Modern Library

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 […]

    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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

  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 […]

  Dr. Hovind (R2): The C-14 decay rate is not constant. Several factors, including the 11-year sunspot cycle, affects its rate of decay. It is painfully obvious that Dr. Hovind knows next to nothing about carbon-14 dating! Changes in the sunspot cycle do have a noticeable, short-term effect on the rate of C-14 production inasmuch […]

Young-earth "proof" #15: Continents are eroding at a rate which would bring them to sea level in less than 14 million years. Inasmuch as the continents are anything but flat, the earth cannot be billions of years old. (27.5 x 10^9 tons sediment/year are lost to the oceans by erosion; the present mass of the […]

Young-earth "proof" #18: The incredible pressure found in oil and gas wells indicates they have been there less than 15,000 years. (Presumably, the oil or gas would have escaped long before then.) 18. The incredible pressure found in oil and gas wells indicates that the oil and gas have been effectively trapped. The initial, slow […]

Debates Is Creationism True? [Index] God or Blind Nature? Philosophers Debate the Evidence (2007) [ Index ] edited by Paul Draper Should We Believe in God? [Index] Why Be an Atheist? [Index]

On The Issue of Affirmative Action: Affirmative Action is part of the socialist political platform but it can also be found in various facets of our society. Many interpretations exist on the issue, along with varying degrees of support and opposition. Plainly put, affirmative action seeks to restore, or initiate, equality of opportunity among all […]

On The Issue of Home Schooling: Many parents today are opting to teach their children at home. Reasons for chosing this option include the dumbing down of our educational system, the methods used in teaching, the knowledge and understanding of teachers, and the continued support of religion within our public education system. Opponents to the […]

On The Subject of Suicide: Suicide is an option people have in life and, as we are all aware, it is often chosen by individuals usually unhappy in life. For secularists, suicide may be approached rather differently than the traditional religious believer and their thoughts on the afterlife. Should suicide be a consideration at all? […]

The Krueger-McHugh Debate: Theism or Atheism (2003) Doug Krueger Closing Statement by Doug Krueger McHugh has failed to rebut my objections to his ontological argument. For example, I challenged McHugh to show how his move from “statement t is true” to “there is an object t that is real” is justified. McHugh responds: Necessary truths […]

  CHAPTER 2 The Background of Religious Humanism The history of religious humanism in the twentieth century, as it appeared in North America, has yet to be adequately written. The modern humanist movement emerged from liberal religious change at the end of the previous century and the beginning of this one . The influence of […]

This is a transcript of the debate between Michael Horner and Farrell Till on the historicity of the Resurrection which was held May 30th, 1995, at Seattle Pacific University. This transcript has been published by mutual agreement of Farrell Till and Michael Horner. We express appreciation to Don Morgan for transcribing the debate from audio […]

The Christian Nation Myth Farrell Till Whenever the Supreme Court makes a decision that in any way restricts the intrusion of religion into the affairs of government, a flood of editorials, articles, and letters protesting the ruling is sure to appear in the newspapers. Many protesters decry these decisions on the grounds that they conflict […]

Ancient Stoicism And Rational Psychology Humanistic Ways To Mental Health (1995) Frederick Edwords “To be a philosopher,” said Thoreau, “is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. It is to […]

Old Testament Life and Literature (1968) Gerald A. Larue   Chapter 11 – David Read II Sam. 2-4 THE way was open for David to assume the throne: Jonathan, the natural successor, was dead; David had won recognition as a popular hero and a military expert, and had gained the loyalty of the southern cities […]

  Old Testament Life and Literature (1968) Gerald A. Larue   Chapter 26 – The Great Documents of the Persian Period NOW the second temple stood within the walled city of Jerusalem. Cultic rites, conducted by the Levites, included sacrifice, offerings, prayers and songs. Through the work of Ezra, the people had acquired a new […]

