The topic of gods and religion has bewildered generations throughout history. Some have been led to believe that believing in a god is the only way to be happy, others fear that the fabric of society would fray and tear without widespread deference to religion, and still others have chosen to believe because they did not realize that there was ever even an alternative. This book articulates the "None of the Above" alternative to the multiple-choice question of gods and religion. Beginning with a systematic deconstruction and demolition of religious thought as unreliable, imprecise, and unproven, the discussion then turns to rebuilding one's identity once he has relinquished the concept that gods are anything more than an idea. Leading the reader through the process and techniques of rebuilding his intellect, emotions, morals, and meaning, What Are You Without God? refuses to destroy religious thought without providing a definite alternative, namely, to be a human being with the fleeting chance to give effect to his desires and emotions before he closes his eyes for good.

Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins give voice to the aspirations of hundreds of millions of atheists and secular humanists around the world. The duo are the most influential activists for a generation, energizing secular humanists and non-believers through their landmark and best selling books The God Delusion (2006) by Dawkins and Hitchens God is Not Great, How Religion Poisons Everything (2007). Promoting rational principles and common sense logic, Hitchens and Dawkins argue for the advancement of reason, science and secularism over blind obedience to religious dogma and worn out, stagnant mythologies. In Religion Free, Keith Howard assembles an anthology of the two intellectuals very finest thoughts selected from their essays, debates, lectures, and media interviews, supplemented with correlated news stories and excerpts from other prominent atheists and activists. The result is a comprehensive collection of the most compelling opinions and ideas of the modern day humanist and religion free communities.

There are indeed things that go bump in the night...and it is usually me stubbing my toe on the door frame as I go to the bathroom at 3:00 A.M. The world on which we live, and ultimately the universe, is full of natural wonders and mysteries, and most of them make little or no sense when you look at them with a little bit of critical and rational thinking. Through the ages, we have assigned supernatural qualities to so many aspects of our world that too many people cannot tell fact from fiction. When you look at mysteries and phenomena from an anti-theistic standpoint, a whole new way at looking at them arises, or is that old superstitions and senseless stories seem to melt away leaving nothing behind because they had no true substance in the first place? This is not a book about religion, rather how religion has shaped our views on what we deem to be the supernatural, and what happens to those views when religion is subtracted from the equation. Ghosts, gods, alien visitations, vampires, werewolves, powers of the mind, magic, and strange creatures are just some of the topics covered in this short, to-the-point book dealing with what we humans deem "mysteries." Meant to be a quick, fun, and thought-provoking read, Explaining the Unexplainable may or may not change your mind, but it will make you think.

2013 Reprint of 1925 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "The Hermetic Marriage" explains certain alchemical symbols in the nature of all things. Taking the chemistry of human relationships as the basis, this essay describes the true preparation of a Philosopher's Stone and Elixir of Life, according to the fundamentals laid down by Hermes and the ancient Egyptian priest craft. Manly P. Hall (1901-1990) founded the Philosophical Research Society in 1934, a non-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination of useful knowledge in the fields of philosophy, comparative religion and psychology. In his long career, spanning more than 70 years of dynamic public activity, Mr. Hall delivered over 8000 lectures in the United States and abroad, authored over 150 books and essays, and wrote countless magazine articles.

With a mix of serious rational analysis and hilarious observations Holy Unbelievable looks at why so many people still believe in the existence of a divine being. The biblical text is examined and its many contradictions and absurdities laid bare. Is The Bible the source of human morality? Did Noah really build an ark? It is fair to say that PC Dixon is not convinced. Whether you are a believer or not this book offers much food for thought and plenty of amusement. 'This book is intended to make you think: That's a good point and also laugh from time to time. Hopefully simultaneously in many cases.' - PC Dixon

