Horia George Plugaru’s Argument Against the Abundance Theory of Creation
The Internet Infidels just published a new essay by Horia George Plugaru in the Secular Web’s Kiosk, “Why the Abundance Theory of Creation Fails.” From the opening paragraph: How can God be both a perfect being and the creator of the universe? Doesn’t the fact that he created the world imply that he had a … Horia George Plugaru’s Argument Against the Abundance Theory of Creation
Argument Against the Resurrection of Jesus – Part 13
I am examining the implications of the following supposition:JAW = Jesus was alive and walking around on the first Easter Sunday.This supposition is asserted by most Christian apologists as a key claim in support of the resurrection of Jesus. Another key claim made by Christian apologists concerns the alleged crucifixion of Jesus:JWC = Jesus was … Argument Against the Resurrection of Jesus – Part 13
Tyler Wunder Has Joined The Secular Outpost!
I’m pleased to announce that Dr. Tyler Wunder has joined The Secular Outpost! Here is a short bio he provided to me for this announcement: I received my PhD in Philosophy from Boston University; my dissertation was a critique of Alvin Plantinga’s Warrant trilogy. My publications are: “Anti-Naturalism and Proper Function” [Religious Studies 44(2)], “Critical … Tyler Wunder Has Joined The Secular Outpost!
Has Christmas become too secular?
No. Christmas officially became a secular holiday on June 28, 1870. That’s when President Ulysses S. Grant declared December 25 a legal holiday, along with January 1, July 4, and a day to be determined for Thanksgiving. We were founded as a secular country under a godless Constitution (no mention of God or Jesus), where … Has Christmas become too secular?
Tom Flynn, the Anti-Claus
Should non-believers celebrate a secular version of Christmas as a sort of winter holiday? According to Tom Flynn, the answer is “no.” If you haven’t heard of Flynn, he is the Executive Director of the Council for Secular Humanism, editor of Free Inquiry, and the author of The Trouble with Christmas. (As Flynn points out, his … Tom Flynn, the Anti-Claus
Argument Against the Resurrection of Jesus – Part 12
I have previously examined the implications of the supposition that (JAW) is not the case:(JAW) Jesus was alive and walking around unassisted on the first Easter Sunday.Now I’m going to start looking into the implications of the supposition that (JAW) is the case.There are many ways to divide up the logical pie, but I propose … Argument Against the Resurrection of Jesus – Part 12
Finding Reason in the Season
I once believed in miracles because my parents told me they were true, but even then I recognized that all miracles were not created equal. The Hanukkah miracle of a light burning for eight days instead of just one paled in comparison to the Pesach miracle, when a God decided to “pass-over” the houses of … Finding Reason in the Season
Links and News — 19-Dec-11
Housekeeping “Secular Outpost Revamped“ “The Skeptic Awards 2011“ Miscellaneous “Bellingham Lectures in Philosophy of Religion“ “Schieber’s Objections to the Kalam Argument” by John Danaher “PhilPapers Survey Results“ “A Bayesian Approach to Absent Evidence Reasoning” by Christopher Stephens “Air Force Academy Dogged by Anti-Christian Pressure” by Baptist Press When Are Supernatural Claims Worth Investigating? Should … Links and News — 19-Dec-11
Louise Antony’s NYT Editorial on Good without God
LINK (HT: Ex-Apologist)
The Definition of Atheism, the Anal-Retentive Defense of Etymological Purism, and Linguistic Relativism
Back when I was the moderator of the USENET newsgroup alt.atheism.moderated, I used to debate the definition of atheism and I used to defend the atheism as the lack of belief position. I’m persuaded, however, by Ted Drange that by default we should define our terms in a way which matches ordinary usage. Ordinary usage … The Definition of Atheism, the Anal-Retentive Defense of Etymological Purism, and Linguistic Relativism