Frank R. Zindler | |
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| President of American Atheists | |
| In office 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Ellen Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Ed Buckner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 23,1939 Benton Harbor,Michigan,U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Elizabeth Zindler,née Hunt (1935–2013) (m. 1964–2013) |
| Known for |
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| Website | frank-zindler |
Frank R. Zindler (May 23, 1939) is an American atheist who served as interim president of the atheist organization American Atheists in 2008. [1]
Prior to his involvement in the atheist community, he was Chairman, Division of Science, Nursing, & Technology, at Fulton-Montgomery Community College of the State University of New York. [2] After the abduction and murder of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, her son Jon Garth Murray, and granddaughter Robin Eileen Murray-O'Hair in 1995, he became editor of both American Atheist magazine and Director of American Atheist Press. [3] In 2009, he retired as editor of the magazine but continued as Director of American Atheist Press. In the spring of 2011, he published a multi-volume anthology of his short essays and other works. [2] [4]
At a party celebrating his 80th birthday, he came out of the closet as a gay man by giving a dramatic reading of the "Confessions" part of his autobiography. [5] [6] [7]
In 2022, he published his eleventh book, The Amityville Horror: An Inquest into Paranormal Claims. [8] The book was begun in the fall of 1979, as an example for his students of how to investigate claims of the supernatural and paranormal. [9] When the book was two-thirds completed it was put aside when an oral publishing agreement fell apart. The story of how this played out is described both in his "Confessions" [10] and in his exposé of The Amityville Horror. [11]
Over the course of a long life, Zindler engaged in a great number of radio, TV, and platform debates in defense of the "Wall of Separation" between state and church; the civil rights of atheists, humanists, secularists, and secularism generally; abortion rights and the right of women to control their own bodies; and the right to "death with dignity" at the end of life. He vigorously defended the teaching of evolution in public schools and the rights of LGBTQ Americans. [12]
Among his most memorable debates were his radio debate (WMUZ Detroit, Al Kresta Show, November 14, 1989) with John P. Koster (author of The Atheist Syndrome) on the question "Does God Exist?"; [13] his TV debate (Channel 13, Indianapolis, IN, The Dick Wolfsie Show) with John D. Morris on "The Question of Noah’s Flood"; [14] and several radio debates (e.g., WTVN 610 AM, "Night Talk with Jim Bleikamp" in Columbus, OH) with Duane T. Gish on the question "Is Creationism Science?" [15] He also had a famous debate with philosopher and theologian William Lane Craig at Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, IL on June 27, 1993. [16]
Zindler is also a proponent of the mythicist theory that no historical person lies behind the Gospel picture of Jesus of Nazareth. After the publication of Bart Ehrman's 2012 book Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth arguing (from a non-religious perspective) for the existence of a historical Jesus, Zindler and Robert M. Price co-edited an anthology of essays by various mythicists arguing against Ehrman's position. [17]
Zindler has authored, co-authored, translated, annotated, or edited several texts on atheism, science, religion, and many other subjects: [18]
Gospel originally meant the Christian message, but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was reported. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words and deeds of Jesus, culminating in his trial and death and concluding with various reports of his post-resurrection appearances. Modern biblical scholars are cautious of relying on the gospels uncritically, but nevertheless, they provide a good idea of the public career of Jesus, and critical study can attempt to distinguish the original ideas of Jesus from those of the later Christian authors.
Dionysus-Osiris, alternatively Osiris-Dionysus, is a deity arising from the syncretism of the Egyptian god Osiris and the Greek god Dionysus. The two deities had been identified with each other as early as the 5th century BC, as recounted in the Histories of Herodotus:
For no gods are worshipped by all Egyptians in common except Isis and Osiris, who they say is Dionysus; these are worshipped by all alike. [...] Osiris is, in the Greek language, Dionysus.
Earl J. Doherty is a Canadian author of The Jesus Puzzle (1999), Challenging the Verdict (2001), and Jesus: Neither God Nor Man (2009). Doherty argues for a version of the Christ myth theory, the thesis that Jesus did not exist as a historical figure. Doherty says that Paul thought of Jesus as a spiritual being executed in a spiritual realm.
The historicity of Jesus is the question of whether Jesus historically existed. The question of historicity was generally settled in scholarship in the early 20th century. Today scholars agree that a Jewish man named Jesus of Nazareth did exist in the Herodian Kingdom of Judea and the subsequent Herodian tetrarchy in the 1st century CE, upon whose life and teachings Christianity was later constructed, but a distinction is made by scholars between 'the Jesus of history' and 'the Christ of faith'.
The term "historical Jesus" refers to the life and teachings of Jesus as interpreted through critical historical methods, in contrast to what are traditionally religious interpretations. It also considers the historical and cultural contexts in which Jesus lived. Virtually all scholars of antiquity accept that Jesus was a historical figure, and the idea that Jesus was a mythical figure has been consistently rejected by the scholarly consensus as a fringe theory. Scholars differ about the beliefs and teachings of Jesus as well as the accuracy of the biblical accounts, with only two events being supported by nearly universal scholarly consensus: Jesus was baptized and Jesus was crucified.
