Modern Library

On The Issues of Gay & Lesbian Marriage: Gays and lesbians, along with heterosexual supporters, have been campaigning the government to legalize gay marriages. Society, for the most part, is still lobbying against such change. The issues involved are quite simple: homosexuals simply want the same rights that are afforded straight people. Opposing parties, however, […]

On The Issues Involved in Segregation: The issues involved in segregation closely parallel those involved in the subject of multiculturalism although there are some important differences. Having a separate debate on this subject also allows some of the arguments to be examined more closely. Segregation involves placing emphasis on the difference among peoples rather than […]

Theism or Atheism Krueger vs. McHugh A brief biographical sketch is available: Doug Krueger Christopher McHugh Opening Statement:    Doug Krueger    Christopher McHugh First Rebuttal:    Doug Krueger    Christopher McHugh Second Rebuttal:    Doug Krueger    Christopher McHugh Closing Statement:    Doug Krueger    Christopher McHugh

  CHAPTER 15 Responses from Individuals Comments on the manifesto received from individuals after publication were important to us because part of the motivation behind publishing the manifesto was to catalyze discussion and promote the development of humanism. Edgar S Brightman One valued letter came from Edgar S. Brightman, who was then teaching in the […]

Like Dr. Geisler, I want to express my appreciation for the opportunity to be here. I always consider it a privlege to speak on subjects like the issue under discussion tonight, and I certainly want to thank those who arranged this event for asking me to be a part of it. At the same time, […]

I brought with me a book that somebody inquired about, who came up to my desk to talk to me. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It’s the Book of Mormon. Every version of the Book of Mormon that I have ever seen has, in the front of it, the "Testimony of the Three Witnesses." […]

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 […]

Old Testament Life and Literature Gerald A. Larue Table of Contents Preface A Word to the Reader Part One: The Bible and How We Study It 1. What is the Old Testament? The development of the Canon. Why do we read? 2. How Do We Read? The problem of history. History and legend. Myth, fable […]

  Old Testament Life and Literature (1968) Gerald A. Larue   Chapter 22 – Literature of the Middle Period ABOUT thirty years are embraced in the period which we are labeling for convenience "The Middle Period" of the Exile and which extends roughly from about 585 to 555. During these years a considerable body of […]

(1968) Gerald A. Larue Chapter 8 – Who Were the Hebrews? ACCORDING to biblical tradition, the Hebrews are peoples descended from Shem, one of Noah’s sons, through Eber, the eponymous ancestor, and Abraham. Gen. 7:22 f., reports that the flood destroyed all life except that in Noah’s ark; consequently, the whole human family descended from […]

Time, Successive Addition, and Kalam Cosmological Arguments Graham Oppy   Craig (1981) presents and defends several different kalam cosmological arguments. The core of each of these arguments is the following ur-argument: 1. The universe began to exist. 2. Whatever begins to exist has a cause of its existence. 3. (Hence) The universe has a cause […]

Review of: J. P. Moreland (ed.) The Creation Hypothesis Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press Graham Oppy This book is an interesting addition to the anti-evolution literature. (For a nice survey of this literature up until 1992, see Tom McIver’s Anti-Evolution: A Reader’s Guide to Writings Before and After Darwin Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992.) […]

Din Adami Insanlarimizi Seriat Öyküleriyle Uyutarak Akil Disi’liklara Inanan Kisiler Durumunda Tutar. Islam seriati’ni olusturan din verileri, genellikle öykülerle (masallarla) süslenmistir ki bazilari seriat dilinde “Kissa” diye tanimlanir. Bunlar din adami’nin elinde Müslüman halklari akilciliktan uzaklastirmak için is gören birer araçtir. Bu masal’lardan pek çogu genellikle Tevrat’dan bazilari da Hiristiyan geleneklerinden kaynaklanmis seylerdir ki, her […]

Response To Jim Lippard’s The Fabulous Prophecies of the Messiah James D. Price, Ph. D. Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament Temple Baptist Seminary Chattanooga, TN 37404 (423) 493-4246 e-mail drjdprice Dec. 15, 1995 Jim Lippard’s article was written in an attempt to discredit the claims that certain Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament were […]

The Problem with Jesus’ Arrest and Trial James Still There is a problem when dealing with the various contradictory biblical accounts of Jesus’ arrest and trial as they relate to each other and Jewish practice of the day. We are told in Mark’s gospel that after Jesus enters Jerusalem he is soon arrested praying at […]

The Contemporary Debate on the Resurrection Having now discussed the importance and meaning of the resurrection, as well as its background probability, I’d now like to briefly survey the contemporary debate and outline the major arguments by both sides, at both the popular and scholarly levels. Christian authors who address the resurrection are obviously very […]

