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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Alternative belief systems > Humanist & secular alternatives to religion > Agnosticism & atheism
The Atheist Coloring and Activity Book is a complete course on the
world view of Atheism meant for adults.
The Athiest's Primer is a concise but wide-ranging introduction to
a variety of arguments, concepts, and issues pertaining to belief
in God. In lucid and engaging prose, Malcom Murray offers a
penetrating yet fair-minded critique of the traditional arguments
for the existence of God. He then explores a number of other
important issues relevant to religious belief, such as the problem
of suffering and the relationship between religion and morality, in
each case arguing that atheism is preferable to theism. The book
will appeal to both students and professionals in the philosophy of
religion, as well as general audiences interested in the topic.
The international "Atheist Bus Campaign" generated news coverage
and controversy, and this volume is the first to systematically and
thoroughly explore and analyze each manifestation of that campaign.
It includes a chapter for each of the countries which enacted - or
attempted to enact - localized versions of the original United
Kingdom campaign which ran the slogan, "There's Probably No God.
Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life," prominently on public
buses. Its novel focus, using a singular micro-level event as a
prism for analysis, allows for cross-country comparison of legal
and social reactions to each campaign, as well as an understanding
of issues pertaining to the historical and contemporary status of
religion and the regulation of nonreligion in various national
settings.
A Mexican immigrant and rising star within the Christian community
abandons his faith and comes out as a gay atheist In this
exceptionally moving and soul-searching memoir, Fernando AlcĂntar
recounts his incredible journey from poor Catholic boy on the dusty
streets of Mexico to globetrotting missionary and high-profile
Christian leader in the United States—where he eventually left
his celebrated life behind to advocate for the liberating power of
reason and equality. With heart-wrenching honesty, he shares
stories of trauma, tragedy, prejudice, uncertainty, survival, and,
ultimately, discovery. In the process, he gives a voice to
thousands who are hiding in the shadows, afraid to publicly
question their religious, cultural, or sexual identity for fear of
isolation and retaliation. You will discover that his is not simply
a Mexican story or an American story, a heterosexual's story or a
homosexual's story, a Christian's story or an atheist's story.
Rather, his is a universal story—one uniquely about and for our
times.Â
Atheism was the most foundational challenge to early-modern French
certainties. Theologians and philosophers labelled such atheism as
absurd, confident that neither the fact nor behaviour of nature was
explicable without reference to God. The alternative was a
categorical naturalism, whose most extreme form was Epicureanism.
The dynamics of the Christian learned world, however, which this
book explains, allowed the wide dissemination of the Epicurean
argument. By the end of the seventeenth century, atheism achieved
real voice and life. This book examines the Epicurean inheritance
and explains what constituted actual atheistic thinking in
early-modern France, distinguishing such categorical unbelief from
other challenges to orthodox beliefs. Without understanding the
actual context and convergence of the inheritance, scholarship,
protocols, and polemical modes of orthodox culture, the
early-modern generation and dissemination of atheism are
inexplicable. This book brings to life both early-modern French
Christian learned culture and the atheists who emerged from its
intellectual vitality.
Philosophy and the advances in cosmology, neurology, molecular
biology, and the social sciences have made the convincing and
converging arguments for God's existence more probable than ever in
history. On God's Existence is concise summary of these arguments
as well as new arguments inspired by the advances of the sciences.
Atheism is increasing, but as a phenomenon continues to be at the
fringe of current research. Atheist groups and ideologies represent
a wide range of attitudes, behaviour and ways of acting towards
religion. The lack of a clear definition of what being atheist (or
an unbeliever) means today invites us to study the issue in greater
depth. This volume represents a first attempt at understanding and
scrutinizing atheism, offering both a global perspective as well as
specific case studies.
Inspired by Paul Tillich's suggestion that atheism is not the end
of theology but is instead the beginning, and working this together
with Derrida's idea of the undeconstructible, Caputo explores the
idea that the real interest of theology is not God, especially not
God as supreme being, but the unconditional.
Leaving one's religion behind, walking away from faith, is never an
easy journey. With family, friends, jobs, and every aspect of one's
life to consider, the decision is not to be taken lightly. This
anthology is made up of sixteen fascinating, and at times moving,
accounts of such decisions, and the consequences they entail.
Whether it be Christianity, Islam or any other life-impacting
worldview, leaving it can be a difficult ordeal. This collection
details the trials and tribulations, the joy and liberation
involved, by people from various walks of life and corners of the
globe. Heartfelt, it offers hope to those equally questioning, and
understanding to those who themselves question the motivations of
these often brave people.
