Why am I an agnostic? Because I don't believe some of the things that other people say they believe. Where do you get your religion, anyway? I won't bother to discuss just what religion is, but I think a fair definition of religion could take account of two things, at least, immortality and God, and that both of them are based on some book, so practically all of it is a book. As I have neither the time nor the learning to discuss every religious book on earth, and as I live in Chicago, I am interested in the Christian religion. So I will discuss the book that deals with the Christian religion. Is the Bible the work of anything but man? Of course, there is no such book as the Bible. The Bible to made up of 66 books, some of them written by various authors at various times, covering a period of about 1,000 years -- all the literature that they could find over a period longer than the time that has elapsed since the discovery of America down to the present time. Is the Bible anything but a human book? Of course those who are believers take both sides of it. If there is anything that troubles them, "We don't believe this." Anything that doesn't trouble them they do believe.

Infinity and God have been close bedfellows over the recent millennia of human thought. But this is James A. Lindsay's point. These two ideas are thought, mere concepts. Lindsay shows in a concise and readable manner that infinity is an abstraction, and shows that, in all likelihood, so is God, particularly if he has infinite properties. This book is about math. It is about God. It is about stressing the importance of not confusing these two ideas with reality. Never the twain shall meet. "A short and engaging read on the meeting of two huge ideas, infinity and God, that leaves us seeing both as abstract ideas that may have nothing to do with reality. Honest and accessible, Dot, Dot, Dot is a great little book to stretch your thinking." - Peter Boghossian, author of A Manual for Creating Atheists "Timely, important and very readable, this book pulls the rug from under theists' feet." - Jonathan MS Pearce, The Little Book of Unholy Questions "Read this to avoid making any more cardinal sins and learn how much math is an amazing human endeavor." - Aaron Adair, PhD, The Star of Bethlehem: A Skeptical View

Rudolf Steiner discovered that, in addition to "ordinary" space, negative space, or "counterspace," also exists, leading to a more holistic worldview. Steiner suggested that it was important to understand counterspace as a necessary supplement to the conventional approach. The author relates the phenomena of our world to both space and counterspace, which leads to a new scientific understanding. If counterspace actually exists, then the resulting interplay between counterspace and "ordinary" space must be significant. This concept is applied to gravity, liquids, gases, heat, light, chemistry, and life. Each aspect involves a separate investigation, whereas the various threads begin to interweave and become a unified whole. A new concept of time, and indications for a new approach to relativity and quantum physics begin to emerge. Note: Science between Space and Counterspace contains advanced mathematical and scientific proofs that the nonspecialist, general reader might find difficult.

Atheism's leading lights have long been intellectuals raised in the secular and academic worlds: Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens. By contrast, Jerry DeWitt was born and bred into the church and was in fact a Pentecostal preacher before arriving at atheism through an extraordinary dialogue with faith that spanned more than a quarter of a century. "Hope After Faith" is his account of that journey.
DeWitt was a pastor in the town of DeRidder, Louisiana, and was a fixture of the community. In private, however, he'd begun to question his faith. Late one night in May 2011, a member of his flock called seeking prayer for her brother who had been in a serious accident. As DeWitt searched for the right words to console her, speech failed him, and he found that the faith which once had formed the cornerstone of his life had finally crumbled to dust. When it became public knowledge that DeWitt was now an atheist, he found himself shunned by much of DeRidder's highly religious community, losing nearly everything he'd known.
DeWitt's struggle for identity and meaning mirrors the one currently facing millions of people around the world. With both agnosticism and atheism entering the mainstream--one in five Americans now claim no religious affiliation, according to a recent study--the moment has arrived for a new atheist voice, one that is respectful of faith and religious traditions yet warmly embraces a life free of religion, finding not skepticism and cold doubt but rather profound meaning and hope. "Hope After Faith" is the story of one man's evolution toward a committed and considered atheism, one driven by humanism, a profound moral dimension, and a happiness and self-confidence obtained through living free of fear.

The remarkable discussions in this book took place between Rudolf Steiner and workers at the Goetheanum in Switzerland. The varied subject matter was chosen by the audience at Steiner's instigation. Steiner took questions and generally offered immediate answers. The astonishing nature of his responses -- their insight, knowledge, and spiritual depth -- testifies to his outstanding ability as a spiritual initiate and profound thinker. Accessible, entertaining and stimulating, the records of these sessions will be a delight to any open-minded reader.

Here Steiner covers topics ranging from elephants to Einstein. Among other things, he discusses ants, bees, shells, skeletons, animal and plant poisons, bodily secretions, protein and fats, potatoes, the human eye, water, animal migration, clothing, opium and alcohol, and thinking.

