Added Briefly Scrutinizing Biblical Miracles (2025) by John W. Loftus to the Argument from Miracles page under Arguments for the Existence of a God in the Modern Documents section of the Secular Web Library.
Miracle reports are often offered as corroboration for the Gospel message of salvation. For example, “doubting” Thomas was admonished for questioning reports that Jesus was raised from the dead: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” And in other parts of the New Testament, faith in what one has not seen for himself is often praised: “We walk by faith, not by sight.” Since an argument from the Bible assumes the soundness of an argument from miracles, if the latter fail, then all religions grounded in the biblical text are undercut.
New in the Kiosk: The Easter Rush: The Burial of Jesus (2025) by G. P. Denken
Good Friday and Easter Sunday bookend the three holiest days on the Christian calendar. Millions of Christians travel to Jerusalem to see the sites where Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection supposedly took place. This explores the ten verses in Mark that discuss the specific period between Jesus’ death and burial (Mark 15:37-46). The text describes how, in a little over three hours, a Joseph of Arimathea obtained custody of Jesus’ body, removed it from the cross, prepared it for burial, and then placed it in a tomb before sunset. Based on modern scholarship and a granular reading of Mark, the essay examines the question: was there enough time for Joseph of Arimathea to bury Jesus before sunset?
Recommended reading: God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction (2023) by Dan Barker
What words come to mind when we think of God? Merciful? Just? Compassionate? In fact, the Bible lays out God’s primary qualities clearly: jealous, petty, unforgiving, bloodthirsty, vindictive—and worse! Originally conceived as a joint presentation between influential thinker and bestselling author Richard Dawkins and former evangelical preacher Dan Barker, God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction provides an investigation into what may be the most unpleasant character in all fiction. Barker combs through both the Old and New Testament (as well as thirteen different editions of the “Good Book”), presenting powerful evidence for why the Scriptures shouldn’t govern our everyday lives. This witty, well-researched book suggests that we should move past the Bible and clear a path to a kinder and more thoughtful world.