(October 17, 2012 at 11:18 pm)Polaris Wrote: Yes. I took a couple classes from him while at that university. I would have wanted to take more, but he was not in my actual discipline(s). I am also connected with him on Facebook and maybe even Twitter still, but I almost never use that anymore. Of all atheists I have met, I respect him the most.
Sorry... I'm having difficulty wrapping my head around this. You know him, and seem to like him, so you know he knows what he's talking about. He's spent his entire career studying the ancient middle east. Yet it seems like you're saying, "Cline has studied this stuff, but I have my Bible and I know the Bible doesn't lie, so this academic must be bunk."
Academia certainly isn't immune to criticism, in fact differing ideas are welcomed, however, if you're criticizing Cline because he disagrees with the Bible... Seriously? I thought we stopped doing that in academic circles a long time ago.