In this INDEX post you will find links to each of the 14 posts in my series of posts on this question: Was Joshua’s Slaughter of the Canaanites Morally Justified? I have also provided some quotes from the posts to give an idea of what each post is about. In this series of posts I … INDEX: Was Joshua’s Slaughter of the Canaanites Morally Justified?

NOTE: This is a portion of a paper I read at the Central Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association last February. It is a revision of an earlier SO post “Contempt: A Qualified Defense.” In January 2017, I was pleasantly surprised to see an op/ed by a professional philosopher in The Houston Chronicle. Karen Stohr’s timely … Contempt: It’s Not All Bad

WHERE WE ARE The final question at issue that I discussed in the previous post is this: Does the OT clearly claim that all of the peoples who inhabited the numerous towns and villages in the Promised Land prior to the alleged Conquest of Canaan, regularly practiced child sacrifice? I examined the Old Testament passages … Was Joshua’s Slaughter of the Canaanites Morally Justified? Part 14: More OT on Child Sacrifice

I was so inspired by the photo of Donald Trump holding the Bible that, further inspired by a Stephen Colbert skit, I have decided to post selections from the King Don version of the Bible. So, here is the word of God, er, Don, er…. The Creation Story:           In the beginning it was fabulous. … The Holy Bible, King Don Version

This is the continuation of the imaginary dialogue between Augustine and Hypatia begun in the last post. Moderator: I fear that the discussion once again is descending into mutual recrimination. To get us back on track, let me get back to a point that was raised earlier. It seems to me that one real strength … Augustine Versus Hypatia (Part II)

For the edification of my students, and for fun, I have written some dialogues that resurrected figures from the past and allowed them to debate. I set these debates as part of programs on “The Afterlife Broadcasting Company.” I assume that the participants have become aware of intellectual developments since their day. Here I have … Augustine Versus Hypatia (Part I)

It has been over a year since I contributed to Secular Outpost. Multiple responsibilities and distractions took me away. I would like to return to SO with a post that is somewhat tangential to our usual discussion topics here, but the issue is so important that I think we need to discuss it whenever we … Is Racism America’s Original Sin?

WHY ARE FICTIONAL OLD TESTAMENT STORIES MORALLY RELEVANT? There probably was no Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and there probably was no Conquest of Canaan by the Israelites.  These stories are either pure fiction, or they are legends that have only bits and pieces of historical truth in them.  So, if the stories about … Was Joshua’s Slaughter of the Canaanites Morally Justified? Part 13: OT on Child Sacrifice

WILLIAM CRAIG ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN Before I examine the question of whether the Old Testament clearly indicates that ALL of the peoples living in the towns of the Promised Land regularly and frequently practiced child sacrifice in the decades prior to the (alleged) Conquest of Canaan by Joshua and the … Was Joshua’s Slaughter of the Canaanites Morally Justified? Part 12: Playing For All the Marbles