Joe Nickell at the age of 80. He was a prolific author on the topic of scientific skepticism. For example, he wrote a book on Christian magical artifacts like Shroud of Turin, Jesus' crown of thorns, etc. as well as UFOs & aliens, crop circles, ghosts, miracles, psychic abilities, and similar hoaxes.
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