  Old Testament Life and Literature (1968) Gerald A. Larue   Preface THIS book is concerned with the literature, history and religious thought of the Old Testament and the Apocrypha. The approach to these themes is chronological and utilizes literary and historical analytic methodology, as well as the results of archaeological, anthropological, geographical and Near […]

Some Emendations to Leftow’s Arguments About Time and Eternity (1998)   I am sympathetic to the view that, if God exists, then God is timeless. Consequently, I am (conditionally!) sympathetic to the project which Brian Leftow undertakes in Time and Eternity (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1991). However, it seems to me that the case which […]

Review of R. C. Sproul (1994) Not a Chance: The Myth of Chance in Modern Science and Cosmology Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, xiv+235       This truly dreadful book contains ten chapters, with the following titles: 1. The Soft Pillow. 2. The Mask of Ignorance. 3. A Quantum Leap. 4. The Voice of Reason. […]

Toplumsal Geriliklerimizin Sorumlulari Din Adamlari Ilhan Arsel “Eger (din adamlarina) karsi benim sahsimdan bir sey anlamak isterse niz, derim ki ben sahsen onlarin düsmaniyim. Onlarin menfi istikamette atacaklari bir hatfe (adim), yalniz benim sahsi imanima degil, yalniz benim gayeme degil, o adim benim millet imin hayati ile…, o adim milletimin kalbine havale edilmis zehirli bir […]

Insanlarimizi, Farkli Din ve Inançtakilere Karsi Düsman ve Hosgörü’den Yoksun Kilan Seriat Verilerinin Belleticisi Olarak Din adami. Orta Çag boyunca Batili din adamlarinin din adina giristikleri bagnazliklari, cinayetleri, kötülükleri ve sahtelikleri bizim kendi din adamlarimizin geçmisteki davranislariyle kiyaslamak hangi taraf için daha iyi bir not verdirir, bilinmez! Görünüs Batili din adaminin aleyhine gibidir. Fakat matbaa’nin […]

In Defense of the Fine Tuning Design Argument (2001) James Hannam   The Internet Infidels have long been interested in publishing a theistics defense of the fine-tuning argument against our criticisms, which are collected among our many essays on the Design Argument in general. James Hannam is the first to oblige, and the following essay […]

Astarte and Yahweh James Still Long before the Yahweh cult emerged among the Hebrews in the Ancient Near East the Goddess Astarte was worshipped by them. Her oldest temple at Byblos dates back to the Neolithic and she flourished in the Bronze Age where she was also known as Demeter in Greece and Ishtar in […]

Kerygmatic Sources of the Jesus Movement James Still Christianity begins with John the Baptist. The earliest gospel, Mark, begins with the Baptism of Jesus by John (1:1-11), and the other three include a narrative of John’s ministry in their accounts as well (Mt. 3:1-12; Lk. 3:1-20; Jn. 1:1-8, 19-36; 3:23-30). Outside of the gospels we […]

Is ETDAV an Apologetic? Jeffery Jay Lowder James Patrick Holding maintains that, despite my introduction to The Jury Is In,[1] “Jury‘s ultimate thrust is misguided.”[2] Holding argues that the Jury authors have misunderstood McDowell’s stated purpose for his book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict (hereafter ETDAV).[3] Jury authors treat ETDAV as if it were a […]

Moderator’s Introduction Cathy Hennen Moderator: Good evening and welcome to the UPC [University Program Committee] Religious Affairs and Horizons Committee debate on creation, special creation, versus evolution. My name is Cathy Hennen and I’m from the Department of Speech Communication and it’s my privilege to be the moderator of tonight’s debate. The topic for the […]

Is the Weak Anthropic Principle Compatible With Divine Design? A Response to Craig (1997) Kyle Kelly   The teleological argument, or argument from design, is considered by many to be one of the strongest arguments for the existence of god(s). Many proponents of this argument point to the improbability of a universe existing with properties […]