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Posted inBooks

Vincent Torley replies to Adair and Lindsay, and gets earful

Reading Time: 5 minutes So I posted on John Loftus’ DC the other day in plugging Aaron Adair’s The Star of Bethlehem: A Skeptical View and James A. Lindsay’s Dot, Dot, Dot: Infinity Plus god Equals Folly. Vincent Torley, about whom I have written a series of posts, and who writes at Uncommon Descent, looked to critique the two heavily. But it seems he got more than he bargained for. I won’t go through the tos and fros with him and Adair – they are long, though fascinating. Well, well, worth a look at. Here is Vincent on Lindsay’s book, well, his video that we concocted.

Posted inBooks, The Secular

Two Splendid Christmas Gift Ideas!

Reading Time: 6 minutes So, the celebrations are upon us to commemorate good ole Jesus and his rather miraculous (and dare I say imaginary) birth. Well, he may have been born, but not like that. But enough of that. Or maybe not. I have two rather decent suggestions with which to fill your stockings (Christmas, not underwear).

Posted inHistory

The Jesus of History and the Christ of Myth

Reading Time: < 1 minute Aaron Adair, as you well know, has recently written a book which I edited and which is getting rave reviews. Here is a presentation on the historicity of Jesus which he recently gave which looks at the whole broad topic, touching on the Star later in the talk. This is a fascinating talk, though am only part way through so far. Check it out!

Posted inUncategorized

Star-struck. Putting the theories to bed.

Reading Time: < 1 minute As you will know from a couple of previous posts, I have edited a book by Aaron Adair about the Star of Bethlehem, called The Star of Bethlehem: A Skeptical View. Check it out. And check this interesting video out that Aaron has compiled documenting clips of all of the different theories. Nice job!

Posted inUncategorized

That SOB sure is worth reading about

Reading Time: 4 minutes [Just to remind readers that the book I have recently edited, written by contributor Aaron Adair, called The Star of Bethlehem: A Skeptical View. is out now in all formats from a variety of sellers. It is a great book, and one which Richard Carrier has said is “awesome”. Please support our work by buying it! It’ll make an awesome Christmas present! Over to Aaron’s launch piece for those who missed it – JP]

Posted inUncategorized

The Star of Bethlehem: A Skeptical View — My Upcoming Book

Reading Time: 3 minutes Nearly two millennia ago, a story was told of a wondrous star in the heavens, beaming forth to proclaim the birth of an infant, destined to rule. Coaxing priests from an eastern kingdom to travel in search of this infant, the object led them to their destination and allow for the worship of the savior of the world.

Or so the story goes. But did it really happen, and if so, what was this magnificent star? A comet? An exploding star? An astrological portent? Something more bizarre?

Posted inUncategorized

Is Comet ISON the Star of Bethlehem?

Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s been a good, long time since I have seen a bright, naked-eye comet in the sky. The last I remember was Hale-Bopp back in 1996, and that was a remarkable sight. But there is a lot of hope now for Comet ISON (aka C/2012 S1), which was discovered only a matter of months ago. Not only it is slated to be a very bright object, but what is more interesting to me is its orbit.

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