Religions evolve, not metaphorically, but in a very real way. By applying survival-of-the-fittest principles to religion, we can finally understand how religion became incredibly infectious to the average human. Religion is perfectly adapted to its environment: your brain. In The Religion Virus, you will learn how infectious ideas like the loving father-figure God, the promise that death is not the end, the attraction of heaven, the threat of hell, and many others evolved from prehistoric to modern times. You will finally understand why today's religions survived while thousands of other religions and sects died out. The world's religions have amazing parallels to biological life: they reproduce, mutate, and compete with each other in an ongoing battle for survival of the fittest. Like biological life, over ninety-nine percenty of the world's religions are extinct, but the ones that remain are quite remarkable. They are the strongest and best. More importantly, survival of the fittest does not necessarily mean survival of the truth, but rather the survival of the things people want to believe, whether true or not.

C.S. Lewis' classic The Screwtape Letters is full of keen wit and wise counsel--if one is a Christian believer. Such a reader will find much to ponder in its pages. But suppose one begins to question whether it is the voice of mature reason that Lewis portrays as the wiles of Satan? The Needletoe Letters takes the other side, depicting the letters of advice and guidance from a veteran angel to his inexperienced nephew. Their common task? To keep Christian believers hoodwinked and flummoxed Read this book, and see if you don't begin to have second thoughts about your faith

Jabez from the book of Chronicles was a blessed man but was selfish. This book will encourage us to go beyond Jabez. Dr. T Charles Brantley is married to Jackie Brantley for over 27 years with three children. He has also earned a double Doctorate and Masters Degrees from Newburgh Seminary. In addition, he has authored 12 national published books. He is also senior pastor of Restoration Springs Interdenominational Church in Waterbury, Connecticut. (www.rest.org)

An uncommon look on how religion affects our lives, how we accept limits on our freedom and how we can do better for our children. The author is an immigrant from Holland and has expirienced living in a socialist environment before coming to the USA. Acknowledging that the USA is by far the envy of many in the world, it would be unrealistic to claim there is no room for improvement. The world will never be perfect for everyone, but it never hurts to exchange opinions on how we're doing and how we might improve.

"Santo Daime: A New World Religion" deals with a young, exotic and controversial religious movement. Emerging in the Brazilian Amazon in the 1930s, Santo Daime has since spread to many of the world's major cities. Santo Daime is a mixture of indigenous, popular Catholic, Afro-Brazilian, esoteric, Spiritist, and new age beliefs and activities. Ritual practice is centred on the consumption of a psychotropic beverage called 'Daime' which members believe enhances their interaction with the supernatural world. Because Daime is treated as an illegal narcotic in many parts of the world, outside of its Brazilian homeland most Santo Daime rituals are practised clandestinely. This book unites extensive fieldwork experience with an established theoretical background and makes a significant contribution to understanding the contemporary interface of religion and late-modern society. Individualization and religious subjectivism, pluralization and religious hybridism, transformation and detraditionalization, globalization and religious identity, and commoditization and religious consumption are among the many issues engaged by this book. "Santo Daime: A New World Religion" is an accessible and multi-disciplinary book suitable for undergraduate students and researchers working in Religious Studies, Sociology of Religion, Anthropology, Cultural Studies and Latin American Studies.

The Complete Heretics' Guide to Western Religion Book One: The Mormons The next time that squeaky clean pair of LDS elders comes knocking on your door, they're in for a surprise Find out the secrets the Mormon Church would rather you didn't know (and for which they paid plenty of money to keep hushed up - unsuccessfully ) In this first book of The Complete Heretic's Guide to World Religion series, historian and award-winning atheist author Dave Fitzgerald takes us behind the Salt Lake Curtain for a glimpse at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and answers your questions: Where did this multi-billion dollar tax-exempt corporation come from? Did Joseph Smith really sleep with all those women? Are the Mormons going to take over the whole world, and if so, is there any way to stop them? But that's not all Learn about the bizarre, oxymoronic world of Mormon Archeology and discover their strange beliefs, not just all the crazy stuff you already know, but all the truly twisted things you never even suspected - including the astounding shocking skeletons rattling around in the closet of the Mormon church hierarchy. Don't miss out on this fun, informative and painstakingly researched historical romp by the highly praised and award-winning author of Nailed: Ten Christian Myths That Show Jesus Never Existed At All. So when the missionaries show up on your doorstep, you'll have plenty to discuss with them... Later days, Saints The Complete Heretic's Guide to Western Religion. Because Religion isn't just wrong. It's hilarious.

Two grandfathers. Each born in the same year. The story of their lives will shock you and delight you. The way their lives intersected will astound you. Michael Newman tells the story of his grandfathers and how the events of their lives led him to wrestle with the biggest questions of human existence. It started with a murder. It kept going because of a miracle. Be prepared to think, to ponder, and to observe. There are no easy answers when you look square in the face of reality. "There is No God, Or is There?" takes you on a journey you will never forget. It may even change your life forever. Discussion Guide included For more books by Michael W. Newman go to: www.mnewman.org

This book aims to help poor downtrodden atheists and agnostics understand, if not appreciate, religion. Explains why it's got such a grip on us all, and what you can do about it From creation to civilisation: the longest story ever told. It's all here- including the funny bits, because what could be funnier than religion?

