[ 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 Rebuttal1
Rebuttal to Tomb Burial by Joseph of Arimathea In order to present the arguments for the empty tomb in a fair way and in order to comment on these arguments in full detail, I have chosen to quote and to respond to an essay by Craig in a manner made popular through Usenet and e-mail […]
Quentin Smith Logic
A Formal Logic Proof of Atheism (2000) Quentin Smith I (1.) An extensional analytic sentence is one that, through substitution of synonyms for synonyms, results in a narrowly logical truth, e.g., a truth in standard propositional logic. The theorems of propositional logic are not sentences, but propositions that are expressible by sentences. Proof of […]
Richard Carrier Addendah
Bad Science, Worse Philosophy: the Quackery and Logic-Chopping of David Foster’s The Philosophical Scientists (2000) Addendum H: The Reality of Viral Evolution Richard Carrier Richard Daniel has pointed out that the picture is more complex than this. First of all, “evolution doesn’t go in a straight line from simple to complex; it wanders […]
Richard Carrier Carrier Oconnell Jointstatement
What We Are Debating (2008) Welcome to On Paul’s Theory of Resurrection: The Carrier-O’Connell Debate. Here Richard and Jake co-wrote and approved a joint statement stating as clearly as possible what claims each intends to defend here. JOINT STATEMENT In this debate Richard Carrier will defend the thesis that the Apostle Paul probably embraced […]
Richard Carrier Carrier Wanchick Wanchick2
Wanchick’s First Rebuttal (2006) Basic Argument for Naturalism (BAN) It’s hard to make sense of Carrier’s opening argument. He aptly labels it his basic argument for naturalism (BAN). Unfortunately, its lack of depth apparently stems from his failure to justify its premises. P1 says propositions entailed by reliable methods trump those supported by less […]
Richard Carrier Foster6
Bad Science, Worse Philosophy: the Quackery and Logic-Chopping of David Foster’s The Philosophical Scientists (2000) 6. Why Foster Needs to Take a Basic Physics Course Richard Carrier On page 158 Foster demonstrates a very strange confusion. He begins with the seemingly innocent statement that in chemistry “the most economic and efficient processes are […]
Richard Carrier Improbable Critical
Was Christianity Too Improbable to be False? (2006) [See Introduction] Richard Carrier 17. Did the Earliest Christians Encourage Critical Inquiry? 17.1 Holding’s Bogus Evidence 17.2 Method as Revealed in Paul 17.3 Survey of Passages Relating to Method 17.4 Conclusion 17.1. Holding’s Bogus Evidence Holding claims that “throughout the NT, the apostles encouraged people to check” and […]
Richard Carrier Indef
Review of In Defense of Miracles (1999, 2005) Richard Carrier 1. Summary 2. What’s Good and Bad 3. The Philosophical Problem (a) The Shaky Groundwork of Corduan and Purtill (b) Nash on Naturalism vs. Christian Theism (c) Moreland’s “Christian Science” (d) Beck’s Argument for God 4. The Historical Problem (a) Beckwith on Historiography (b) Geivett’s […]
Richard Carrier Jacoby
Jacoby and Müller on “Thallus” (1999) Richard Carrier [This is a translation from the German, Latin, and Greek of Section 256 of F. Jacoby’s Fragmente der griechischen Historiker (Fragments of the Greek Historians, 1923–) and the corresponding section in Carolus Müller’s Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum (Fragments of the Greek Historians, 1840–)] The following is […]
Richard Carrier Resurrection 2g
This file has been relocated: it is now Section VIII of Probability of Survival vs. Miracle: Assessing the Odds.
Richard Carrier Resurrection 3l
This file has been relocated: it is now Section XII of General Case for Spiritual Resurrection: Evidence Against Resurrection of the Flesh.
