Lataster on the Historicity of Jesus Being a Debate Among Atheists

Raphael Lataster, an Australian doctoral student in religious studies, has published a book recently, Jesus Did Not Exist: A Debate among Atheists, examining the debate over the historicity of Jesus by focusing only on what atheist and agnostic experts are saying, and...

Science Then: The Bible vs. The Greeks Edition

Did the Bible predict modern science better than ancient scientists did? Funny to ask. Because naive Muslims have been making the same embarrassing claim for the Koran. Over a decade ago I published an article showing how silly conservative Muslim apologists were for...

Sex & Sexism in Ancient Rome (Transcript)

Following is a transcript of my Columbus talk earlier this year on Sex & Sexism in Ancient Rome (video and bibliography and backstory here). Much thanks to Jacob Aliet who did most of the work putting this together. -:- TEXT: An event Co-Organized by Poly Columbus...

Appearing in Kenya! (And You Can Watch)

Early this Saturday morning I’ll be joining Robert Price, David Fitzgerald, and Harrison Mumia of Atheists in Kenya in a live broadcast event held in the Metro Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. I won’t actually be in Africa (at least not this time!). This will be a...

Did Muhammad Exist? (Why That Question Is Hard to Answer)

I get asked this a lot. “Why not apply your methods and skills to the question of whether Muhammad actually existed or not?” My answer is always the same: I will not likely ever be able to do that, because it would require getting a whole second Ph.D. in...

A Better Movie on the Jesus Myth

Mythicist Milwaukee & King’s Tower Productions are going to produce a well-researched film about the Jesus myth theory that deliberately eliminates the flaws of past films (like that awful Zeitgeist thing) and pays attention to the best scholarship on the...

Appearing in Toronto!

I’ll be speaking on the historicity of Jesus in Toronto next month, on Friday, October 23 (2015), at 7:30pm, at the University of Toronto (252 Bloor Sreet West) in the OISE Auditorium (Ground Floor). Sponsored by CFI Canada. Details here. Tickets here....

Appearing in Raleigh…to Talk about Hitler!

I’ll be in town for two events at least. First, on Monday, September 21, I’ll be discussing my field-changing work on the fabricated and distorted Hitler quotes from the English edition of the infamous Table Talk. I will also be speaking at UNC...

Rare Fine Bound Editions of My Books: Special Auction!

Yep. You might want. These are fabulous. And presently unique. But even if duplicated, they will remain extremely rare. I’m giddy at the craftsman’s work on them. They are an aesthetic achievement that harkens back to the old days of leather-bound books in...

Speaking at DragonCon. Need a Costumer!

This is a call for someone to hire! I will be a featured guest speaker for Skeptrack at DragonCon in Atlanta, GA this September (4th-7th, 2015). I’ll give a new and fancier-than-ever talk on ancient technology (“Real Steam Punk”), possibly also be on...

Sex & Sexism in Ancient Rome (Columbus, Ohio)

In two weeks I’ll be speaking in Columbus, Ohio. On what you ask? Sex and Sexism in Ancient Rome: Crossroads of Sexual Freedom & State Oppression. Co-hosted by PolyColumbus and the Humanist Community of Central Ohio. This will be Tuesday, July 14 (2015), at...

Back in Manteca Next Month!

Last year in I spoke on Proving History. Now I’m back to cover the second half of the story: On the Historicity of Jesus. I’ll survey some key details of ancient history and outline the theory defended in the book. There will also be a preshow dinner, and...

Did No One Know Blue in Ancient Rome?

So, apparently “No One Could See the Color Blue Until Modern Times.” I have it on the high authority of the Princeton Archae…er, I mean, the science section of the Business Insider. So its totes true. Hm. This is the weirdest thing I’ve seen...

A Primer on Fourth Wave Feminism

Peter Boghossian often claims feminists today don’t care about the third world. That’s bullshit. In fact, almost everything he ever says about feminism today is bullshit. This article is a corrective. It’s time to clean the Augean stables....

Why I Don’t Always Trust Israel

Does Israel resort to war crimes, and then lie about it, to gain its ends? It has in the past. Which is why I have a hard time believing Israel’s claims now that it isn’t targeting schools and hospitals, which are UN-observed civilian refugee sites. That...