Bible Talk
A Firefighter Speaks-out, by Bruce Monson
Let Us Pray, by Judith Hayes
Prayer is a practice than cannot survive the harsh spotlight of logic. This article shows why.
God Was With Him, by Farrell Till
When people escape disaster, believers often claim, "God was with him." What, then, are we to think of those who don't escape disaster? If God gets the credit, shouldn't he also get the blame?
Atheists in Foxholes: Post Hoc Miracles, by Bruce Monson (Also: condensed version)
Myth and Miracle, by Robert G. Ingersoll (1885)
Farrell Till compares Hutchinson's circular reasoning to a dog chasing his tail and shows that Hutchinson's logic could be used to prove the historicity of all ancient miracle claims.
Prayer as Magic by William Edelen
In the study of religion among primal peoples you find that many believed in "magic". Magic is defined as the belief that supernatural forces can be controlled, influenced and manipulated by executing a ritualistic formula, either physical or verbal. We still, today, in a more fashionable way, utilize superstition, prayer wheels, magic, sacrifices and elaborate doxologies to induce God to favor our requests, grant our wishes and perform miracles upon demand.
Does prayer work? By Giles Wilson, BBC News
"The world's religions got together a month ago to pray for peace. Has the planet seen any impact - and is there any evidence that praying works anyway?"
Quizzes!
What Do You Really Know About the Bible?
Resources
Jews For Judaism: Knowledge Base
Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon of Classical Greek
Lewis & Short Latin Dictionary
Fairy Tales For the Flocks
But If There Is No Tooth Fairy..., by Farrell Till
Theists never tire of painting skepticism and atheism as philosophies of despair and doom. But it just ain't so, as this article shows.
Talking to the Animals, by Farrell Till
Sometimes an excerpt is the best intro: "Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute! Time out! Let's look at what we have. Here is a donkey that suddenly starts asking questions, and his owner just calmly answers her as if it were perfectly natural for donkeys to talk." Read on!
Point-Counterpoint
Serpentine Logic, by Dan Barker
An outstanding article written by Dan Barker of the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), detailing a segment from his debate with Dr. Walter Kaiser, President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts.
Pascal's Wager
A favorite argument among Christians today is: "well, if I'm wrong in my belief in Christianity then I lose nothing, but if you're wrong in your disbelief of Christianity then you lose everything ... so why not believe, just in case?" But this is just a form of Pascal's wager and there are multiple flaws to this line of reasoning. Here are some articles that address it in detail:
A Refutation of Pascal's Wager and Why Skeptics Should Be Non-Theists, by Masssimo Pigliucci
"One of the most popular arguments of people who believe in a God and would like to make an 'irrefutable' argument for their beliefs is the (in)famous 'Pascal wager.' Within the skeptic and humanist communities, one of the most delicate, politically wide-ranging, and emotionally charged debates concerns the question: should a coherent skeptic also be an atheist (or at least agnostic)? This essay attempts to discuss a fundamental link between the two issues, while making use of an essential component of the scientific method to solve both.
The End of Pascal's Wager: Only Nontheists Go to Heaven (2003) by Richard Carrier
A successful rebuttal to any form of Pascal's Wager, a rebuttal which requires theists to abandon several of their cherished beliefs about god and/or heaven if they are to escape its logic, demonstrating in the process that unbelief may be the safest bet after all.
Pascal's Wager Refuted (2000) by Theodore M. Drange
The author schematizes the infamous argument for belief called "Pascal's Wager," after the seventeenth century French philosopher who first posed it. This argument is then critically analyzed.
Playing the Odds (1991) by Farrell Till
"'If I am right and you are wrong....' How many times have bibliolaters said this to skeptics after all rational efforts to defend the Bible have failed?" Farrell Till responds to this oft-given inerrantist argument.
On Rescher On Pascal's Wager (1990) by Graham Oppy
In Pascal's Wager: A Study Of Practical Reasoning In Philosophical Theology, Nicholas Rescher aims to show that, contrary to received philosophical opinion, Pascal's Wager argument is "the vehicle of a fruitful and valuable insight--one which not only represents a milestone in the development of an historically important tradition of thought but can still be seen as making an instructive contribution to philosophical theology." In particular, Rescher argues that one only needs to adopt a correct perspective in order to see that Pascal's Wager argument is a good argument. Moreover, there seems to be a certain amount of contemporary support for Rescher's claim that Pascal's Wager argument can be seen to be a good argument when properly construed. However, despite this recent trend to adopt a more sympathetic stance towards Pascal's Wager argument, I propose to defend the traditional view that Pascal's Wager argument is almost entirely worthless--at least from the theological standpoint. (No doubt, it has historical significance from the standpoint of decision theory; but that's a separate matter.)
