What's New Archive ● 2002 ● July
July 30, 2002
Added "An Open Letter to Michael Novak" by Michael Drake to the Agora."Michael Novak recently penned a curious piece for National Review Online, The Atheist-Civil Liberty Union, in which he speaks out against what he claims is an atheist agenda to ban religion from all of public life. The most charitable way to read his article, as I saw it, was as a parody of establishmentarian rhetoric." - Michael DrakeNew Home Page for the Secular Web
Our site engineer, Richard Carrier, has designed a new home page for the Secular Web. Please take a look at it and offer your accolades, comments, criticisms, suggestions, etc.
If you are a registered user, you may post your feedback in the New Sec Web Home Page topic in the New Forum Design forum.
If you are an unregistered user, you may do so by submitting feedback to the Feedback Queue. Click Here
We are especially interested to know if the page loads quickly enough to satisfy dial-up users.
Don't overlook the links at the bottom of the page and please note that, for the time being, if you click on the "Home" link you will be taken to the "old" home page.
July 24, 2002
The September/October 2001 issue of The Skeptical Review (TSR), Farrell Till, Editor, is now online--with more to come.Some of the topics of interest this issue: "Three Explanations for Prophecy Fulfillment," "The Religion Dilemma" (why the popular belief that religious faith is a virtue is untenable), and "Should We Criticize 'Faith' and Christianity?
July 22, 2002
The July/August 1999 and September/October 1999 issues of The Skeptical Review (TSR), Farrell Till, Editor, are now online.These were the last of the missing 1999 issues. 1999 is now complete. A project is underway to bring TSR online up to date ASAP.Freethought Singles International added to the Secular E-Mail Lists page.
Freethought Singles International is a forum for Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist, and other Freethinking singles to meet and share ideas with like-minded singles from all over the world.
July 20, 2002
Added "Book Review of 'Darwinian Natural Right: The Biological Ethics of Human Nature by Larry Arnhart'" by Evan Fales
It has become something of a leitmotif among evangelical apologetes to argue that morality can have no objective foundation if there is no God. Such is the argument of Arnhart's book Darwinian Natural Right, which Fales carefully reviews.
July 17, 2002
Added "In Defense of the Original, Secular Pledge of Allegiance" by Jeffery Jay LowderLowder defends the original, secular Pledge of Allegiance on First Amendment grounds, refuting the fallacious objections made against the recent court ruling on the Pledge of Allegiance.Added an Essay Contests & Scholarships page with links to essay contests and scholarships which are of interest to nontheist high school and college students.
July 16, 2002
The July/August 2001 issue of The Skeptical Review (TSR), Farrell Till, Editor, is now online--with more to come.This was one of the missing 2001 issues. A project is underway to bring TSR online up to date ASAP.
July 15, 2002
Added Massimo Pigliucci to the list of Internet Infidels Supporters.July 13, 2002
The May/June 2001 issue of The Skeptical Review (TSR), Farrell Till, Editor, is now online--with more to come.This was one of the missing 2001 issues. A project is underway to bring TSR online up to date ASAP.
July 10, 2002
Added "Did Jesus Exist? Earl Doherty and the Argument to Ahistoricity" by Richard Carrier to the Modern section of the Library.This is a critical review of "The Jesus Puzzle: Did Christianity Begin with a Mythical Christ? Challenging the Existence of an Historical Jesus," by Earl Doherty.Added "New Pledge of Allegiance" by Jeff Schrepfer to the Agora.
"Now I sit me down in school where organized prayer's against the rule...."
July 6, 2002
The November/December 1999 issue of The Skeptical Review (TSR), Farrell Till, Editor, is now online--with more to come.This was one of the missing 1999 issues. A project is now underway to get all available issues of TSR online.
July 4, 2002
Added "That Old Fool of Psalm 14" by Mike Knight to the Agora.Blowhards frequently repeat the biblical quotation that only a fool denies the existence of God. But is the quote really talking about atheists?Added "Religious Discrimination in Public Schools" by Matthew Lowman to the Agora.
Is freedom of religion assured to those in the public schools who have no religion?
July 2, 2002
Attention parents! An updated and much improved Parents' Corner is now online. Click on the preceding link or use the Families link on any of the main pages to reach the Families page and its link to the Parents' Corner.The Parents' Corner is a compendium of articles and resources that help nontheistic parents deal with the challenges of secular child-rearing in a religious world: books, book reviews, essays, events, and links to numerous resources of importance to all nontheist parents.
July 1, 2002
Added "Creationism to Universal Darwinism: Evolution and Religion" by Taner Edis, the featured article for July, to the Kiosk [Note: Edis is the author of The Ghost in the Universe: God in Light of Modern Science, our Book of the Month selection for July.]Today--more than a century after Darwin convinced biologists that life had evolved, polls nevertheless indicate that ~45% of Americans believe in creationism of the young-earth variety and another ~45% believe in progressive evolution guided by divine force. With an overview as to where it has been and where it is going, Edis brings us up to date on the ongoing controversy over creation and evolution.
See "What's New? " for past months