Richard Carrier Tai Solarin
Tai Solarin: His Life, Ideas, and Accomplishments (1995) Richard Carrier The most famous and controversial atheist and secular humanist in African history (if not the only one of any real renown) was the Nigerian nationalist Tai Solarin, who sadly passed away at the age of 72 in 1994. I wrote a paper on Tai […]
Richard Petraitis Simbas Ninjas
From Simbas to Ninjas: Congo’s Magic Warriors (2003) Richard Petraitis In 2002, a lightly-armed band of Congolese rebels attacked a capital city airport in a desperate bid to seize a vital military target. They wore magic charms across their bare chests to ward off government bullets. A firefight erupted with the Democratic Republic of […]
Robert Price Apocrypha
Note: This article was originally published in the Fall 1995 issue of The Journal of Higher Criticism (Vol. 2, No. 2) and is reproduced with the permission of Robert M. Price. Because HTML does not currently support the Greek alphabet, we have replaced the Greek letters in the original manuscript with the English transliteration. Any […]
Robert Price Beyond Born Again Notes
Beyond Born Again Notes [Editor’s Note: These notes are taken from the cover pages and the back cover of the printed version of Beyond Born Again.] About The Author: Robert M. Price is pastor of the First Baptist Church of Montclair, New Jersey, having previously served as Professor of Religion at Mount Olive College. He […]
Robert Price Psychics
Did “Top Psychics” Predict Jesus? (1999) Robert M. Price Messianic Prophecy | Messianic Fulfillments | Proof from Prophecy? | What About Jesus? | Bibliography | Related Resources For many centuries, indeed from the first century on, Christians have urged as proof of their faith that certain aspects of the life of Jesus corresponded to […]
Scott Oser Hidden
Review of The Hidden Face of God (2007) Scott Oser and Niall Shanks Review: Gerald L. Schroeder. 2001. The Hidden Face of God: How Science Reveals The Ultimate Truth. New York: The Free Press. 224 pp. Introduction (by Scott Oser) Schroeder’s Arguments from Physics and Cosmology (by Scott Oser) The Argument for a Metaphysical […]
Steven Carr Non Messianic
Critique of Josh McDowell’s Non-Messianic Prophecies Steven Carr Related documents: “Prophecy Subject Index in the Secular Web’s Modern Library [ Index ] Links to various essays which address the argument from prophecy. “Exhaust Fumes (or Carr Repairs)” (Off Site) by James Patrick Holding Holding’s rebuttal to this essay. (Strangely, Holding does not provide a link to […]
Theism Bible
Argument from Holy Scripture Divine inspiration is often claimed for features of religious texts, constituting evidence of God’s existence or the truth of a religious doctrine. In addition to the articles below, see also related Debates, Reviews, and Links. To purchase related reading, go to the Secular Web Book Store. The Bible: Bible Codes [ Index ] […]
Theism Christianity Historicity
Historicity of Jesus Order books on Christianity now Beckwith on Historiography (Review of In Defense of Miracles) (1999, 2005) by Richard Carrier Misunderstandings of historical method are rife in Francis Beckwith’s chapter in the book ‘In Defense of Miracles,’ and these are typical of all modern apologetics. Historian Richard Carrier gives a professional overview of why […]
Theism Design Reviews
Argument to Design: Reviews/Critiques Behe’s Empty Box [ Index ] (Off Site) An index of articles, both pro and con, on Michael Behe’s argument from irreducible complexity and his recent book, Darwin’s Black Box. Critiques of Michael Behe [ Index ] A collection of critical reviews of Behe’s Darwin’s Black Box. A Critique of Michael Denton’s Evolution: […]
Theism Mormonism Mormon
Book of Mormon The Bible in the Book of Mormon (1999) by Curt van den Heuvel “The Book of Mormon was written by someone who either had a KJV Bible in front of him, or was intimately familiar with its contents. When we add to this phenomenon other Book of Mormon problems, such as the […]
Vic Stenger Otherside
The Other Side of Time (2000) Victor J. Stenger University of Hawaii In The Creator and the Cosmos: How the Greatest Scientific Discoveries of the Century Reveal God, physicist Hugh Ross gives the following “proof of creation”: “The universe and everything in it is confined to a single, finite dimension of time. […]
Anachronist Why I Believe 1 Bible
CHAPTER 1: WHY I BELIEVE IN THE BIBLE (Composition Argument) Dr. Kennedy begins his book with a chapter on the why he believes the Bible. I must say, a right proper beginning. After all, the Bible forms the whole basis for his beliefs; therefore he must establish the validity of this basis. Before I even […]
Andrew Moroz Incoherence Theism
The Incoherence of Theism (1998) Andrew Moroz A glance at the 1998 World Almanac reveals that over 1.1 billion people (19 percent of the world) are either atheists or nonbelievers; a stark difference with North America, where only 7 percent are atheists or nonbelievers. [1] The atheist position is perhaps founded on a principle […]
Religion And The U. S. Supreme Court
Religion And The U. S. Supreme Court by Bill Schultz Table of Contents Introduction The Legacy of the Founding Fathers The “Sleeping Dog” 14th Amendment An Era Of Religious Orthodoxy The Great Change The Changed Law Evolves New Laws Against Religious Discrimination The Modern Teeter-Totter The Law as Things Stand Now The Law on School […]
Charles Echelbarger Nonbelief Sbtest01
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 Vouchers
School Vouchers Pro Education Vouchers: America Can’t Afford to Wait (1991) (Off Site) by Tom Tancredo “The shortcomings of government schools in America resemble those of the former Soviet Union.” The Legal Case–and the Fairness Case–for Vouchers (1996) (Off Site) by Clint Bolick “This is not about the establishment of religion. It is about fulfilling a guarantee […]
Dave Matson Young Earth Carbon 14 Contamination
Dr. Hovind (R4): It is very difficult or impossible to prove that a given sample has not been contaminated. Parent or daughter products could have leached in or out of the sample. In the case of carbon-14 dating, the daughter product is ordinary nitrogen and plays no role in the dating process. We are […]
Dave Matson Young Earth Specific Arguments Coral Reef
Young-earth "proof" #26: The oldest coral reef is about 4200 years old. 26. What does the age of a coral reef have to do with the age of the earth? If, in fact, the oldest coral reef is 4200 years old, so what? There is no argument here for a young earth, but such a […]