Modern Library

Asa and Archer: Does the Bible contain errors? David Zaitzeff   The Bible contains many passages which seem to contradict other passages. Unbelievers, skeptics and modernist Christians see these passages as evidence the Bible contains errors. Conservative or “fundamentalist” Christians respond with books on “Bible difficulties.” These books attempt to explain the contradictions. The usual […]

The Secular Case Against Abortion by Jennifer Roth It seems that I was premature in proclaiming that Mr. Carrier and I had reached agreement on a number of key issues. I had hoped to focus attention on the question of the definition of a person, since I believed (and still believe) that to be the […]

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 […]

The Search for the Historical Jesus James Still Before the nineteenth century, when Christians sought to understand Jesus and the ancient world depicted in the gospels, they adhered to naturalistic literalism. Naturalistic literalism is the practice of reading the Scriptures and accepting the events that are described therein as the literal truth. No one had […]

The Miracle of the Resurrection Before we can even examine the evidence to determine whether the resurrection is a historical event, we must first deal with the problem of whether such an event is possible in the first place. We need to confront the problem of miracles. More skeptics reject the resurrection because of its […]

Free Advertising Isn’t the Point Jeffery Jay Lowder August 2, 2000   Related documents: “The Rest of the Story” (2002) by Jeffery Jay Lowder Lowder’s review of Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ. On July 13, 2000, I happened to be flipping through radio stations when I stumbled upon a talk radio show with a […]

Examining Miracle Claims Joe Nickell [“Examining Miracle Claims” was originally published in the March 1996 issue of Deolog.] Today’s widespread scientific illiteracy, even an outright attitude of anti-science, is concurrent with the spread of magical thinking even in our own relatively enlightened culture. With the rise of the “New Age” movement has come a resurgence […]

Opening Statement for the Negative (Gish, 45 minutes) Certainly, I consider it a privilege to be here at Auburn University, this great campus, and to have this opportunity to present the scientific evidence for creation. I would say that the size of this crowd, you people here at Auburn are interested in something besides football. […]

Objection #5: It’s Offensive To Claim Jesus Is The Only Way To God (2001) (Interview w/ Ravi Zacharias, D.D., LL.D.) Kyle J. Gerkin For someone who is of a non-Christian religion, I suppose the claim of Jesus as a sole source of salvation is offensive. But maybe not. If your goal is not to become […]

Lori’s Coffee Tip(s) of the Month by Lori Watson June, 1997 Store your coffee beans in an airtight opaque container at room temperature. It is a common miconception that one ought to store them in the freezer. However, this potentially exposes the beans to light, and moisture, which causes spoilage. There are two kinds of […]

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.] Supernatural forces, if they exist, cannot be observed, measured, or recorded […]

The Fernandes-Martin Debate (1997) Opening Statement by Phil Fernandes Opening Statement by Michael Martin Second Statement by Phil Fernandes Second Statement by Michael Martin Third Statement by Phil Fernandes Third Statement by Michael Martin Closing Statement by Phil Fernandes Closing Statement by Michael Martin

More on Heaven (2004) Michael Martin   Belief in Heaven as Liberating In his paper “Trouble in Paradise,” Tom Wanchick[1] raises some objections to my argument in “Problems With Heaven.”[2] But before he does, Wanchick notes the practical issues involved in Heaven. He maintains that the Bible is “brimming with practical import” and if it […]

Is Christianity Absurd? Michael Martin Introduction For the purpose of my argument I will understand Christianity to mean the religious view that is characterized by doctrines such as Salvation through Christ, Heaven, the Atonement, the ethical views of Jesus, and belief in God.[1] So understood is Christianity absurd? This question is seldom asked, let alone […]

Atheistic Cosmological Argument   [ Român / Romanian ] In recent years, Quentin Smith has tried to turn the tables on theists by arguing that Big Bang cosmology, if true, is evidence for atheism. This page highlights the relevant articles that are available online. Atheism, Theism, and Big Bang Cosmology (1991) by Quentin Smith Smith […]

Logical Arguments Logical arguments for atheism attempt to show that the concept of God is self-contradictory or logically inconsistent with some known fact. In the jargon of the philosophy of religion, the former type of logical arguments are sometimes called incompatible-properties arguments. These arguments attempt to demonstrate a contradiction in the concept of God. If […]

Secular Humanism Humanist Manifesto I Humanist Manifesto II Humanist Manifesto 2000 Humanist Manifesto III Corliss Lamont Page (Off site) 10 Myths About Secular Humanism (1997) by Matt Cherry & Molleen Matsumura Includes responses to claims like, “The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that secular humanism is a religion” and “Secular humanism is the official religion of the public education […]

Introduction to Section Four: Faith and Uncertainty (2008) Paul Draper   In the first three sections of this book, naturalists have debated theists about the evidence for and against naturalism and theism. Some philosophers (like me) think that the evidence, taken as a whole, is not conclusive—that while it may justify leaning in one direction, […]