Modern Library

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 […]

A Critique of Michael Denton’s Evolution: A Theory in Crisis (1995) Mark I. Vuletic   Note: This document is undergoing modification. Also, the author intends to eventually produce a revised and expanded version of this review. [A previous version of this document has been published in Apologia: The Journal of the Wellington Christian Apologetics Society, […]

Stace and the Question of Objectivity in Mysticism (1996) Mark I. Vuletic   [This paper was written for a seminar in mysticism taught by Neal Grossman at The University of Illinois at Chicago in Spring, 1996] In Chapter 3 of Mysticism and Philosophy, W.T. Stace considers the question of whether the mystical experience is objective […]

Definition of a ‘Cult’ mathew   What makes some religions “cults” and others “mainstream”? This is taken from Margot Adler’s book Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America, a guide to contemporary neopaganism. She quotes P.E.I. Bonewitz on what to look for and avoid in any organization that promises wisdom […]

The big bang model and the second law of thermodynamics reveal that space, time, matter, and energy had a beginning. Therefore, the universe had a beginning. Dr. Martin has agreed with me concerning this premise. Still, he entertains the absurd idea that the universe popped into existence without a cause. Cosmologists who accept this idea […]

The Futility of Non Christian Thought Douglas Jones   Biblical Christianity, properly defined in terms of classical Protestantism, offers a radical philosophical critique of non-Christian thought. This Christian critique is radical in the sense that it challenges the very core of non-Christian pretensions and demonstrates that non-Christian thought, whether atheistic, agnostic, or religious, ultimately destroys […]

On Two Reviews of Atheism, Morality and Meaning (2003) Michael Martin   Two reviews of my book, Atheism, Morality, and Meaning–one by Taner Edis[1] and one by Jeff Lowder[2]–have recently been posted on the Secular Web. Both reviewers, although initially praising the book saying that it is “well worth reading” and that the territory covered […]

Substance Dualism and Disembodied Existence (2000) Nicholas Everitt   An edited version of this article was originally published in Faith & Philosophy, Vol. 17, No. 3 (2000), pp. 331-347. I Substance dualism, that most unpopular of current theories of mind, continues to find interesting and able defenders.[1] I shall focus on one set of arguments […]

Atheistic Perspectives on Specific Ethical Issues Abortion: Is There a Secular Case Against Abortion? The Carrier-Roth Debate (2000) [ Index ] by Richard Carrier and Jennifer Roth A debate between two freethinkers, one pro-choice and one pro-life. Reproductive Freedom (1999) (Off Site) by Christopher A. Stafford and Janet Brazil Another secularist-vs.-secularist debate on abortion. Animal Rights: Secular Ethics […]

Morality and Atheism This index links to 9 questions relevant to the relationship between morality and atheism: Are atheists as moral as theists? Can life have meaning without God? Does atheism entail a certain view on specific moral questions? How should atheists live? On naturalism, are we free and morally responsible for our actions? On […]

Magic and Witchcraft From Simbas to Ninjas: Congo’s Magic Warriors (2003) by Richard Petraitis Despite History’s long record of defeats for those who embrace magic as martial strategy, young African men still line up as recruits in answer to the witch doctor’s siren call for magic wars. Despite the promises of village witch doctors, the […]

We must not ignore atheism at this time, especially at this time. It is easy to become overwhelmed by God and questions about his existence when you’re tackling this issue, because there’s so much more literature, history, and living human beings walking around on this Earth with God on their minds rather than Godlessness. Now […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]