God in the CCU? A critique of the San Francisco hospital study on intercessory prayer and healing Gary P. Posner, M.D. [This article was originally printed in Spring 1990 issue of Free Inquiry.] The day of publication of the July 1988 issue of the Southern Medical Journal must have been one Hell of a busy […]

A Resurrection Debate The New Testament Evidence in Evangelical and in Critical Perspective Revised Edition*, 2000 G.A. Wells Introduction The Reliability of the Gospels The Question of Miracles Non-Christian Evidence The Resurrection in the Gospels Paul’s Account of the Resurrection Epistles and Gospels as Different Strata of Tradition Notes 1 Introduction In 1987 the New […]

A Reply to J. P. Holding’s "Shattering" of My Views on Jesus and an Examination of the Early Pagan and Jewish References to Jesus (2000) G.A. Wells   In the series ‘Tekton. Building Blocks for Christian Faith’, J. P. Holding has written a long article entitled ‘Jesus. Shattering the Christ-Myth’, with sub-title ‘The Reliability of the Secular References to […]

Earliest Christianity (1999) G.A. Wells   Professor G.A. Wells continues the debate about the origins of Jesus and the development of Christianity. Drawing on the writings of recent theologians and historians and alluding to his latest book, The Jesus Myth, he throws light on the early history of Christianity. [This article was originally published in […]

Life Is To Be Lived Now A Vital, Personal Humanism (1986) Frederick Edwords When one hears the word Humanism, one thinks of that philosophy spelled out in documents called “Manifestos,” a philosophy critical of traditional religion and which advocates reason, science, and civil liberties. What one too often does not think of is a philosophy […]

Ancient Stoicism And Rational Psychology Humanistic Ways To Mental Health (1995) Frederick Edwords “To be a philosopher,” said Thoreau, “is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. It is to […]

Getting Out God’s Vote Pat Robertson And The Evangelicals Frederick Edwords and Stephen McCabe (As published in the May/June 1987 issue of The Humanist, with additional bibliographic material provided at the end.) Being the year prior to an election year when the religious right seems to be gathering its strength to make a decisive push […]

The Promise Of Humanism (1989) Frederick Edwords Every religion has its promise, the special reward it offers to the faithful. Such a promise is often the main feature that attracts outsiders in. As such, it can become a primary selling point and motivator. The ancient promise of Christianity is eternal life in heaven. I can […]

The Humanist Philosophy In Perspective (1984) Frederick Edwords [Reprinted, with minor editorial corrections and with permission, from The Humanist, January/February 1984.] Never before has interest and talk about humanism been so widespread and rarely has the humanist philosophy been so poorly understood by both supporters and opponents. What kind of philosophy is humanism? To listen […]

The Religious Character of American Patriotism It’s time to recognize our traditions and answer some hard questions (1987) Frederick Edwords In the last few years, we have witnessed a number of patriotic celebrations in the United States — celebrations that have taken on an almost religious expression. In 1976, it was the glorious bicentennial of […]

Creationism Is Not Dead (1994) Frederick Edwords In the second half of 1987 and the first half of 1988, “scientific” creationists suffered three major court defeats in a row, their most significant legal losses in a battle that has raged continuously since 1964. First, they lost their battle in defence of the Louisiana “equal time […]

Myth and Symbol in the Pattern of Truth (1994) Frederick Edwords The same myths, the same symbols, can have vastly different meanings at different times and places. Myths and symbols need not be viewed as unchanging. They might better be seen as vehicles for helping people understand and communicate new ideas. Now, when I use […]

Visit the Birthplace of Robert G. Ingersoll (1993) Frederick Edwords After years of planning and restoration, the Robert G. Ingersoll Birthplace Museum opened its doors to the public on June 2, 1993. It is now regularly open to receive visitors June through October. The hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday, Noon to 5:00 PM. […]

Humanism, Reason, and the Arts (1992) Frederick Edwords [This is the text of a talk presented to various audiences in the 1990s. Its author was at the time executive director of the American Humanist Association.] We are the music-makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams, Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams; […]

What Is Humanism? Frederick Edwords What is humanism? The sort of answer you will get to that question depends on what sort of humanist you ask! The word “humanism” has a number of meanings, and because authors and speakers often don’t clarify which meaning they intend, those trying to explain humanism can easily become a […]

Freethought Challenges Of The ’90s (1992) Frederick Edwords We live in a period of rapid technological and social change unparalleled in the history of the world. A significant number of trends, developments, and scientific discoveries have converged to create a situation today that many find confusing, others find threatening, and some even find thrilling. Whether […]