Remember when religion was fun? (Neither do I) This book dares to make religion fun again by taking you on a funny trip from Biblical times to the present tackling such controversial topics as God, Jesus, the Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, suicide bombers, the Bible, evolution, gay marriage, abortion, and life after death. Since religion isn't so fun anymore, more people than ever are becoming atheists. The New Atheist movement has many people deluded about God, even though many still think God is great. This movement is waging war on Christianity and wants religion abolished in the modern world. They think that religion has brought far more harm than good to the world, and enslaves people to irrational thinking. Are they right? Refuting atheism and defending Christianity are no easy tasks. This book attempts to prove God's existence by showing how God revealed Himself to the world. First, He revealed Himself to the Jews and got them out of more than a few jams. Then, He became a man named Jesus and walked the Earth in sandals. Next, the Catholic Church came along and said it had all the answers, until Protestants came along and said the same thing. Of course, much fighting ensued, but maybe the world was better for it. Understanding and obeying God are no easy tasks. Today, we are living in the post-Christian era. Entertainment is America's new religion and promotes a secular agenda. Have you noticed that pop culture is nothing but a brainwash for accepting immorality? Probably not, since every movie you see and every song you hear seems to subtly treat sex and violence like they are life's highest virtues. Entertainment wants to win over the youth, so they can forget God as early as possible. Is going to church nearly as fun as today's entertainment? Now that you're a follower of God, is He done with you? Absolutely not, He wants you to be with Him forever He has plans to defeat the Devil once and for all, and rapture all Christians up to Heaven Jesu

The colorfully illustrated story of a boy, named Gilly, who starts asking too many questions in Sunday School and is brought before the congregation to explain himself. He upsets his parents, the pastor and everyone else by openly questioning the existence of God.

While I can make various arguments for the harm that religion does in the world, and the dangers represented by a faith mentality, the primary issue that I remain passionate about is that religion is false. The underlying premise is untrue, which means that everything that is built upon that premise is also untrue. The staggering amount of time, money, emotional energy and bloodshed expended in the name of something completely fictitious is a crime against humanity. So while there are debates about religion's place in society, whether the charitable works they do add value, whether they should have tax exemptions and access to power in government, whether the comfort some people seem to derive from their faith is worthwhile and should be left unchallenged, I will focus on one thing: To show that the God of Abraham, from which the three great monotheisms were spawned, does not exist. I have read many books on the subject of gods, religions and belief in the supernatural. I've watched many debates on the matter as well, and one particularly vexing issue comes up frequently and leaves me feeling dissatisfied. That issue is the one of disproving the existence of God. Scientists will often stop well short of even making a claim about the existence of God, answering instead that one cannot prove a negative, i.e. we cannot prove that God doesn't exist. Many debates about the existence of God are often mired down in that esoteric point and the natural progression from there to debates regarding who carries the burden of proof. Arguments are presented and then countered and in the end, people must decide for themselves if they heard anything that impacted their thinking on the subject. I began to think that I could build a compelling argument for the non-existence of God, but I wanted more than just arguments: I wanted proof. What you will find in this book is a combination of both. Part I features arguments supporting my statement that the god of monotheism; the God of Jews, Christians and Muslims featured prominently in the Holy Bible and the Quran, does not actually exist. In Part II of the book, I will use evidence, or more precisely, the lack of evidence where evidence should exist, to show beyond a reasonable doubt that the Biblical God is a mythical figure no more real than Zeus, the King of Gods from Greek Mythology.

Have you ever searched for a scripture when you, or someone you knew, were in need of healing, protection, or financial provision? For over seventeen years, Jacqueline Mortenson volunteered at a scriptural prayer line at her church. She received daily telephone calls and prayer requests from parishioners and others who knew about the line, and she or one of the core group would find the right scripture to meet each request. The following morning, forty-plus prayer line members would pray these scriptures for the people who had called for them. Realizing that a simple handbook of scriptures for specific needs, particularly for Catholics, would be useful, Jacqueline spent the next few years gathering and categorizing scriptures to address particular concerns. Using the Sword of the Spirit is the result of this work. Whatever your own needs might be, God's Word has the answer-and this little book will help you find it

"The Heathen's Guide to Christmas: A Field Manual for the War on Christmas" brings you the real 'reason for the season'. From the Virgin Birth to boughs of Holly; Christmas lights to Santa's evil origins, 'The Heathen's Guide to Christmas presents the actual, historical origins of this supposed Christian holiday, all in a hilarious and convenient reference format that makes ruining Christmas as easy as mincemeat pie. This is the book you want in-hand when family and friends try to get you into the 'Christmas Spirit'.

