What's New Archive ● 1999 ● October
October 30
Added three new items to Are the Odds Against the Origin of Life Too Great to Accept? (1999) [ 88K&nsp;] by Richard Carrier.
A new footnote regarding Gerald Schroeder was added. Also, a new book by Hubert Yockey, Information Theory and Molecular Biology 1992, and a new author, Dean Overman, A Case Against Accident and Self-Organization 1997 are addressed.
Added two new sections to The Date of the Nativity in Luke (1999) [ 28K ] by Richard Carrier.
Was "Quirinius" a mistake for "Quintilius" or was Quirinius a "special legate" in B.C. Syria? Not likely, on either count.
October 25
Join us on the Secular Web Radio Show for author and activist Douglas E. Krueger!
Gene Kuschnir updated the Biblical Criticism page of the Modern Library.
Added "The Death of Matthew Shepard" (1998) (Off Site) [ 5K ] by Donn Day
At the Secular Web, we have always stated that we are willing to publish or link to any critiques of our material. (At least, we are willing to publish or link to any serious critique of our material.) Well, we just became aware of such a critique. Day responds to Edelen's accusation that fundamentalists are somehow responsible for the death of Mathew Shepard.
Added "Scopes Trail" (1999) (Off Site) [ 2K ] by Donn Day
Here's another one. Day critiques Edelen's "Circus of Creationism".
Added Donn Day author page
October 24
Stephen Welch updated the Cosmological Argument and Argument to Design page of the Theism section of the Modern Library.
October 22
Added The Skeptical Review (May/June)
Added The Date of the Nativity in Luke (1999) [ 19K ] by Richard Carrier
It is indisputable that Luke dates the birth of Jesus to 6 A.D. It is also indisputable that Matthew dates the birth of Jesus before 4 B.C., perhaps around 6 B.C. This is an irreconcilable contradiction.
October 20
Added the September 1999 Feedback [ 206K ] to the Feedback Section
Added new feature "Reflections on Six Billion" by Jan Brazill to the Features page.
October 18
Added footnote to "Craig's Empty Tomb and Habermas on the Post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus" (1999) [ 62K ] by Richard Carrier.
Refutes the claim made by W. L. Craig (in another book) that the phrase "the first day of the week" is "very awkward in the Greek" and "suggests that the empty tomb tradition reaches all the way back to...the first disciples."
Added an exclusive interview with Andrea Weisberger on the Secular Web Radio Show.
Professor Andrea Weisberger of Vanderbilt University talks about her new book SufferingBelief, an analysis of the problem of moral and natural evil in the world.
October 16
Cliff Richardson updated the Science and Religion, Creationism, and Physics pages in the Modern Library.
October 13
Added "Preface to the U.S. edition of The Great Deception" (1999) (Off Site) [ 24K ] by Gerd Lüdemann
A summary of the events that led to Lüdemann's ongoing dispute with the Confederation of Protestant Churches in Lower Saxony, the Education Minister of Lower Saxony and the University of Göttingen.
October 11
Published "Islamic Hell: Absurdity of Science and Logic" by Denis Giron in the Modern Library.
Does hell really exist? Can we make sense of the curious theistic doctrine in which everyone but Muslims will burn forever? The author concludes that the contradiction between the concept of a merciful God, and one that sends disbelievers to Hell, is one that cannot be reconciled. The concept of hell was created by a primitive society who's understanding of how a God should act was based on the behavior of the oppressive rulers of that time.
Scott Ferguson updated the Apparitions page of the Paranormal section.
October 10
Added "Religion Must Apologize, Not Ventura" by Marie Alena Castle (1999)
In this well-written article, Castle responds to RRR groups who suggest that Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura should apologize for his comments about organized religion.
Added "The Circus of Creationism" by William Edelen to the Freethought Section of the Modern Library.
When I was reading the hysterical testimony of the Christian fundamentalist ministers before the Kansas Board of Education, my mind/brain went into rewind back to 1925. The Scopes trial in the fundamentalist town of Dayton, Tennessee was held that year over the same issue. Militant biblical and religious ignorance demanded to be heard.
Added Murphy's Law: James Madison by John Patrick Michael Murphy to the Freethought Section of the Modern Library.
James Madison is another of the Founding Fathers the religious right seldom mention when they tell us how good it was when we were a "Christian nation."
October 9
Published "Islamic Science: Does Islamic Literature Contain Scientific Miracles?" by Denis Giron to the Modern Library
Over the last decade growing numbers of Muslims have declared the Qur'an to be a book filled with scientific miracles that demonstrate it is of divine origin. Numerous web sites, books and videos have been produced that proclaim Islam to be truly a religion of divine origin, citing "scientifically accurate" statements in the Qur'an and Hadiths. The author critically examines this claim and concludes that the numerous and obvious scientific errors within the Qur'an point to a wholly human origin.
October 8
Stephen Welch updated the Cosmology page in the Theism section of the Modern Library.
Completely updated and revamped the Radical Religious Right section of the II Bookstore
Cliff Richardson updated the Science and Religion as well as the Physics pages of the Modern Library.
October 7
Added "Richard Carrier Reconsiders" to "Belief, Truth, and the Columbine Tragedy" by Richard Carrier
Richard Carrier writes "I am now ashamed of the article I wrote. Although the facts remain to my knowledge correct, the opinion I expressed was based on a mistake of reasoning." He explains and apologizes in an appendix to the original article.
Published opinion column "Hate Radio" by William Edelen
"The Bible says its okay to kill homosexuals," says Pastor Pete Peters of Worldwide Christian Radio. Citizens of the U.S. are being saturated with the hate and violence pouring out of radio and talk shows. Violent talk, God, and the Bible have become today's fertilizer, which will be used for tomorrow's Oklahoma City bombings and abortion clinic murders.
Published "The Christian Nation Myth" by Farrell Till to the Modern Library.
October 6
Updated the About Us page and included the T. J. Walker interview with Jeffery Jay Lowder.
October 4
Added the August 1999 Feedback to the Feedback Section.
Completely redesigned and revamped the Mormonism section of the II Bookstore
October 3
Posted 16 more of Adnan's text to HTML conversions for the Robert Ingersoll author page.
October 2
Added Proving a Negative [ 20K ] by Richard Carrier.
The myth of "you can't prove a negative" circulates throughout the nontheist community, and it is good to dispell myths whenever we can. The real issue is the problem of induction, which is faced by both positive and negative claims. But there can still be a reasonable belief or unbelief even in what we can never know for certain.
October 1
Published the October web.scan and ii newsletter.
Added "Irrational Behavior? Columbine Revisited" by Stephen R. Welch to the Feature Articles
Given the urgent need of the community to salvage meaning from a largely meaningless tragedy, it's no surprise that the myth of Cassie Bernall's "martyrdom" was so eagerly embraced. But perhaps in times of crisis there is no such thing as irrational behavior--there is only human behavior in the face of gunshots, screams, and certain death. Perhaps Bernall's prayer to God was merely her way of expressing her fear and anguish. Whatever her intentions in those last words, it's unlikely that she meant much more than the desperate wish to simply "go home" to safety.