[ Author Index | Subject Index ]
The Modern Library contains material written during or after 1970, which tends to be more scholarly than Kiosk material.
Peter Kirby Tomb Introduction
Introduction to the Issue There is a longstanding debate over the historicity of the empty tomb of Jesus. Because many competent critics do not think that the historical evidence justifies belief in the empty tomb, it is fair to say that scholarship is divided on this point.[1] At the same time, many critics do accept […]
Quentin Smith Evil Laws
An Atheological Argument from Evil Natural Laws* (1991) Quentin Smith Department of Philosophy, Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH 45387 The following article was originally published in INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION in 1991 (Volume 29, pp. 159-174). * I should like to thank Keith Chrzan, P.G. McGrath, Susan Ament Smith and an […]
Ramendra Nath God Dead
Is God Dead? (An Introduction to Kya ishwar mar chuka hai?) Dr. Ramendra Nath Reader, Department of Philosophy, Patna College Patna University Originally published by the Buddhiwadi Foundation 216-A, S.K.Puri, Patna 800 001, Bihar, India Electronically reprinted here with permission. Foreword Preface Introduction "Is god dead?" This is the literal meaning of the Hindi title […]
Richard Carrier Addendaf
Bad Science, Worse Philosophy: the Quackery and Logic-Chopping of David Foster’s The Philosophical Scientists (2000) Addendum F: Hemoglobin Protein Specificity Richard Carrier Foster claims originally that hemoglobin consists of 574 proteins and that all must be specific, but later retracts this by admitting that only 516 are invariant, the remainder being neutral or […]
Richard Carrier Carrier Oconnell Carrier4
Carrier’s Closing Statement (2008) The Stronger Case Prevails I remain convinced. More likely than not, Paul did not believe the corpse of Jesus rose from the dead, but that Jesus left his corpse behind and rose from the dead in an entirely new body. Therefore, Paul did not need to believe the tomb […]
Richard Carrier Carrier Wanchick Wanchick1
Wanchick’s Opening Statement (2006) Leibnizian Cosmological Argument It seems reasonable to believe that every substance[1] has an explanation for its existence: it was either caused by something else, or exists necessarily (it cannot not exist). This premise is evidently more plausible than its denial, for if confronted with a new substance, everyone would assume […]
Richard Carrier Foster5
Bad Science, Worse Philosophy: the Quackery and Logic-Chopping of David Foster’s The Philosophical Scientists (2000) 5. Why Foster Needs to Take a Basic Statistics Course Richard Carrier Foster’s book is entirely dependent upon statistics, and his equations and calculations look impressive. But how he came about the use of them is a serious […]
Richard Carrier Improbable Crisis
Was Christianity Too Improbable to be False? (2006) [See Introduction] Richard Carrier 10. Would Groupthinkers Never Switch Groups? 10.1 Getting it Backwards 10.2 What Do Malina & Neyrey Really Say? 10.3 How Christianity Fits the Malina-Neyrey Model 10.4 Malina & Neyrey on the Role of Revelation 10.5 Lack of Evidence for Holding’s View 10.6 Conclusion 10.1. Getting it […]
Richard Carrier Improbable Women
Was Christianity Too Improbable to be False? (2006) [See Introduction] Richard Carrier 11. Did No One Trust Women? 11.1 No Evidence Women Were a Problem 11.2 Testimony of Women Was Trusted 11.3 Why Mark Places Women at the Empty Tomb 11.4 Conclusion 11.1. No Evidence Women Were a Problem James Holding argues that “if Christianity wanted […]
Richard Carrier Islam
Cosmology and the Koran: A Response to Muslim Fundamentalists (2001) Richard Carrier Muslim Fundamentalists are fond of claiming that the Koran miraculously predicted the findings of modern science, and that all of its factual scientific claims are flawless. There are two important objections to this claim that I will make, one pointing to a general […]
Richard Carrier Quirinius
The Date of the Nativity in Luke (6th ed., 2011) Richard Carrier It is beyond reasonable dispute that Luke dates the birth of Jesus to 6 A.D. It is equally indisputable that Matthew dates the birth of Jesus to 6 B.C. (or some year before 4 B.C.). This becomes an irreconcilable contradiction after an examination […]
Richard Carrier Resurrection 2f
This file has been relocated: it is now Section VII of Probability of Survival vs. Miracle: Assessing the Odds.
Richard Carrier Resurrection 3k
This file has been relocated: it is now Section XI of General Case for Spiritual Resurrection: Evidence Against Resurrection of the Flesh.