Jesus, also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religion. Most Christians believe Jesus to be the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited Jewish Messiah, or Christ, that is prophesied in the Old Testament.
The Amityville Horror is a book by American author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released from 1979 onward. The book is based on the claims of paranormal experiences by the Lutz family, but has led to controversy and lawsuits over its truthfulness.
The Christ myth theory, also known as the Jesus myth theory, Jesus mythicism, or the Jesus ahistoricity theory, is the view that the story of Jesus is a work of mythology with no historical substance. Alternatively, in terms given by Bart Ehrman paraphrasing Earl Doherty, it is the view that "the historical Jesus did not exist. Or if he did, he had virtually nothing to do with the founding of Christianity."
The study of Jesus in comparative mythology is the examination of the narratives of the life of Jesus in the Christian gospels, traditions and theology, as they relate to Christianity and other religions. Although the vast majority of New Testament scholars and historians of the ancient Near East agree that Jesus existed as a historical figure, most secular historians also agree that the gospels contain large quantities of ahistorical legendary details mixed in with historical information about Jesus's life. The Synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke are heavily shaped by Jewish tradition, with the Gospel of Matthew deliberately portraying Jesus as a "new Moses". Although it is highly unlikely that the authors of the Synoptic Gospels directly based any of their accounts on pagan mythology, it is possible that they may have subtly shaped their accounts of Jesus's healing miracles to resemble familiar Greek stories about miracles associated with Asclepius, the god of healing and medicine. The birth narratives of Matthew and Luke are usually seen by secular historians as legends designed to fulfill Jewish expectations about the Messiah.
Edward Warren Miney and Lorraine Rita Warren were American paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent cases of alleged hauntings. Edward was a self-taught and self-professed demonologist, author, and lecturer. Lorraine professed to be clairvoyant and a light trance medium who worked closely with her husband.
Bart Denton Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar focusing on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the origins and development of early Christianity. He has written and edited 30 books, including three college textbooks. He has also authored six New York Times bestsellers. He is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Richard Cevantis Carrier is an American ancient historian. He is a long-time contributor to skeptical websites, including The Secular Web and Freethought Blogs. Carrier has published a number of books and articles on philosophy and religion in classical antiquity, discussing the development of early Christianity from a skeptical viewpoint, and concerning religion and morality in the modern world. He has publicly debated a number of scholars on the historical basis of the Bible and Christianity. He is a prominent advocate of the theory that Jesus did not exist, which he has argued in a number of his works. However, Carrier's methodology and conclusions in this field have proven controversial and unconvincing to most ancient historians, and he and his theories are often identified as fringe.
Robert McNair Price is an American New Testament scholar who argues in favor of the Christ myth theory – the claim that a historical Jesus did not exist. Price is the author of a number of books on biblical studies and the historicity of Jesus.
Ghost hunting is the process of investigating locations that are purportedly haunted by ghosts. The practice has been heavily criticized for its dismissal of the scientific method. No scientific study has ever been able to confirm the existence of ghosts. Ghost hunting is considered a pseudoscience by the vast majority of educators, academics, science writers and skeptics. Science historian Brian Regal described ghost hunting as "an unorganized exercise in futility".
John Eleazer Remsburg was an ardent religious skeptic in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In his book 1909 book The Christ, Remsburg lists forty-two ancient writers who did not mention Jesus or whose mentions are suspect, and this list has appeared in many subsequent books that question the historicity of Jesus. Remsburg himself wrote that the man Jesus may have existed, but that the Christ of the gospels is mythical.
Dorothy Milne Murdock, better known by her pen names Acharya S and D. M. Murdock, was an American writer supporting the Christ myth theory that Jesus never existed as a historical person, but was rather a mingling of various pre-Christian myths, Sun deities and dying-and-rising deities.
The Quest of the Historical Jesus is a 1906 work of Biblical historical criticism written by Albert Schweitzer during the previous year, before he began to study for a medical degree.
Oral gospel traditions is the hypothetical first stage in the formation of the written gospels as information was passed by word of mouth. These oral traditions included different types of stories about Jesus. For example, people told anecdotes about Jesus healing the sick and debating with his opponents. The traditions also included sayings attributed to Jesus, such as parables and teachings on various subjects which, along with other sayings, formed the oral gospel tradition. The supposition of such traditions have been the focus of scholars such as Bart Ehrman, James Dunn, and Richard Bauckham, although each scholar varies widely in his conclusions, with Ehrman and Bauckham publicly debating on the subject.
Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth is a 2012 book by Bart D. Ehrman, a scholar of the New Testament. In this book, written to counter the idea that there was never such a person as Jesus of Nazareth at all, Ehrman sets out to demonstrate the historical evidence for Jesus' existence, and he aims to state why all experts in the area agree that "whatever else you may think about Jesus, he certainly did exist."
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