The Transcendental Argument for the Nonexistence of God Michael Martin   [This article originally appeared in the Autumn 1996 issue of The New Zealand Rationalist & Humanist.] Some Christian philosophers have made the incredible argument that logic, science and morality presuppose the truth of the Christian world view because logic, science and morality depend on […]

The Martin-Frame Debate The Transcendental Argument for the Nonexistence of God (1996)   This debate is about Martin’s 1996 article, “The Transcendental Argument for the Nonexistence of God” (TANG), which attempts to reverse the claims of the transcendental argument given by presuppositionalist apologists. The Transcendental Argument for the Existence of God demonstrates God’s existence by […]

Does Logic Presuppose the Existence of the Christian God? (2000) Michael Martin   The Transcendental Argument for the Existence of God (TAG)–the argument that logic, science, and objective ethical standards presuppose the existence of the Christian God–has been repeatedly used by a small group of Christian apologists operating within the Orthodox Presbyterian tradition. In the […]

Is Non-Christian Thought Futile? Keith Parsons   Readers of recent theistic philosophers are likely to be struck by contrast between the sophistication of the logical machinery employed and the modesty of the claimed results. Alvin Plantinga expends vast labors of modal logic to argue that theism is no less rational than atheism. Richard Swinburne devotes […]

The Futility of Non Christian Thought Douglas Jones   Biblical Christianity, properly defined in terms of classical Protestantism, offers a radical philosophical critique of non-Christian thought. This Christian critique is radical in the sense that it challenges the very core of non-Christian pretensions and demonstrates that non-Christian thought, whether atheistic, agnostic, or religious, ultimately destroys […]

Is A Non-Christian Worldview Futile? Michael Martin   Douglas Jones’ “The Futility of Non-Christian Thought” raises important epistemological questions that both Christians and non-Christians need to address. However, as I will show, Jones’ argument for his main thesis that non-Christian worldviews destroy the possibility of knowledge rests on unsound arguments and confusions. In addition, it […]

Douglas Jones opens the interchange by sketching the argument for the Christian critique of non-Christian thought. Douglas Jones, an elder in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, is the editor of Antithesis and a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Idaho and Lewis-Clark State College. Keith Parsons offers the first of two atheistic responses to Jones’s […]

Jones Responds Douglas Jones   Apart from the more serious concerns, I find it quaint that both Parsons and Martin apparently hold to the notion that truth is in part determined by the number of pages one writes. Though my opening essay is directed to a non-technical audience, perhaps no such discussion need take many […]

Does Induction Presume the Existence of the Christian God? (1997) Michael Martin   [The following article was originally published in Skeptic, Vol. 5, #2, pp. 71-75.] Readers of this journal may have heard of the Cosmological, the Teleological, and the Ontological Arguments for the existence of God. Indeed, many readers will know the basic problems […]

Problems with Heaven (1997) Michael Martin   Introduction Belief in Heaven is an essential part of the great monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Famous theologians have written about it and ordinary theists hope to go there after death. Unfortunately, atheists have had little to say about Heaven although some atheist writings are indirectly […]

Patrick Glynn’s God: the Evidence Michael Martin   Patrick Glynn, a former atheist with a Ph.D. from Harvard, argues in God: The Evidence[1] that new scientific discoveries in cosmology, psychology, and medicine add up “to a powerful–indeed, all-but-incontestable–case for … the existence of soul, afterlife and God (p. 2).” Written in a breezy popular style […]

The Gap in Theistic Arguments (1997) Michael Martin   Introduction In this paper I will show that all the major proofs for a theistic God contain a gap. Even if they are otherwise unassailable, they fail to prove what they purport to prove: that a theistic God exists. As proofs of theism these arguments are […]

Friendly Atheism (1996) Michael Martin   Should atheists be friendly towards theists? Is what might be called friendly atheism to be encouraged? This question is not only interesting it is own right but has obviously practical implications for atheists in dealing with theists in our society. In this paper I will explore this question relating […]

Atheism and Intraorganizational Free Speech (1996) Michael Martin   What position should atheists take on freedom of speech? In particular, what stand should atheistic organizations take in regard to the freedom of speech of its members? Should they censor members who do not adhere to particular doctrines which, even if they are not entailed by […]

As Dr. Fernandes and I conclude our debate I would like to thank him again for his stimulating challenge to my position. Criticisms of Atheism As I have shown again and again Dr. Fernandes’ objections to atheism are based on either misunderstandings or question begging assumptions. Even though I have pointed out his misunderstandings and […]