Pascal's Wager Is A Possible Bet (But Not A Very Good One): Reply To Harmon Holcomb III (1996) by Graham Oppy
In "To Bet The Impossible Bet," Harmon Holcomb III argues: (i) that Pascal's wager is structurally incoherent; (ii) that if it were not thus incoherent, then it would be successful; and (iii) that my earlier critique of Pascal's wager in "On Rescher On Pascal's Wager" is vitiated by its reliance on "logicist" presuppositions. I deny all three claims. If Pascal's wager is "incoherent," this is only because of its invocation of infinite utilities. However, even if infinite utilities are admissible, the wager is defeated by the "many gods" and "many wagers" objections. Moreover, these objections do not rely on mistaken "logicist" presuppositions: atheists and agnostics traditionally and typically hold that they have no more--or at any rate hardly any more--reason to believe in the traditional Christian God than they have to believe in countless alternative deities.
Did Marco Polo Lie?, by Farrell Till
Biblicists often argue that there is as much proof for the historicity of Jesus as there is for the existence of Julius Caesar and other historical characters. A recent controversy surrounding a well known historical character will illustrate the erroneous thinking of those who so argue.
The Date of the Nativity in Luke (1999) 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.
What About Their Missing Links?, by Farrell Till
Evaluating Historical Claims, by Farrell Till
The Jeremiah Dilemma, by Farrell Till
Discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran refute the claim that the present day Bible is essentially the same as what was in the "original autographs."
Touring The Middle East, Jesus Style
A tremendous geographical "oops!" shows
that either God works in very mysterious-- even absurd-- ways, or whoever wrote Mark did
not know anything about the geography of the Middle East and certainly was not a disciple
of Jesus.
- Kooks and Quacks
of the Roman Empire: A Look into the World of the Gospels (1997), by Richard Carrier
- Carrier argues that when we examine the background of the time and place in which the gospels were written, we discover that "these were times replete with kooks and quacks of all varieties, from sincere lunatics to ingenious frauds, and there was no end to the fools and loons who would follow and praise them."
- The Formation
of the New Testament Canon, by Richard Carrier
- Carrier surveys the history of the formation of the New Testament canon, summarizing the work of Bruce Metzger.
- Which Bible?
- Steven Carr discusses variations in the New Testament text and the disagreements of early Christians in matters of "orthodox" doctrines.
AS RABBIS FACE FACTS, BIBLE TALES ARE WILTING, by Michael Massing
- Jewish Law, the Burial of Jesus, and the Third Day, by Richard Carrier
- The Argument from the Bible by Theodore Drange
- What Happened to the Resurrected Saints?, by Ed Babinski
Concludes Ed Babinski, "those of us who doubt the story of the many raised saints see in it a reflection of the kind of blind faith that made the story of Jesus' resurrection catch on in the first place." See also: More About the Resurrected Saints, by Farrell Till.
Christian History 101, by William Edelen, 6/30/02
No Morality Without the Bible?, by Farrell Till
Bibles? Bibles? We don't need no stinkin' Bibles! Humans are more than capable of determining right and wrong without the aid of holy texts and "words of God."
The Dark Alley Apologetic, by Mark Vuletic
Is Christian Morality Objective? by Anton Thorn
The Ten Commandments are Moral Fossils, by Dr. Charlie Webb
Why An Immortal God Cannot Value And Therefore Cannot Love or Know Purpose, by Anton Thorn
Can the Bible (or Any) God Support an Absolute Morality?
Tim Gorski, M. D., observes that there is much that is terrible and unjust in the world, so that if there be a God, He can not be both all-good and all-powerful. Because if He were, He would put an end to such things.
Was the Amalekite Massacre a Moral Atrocity?
The opening salvo in the debate over the morality of the Amalekite massacre is a bloody one, as Till paints a picture of a gruesome, God-ordered holocaust.