Godbuster is Elliot George's attempt to help readers to think
critically and skeptically about what they choose to believe; to
help them to make an informed decision. It describes why we feel a
need to believe, questions what value belief has, explains what
constitutes proper evidence and how it provides a foundation for
our understanding of reality. The methods of Science are explained
and the issues of contention between believers and non-believers
are dealt with in lucid prose - it's a bit like Richard Dawkins
'The God Delusion' but written in easy language.
Theological reactions to the rise of the new atheist movement have
largely been critically hostile or defensively deployed apologetics
to shore up the faith against attack. Gary Keogh contends that
focusing on scholarly material that is inherently agreeable to
theology will not suffice in the context of modern academia.
Theology needs to test its boundaries and venture into dialogue
with those with antithetical positions. Engaging Richard Dawkins,
as the embodiment of such a position, illustrates how such dialogue
may offer new perspectives on classical theological problems, such
as the relationship of science and religion, the existence of God,
creation, natural suffering and theodicy. Keogh demonstrates how a
dialogical paradigm may take shape, rather than merely discussing
it as a theoretical framework. A dialogue between such opposing
hermeneutics may provide a new paradigm of theological scholarship
- one which is up to the task of facing its critics in the public
and pluralistic context of modern academia.
God and Evidence presents a new set of compelling problems for
theistic philosophers. The problems pertain to three types of
theistic philosopher, which Lovering defines here as 'theistic
inferentialists,' 'theistic non-inferentialists,' and 'theistic
fideists.' Theistic inferentialists believe that God exists, that
there is inferential probabilifying evidence of God's existence,
and that this evidence is discoverable not simply in principle but
in practice. Theistic non-inferentialists believe that God exists,
that there is non-inferential probabilifying evidence of God's
existence, and that this evidence is discoverable not simply in
principle but in practice. Theistic fideists believe that God
exists, that there is no discoverable probabilifying evidence
(inferential or non-inferential) of God's existence, and that it is
nevertheless acceptable-morally if not otherwise-to have faith that
God exists. Lovering argues that each type of theistic philosopher
faces a problem unique to his type and that they all share two
particular problems. Some of these problems take us down an
entirely new discursive path; others down a new discursive path
branching off from an old one.
In this deeply revealing and engaging autobiography, Herb
Silverman tells his iconoclastic life story. He takes the reader
from his childhood as an Orthodox Jew in Philadelphia, where he
stopped fasting on Yom Kippur to test God's existence, to his adult
life in the heart of the Bible Belt, where he became a legendary
figure within America's secular activist community and remains one
of its most beloved leaders. Never one to shy from controversy,
Silverman relates many of his high-profile battles with the
Religious Right, including his decision to run for governor of
South Carolina to challenge the state's constitutional provision
that prohibited atheists from holding public office. "Candidate
Without a Prayer "offers an intimate portrait of a central player
in today's increasingly heated culture wars. It will be sure to
charm both believers and nonbelievers alike, and will lead all
those who care about the separation of church and state to give
thanks.
Atheists generated widespread anxieties between the Reformation and
the Enlightenment. In response to such anxieties a distinct genre
of religious apologetics emerged in England between 1580 and 1720.
By examining the form and the content of the confutation of
atheism, Anti-Atheism in Early Modern England demonstrates the
prevalence of patterned assumptions and arguments about who an
atheist was and what an atheist was supposed to believe, outlines
and analyzes the major arguments against atheists, and traces the
important changes and challenges to this apologetic discourse in
the early Enlightenment.
Twenty-first century's nightly news can't pass by without running
another story on religious conflict or clashes. While these
modern-day battles play out for the world to see, the issues that
act as a catalyst for them are deeply embedded in ancient texts
that claim to contain absolute certainties. An eye-opening and
vitally-important new book has burst upon the literary scene called
Allah, Jesus, and Yahweh: The Gods That Failed. The author, Gordon
Harrison, conducts a definitive expose of the ravages caused by
religion and breaks new ground in the world of investigative
literature. In this riveting history of three of the world's major
religions-Islam, Christianity, and Judaism-this book explores the
relationship between belief and the suspension of logic with its
consequential suffering. Beginning with the September 480 BCE
Battle of Marathon, the author traces the spread of Eastern belief
systems (and the three major religions in particular) from the
Middle East into Europe and the rest of the world. Citing examples
of how fanatic elements of each faith have caused war, bloodshed,
confusion and suffering, Harrison makes his case for reason and
freethinking. As the author notes the parlance in vogue for this
present invasion is a clash of civilizations-East versus West But
this is not entirely the case. There is a clash, but we have
confused the combatants. Many in the West do not intend to fight
for the preservation of Christianity; some in the East feel the
same about Islam. What we will defend is freedom, democracy, and
the values of the Enlightenment versus submission, dictatorship,
and the buzz of the hive mind. A colossal clash of ideals is
underway between the Enlightenment and the Army of the Night-those
who "know" they have absolute certainty without evidence. Religion
is certainty without proof; science is proof without certainty.
