Wish that I'd known about this man before.

[mimi85]

Gerald A. Larue — an ordained minister who became an agnostic, archeologist, religious scholar and debunker of claims such as Lazarus rising from the dead and the discovery of Noah's ark — has died. He was 98.

The longtime USC professor of religion and gerontology died Wednesday in Newport Beach after a stroke, said his son, David.

"He was an inspirational thinker, and that's an oxymoron, especially in religion," said USC professor of gerontology Vern Bengtson. "You find people who are an inspiration and people who are thinkers; they often do not go together. But Gerry was able to do that."

In 1980 he became founding president of the Hemlock Society, conceived by "Final Exit" author and right-to-die movement pioneer Derek Humphry to provide information to the terminally ill and legalize physician-assisted suicide.

<snip>

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-gerald-larue-20140921-story.html

[RussBLib]

1. I wonder if it would be a good idea for members here to post resources/sources/favorite authors, etc

...and do it every now and then, like once a quarter or twice a year perhaps, just to be sure to pick up the newer members.

Cross-pollination, as it were. I know that I learned of a couple of new authors from other members of this group.

[onager]

2. Thanks. And from the Insight/Skeptic mag blog...

...a good write-up by Jim Lippard, who knew LaRue.

Some interesting info in here about the Noah's Ark hoax that LaRue helped expose:

In June 1993, Larue went public with the exposure of the Noah’s Ark hoax of George Jammal, which was the centerpiece of CBS’s “The Incredible Discovery of Noah’s Ark” which aired on February 20 of that year. When Larue exposed the hoax in the pages of Time magazine, Sun International Pictures, the production company which made the film, argued that it was Larue who was engaged in a secular humanist plot to discredit Jammal.

http://www.skeptic.com/insight/gerald-larue-dies-at-age-98/

[mimi85]

3. Interesting aricle. Thanks - it is quite enlightening. nt