Luke and Quirinius An examination of Luke 2:1-3, and what McDowell says about it, and his sources. Other apologists mentioned. Answers from The Anchor Bible.   ETDAV 4A5B3C3D1E p.71 The Reliability and Trustworthiness of Scripture Evidence from Archaeology Luke 2:1-3 — archaeological support — the Roman Census under Quirinius (Cyrenius) McDowell states that, “It was […]

Review of Psychic Medium Van Praagh on CNN’s Larry King Live (1999) Joe Nickell [This article is exerpted from the June 8, 1999 Skeptical Inquirer Electronic Digest. Permission is granted by CSICOP to reprint this on the web.]   On-air seances are nothing new. Thirty years ago I arranged one in a dimly lit radio […]

GOD ON OUR COINS Written Statement of Jon G. Murray, President, American Atheists, Inc. 7215 Cameron Road Austin, TX 78752-2973 submitted to U.S. House of Representatives One Hundredth Congress Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs and Coinage of the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Rep. Frank Annunzio, Illinois, Chairman Supplemental to oral remarks to be […]

First Rebuttal for the Negative (Gish, 15 minutes) Moderator: We will now have a 15-minute rebuttal by Dr. Gish. Gish: You know, Dr. Saladin has resorted to something that is quite common among evolutionists. He began to attack me personally. He tried to claim certain things, dishonesty and quoting of context and things like that. […]

Objection #6: A Loving God Would Never Torture People In Hell (2001) (Interview w/ J.P. Moreland, PH.D.) Kyle J. Gerkin   Tackling Templeton’s Challenge Moreland insists hell is not a torture chamber. He says hell is really a separation from God. He stresses that God is loving, but also just (172-4). Problems: Right away, Moreland […]

In Defense of Evolution (2003, updated 2006) Mark I. Vuletic   Introduction[1] The world presents to us vast evidence confirming the evolutionary history of life, and nothing even remotely resembling a disproof of it. This is an inexplicable mystery if, as creationists insist, God created the variety of life through a means other than evolution. […]

Deontological Objections to Consequentialism (1994) Mark I. Vuletic   One can imagine a deontologist attacking a consequentialist with the following invective: It is you, not we, who are concerned with your own moral purity. Your position has the effect of absolving you of all personal responsibility for the things you do. There’s no element of […]

The Cumulative Case for God INTRODUCTION Before I begin my case for the existence of a personal, infinite God, I would like to express my gratitude to Jeff Lowder for arranging this internet debate, and Dr. Michael Martin for agreeing to debate me. I consider it an honor to dialogue with a thinker of the […]

Jones Responds Douglas Jones   Apart from the more serious concerns, I find it quaint that both Parsons and Martin apparently hold to the notion that truth is in part determined by the number of pages one writes. Though my opening essay is directed to a non-technical audience, perhaps no such discussion need take many […]

The Naturalistic Fallacy  and Other Mistaken Arguments  of Paul Copan (2000) Michael Martin   Paul Copan has replied in the form of a letter[1] to my rebuttal[2] of his critique[3] of my Secular Web paper.[4] In this paper I will respond to his defense of the ontological foundation of theistic morality, his claim that ethical […]

Zens’ Defense of TAG (2000) Michael Martin   In a recent internet paper entitled "A Christian Response to atheist thinker, Michael Martin on TAG and the foundation of induction," Adam Spurgeon Zens attempts to defend Greg Bahnsen’s inductive form of the Transcendental Argument for the Existence of God (TAG).[1] Unfortunately, Zens does not seem to […]

Debates See also Theistic Arguments: Debates [ Index ] Debate Transcripts The Cooke-Aijaz Debate: Does God Exist? (2002) An Internet debate on the existence of God between Dr. Bill Cooke of the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists and Imran Aijaz of the Auckland University Islamic Society. (See also the debate review, below). The Craig-Washington Debate: […]

Can Life Have Meaning without God? Can Secular Philosophy Give Us Objective Morality? (2003) by Taner Edis This is a review of Michael Martin’s Atheism, Morality, and Meaning (Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2002). “Michael Martin is an eminent atheist philosopher, and he gives us a hard-hitting critique of those theistic arguments which claim that all is […]

Magical Thinking & the Paranormal “Paranormal” is one of those adjectives that admits of many different definitions, as it entails somehow being “above” or “outside of” the norm when what constitutes “the norm” does not exactly admit of a clear definition. Despite this ambiguity, it is useful to think of paranormal phenomena as occurrences whose […]