From religion to science, it has been a long night's journey into
light. Harrison asks the reader to hold his hand, walk with him
through these pages, and see the glory and the horror we have
created. Since its release, the book has garnered a consistent
string of rave reviews-here are three: This is an extremely
impressive book, one that should enlighten any open-minded reader,
theist and non-theist alike. Harrison transports the reader from
the ancient battle at Marathon across two millennia, following the
march of civilization to the present day. He shows in a clear and
engaging manner the moral corruption that is inherent in the
ancient texts that continue to serve as the scriptural foundations
of modern religions. His compelling mixture of philosophy,
theology, astronomy, psychology and physics, presented always in a
very accessible and entertaining style, persuasively demonstrates
how science illuminates and promotes understanding while religion
ossifies thinking patterns and all too often produces intergroup
conflict. I highly recommend this book to all. By James Alcock,
Professor of Psychology at York University, Toronto Something that
worked really well for me was the author's use of personal
anecdotes to illustrate some of his arguments. The one that really
stood out was the story about Mother Courage. The author re-creates
his experience with the bear and her cubs very vividly for the
reader. I found it not only very germane to his point about the
presence of morality in nature, but also very moving. This book
deserves a wide readership. By Dirk Verhulst, English Teacher.
Hilarious and powerful Equal to anything written by Hitchens,
Harris, Dawkins, and Dennett, the Four Horsemen of the
Anti-Apocalypse. Allah, Jesus, and Yahweh takes a deeper view of
time and a more humorous Mark Twain narrative approach than those
authors do. By Bill Walker, Freethinker"
Demonstrates definitively that the secularization thesis is
correct, and religion is losing its grip on societies worldwide In
the decades since its introduction, secularization theory has been
subjected to doubt and criticism from a number of leading scholars,
who have variously claimed that it is wrong, flawed, or incomplete.
In Beyond Doubt, Isabella Kasselstrand, Phil Zuckerman, and Ryan T.
Cragun mount a strong defense for the theory, providing compelling
evidence that religion is indeed declining globally as a result of
modernization. Though defenses of secularization theory have been
mounted in the past, we now have many years’ worth of empirical
data to illuminate trends, and can trace changes not just at a
given point in time but over a trajectory. Drawing on extensive
survey data from nations around the world, the book demonstrates
that, in spite of its many detractors, there is robust empirical
support for secularization theory. It also engages with the most
prominent criticisms levied against the theory, showing that data
that are said to refute the narrative of religious decline are
easily explainable and in keeping with the broader tendency toward
secularization. Beyond simply defending secularization theory, the
authors endeavor to formalize it, offering clear definitions of
relevant terms and creating propositions that can be repeatedly and
accurately tested. Beyond Doubt offers the strongest argument to
date for the existence of a global secularization trend, and will
be a vital resource for students and scholars alike who study
religion and secularism.
Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1972), the immensely influential German
philosopher of the 19th century, wrote his most important work "The
Essence of Christianity" in 1841. Combined with his numerous other
writings, "The Essence of Christianity" contributed to the
development of dialectical materialism. Feuerbach is often
considered the philosopher who bridged Hegel and Marx. Here is his
sharp criticism of Christianity. A staunch atheist, Feuerbach
argues that Christianity has wrongfully "projected" and "displaced"
elements of the human mind onto nonexistent supernatural, religious
objects. This displacement, he argues, fundamentally alters notions
of consciousness. Feuerbach works his way through his tractate via
the skepticism established by Hegel and Spinoza, among others. Like
Nietzsche, Feuerbach made the claim that Christianity need be
deconstructed and repudiated for true civil progress to occur. "The
Essence of Christianity" shows Feuerbach in full force as an
influential member of a new breed of German philosophers. This
text, and this author, occupies a significant place in the history
of modern philosophy.
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