[ Author Index | Subject Index ]
The Modern Library contains material written during or after 1970, which tends to be more scholarly than Kiosk material.
Richard Carrier Improbable Responses
Was Christianity Too Improbable to be False? (2006) [See Introduction] Richard Carrier Not the Impossible Faith: Why Christianity Didn’t Need a Miracle to Succeed Now available as a book, fully updated and reorganized. This is the definitive edition of “Was Christianity Too Improbable to Be False?” Even better than online, improved and revised […]
Do Religious Life and Critical Thought Need Each Other?
Richard Carrier [The following article was originally published in the Fall 1996 issue of Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines, published by the Institute for Critical Thinking at Montclair State University (Upper Montclair, NJ).] William Reinsmith’s paper “Religious Life and Critical Thought: Do They Need Each Other?” was well written and very communicative, but I […]
Richard Carrier Ought
What an Atheist Ought to Stand For (1999) (Revised 2004) Richard Carrier A Justifiable Lament There is a common and justifiable lament that atheists are so preoccupied by naming and arguing what they are against, that people rarely hear what atheists are for. This is not only heard from the religious critics of […]
Richard Carrier Resurrection 2e
This file has been relocated: it is now Section V of Probability of Survival vs. Miracle: Assessing the Odds.
Richard Carrier Resurrection 3i
This file has been relocated: it is now Section IX of General Case for Spiritual Resurrection: Evidence Against Resurrection of the Flesh.
Richard Carrier Skepsis
Comprehensive Bibliography on Skeptical Thought in the Ancient World (1998) Richard Carrier (copyright 1999) This bibliography is not as complete as I would like. However, it does contain every reference that could be found in every relevant electronic database known to me (and accessible through Columbia University), including everything that could be found in […]
Richard Packham Jsmith
Joseph Smith as a Prophet Richard Packham The Latter-Day Saints (“Mormons”) hold as among the first and most important principles of their religion, on which all the rest is based, that the founder of their church, Joseph Smith Jr. (1805-1844) was literally a prophet of God, if not the greatest prophet ever to have […]
Robert Mcnally Challenge
McNally’s Challenge Robert McNally This is an experiment for Christians (or theists in general) who are in a crisis of faith. Perhaps you’re hanging around atheist areas of Usenet or the Web because you’ve begun to doubt your faith, and are hoping to find something there to push you one way or the other. Well, […]
Robert Price Beyond Born Again Footnote
________________________________________ 143 Beyond Born Again Footnote References Introduction Malcolm Boyd, Christian, Its Meanings in an Age of Future Shock (New York: Hawthorn Bokos, 1975), p. 70. Clark H. Pinnock, Biblical Revelation– The Foundation of Christian Theology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1976), p. 14. Carl F. H. Henry, Frontiers in Modern Theology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1968), pp. […]
Robert Price Price Rankin Price2
Closing Statement Robert M. Price Well, my presentation has not tried to promote a dogma, as some have heard. I think that may be a result of just sort of hearing what you’re used to hearing, perhaps. I don’t mean to preach any notion as infallibly true. I seek in any teaching I do […]
Science Creationism Gish
Duane Gish Duane Gish quote about ER 1470 (1997) (Off Site) by Jim Foley An example of Gish misquoting a scientist. Creationist Arguments: Duane Gish and Wadjak Man (1998) (Off Site) by Jim Foley Gish claimed that Eugène Dubois concealed information on the Wadjak skulls until 30 years after their discovery. Even after being shown […]
The Fool More
The author has requested that he be referred to as “Gaunilo II.” We have therefore moved his files into a new directory. The address for his files is now: /library/modern/gaunilo2/late.html Please update your links. Thank you.
