What's New Archive ● 2008 ● November
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November 24, 2008
The second rebuttals in the Carrier-O'Connell debate, On Paul's Theory of Resurrection, have been posted.
Richard Carrier's second rebuttal, Possibly is Not Probably, criticizes Jake O'Connell's propensity in this debate to offer merely possible alternative explanations for why early Christian and Jewish authors seem to hold a two-body view of bodily resurrection, when what O'Connell needs is grounds for thinking that it is more probable that they held a one-body view. Carrier concludes that O'Connell simply interprets the relevant passages in isolation from one another, rather than considering the probability that early authors held one or the other view on the basis of the overall evidence.
In his second rebuttal Jake O'Connell argues that we should presume that references to relevant words with disputed meanings were intended to refer to a one-body resurrection, since whenever an author is unambiguous about the kind of resurrection intended, the word has always referred to a one-body resurrection. Moreover, Carrier's sources which clearly advocate two-body resurrection are too far removed from Paul's time to allow us to reasonably infer anything about what Paul himself believed.
Per the rules set forth prior to the debate, both debaters now have 2 weeks to submit their closing statements for publication on the Secular Web.
November 23, 2008
2008 Fundraiser!
For over a decade the Secular Web has conscientiously procured thousands of outstanding essays, reviews, and critiques. By providing highly relevant information about atheism and naturalism--which would otherwise be nearly impossible to find--we have sought to level the playing field in a world where few believers encounter arguments or evidence challenging their beliefs. In an ocean of religious confusion, please help us maintain a drop of sanity by donating right now!
November 20, 2008
New in the Kiosk: Ten Falsehoods and Misconceptions Peddled by "Answers in Genesis" (2008) by Nick Covington
"Answers in Genesis" (AiG) is an apologetics (i.e., Christianity-defending) ministry which focuses on providing answers to questions surrounding the biblical book of Genesis, and on exposing the alleged "bankruptcy of evolutionary ideas." "AiG teaches that 'facts' don't speak for themselves, but must be interpreted." But, as Nick Covington demonstrates, AiG gets it wrong.
November 8, 2008
Added Why I Am Not a Christian: A Summary of My Case Against Christianity (2008) by John W. Loftus to the Why I Am Not a Christian page under Christianity in the Modern Documents section of the Secular Web Library.
Despite his seminary roots, John Loftus has come to conclude that Christianity cannot be reasonably defended on the basis of the available evidence. In this overview of his reasons for ultimately rejecting the Christian faith, Loftus considers a variety of sociological, philosophical, scientific, biblical, and historical facts, explaining why he is now an atheist and what it means for him to live life without God. His approach does not proceed from any internal theological inconsistencies, but rather from inconsistencies between theological ideas and the empirical reality in which we find ourselves. He ultimately concludes that all modern, civilized, educated, and scientifically literate persons should reject Christianity, and that a proper skeptical attitude toward religion, informed by modern science, yields a tentative naturalism subject to potential falsification by better evidence.
November 6, 2008
New in the Bookstore: Christian No More: On Leaving Christianity, Debunking Christianity, and Embracing Atheism and Freethinking (2008) by Jeffrey Mark.
In Christian No More Jeffrey Mark "dismantles Christianity, showing how it is a fraud founded on myths that have no basis in reality, built on a theology of threats, including hell, that cannot be real. He takes the reader through a wonderful journey of science, history, myth--and even theology"--describing his own journey from devout Christianity to nonbeliever in the process.