[ Author Index | Subject Index ]
The Modern Library contains material written during or after 1970, which tends to be more scholarly than Kiosk material.
Reason Agnosticism
Agnosticism An Agnostic Theology (2010) by Kile Jones Insofar as theology depends upon revelation, can it possibly be agnostic? Kile Jones argues that an “agnostic theology” is not only not a contradiction in terms, but is an intellectually honest position that allows one to provide reasons for possible belief in God while simultaneously allowing reasons […]
Richard Carrier Bigbang
You are probably looking for the article “Was There a Big Bang? I Honestly Don’t Know” by Richard Carrier. It has been removed from the web because I no longer agree with its argument. I have now stated and defended my new position in the essay ” I Was a Big Bang Skeptic” (2002). The […]
Richard Carrier Carrier Wanchick Assessment
Final Assessment by Independent Judges (2006) Welcome to Naturalism vs. Theism: The Carrier-Wanchick Debate. Richard and Tom agreed to have four independent judges read and assess their debate upon its completion according to The Rules We Followed, especially rules (7) and (8). Those judges present their assessments below. Total Assessment Glenn Miller [assessment] Victor […]
Richard Carrier Fish
A Fish Did Not Write This Essay (1995) Richard Carrier [This essay won second prize in a competition and was published in Freethought Today 12:7 (Sept. 1995), p. 8. The Freedom From Religion Foundation which publishes Freethought Today comes highly recommended as a very human, professional, national organization for freethinkers of all varieties, and […]
Richard Carrier Herodotus
William Lane Craig, Herodotus, and Myth Formation (1999) Richard Carrier This essay addresses one specific argument made by William Lane Craig, to the effect that “tests” from Herodotus demonstrate that myths or legends (such as resurrection appearances or an empty tomb) cannot grow within a single generation. A great deal more could be said about […]
Richard Carrier Improbable Intolerant
Was Christianity Too Improbable to be False? (2006) [See Introduction] Richard Carrier 6. Who Would Join an Intolerant Cult? James Holding quotes DeSilva’s comment that “the message about this Christ was incompatible with the most deeply rooted religious ideology of the Gentile world, as well as the more recent message propagated in Roman […]
Richard Carrier Moreland
Does the Christian Theism Advocated by J.P. Moreland Provide a Better Reason to be Moral than Secular Humanism? (1998) Richard Carrier The following essay has been completely improved and superceded by a more accurate version and backed by more detailed analysis in Richard Carrier, Sense and Goodness without God (2005), pp. 291-348. Any critique […]
Richard Carrier Resurrection 1c
This file has been relocated: it is now Section III of General Case for Insufficiency .
Richard Carrier Resurrection 3c
This file has been relocated: it is now Section III of General Case for Spiritual Resurrection: Evidence Against Resurrection of the Flesh.
Richard Carrier Resurrection Introduction
Why I Don’t Buy the Resurrection Story (6th ed., 2006) Richard Carrier Introduction What is the purpose of this collection of essays? Many things could be said which cast doubt on the story of the Resurrection of Jesus by God, but there are three above all that are most decisive in leading me […]
Richard Gale Alston
Why Alston’s Mystical Doxastic Practice Is Subjective (1994) Richard Gale The following article was originally published in PHILOSOPHY AND PHENOMENOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Vol. LIV, No. 4, December 1994. Within each of the great religions there is a well established doxastic practice (DP) of taking experiential inputs consisting of apparent direct perceptions of God (M-experiences) […]
Rob Sarver Chap11
Rebuttal to ETDAV, Chapter 11 Rob Sarver Opening Remarks
Robert Price Beyond Born Again Chap5
________________________________________ 62 Beyond Born Again Section II– The Evangelical Apologists: Are They Reliable? Chapter 5: Evidences That Demands A Mistrial “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest of man’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” — […]
Robert Price Price Rankin
Jesus: Fact or Fiction? A Dialogue With Dr. Robert Price and Rev. John Rankin This debate was transcribed by Pieter Crow. About this Debate Opening Statement by Robert Price Opening Statement by John Rankin Dialogue Questions from the Audience Closing Statement by Robert M. Price Closing Statement by John Rankin
Science
Science and Religion Creationism Physics Another Case Not Made: A Critique of Lee Strobel’s The Case for a Creator (2005) by Paul Doland In this chapter-by-chapter critique of Lee Strobel’s The Case for a Creator, Paul Doland comments on the general direction of the book before analyzing Strobel’s interviews with his various experts on specific […]
Testimonials Tallberg
… "And It Came To Pass"… Eric Tallberg As a somewhat recent convert to the secularist point of view, I feel I ought to say a few words (well, maybe a lot more than "a few") regarding how I came to a state resulting in my occasional and often misunderstood diatribes, both written and oral, […]
Theism Christianity Apologetics