Theism Christianity Criticism
Biblical Criticism Ancient Historical Writing Compared to the Gospels of the New Testament (2016) by Matthew Wade Ferguson Unlike historical writing, the New Testament Gospels read like ancient prose novelistic literature. Outside of Luke, the Gospel authors say nothing about any textual sources for Jesus that they consulted, and even Luke does not name, explain, […]
Theism Debates
Theistic Arguments: Debates These are formal debates between theists and nontheists on topics relating to the theistic arguments: Scripture, Miracles, Design, Cosmological, Moral, Transcendental, and Other. To purchase related reading, go to the Secular Web Book Store. See also Atheism: Debates Argument from Holy Scripture: The Barker-Horner Debate: Did Jesus Really Rise From the Dead? […]
Theism Moral Reviews
Moral Argument and Divine Command Theory: Reviews/Critiques "Why I Believe in Moral Absolutes" (1995) from Commentary on D. James Kennedy’s "Why I Believe" by Anachronist Anachronist critiques Chapter 7 of D. James Kennedy’s book, Why I Believe, which makes a "fairly good case, with only a few glaring weaknesses, for the moral system offered by […]
Timm Triplett Horner Triplett Triplett1
Debates: The Horner-Triplett Debate: Mr. Triplett’s Opening Remarks So I’m the local neighborhood atheist. And I think that the theists here tonight should worry too much about the fact that they have a local atheist but they had to fly in Mr. Horner from British Columbia. I think that in spite of the appearance of […]
Tyler Wunder Davis Refs
References Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. (Doubleday: New York). 1997. Bruce, F.F. Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament (Hodder and Stoughton Limited: Great Britain). 1974. Cavin, Robert Greg. “Is There Sufficient Historical Evidence to Establish the Resurrection of Jesus?” Faith and Philosophy, July 1995. Charlesworth, James. Jesus Within […]
Amanda Chesworth Pigliucci
Review of Tales of the Rational: Skeptical Essays About Nature and Science Amanda Chesworth Pigliucci, Massimo. (2000): Tales of the Rational: Skeptical Essays About Nature and Science. Atlanta, Georgia: Freethought Press. 255 pages. U.S. $17.00. Tales of the Rational: Skeptical Essays About Nature and Science begins by introducing the rational approach through the author’s […]
Introduction to Metaphysical Naturalism
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 […]
Cale Corbett Abington
Abington Township School District v. Schempp: The Day God Was Kicked Out of School Cale L. Corbett Dr. Lynn W. Turner Prize Phi Alpha Theta June 26, 1995 In February 1963, the Supreme Court of the United States heard a First Amendment case which would forever change the way Americans viewed the Court and the […]
Church State Prayer
School Prayer Perhaps no aspect of the church-state controversy arouses more emotion and discussion than the subject of prayer in the public schools. After all, public schools are supported with taxpayer money. What believer would want his taxes to support an institution that prohibits his children from praying? What nonbeliever would want her taxes to […]
Dan Barker Babinski Index
Ed Babinski [ Author Bio ] Brief Testimony from an Ex-Christian (1995) Babinski’s post to the EX-TIAN mailing list summarizing his own deconversion. Cretinism or Evilution? [ Index ] (Off Site) A periodical edited by Babinski on creationism vs. evolution. Does the Bible Speak of the Brain? (1993) If the authors of the Bible were inspired by an all-knowing God, […]
Dave Matson Young Earth Carbon 14
The following material has been taken from a sheet entitled Several Faulty Assumptions Are Used in all Radiometric Dating Methods. Carbon 14 is used for this example:, which was put out by Dr. Hovind. The Atmospheric C-14 is Only 1/3 of the Way to Equilibrium Radiometric Decay Rates are Not Constant The Initial C-14 Content […]
Dave Matson Young Earth Specific Arguments Bible Dates
Young-earth "proof" #29: The dates in the Bible add up to about 6000 years. 29. The biblical figure, unfortunately, is based on patriarchal life spans to which no right-thinking person could subscribe. You have to be pretty deep into biblical infallibility before you can make yourself believe that individuals once lived upwards of 900 years! […]
Dave Matson Young Earth Specific Arguments One Proof
Dr. Hovind: It only takes one proof of a young earth to decide between CREATION and EVOLUTION. This magic bullet mentality, the tendency to rely on a single, isolated argument to win all the chips, has gotten creationists into more trouble than possibly anything else. Unfortunately, Mother Nature does not bestow a little, gold ribbon […]
Debates Secularist Abortion Roth5
A Secular Case Against Abortion Closing Statement by Jen Roth Introduction I would like to thank Richard Carrier for agreeing to this debate, the Internet Infidels for agreeing to host it, and Amanda Chesworth for coordinating it. It has been extremely refreshing to participate in a discussion of abortion without being subjected to accusations […]
Debates Secularist Genetic
On The Issues Involved in Genetic Engineering: Genetic Engineering has been a hot topic in the media ever since Dolly, the cloned sheep, was successfully engineered. Since then we have seen a variety of clones made as well as several advances in medicine afforded by genetic engineering. The debate on the subject has brought a […]
Debates Secularist Sexes
On The Difference Between the Sexes: For centuries people have been studying the differences to be found among men and women and using their ideas for one purpose or another. What are the differences between the sexes? How deeply rooted are these differences? Evolutionary psychology looks to our ancestral environment to find the source of […]
Doug Krueger Krueger Mchugh Krueger1
The Krueger-McHugh Debate: Theism or Atheism (2003) Doug Krueger Opening Statement by Doug Krueger Arguments for Atheism In this opening statement I will explain how we can be justified in believing that god does not exist. I would like to thank the hosts of this debate and Christopher McHugh for making this debate possible. […]
Edwin Wilson Manifesto Ch16
CHAPTER 16 Six Years Later: A Call to Revise the Manifesto As we’ve seen, soon after "A Humanist Manifesto" was published in 1933, there were those who, for various reasons, wanted a revision of the document, and the call continued in the ensuing years. Dr. Charles Francis Potter, who had reprinted the manifesto in his […]