Dealing With “Scientific” Creationists (1994) Frederick Edwords An effective response to the political, social, and educational aspirations of so-called “scientific” creationists requires first an understanding of the creation model and of creationist aims. Only with this knowledge can one have some chance of success. One should, in fact, go to great lengths to avoid misrepresenting […]

Is Creationism Science? Jim Bleikamp, host: I would suspect that a few fireworks may find their way into the skies over us in the next hour – if I might be permitted that prediction. We’re going to talk about one of those subjects that keeps coming up again and again and again, no matter how […]

APPENDIX A ICR EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY [Reprinted from pages 12-15 of the 1985-1987 Graduate School Catalog, Institute for Creation Research, 10946 Woodside Ave. N., Santee, CA 92021] The programs and curricula of the Graduate School, as well as the activities of other ICR divisions, while similar in factual content to those of other graduate colleges, are […]

The Ambiguity of Rabbinical Thought Frank S. Palmisano III [Editor’s note: The author wants to make known that he no longer holds the views and opinions expressed herein in any meaningful, personal context. He feels “the need to distance himself from these views as such, and to communicate that he no longer identifies with them […]

Justified Faith or Emotionalism: The Christian Prerogative on Authority, Conversion, and Spirituality (1998) Frank S. Palmisano III [Editor’s note: The author wants to make known that he no longer holds the views and opinions expressed herein in any meaningful, personal context. He feels “the need to distance himself from these views as such, and to […]

Review of Geoffrey Scarre’s Utilitarianism (1997) Finngeir Hiorth   Geoffrey Scarre: Utilitarianism Routledge, 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE and 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001, 1996, 225 pp., bibliography, index, paperb., ISBN 0-415-12197-3. This is an excellent introduction to and survey of utilitarianism, an important current in contemporary ethical theory. The […]

Review of Jenny Teichman Social Ethics: A Student’s Guide (1997) Finngeir Hiorth   Teichman, Jenny: Social Ethics, A Student’s Guide, Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford 0X4 1JF, UK, and 238 Main Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02142, USA, paperback, 193 pp., glossary, bibliography, index.   In the preface of this book Jenny Teichman, a philosopher and […]

Review of J.J.C. Smart & J.J. Haldane, Atheism and Theism (1997) Finngeir Hiorth   Smart, J.J.C. & J.J. Haldane: Atheism and Theism, Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford 0X4 1JF, UK, and 238 Main Street, Cambridge, Mass., 02142. USA, 232 PP., bibliography, index, paperback.   In a review dated 4 April 1997 and entitled “Introduction […]

Secularism in New Zealand (1998) Finngeir Hiorth   Cooke, Bill (1998) Heathen in Godzone. Seventy Years of Rationalism in New Zealand, New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists, 64 Symonds Street, Auckland 1001, New Zealand, 240 pp., appendices, bibliography, other sources, index. Price paperback $NZ 34.95 + postage. This book gives introduction to and survey […]

Church and State in Norway (1997) Finngeir Hiorth   The present Norwegian state church system goes back to 1536 when the Reformation in Europe led to the establishment of Lutheranism in Norway. The Norwegian Lutheran State Church, often simply called the Norwegian Church, is led by and largely financed by the state. In practice the […]

Review of Tony Davies’ Humanism (1997) Finngeir Hiorth   Davies, Tony (1997) Humanism, Routledge, 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE and 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001, 152 pp., bibliography, index, paperback GBP 6.99, hardback also available. Anybody who knows anything at all about humanism knows that there are many humanisms. So […]

Imaginative Atheism (1997) Finngeir Hiorth   Michael Martin: The Big Domino in the Sky and Other Atheistic Tales, Prometheus Books, 59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, New York 14228-2197, U.S.A., 1996, paperback, 244 pp.   With his massive book Atheism, a Philosophical Justification (Temple Univ. Press, Philadelphia 1990, 541 pp.) Michael Martin established himself as a […]

Cosmology for Beginners Finngeir Hiorth   1) Felix Pirani and Christine Roche: The Universe for Beginners, Icon Books, 52 High Street, Trumpington, Cambridge CB2 2LS, UK, 1993, reprinted 1996, 174 pp., paperback, notes, references, glossary, biographical index, bibliography. 2) J. P. McEvoy and Oscar Zarate: Stephen Hawking for Beginners, Icon Books, 1995, 175 pp., paperback, […]