The Bible is the largest book of war ever compiled; it should be called God's Evil Word. "Bible Propaganda II" is based on how the act of blindly following the Word of God invites charlatans to take advantages of others who would follow them credulously down a path of deception. Unlike the first part, "Bible Propaganda," this book only examined scriptures in the first four chapters. The greater part of this book "The War on Earth, from Satan's Eyes" is a sci-fi loosely based around the Battle of Armageddon, as Michael leads Yahweh's vast armies against any and all who would not bow down to tyranny. A terrorist group takes over the Mosque demanding that the Holy Temple be rebuilt: they are in control of seven nuclear bombs. This escalates into WWIII, which then turns into the Battle of Armageddon. The bottom-line is that in presenting this fictional story from a different point of view, we can clearly see how ridiculous the religious belief in blind faith, called Bible-Babble-Bull, truly is. Bible prophecy is nothing more than exciting Bible fantasy.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Instead of being subjected to traditional bedtime prayers, this little boy is regaled with observations on the beauty of the natural world and the wonders of science. God doesn't love him because God doesn't exist.

2013 Reprint of 1935 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Learn to use practical Rosicrucian principles to help solve your everyday problem both at home and in business dealings. This book gives you specific examples of how to attain health, happiness, and success. Avoid the delays and disappointments that stand between you and your goals by recognizing the right and wrong ways to use metaphysical and mystical principles. Spencer was a founder of the Ancient and Mystic Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC), a modern revival Rosicrucian order headquartered at San Jose, California. Lewis was born in Frenchtown, New Jersey, November 25, 1883, of Welsh ancestry. In 1904 Lewis founded and served as president of the New York Institute for Psychical Research. The institute specialized in occult studies with emphasis on Rosicrucian teachings. The AMORC was organized in several stages over the next years, and by 1917 held its first national convention in Pittsburgh, at which Lewis established his plan to develop correspondence courses. AMORC taught philosophical and mystical practices in order to develop the latent faculties of man, and it sold literature by mail order. Lewis himself authored the basic set of correspondence lessons and a number of the books published by AMORC.

Five track athletes from New York went to Jamaica to learn the secrets to Jamaican sprinting. In their quest for immediate success, they ventured into the sacred hills of Jamaica. The harrowing experience almost killed them. Defeat and disappointment at the local track meet led them to become spies. The clues that they found convinced them that they could crack the secret codes that Jamaican's use to communicate and hide the secrets to sprinting. After a near death experience, a trip to the hospital and trickery from the number one con man in Jamaica, they returned to New York to compete in the County Championships.

An atheist drawn to religion, Soffin shows how to conceptualize a "God" who is in and of the cosmos rather than also beyond it as theists affirm. This allows Soffin and those who see value in the path he blazes to embrace and value the treasures of religion even while not being theistic. Says Soffin, "For those who sense in modern life an underlying absence of fundamental meaning--yet fear self-deception in pursuing "God"--there may be no recourse but to shoulder the burdens of reflection and begin the ancient journey anew." In their comments in the responses chapter, a number of respondents offer a rich range of perspectives. Daniel Liechty, Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Illinois, thinks that "From his discussion contrasting God as Creator with that of cosmic first cause, to his highly stimulating presentation of knowledge as true incarnation, and much more, this has been a book worth reading. . . . I feel it is at least part of my assignment as a respondent here to voice some criticism. So, to begin with, I am inclined to think that Soffin overly stresses the role of rationality in human existence. . . ." Sharon L. Baker, who teaches theology and religion at Messiah College, observes that "Soffin's text brought to mind John D. Caputo's seminal and provocative thought. . . . Although they stare at each other from across the chasm separating analytical from continental philosophical traditions, both authors seek a move into the 'beyond'-beyond scientific materialism, beyond superstition, beyond religion (as institutionalized strictures), and even beyond the classical God himself (gendered language intended)."Herbert W. Simons, Emeritus Professor of Communication, Temple University, reports that "Soffin and I have been back and forth on philosophy for fifty years. I've called him every nasty philosophical name I could think of--essentialist, rationalist, objectivist, foundationalist, anti-relativist--to no avail. Still he continues to pursue his quest for Truth and, in recent years, to encompass theology within the orbit of that quest. Thank goodness for that because Rethinking Religion repays careful examination of its unfolding arguments and bursts forth repeatedly with powerful, memorable prose."

THIS 34 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Biography of Satan, by Kersey Graves. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1564593290.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!