(Published in Faith and Philosophy 2011. Volume 28, Issue 2, April 2011. Stephen Law. Pages 129-151) EVIDENCE, MIRACLES AND THE EXISTENCE OF JESUS Stephen Law Abstract The vast majority of Biblical historians believe there is evidence sufficient to place Jesus’ existence beyond reasonable doubt. Many believe the New Testament documents alone suffice firmly to establish Jesus as an actual, historical figure. I question these views. In particular, I argue (i) that the three most popular criteria by which various non-miraculous New Testament claims made about Jesus are supposedly corroborated are not sufficient, either singly or jointly, to place his existence beyond reasonable doubt, and (ii) that a prima facie plausible principle concerning how evidence should be assessed – a principle I call the contamination principle – entails that, given the large proportion of uncorroborated miracle claims made about Jesus in the New Testament documents, we should, in the absence of indepen
Comments
I've got purely selfish reasons to be fond of Gordon Brown - I started work and started a family under the Tories and remember waking up to the fact that we'd have been better off on the dole (because it cost money to work - e.g. in travel - but every penny you earned came straight off your benefits). Then Tax Credits came in and suddenly we could actually think about buying a house, taking holidays, and generally having some quality of life.
It infuriates me to hear people reeling out the 'all parties are the same line' now... the Tories' idea of educational opportunity in my home town was to cream off the top 50 kids every year and send them to the local public school, dumping the rest in an underfunded 'comprehensive' (= secondary modern). My kids now attend an actual comprehensive - one that (horrors!) everyone's allowed to go to - which was built from scratch two years ago and which makes the 'posh' school I attended look like a garden shed.
Just show how quickly people start taking things for granted I guess - or maybe people with younger kids now just don't realise what things used to be like, or higher earners don't realize (or don't care) how much the lives of us 'little people' have improved under Labour. Not looking forward to getting the Tories back though.
you little liars do nothing but antagonize...
and you try to eliminate all the dreams and hopes of humanity...
but you LOST...
THE DEATH OF ATH*ISM - SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF GOD
http://engforum.pravda.ru/showthread.php?t=280780
Einstein puts the final nail in the coffin of atheism...
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7vpw4AH8QQ
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atheists deny their own life element...
LIGHT OR DEATH, ATHEISTS?
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***************************LIGHT*********
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You know DM, the fruitcake who's been posting death threats/messages of Christian love (I get the two confused) on here lately? Well, I decided to follow some of his links to see what formidable anti-atheist arguments he has in his arsenal. In pride of place at the top of one of his favourite pages, here:
http://nostraamerica.atspace.com/
- is a video called 'Checkmate, Atheists'. Poor old DM seemingly hasn't noticed that it's a rather mirthsome *parody* of crappy Christian arguments, taking the piss out of people exactly like him.
Or maybe DM is a joke character himself?
Either way, thanks DM - cheered me up!
you bastards!
/not an atheist, don't deny my own life element
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/plonk.php
(scroll down)
More worryingly though, see here:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/09/update_on_dennis_markuze.php
Perhaps it's worth setting up some temporary moderation till he buggers off?
Also, it appears you have been hit by a Labour spambot too. By the Boulder Pledge, I now may not vote Labour. Oh well.
One more time:
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http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/FaceOff/
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THE REAL QUESTION:
DOES ATHEISM HAVE A FUTURE?
AND THE ANSWER - NO!