Was It Morally Right for God to Order the Killing of the Canaanites?
Yes, says Clarence Lavender. In a chilling article that has Lavender comparing innocent children with cancerous tumors, Lavender calls the massacre "the highest manifestation of the goodness of God." If that's the highest, I'd hate to see the lowest.
Till takes Lavender to task for his moral insensibility.
Why Did Matthew Need Dead Babies?, by Farrell Till
What was Matthew's purpose in telling the tale of the slaughter of the infants in Bethlehem?
The Nature of God in the Bible
An Unchanging God? by Anton Thorn
A Perfect Being? by Anton Thorn
God and Omniscience by Anton Thorn
Murder, Slaughter & Injustice
The Deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 4 & 5: An Examination of the Nature of Faith, by Paul Albrecht, West Sussex, England, 2/2003
In Acts 5 there is a peculiar and little known event where a certain Ananias and his wife Sapphira suddenly die while in the custody of the apostle Peter for the alleged "sin" of withholding some of their own money from the church (instead of giving all of it). Here iis an excerpt from Paul Albrecht's discussion on this event:
"I could not recall ever before having been aware of this brutal incident, which smacked more of Jehovah than Christ and I decided to question religious friends and search the literature to discover how Christians interpret and justify it. What follows is what I have learned and what I conclude."
Note: See Here also for additional dialogue on the deaths in Acts 5.
A Wager on Old Testament Atrocities: Defending Michael Shermer, by Bruce Monson
This is my rebuttal to Richard Abanes, an evangelical Christian and presumed "expert" on cults (he's one of the Harry Potter is evil pundits), who took Michael Shermer (Skeptic Magazine) to task for his daring to publicly cite unsavory Bible passages, such as the "stoning to death of disobedient children", as being barbaric and primitive by modern standards of law and justice.
Murder Most High, by William Sierichs, Jr.
William Sierichs, Jr. indicts God for crimes against humanity. God should be at the top of the FBI's 10-Most-Wanted list. Christians often chide nonbelievers because we supposedly are incapable of morality. How dare Christians demand that nonbelievers bow down to such a murderous god!
Biblical Atrocities by Donald Morgan
Slavery
((( Bible Slavery Quiz )))
Correcting Common Errors, by Anton Thorn
This is an excellent point-counterpoint response from Mr. Thorn to a letter writer making fallacious claims about atheism and the required existence of "God" in order for atrocities such as slavery to be considered "wrong." The article is divided into three parts, with Part III having the relevant topic of slavery addressed, but the entire article is very interesting.
Some Slavery Resources
- Proslavery: A History of the Defense of Slavery inAmerica, by Larry E. Tise
- Bible, Race and Slavery
- Slavery
- Question on slavery (OT)
- Question on slavery (NT)
Murder, Rape & Subjugation of Women & Virgins
Child Abuse Yahweh's Way, by Farrell Till
Pioneers of Loophole Religion, by Farrell Till
Sexual Conduct Pentateuchal Style
A look at sexual rules of conduct in the Pentateuch.
"God's" Opinion of Woman. by Farrell Till
Keep Them Barefooted and Pregnant, by Farrell Till
What the bible has to say about women.
Bible Errancy
A Perfect Work of Harmony?, by Farrell Till
Till discusses "the divergent views of Jehu's slaughter of the royal family of Israel" in II Kings 9; 10:1-30 and Hosea 1:4, as an example of the inconsistencies in the Bible. See also previous version: A Perfect Work of Harmony?, and the subsequent No Takers, where Till extends on this topic.
The Bible and the Gullible, by William Edelen
The Sins of the Fathers, by Sol Abrams
- Why Didn't They Know?, by Farrell Till
According to Till, "just about everyone who had been associated with Jesus knew that he was supposed to be resurrected except the apostles."
Did Paul's Men Hear a Voice?, by Dan Barker
Dan Barker discusses a contradiction between Luke and Paul's account of Paul's conversion to Christianity.
Did They Tarry in the City?, by Farrell Till
Did Jesus meet the disciples in Galilee after his resurrection? Farrell Till writes that "this meeting in Galilee poses tremendous credibility problems."
Jairus's Daughter: Was She Dead or Wasn't She?, by Farrell Till
Inconsistencies in the gospel stories of Jairus' daughter suggest that the gospels are the product of fallible humans, not an infallible God.