Richard Carrier Sup
Supplements (Bibliography of Skepticism in the Ancient World) (1998) Richard Carrier (copyright 1999) Supplements Sage, Saint, and Sophist: Holy Men and their Associates in the Early Roman Empire, Graham Anderson, New York, Routledge, 1994, 289 p. Annas, Julia, “Doing Without Objective Values: Ancient and Modern Strategies,” in The Norms of Nature: Studies in Hellenistic […]
Richard Packham Why
Why I Left the Mormon Church Richard Packham I left the Mormon church in 1958, when I was 25 years old. That was a long time ago: David O. McKay was the prophet, seer and revelator. There were only eight temples, and none of them owned a movie projector. Every ward had its own […]
Robert Oerter Rising Gods
Review of The Riddle of Resurrection (2009) Robert Oerter Review: Tryggve N. D. Mettinger. 2001. The Riddle of Resurrection: “Dying and Rising Gods” in the Ancient Near East. Stockholm, Sweden: Almqvist and Wiksell International. 275 pp. The idea that Jesus’ death and resurrection connects to a wider pattern of “dying and rising gods” originated […]
Robert Price Beyond Born Again Intro Html
Beyond Born Again Introduction To The HTML Version Robby Berry History Of The HTML Version I first heard of Robert M. Price’s Beyond Born Again back in May ’95, when Ed Babinski sent me a copy as part of a package of freethought literature that he wanted me to have. Ed is an outspoken critic […]
Robert Price Prophecy
Prophecy and Palimpsest (2002) Robert Price This article was originally published in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Vol. 35, No. 3 (Fall 2002). Reprinted with permission. Resurrected Texts In 2 Kings chapter 22 the priest Hilkiah sends word to Josiah the King, “I have found a book.” Hilkiah had been busy locating certain funds […]
Science Physics
Physics and Religion The Anthropic Coincidences: A Natural Explanation (1999) (Off Site) by Victor J. Stenger Stenger argues that the fine-tuning argument is flawed because it assumes that only one kind of life, ours, is possible in every configuration of universes. Stenger also provides a naturalistic explanation for the anthropic coincidences. The ‘Big Bang’ Argument […]
Testimonials Berry
How I Became An Ex-Christian (n.d.) Robby Berry I was raised in a Christian home for most of my life, but I never took it very seriously until 1986. I was fifteen, and I had joined a youth group called Campus Life (a high-school division of the infamous Campus Crusade for Christ) in February. […]
Theism Arguments
Arguments for the Existence of a God Apologists rely on a variety of arguments to substantiate the existence of a God, or to support the claims of divinity by a particular denomination’s founder(s) or for its sacred texts. This section contains material that confronts and rebuts these theistic arguments. Links below are to the most […]
Theism Christianity Ex Christian
Ex-Christians Books for Ex-Christians Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist and Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America’s Leading Atheists by Dan Barker Leaving the Fold: Testimonies of Former Fundamentalists by Edward Babinski Leaving the Fold by Marlene Winell Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell Farewell to God: […]
Theism Design Links
Argument to Design: Related Links Atheistic Teleological Arguments [Index] From the II Modern Library. Boston Review: Articles on Evolution [Index] (Off Site) Critiques, responses to critiques, and responses to responses, from Dennett to Behe to Orr. Design in God’s Creation (Off Site) This online creationist resource from the U.K. features ?? items such as “Creation […]
Tom Wanchick Critique Vuletic
Transcendence, Moral Facts, and the God of Theism: Critiquing Vuletic (2002) Tom Wanchick Introduction In a recent Internet paper,[1] Mark I. Vuletic has set out to show that, contrary to the beliefs of many religious believers, it is not the case that God’s existence is implied by the existence of moral facts. In this essay, […]
Unc
Miscellaneous The Celebrity Atheist List [Off Site] A collection of the names of notable individuals who have been public about their lack of belief in deities, as well as some who seem to be skeptical when it comes to religion but whose beliefs are nevertheless somewhat ambiguous. Famous Dead Nontheists [Off Site] A list […]
Anachronist Why I Believe 0 Intro
Introduction “Anachronist” This book inspired me to embark on a long search for knowledge and truth. I studied books on history, theology, and the sciences, researching many things Dr. Kennedy considered and many other issues he ignored; I examined some of his references; and I engaged in lengthy electronic debates with several learned individuals. In […]
Bill Schultz Persuade
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 […]
Charles Echelbarger Nonbelief
Review of Nonbelief and Evil (2005) Charles Echelbarger Review: Ted Drange. 1998. Nonbelief and Evil: Two Arguments for the Nonexistence of God. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. 403 pp. This article was originally published in Philosophy Now Issue 47 (August/September 2004). This Secular Web version contains minor editorial changes. Theodore Drange is one of a […]
Church State Scouts
Goverment Endorsement of the Boy Scouts Boy Scouts of America Practices Discrimination (2000) by Annie Laurie Gaylor (Off Site) Boy Scouts of America openly rejects membership applications by nonreligious parents and boys. BSA has never apologized for the pain it has caused youngsters who have been told “any boy can join,” then robbed of the […]
Dan Barker Kalamity
Cosmological Kalamity Dan Barker "Daddy, if God made everything, who made God?" my daughter Kristi asked me, when she was five years old. "Good question," I replied. Even a child sees the problem with the traditional cosmological argument. The old cosmological argument claimed that since everything has a cause, there must be a first […]