As soon as man becomes conscious of his existence, as soon as he was able to reason, he was bound to ask himself the questions: "From whence did I come? And "Whither do I go?" It was very natural that he should wonder how he came to be here on earth and what would become of him after death. He saw his fellow man fall asleep, never to awaken. He saw others killed, life extinguished. It was his efforts to solve these problems that caused primitive man to create beliefs in life after death and in the power of super-human beings. When we look back over the experiences of the race, the history of mankind, we find that man has found three different ways of explaining his activities. In other words, there have been but three conceptions of history, three basic explanations by man of his doings on this planet. It is true that more than three names have been given to these conceptions of history, but they will all fall within the following: First, in order of time, is the Theological Conception of History; Second, is the Idealist Conception of History, and, third, is the Materialist Conception of History.

If suddenly you find yourself traveling down a long tunnel towards a soothing, ethereal light and you see Grandma waving to you from a distant garden with harp music in the background, relax. You're not dead. When you die, you'll know it. Death isn't going to sleep. Death is waking up. It is actually like being startled awake. There is no afterlife. There is merely life. What comes after the biology is magic.

"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.

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.

What is Atheism? Atheism is the rejection of religion outright. It posits that there are no deities, and that the existence of all things can be explained rationally and without the presence of a higher power. This independently written book aims to examine the history of atheism and its philosophical development throughout the years, its rise in popularity throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, its central tenets of belief, the reason behind a person becoming and atheist, as well as atheism's future. It also contains survey data, provides popular quotes about atheism, lists a large variety of famous atheists, and depicts today's commonly used atheist symbols. Contents: What is Atheism? The History and Development of Atheism Atheism Today & Tomorrow Atheism Vs. Agnosticism What is Behind the Selection of Atheism as a Religion? Types of Atheism Reasons for Atheism The Current State of Atheism Atheist Symbols, Quotes and Famous People

The Age of Reason, The Complete Edition is one of the most powerful thought provoking books ever written about God and religion. It smashes through the ancient walls of superstition and fear of the "revealed" religions with the unstoppable battering ram of our innate God-given reason Thomas Paine was often attacked for having written this enlightening book, but his arguments and profound observations found within have never been defeated. This edition contains the seldom seen third part to The Age of Reason and, unlike any other editions, also includes all of Paine's known essays and correspondence regarding God, Deism, the Bible and theology.

A Secular Humanist's tour de force, Don Libey's second novel offers Christian believers rare insight into the true fallacy of God's Church and a Life in the Lord. Set in Small Town, America, it is the story of how people of blind faith plant their seed, nurture their beliefs, and harvest their rewards with their unquestioning reliance on the mythical divine and revealed Word of God and the moral rectitude and disaster of Christian teaching. For those for whom "Jesus is enough" this is a story that reveals the "old-timey Gospel" as essentially hypocrisy and a simple life with God on your heart as the primary ingredient for the church to make money and keep its "believers" enslaved.

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.

Beginning in 1689, Jean Meslier worked for around forty years as the priest of the small town of Etripigny, France. When he died, his parishioners were astonished to find his last testament to them: a refutation of every religious doctrine he had advocated in life. This is the testament, with preface by Voltaire, who exhorted his own daughter to read it again and again. The Godless Heritage Series is a project dedicated to bringing hard-to-find works of atheist and secularist history back into print in an accessible way. Our goal is to bring back works that allow us to rediscover the lives of atheists, agnostics, and secularists from across cultures and through the ages.