[ Author Index | Subject Index ]
The Modern Library contains material written during or after 1970, which tends to be more scholarly than Kiosk material.
Gerald Larue Otll Chap7
Old Testament Life and Literature (1968) Gerald A. Larue Chapter 7 – The People, from the Early Bronze to the Early Iron Ages MANETHO, the Egyptian priest-historian of the third century B.C., writes of Egyptian history in terms of dynasties. Modern historians, without abandoning Manetho’s pattern, prefer broader designations of Protodynastic, Old, Middle and […]
Graham Oppy Davies
Professor William Craig’s Criticisms of Critiques of Kalam Cosmological Arguments By Paul Davies, Stephen Hawking, And Adolf Grünbaum (1995) Graham Oppy Kalam cosmological arguments have recently been the subject of criticisms, at least inter alia, by physicists–Paul Davies, Stephen Hawking–and philosophers of science–Adolf Grünbaum. In a series of recent articles, William Craig has attempted […]
Graham Oppy Rescher
On Rescher On Pascal’s Wager (1990) Graham Oppy [This article was originally published as “On Rescher On PascalÕs Wager”, International Journal For Philosophy Of Religion, 30, 1990, pp.159-168] In Pascal’s Wager: A Study Of Practical Reasoning In Philosophical Theology,[1] Nicholas Rescher aims to show that, contrary to received philosophical opinion, Pascal’s Wager argument is […]
Ilhan Arsel Din Adamlari Bolum10
Seriat Verileriyle Halkimizi Batil Inanislar Içerisinde Yoguran Din Adami I) Ka’be’deki Hacer-i Esved’e (Kara Tas’a) tapma ve seytanlari taslama gelenegi: II) Din adami insanlarimizi, “Sag’in sol’a fazli (üstünlügü)” inanislariyle yogurur. III) Din adami insanlarimizi “tek” sayilarin “çift” sayilara “fazl’i” (üstünlügü )” inanislariyle egitir: IV) Din adami insanlarimizi “Besmele çekerek is görme” gelenegine sürükler! V) Din […]
J E Hill Creation Debate
Should Both Sides of the Debate on Evolution be Included in Textbooks? (2008) J.E. Hill and Seth Cooper [Though originally published in the Spring Hill Review, subsequent editorial changes have been implemented by the Secular Web editor.] Background Letter to Seth Cooper: Should Both Sides of a Debate be Included Online? Response from Seth Cooper […]
James Still Institution Narrative
Library: Modern Documents: James Still: The Institution Narrative of Luke 22:19-20 The Institution Narrative of Luke 22:19-20 James Still 1. Introduction In the gospels, issues involving fasting, eating, and drinking plague Jesus. Just after his forty day fast in the wilderness, Satan tempts Jesus to turn a stone into bread (Mt. 4:3; Lk. 4:3). While […]
Jeff Lowder Jesus Resurrection Chap2
The Importance and Nature of the Resurrection Christians universally agree that the resurrection of Jesus is central to their faith. Popular apologist Josh McDowell wrote, "The resurrection of Jesus Christ and Christianity stand or fall together" (1982, p. 179). Terry Miethe, a Christian professor of philosophy at Oxford, has maintained that "`Did Jesus rise from […]
Jeff Lowder Jury Feedback
Feedback on Jury Several years ago, I idly picked up a copy of _Evidence that Demands a Verdict_. Even upon casual reading, I found McDowell’s scholarship inane to the point of nausea. It seems obvious to me that Biblical Inerrancy is an obvious fraud, and those who attempt to demonstrate it are not attempting to […]
Ken Saladin Saladin Gish2 Gish Assess
Gish’s Assessment of the Debate [Assessment of the debate from Acts & Facts (Institute for Creation Research), 17(8):2,4 (August 1988).] Auburn University Debate Dr. Duane Gish’s opponent for the debate on the campus of Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, on the evening of May 10, was Dr. Kenneth Saladin, Professor of Biology at Georgia College, Millidgeville, […]
Mark Vuletic Cataract
Cataract (2009) Mark Vuletic “I firmly declare,” averred the pious Dr. M, “that the existence of horrendous suffering does not count in the slightest against the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and infinitely benevolent God.” “How do you figure?” replied the skeptical Dr. X. “Think of all of the horrible things in the world we […]
Mark Vuletic Ntse
Methodological Naturalism and the Supernatural (1997) with post-conference notes (updated 4-7-1997) Mark I. Vuletic [The following paper was presented on Saturday, February 22, 1997, 9:15 a.m., at Naturalism, Theism, and the Scientific Enterprise – an interdisciplinary conference at the University of Texas, Austin. Please consider this paper a work-in-progress. Although its reception at the […]
Mathew Intro Russian
Я№хфшёыютшх Фрээрџ ёђрђќџ тћ№рцрхђ ёюсющ яюяћђъѓ фрђќ ёрьюх юсљхх я№хфёђртыхэшх юс рђхшчьх. п ёђр№рыёџ я№шфх№цштрђќёџ ъръ ьюцэю сюыхх эхщђ№рыќэющ яючшішш яю ёяю№эћь тюя№юёрь, юфэръю ёыхфѓхђ яюьэшђќ, їђю т фрээюь фюъѓьхэђх тћ№рцхэр ышјќ юфэр шч ђюїхъ ч№хэшџ. п фры сћ їшђрђхыў ёютхђ тюёя№шэшьрђќ я№юїшђрээюх яю тючьюцэюёђш јш№юъю ш фхырђќ ёюсёђтхээћх тћтюфћ; эхъюђю№рџ чэрїшьрџ ышђх№рђѓ№р яю №рёёьрђ№штрхьћь […]
Michael Martin Education
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 […]
Michael Martin Induction
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 […]
Michael Martin Meynell
Hugo Meynell’s Is Christianity True? (1998) Michael Martin In Is Christianity True? Hugo A. Meynell, a Cambridge Ph.D. who teaches at the University of Calgary, provides an affirmative answer to the question posed in the title of his book.[1] After a short introduction in which he gives reasons for believing in God, he devotes […]
Michael Martin Wittgenstein
