious of the so-called Acts of God from the Holy Bible. I will select a few of those atrocities as the basis […]

The Essence Of Agnosticism by Bill Schultz The word “agnostic” was coined by Thomas Henry Huxley, and so there can only be one single point of departure for any discussion of the essence of agnosticism. That point is the definition of agnosticism chosen by Huxley himself: Agnosticism is not a creed but a method, the […]

McDowell in the Critic’s Den (1982) Bernard Katz [NOTE: The following article appeared in the July/August 1982 issue of The American Rationalist.] Christian fundamentalist Josh McDowell has become quite rash in one of his latest books Prophecy: Fact or Fiction. For he is pinning his whole faith in Christianity on the "historical evidence for the […]

Review of God and the New Atheism (2009) Bart Klink Review: John F. Haught. 2007. God and the New Atheism: A Critical Response to Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. 156 pp. The term “the new atheism” is used quite often lately to denote the current revival of popular atheism, especially […]

Induced Religious Conversions: An Affront To Hindus (2002) Balgrim Ragoonanan   After reading the Rev. Pat Robertson’s appeal for converting Hindus to Christianity, the information below was developed. It is most important for Hindus to respond with correct information when disparaging comments are made about their religious beliefs. Hindus must also be prepared to increase […]

Could We Survive Our Own Deaths? (1998) Antony Flew   Part I: The Great Obstacle (a) Could we survive our own individual deaths? Surely it is obvious that we do not, that we could not? For is anyone prepared to contest the truth of the major premise in that most famous of all exemplary syllogisms: […]

Evolution Science and Creation Theology Anthony J. M. Garrett 63 High Street, Grantchester Cambridge CB3 9NF England (This paper is dedicated to the memory of David Stove.) In writing an article on the theology of human evolution I must first declare that I have no expert knowledge, either as theologian or as evolutionary scientist (I […]

Review of The Ghost in the Universe (2005) Anthony Campbell [This review was originally published on Anthony Campbell’s book reviews page.] Review: Taner Edis. 2002. The Ghost in the Universe: God in Light of Modern Science. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. 326 pp. Taner Edis belongs to that company of skeptics about the existence of God […]

Review of Darwin and Design (2005) Anthony Campbell [This review was originally published on Anthony Campbell’s book reviews page.] Review: Michael Ruse. 2003. Darwin and Design: Does Evolution Have a Purpose? Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. x + 371 pp. Although there are still people today, particularly in the USA, who adhere to the biblical […]