How Likely Is It?, by Farrell Till
What are the odds that the Israelites in Exodus could have witnessed so many of God's miracles, and still have doubted God's power so many times?
The Bible contains numerous contradictions and is not the work of perfect harmony as inerrancy believers claim it is.
Best-Selling Errancy by Mark Ball
Confused? Bible Contradictions by Dan Barker
Biblical Inconsistencies by Donald Morgan
Biblical Absurdities by Donald Morgan
The Historical Jesus
Why I Don't Buy the Resurrection Story, by Richard Carrier
If you read nothing else, read this! Professional historian, Richard Carrier, provides a systematic and comprehensive examination of the alleged resurrection and demonstrates how it utterly fails in the area of "evidence" and historical claims to truth.
The Historicity of Jesus, by Farrell Till
The Nature of the Claim, by Farrell Till
Till explains why the nature of the resurrection claim makes it improbable
Distinguishing Fact From Fiction in the Man from Galilee, by Stephen Van Eck
Van Eck attempts to tackle the problem of the historical Jesus
A Query on the Resurrection, by Anton Thorn
The Resurrection Maze, by Farrell Till
If the four gospel authors were divinely inspired, writes Till, "there would be no maze of inconsistencies in the juxtaposition of their stories." See also: Did They or Didn't They?
Point-Counterpoint on the Resurrection
Historical Evidence & The Empty Tomb
Jeffrey Jay Lowder rebuts William Lane Craig.
The proposition was: "Jesus of Nazareth died and rose bodily from the grave," with Geisler taking the affirmative and Till taking the negative.
The proposition: "Did Jesus really rise from the dead?",
with Horner taking the affirmative and Barker taking the negative. SEE ALSO: Put Me Down for
Myth, by Farrell Till, which extends on this theme; and further, Standing on
Quicksand, also by Till.
The Proposition: "Did Jesus rise bodily from the dead?" with Horner taking the affirmative and Till taking the negative.
Prophecy Fulfillment in the Bible?
Prophecies: Imaginary and Unfulfilled, Farrell Till
Prophecy Fulfillment and Probability
What are the odds that statistical arguments concerning biblical prophecy are valid? Pretty low, as Farrell Till shows.
An Example of "Prophecy Fulfillment", by Farrell Till
An example of the extremes that fundamentalists will go to in their search for fulfilled prophecy in the Bible.
What Third-Day Prophecy?, by Farrell Till
Where in the Old Testament is a prophecy whose face-value meaning was so obvious that no reasonable person could deny that the prophets were indeed predicting that the Messiah would rise from the dead?
Prophecy is a muddy science, and Bible prophecy more muddy than most. One example of this is the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, which inerrantists claim is a prediction of the virgin birth. As it turns out, it is no such thing.
All Prophets
Were False!, by Stephen Van Eck
Point-Counterpoint
Fulfilled Prophecy: Evidence for the Reliability of the Bible
Dr. Hugh Ross attempts to prove the infallibility of the Bible by stating some unusual probability statistics.
Prophecy Fulfillment: An Unprovable Claim (1)
Farrell Till counters Dr. Ross' claims.
Fulfilled Prophecy: An Unprovable Claim (2)
Farrell Till continues his rebuttal to Dr. Hugh Ross's article claiming that prophecy fulfillments prove the divine origin of the Bible.
Fulfilled Prophecy: An Unprovable Claim (3)
Farrell Till shows the fallacy in Dr. Ross' attempts to
prove the infallibility of the Bible.
Jesus as the Ultimate Sacrifice?
The Editor Goes to Church, by Farrell Till
"What A Friend We Have in Jesus" is debunked. One of those things that make you go "h-m-m-m-m-m."
Christian Salvation? by Thomas Doubting
Ever wonder how you can be saved? Christians can't agree, and the confusion is embarrassing. A survey of sixteen major denominations proves the point.
The Incoherence of
Original Sin and Substitutive Sacrifice, by Philip
Kuchar
The Christ of Daoist Alchemy, by Michael Turton
God and Free Will, The Original Odd Couple, by The Closet Atheist
Refuting Missionaries, by Hayyim ben Yehoshua
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF EVIL: Devils, Demons, and the Daimonic, by Stephen A. Diamond, Ph. D.