Wittgenstein’s Lectures on Religious Belief (2001) Michael Martin In 1938 Wittgenstein gave a series of three lectures on religious belief at Cambridge. We do not have his own lecture notes but we do have twenty pages of notes taken down by one or more of his students.[1] Wittgenstein did not check their accuracy and they […]
Nontheism Atheism Confusion
Arguments from Confusion “There are two things,” your mother may have warned, “that you should never discuss over dinner: religion and politics.” Confusion about such fundamental issues as the nature of God or ultimate reality, the purpose of life, how one should live, what has been revealed to mankind, what constitutes right and wrong, what […]
Nontheism Naturalism Pluralistic
Pluralistic Naturalism There are two main kinds of naturalism: materialism and pluralistic naturalism. Materialism, or physicalism, is a “monistic” form of naturalism in that it maintains that only one basic kind of stuff exists–physical stuff. Pluralistic naturalism, by contrast, combines naturalism with ontological pluralism, the idea that there is more than just one basic kind […]
Paul Draper Intro3
Introduction to Section Three: Science and the Cosmos (2008) Paul Draper Sometimes philosophers defend conventional wisdom, but it’s always more fun when they challenge it; and that’s exactly what both of the interlocutors do in our third debate. Consider the following two examples of conventional wisdom about religion. (1) According to conventional (proreligious) wisdom, […]
Paul Obrien Gentle Atheism16
The concern I have about the preceding discussion is that it makes the nonrational aspects of our religious beliefs sound like these ideas that we just "shop" for or choose easily, as if beliefs automatically obeyed the will. But oftentimes it is not at all clear that we can just pick and choose certain beliefs; […]
Peter Kirby Tomb Dependence
Dependence on Mark We have seen that there is no mention of the empty tomb story in early Christian writings outside of the four gospels. This situation is made worse if the evangelists do not demonstrate any independence in reporting this story. This would be somewhat strange because, were the story historical, it would […]
Quentin Smith Causation
[This article was originally published in Philosophical Topics, Volume 21, Number 1, Spring 1996, pp. 169-191.] CAUSATION AND THE LOGICAL IMPOSSIBILITY OF A DIVINE CAUSE* (1996) Quentin Smith Western Michigan University 1. Introduction Some interesting light is thrown on the nature of causation, the origin of the universe, and arguments for atheism if we […]
Radio 2000
Produced for the Secular Web by T.J. Walker at TJWalker.com. § Infidel Interview with James Still Who are the Internet Infidels? Interview with James Still as president of the Internet Infidels, covering who we are, what we’re trying to accomplish, and our philosophy. [Listen] [Download RealAudio Player] Jan 31: Infidel Interview with Ed Buckner Ed […]
Addendum C: The First Life
Bad Science, Worse Philosophy: the Quackery and Logic-Chopping of David Foster’s The Philosophical Scientists (2000) Richard Carrier The following material was updated in 2006, in light of the publication of Richard Carrier’s article, “The Argument from Biogenesis: Probabilities against a Natural Origin of Life,” Biology & Philosophy 19.5 (November, 2004), pp. 739-64. An important discussion […]
Richard Carrier Carrier Oconnell Bios
Who We Are (2008) Welcome to On Paul’s Theory of Resurrection: The Carrier-O’Connell Debate. Here Richard and Jake explain who they are. Richard Carrier: Richard Carrier has a Ph.D. in ancient history from Columbia University. He specializes in ancient science and religion, and has written on early Christianity both online and in print. He […]
Richard Carrier Carrier Wanchick Carrier3
Carrier’s Second Rebuttal (2006) Wanchick Gets It Wrong Basic Argument for Naturalism (BAN) Wanchick thinks I “beg the question” when claiming scientific methods are the most reliable ones known for resolving questions of fact. Evidence of the superiority of science in ascertaining the truth in every matter of fact is so vast and undeniable […]
Richard Carrier Foster11
Bad Science, Worse Philosophy: the Quackery and Logic-Chopping of David Foster’s The Philosophical Scientists (2000) 11. Conclusion Richard Carrier Religionists are faced with the daunting sophistication, accuracy, and success of science, which can predict and explain everything it can study in terms so mathematically precise that nowhere can be found those ambiguities which […]
Richard Carrier Howto
What Do We Do When Some Theist We Don’t Know Sends Us E-mail? (1997) Richard Carrier The Basic Guidelines 1) Always respond. 2) If the letter was abusive or childish, politely but curtly say so, and that you wish to have no further contact with such a rude and immoral person, or else you […]
Richard Carrier Improbable Persecuted
Was Christianity Too Improbable to be False? (2006) [See Introduction] Richard Carrier 8. Who Would Want to be Persecuted? 8.1 Social Foundations of Martyrdom 8.2 Paul and Tertullian 8.3 Where Holding Gets It Wrong 8.4 Where Holding Gets It Right 8.1. Social Foundations of Martyrdom James Holding rightly downplays the issue of martyrdom, since legend and […]
Richard Carrier Indef 4e
Craig’s Empty Tomb & Habermas on Visions (1999, 2005) Richard Carrier [Part 4E of a larger Review of In Defense of Miracles.] The Resurrection of Jesus Two chapters are devoted to the resurrection of Jesus. First, Craig argues that Jesus was miraculously resurrected and that we can know this from an analysis of […]