Annoucement for Atheist Watch
In my latest article on Atheist Watch I show that the same organization that started the Jesus Project also started and runs Skeptical Inquirer magazine. I think this is a good indictment of the biases of that project.
How Many Children in Bethlehem Did Herod Kill?
A couple of months ago, I wrote a post about the Gospel of Matthew’s account of the slaughter of the innocents. Therein, I argued that some of the skepticism about the account was unjustified. One argument I made was that the number of children killed in Bethlehem would likely have been no more than 20. Though obviously an act of great evil, the killing of 20 children would be much less likely to be noticed by historians of the time than the slaughter of thousands as later traditions speculated. In response to the post, Peter Kirby asked a few questions. He has patiently waited my response, continuously delayed by work, family, and the completion of my Acts article . Two of the questions had to do with how the amount of 20 was determined. Others with the omission of the account by Luke and the reliability of the tradition recounted by Macrobius. Peter also mentioned that there were other reasons to doubt the story's historicity beyond just the silence of other sources. I
Comments
In the summer of 2007, many of these Scholars got wind of the fact that they were listed as fellows for the Jesus Project. They subsequently asked to be withdrawn after complaining about not being asked more formally. Unfortunately for the project, these people happened to be the bigger, more mainstream names like Crossan. Now all that's left, with a few token exceptions, are mythers and other fringe scholars. The results of the project will be predictable and totally detached from the mainstream.
In other words, CSER epic fail.
There was also a scandal involving Jim West when Robinson agreed to be the consultant to the project, then West or someone on his blog contended that Robinson didn't know anything about it. Joseph Hoffman the chairman of the Jesus Project denied that he didn't know about it. I'm not sure how that all turned out.
research Nazi propaganda. they argued the very same way atheists do. "We are a poor little discriminated against and hatred group that he evil mean old powerful Jews are picking on an we have to take extreme measures against them to survive.
extreme? well I think a petition to make it illegal to teach your child your religion, which Dawkins did sign, is extreme. There are a few other exmple.
it's early yet. But the hate group is getting there. They are in stage 4 (the hate group taunts the target). Eventually they will move to stage 5.
This sounds more like what you're doing here; trying to make sound like a small, despised largely powerless minority somehow represents an existential threat to the prevailing order.
Dawkins foolishly signing a stupid petition (which he later recanted, by the way) is hardly an offense on the order of mobs in the street smashing windows. And in case you haven;t figured it out yet, Dawkins is NOT the atheist Pope; he doesn't speak for all atheists everywhere.
I understand that some atheists have been rather cruel to you in the past, but this constant smear tactic of yours in which you compare us to Nazis is inexcusable.
Please stop it.
you woldn't know he's not the pope talking to his groupies. The work of the Jesus project is a put up job, it's a dog and pony show for the Jesus myth concept. That's their attempt to save it because its' been smashed so many times and and so little support.
I understand that some atheists have been rather cruel to you in the past, but this constant smear tactic of yours in which you compare us to Nazis is inexcusable.
they will shoot themselves in the foot even without my help. a movement that exists for the purposing of venting hatred upon a group despised by tiny fringe element hasn't a prayer, especially when eliminating prayer is one of their goals.