Christian Apologetics and Apologists, Criticisms of Apologetics in General Lynn Anderson Greg Bahnsen W. David Beck Francis Beckwith Michael Behe E. Calvin Beisner Walter L. Bradley David Clark Paul Copan Winfried Corduan William Lane Craig Stephen T. Davis William Dembski Phil Fernandes Norman L. Geisler R. Douglas Geivett Duane Gish Gary Habermas Hank Hanegraaff J. […]
Theism Christianity Swinburne
Richard Swinburne An Analysis of Richard Swinburne’s The Existence of God (2010) by Gabe Czobel On first appearance, Richard Swinburne’s The Existence of God offers a highly structured, coherent, and rigorous argument for God’s existence grounded in Bayes’ theorem, inductive reasoning, confirmation theory, the intrinsic probability of simple hypotheses, substance dualism, and moral realism. But […]
Theism Judaism Judaism
Judaism and Jewish Apologetics Guido G.B. Deimel “Those who wish to seek out the causes of miracles, and to understand the things of nature as philosophers, and not stare at them in astonishment like fools, are soon considered heretical and impious and proclaimed as such by those whom the mob adore as the interpreters of […]
Theism Transcendental
Transcendental Argument It is impossible, this argument claims, for any authoritative rationality (including an atheist’s) to emerge from inchoate matter — the existence of God must be assumed, therefore, in order to deny God’s existence. In addition to the articles below, see also related Debates, Reviews, and Links. To purchase related reading, go to the […]
Thomas Sheehan Firstcoming Three
The First Coming: How the Kingdom of God Became Christianity (1986–electronic edition 2000) Thomas Sheehan III How Jesus Became God The first mention of Jesus anywhere in literature was made twenty years after he died, and is found in a text that records the already developed status of his reputation. Writing around 50 C.E., Saint […]
Tyler Wunder Davis 3
Naturalism’s Best Case: Christological Mythicism III. Naturalism’s Best Case: Christological Mythicism Recall that Davis characterized the naturalist’s most persuasive argumentative case as composed of the following claims: D1) the biblical testimony supporting the resurrection is unreliable, written years after the alleged event by unsophisticated, myth-prone people who were concerned with proclaiming statements of faith […]
Anachronist Why I Believe 89ab End
The Rest of the Book The remainder of this commentary will touch on a few issues in the remainder of the book. I had collected sufficient notes for a detailed review of each chapter, but these were lost when my computer died forever, before I finished with chapter 7 (though I have a few hand-scribbled […]
Bart Klink New Atheism
Review of God and the New Atheism (2009) Bart Klink Review: John F. Haught. 2007. God and the New Atheism: A Critical Response to Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. 156 pp. The term “the new atheism” is used quite often lately to denote the current revival of popular atheism, especially […]
At the Intersection of “Metaphysical Naturalism” and “Intelligent Design”
At the Intersection of “Metaphysical Naturalism” and “Intelligent Design” by Bill Schultz Table of Contents Introduction God Is What We Define God To Be Dimensions Beyond Our Senses TANSTAAFL A Brief Romp Through Flatland Our Universe As Art Into The Extra-Dimensional Reality “Metaphysical Naturalism” and “Intelligent Design” Some Conclusions Further Reading Acknowledgements Footnotes Introduction I […]
Brian Holtz Naturalism
The Compatibility of Naturalism and Scientific Realism (2003) Brian Holtz In “The Incompatibility of Naturalism and Scientific Realism” (1998), the U.T. Austin philosopher Robert Koons argues that “Nature is comprehensible scientifically only if nature is not a causally closed system–only if nature is shaped by supernatural forces.” Koons’ fundamental mistake in his paper is […]
Church State Decisions
U.S. Supreme Court Decisions (arranged by date) Reynolds v. United States, 98 U.S. 145 (1879) Court finds that the federal antibigamy statute does not violate the First Amendment’s guarantee of the free exercise of religion. Everson v. Board of Education, 330 U.S. 1 (1947) Court finds that a New Jersey law which included students of […]
Dave Matson Young Earth Additional Topics Flood
A2. Water and Vapor and Noah’s Flood Attempting to supply the water for Noah’s flood is a much greater problem than one might realize. True, one can simply say that God did it and leave it at that. However, that argument will support the cosmological views of any and every religion, and they all […]
Dave Matson Young Earth Geologic Column Calibrate
Dr. Hovind (G1): The assumption that the geologic column is a base from which to calibrate the C-14 dates is not wise. G1. With a halflife of only 5730 years, carbon-14 dating has nothing to do with dating the geological ages! Whether by sloppiness or gross ignorance, Dr. Hovind is confusing the carbon-14 "clock" with […]
Dave Matson Young Earth Specific Arguments Mineral
Young-earth "proof" #13: If we divide the amount of various minerals in the ocean by their influx rate we get only a few thousand years of accumulation. Therefore, the earth is young. 13. In the case of aluminum we "get" only 100 years! In the case of sodium we "get" 260 million years. Where Dr. […]