As Dr. Fernandes and I complete the penultimate phase of our debate I would like to thank him again for his stimulating attempt to answer my criticisms. Introduction Atheism in the positive sense is the view that the theistic God, an all good, all knowing, all powerful being who created the Universe, does not exist. […]

I am grateful to Dr. Fernandes for the courteous tone he has adopted in this debate and his thoughtful attempt to answer my criticisms. Response to Misunderstandings of Atheism In my opening statement I said that Dr. Fernandes misunderstood atheism because he claimed that atheism is committed to materialism, epistemological relativism, epistemological skepticism, ethical relativism, […]

I am grateful for this opportunity to defend the position of atheism. I would like to thank Dr. Phil Fernandes for agreeing to debate me and Jeff Lowder for arranging the debate. Misunderstandings About Atheism Before I present my arguments I would like to clear up some serious misunderstandings concerning atheism. First, atheism is not […]

The big bang model and the second law of thermodynamics reveal that space, time, matter, and energy had a beginning. Therefore, the universe had a beginning. Dr. Martin has agreed with me concerning this premise. Still, he entertains the absurd idea that the universe popped into existence without a cause. Cosmologists who accept this idea […]

Introduction Once again Dr. Martin should be commended for the graciousness and brilliance he has displayed in this debate. It is truly an honor to debate a man of his stature. In his second statement, Dr. Martin accuses me of “begging the question” against atheism. However, he fails to understand that I am presenting theism […]

A Response to Michael Martin INTRODUCTION Before I respond to Dr. Michael Martin’s opening statement, I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Martin for his approach to this debate. I found his opening statement to be both fair and insightful. I respect Dr. Martin for his decision to attack my arguments without attacking […]

The Cumulative Case for God INTRODUCTION Before I begin my case for the existence of a personal, infinite God, I would like to express my gratitude to Jeff Lowder for arranging this internet debate, and Dr. Michael Martin for agreeing to debate me. I consider it an honor to dialogue with a thinker of the […]

The Fernandes-Martin Debate (1997) Opening Statement by Phil Fernandes Opening Statement by Michael Martin Second Statement by Phil Fernandes Second Statement by Michael Martin Third Statement by Phil Fernandes Third Statement by Michael Martin Closing Statement by Phil Fernandes Closing Statement by Michael Martin

Atheistic Education Michael Martin   [This article was originally published in The American Rationalist.] In discussing atheistic education it is necessary to draw a couple of important distinctions. The first is between getting someone to be an atheist and educating an atheist. One can accomplish the former in many different ways. For example, one might […]

[Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Darshana 10 (1970): 22-26. The page numbers below show the position of the text within that pagination scheme.] ________________________________________ 22 A Disproof of God’s Existence (1970) Michael Martin In this paper I present a disproof of the existence of God. Such a disproof does not disprove the […]

Davis on the Rationality of Belief in the Resurrection (2005) Michael Martin   Introduction From 1998 to 2000, I engaged Christian apologist Steven Davis in an exchange on the rationality of belief in the Resurrection in the pages of Philo.[1] Subsequently, I assumed that the debate had ended, but to my surprise Davis recently published […]

Copan’s Critique of Atheistic Objective Morality Michael Martin   Related documents: Atheism, Christian Theism, and Rape (1997) by Michael Martin “One of the more dramatic debating maneuvers used by Christian apologists against atheists is to argue that atheists can provide no objective reason for not raping people. This startling claim follows from the apologists’ wider […]

[Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in The International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 17 (1985): 185-191. The page numbers below show the position of the text within that pagination scheme.] ________________________________________ 185 The Coherence of the Hypothesis of an Omnipotent, Omniscient, Free and Perfectly Evil Being (1985) Michael Martin Department of Philosophy, Boston […]

Butler’s Response (1997) Michael Martin   Last summer I critically evaluated Michael Butler’s defense of The Transcendental Argument for the Existence of God (TAG)–the argument that logic, science, and objective morality presuppose the Christian worldview and his critique of The Transcendental Argument for the Nonexistence of God (TANG)–the argument that logic, science, and objective morality […]

Butler’s Defense of TAG and Critique of TANG (1996) Michael Martin   Michael Butler in a recent paper published on the Internet has attempted to defend The Transcendental Argument for the Existence of God (TAG) and refute The Transcendental Argument for the NonExistence of God (TANG).[1] In this paper I evaluate his defense and refutation. […]