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.

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.

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?

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

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.

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.

Freethinkers Directory is a listing of groups, organizations, stores, newspapers, magazines, publishers, blogs, podcasts, family services and more for atheists, agnostics, rationalists, naturalists, humanists and all freethinkers from around the world. Table of Contents Darwin Day ...12 Stores that sell products ...15 Businesses that sponsor groups and organizations ...17 Marriage and Family Services ...20 Radio broadcasts/podcasts/TV shows ...21 Newspapers and Magazines ...25 Blogs and Forums...28 Publishers ...30 Online Resources dating, celebrities, info] ...32 Groups and Organizations ...34 - USA - National ...34 - USA - Local ...45 - USA - College, University & High School(SSA) ...130 - Afganistan ...243 - Argentina ...244 - Australia ...245 - Austria ...248 - Belgium ...249 - Brazil ...251 - Cameroon ...252 - Canada ...253 - Columbia ...258 - Cuba ...259 - Denmark ...260 - Finland ...261 - France ...262 - Gambia ...264 - Germany ...265 - Iceland ...267 - India ...268 - Indonesia ...269 - Ireland ...270 - Israel ...271 - Italy ...272 - Kenya ...273 - Luxembourg ...274 - Malawi ...275 - Mexico ...276 - Nepal ...277 - Netherlands ...278 - New Zealand ...280 - Nigeria ...281 - Norway ...282 - Pakistan ...283 - Peru ...284 - Philippines ...285 - Poland ...286 - Portugal ...287 - Russia ...288 - Scotland ...289 - Slovakia ...290 - South Africa ...291 - Spain ...292 - Sweden ...293 - Tanzania ...294 - Turkey ...295 - Uganda ...296 - United Kingdom ...297

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

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!

..".and then Noah loaded the dinosaurs onto the ark." Assertions like these seem comical until you realize that many Christian parents aren't kidding when they teach them to their children as facts. Every day, impressionable young minds are conditioned to blindly accept wild biblical tales of floating zoos, talking shrubbery, 900-year-old humans, the undead, curses, levitation, demon/human hybrids and men who obtain super-human strength from the length of their hair. Allegiance to these teachings is expected, often demanded. Curiosity is muted. Doubt is frowned upon as a sin. And for those who dare to raise a dissenting hand, the threat of Hell looms ominously. A former religious radio host raised in the cradle of Christianity, Seth Andrews battled his own doubts for many years. His attempts to reconcile faith and the facts led him to a conclusion previously unthinkable, and this once-true believer ultimately became the founder of one of the most popular atheist communities on the internet.

THIS 48 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: American Thought: From Puritanism to Pragmatism, by Woodbridge Riley. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766105679.

Can atheists be moral? Religion and morality are closely linked in the minds of many people. It is widely believed you can't have one without the other. And if morality needs religion, then what does that say about atheists? Can they be moral? Can there be a morality without God? This book takes on the myth that atheists can't be moral. It looks at what morality is, the different kinds of moralities that already exist, and what a secular morality would look like. Along the way it challenges beliefs about the nature of morality and misconceptions that lead to the belief that atheists can't be moral.

THIS 232 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Bible of Bibles, by Kersey Graves. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1564592952.

2012 Reprint of 1930 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. 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. This is the authors and the orders view on the subject of the soul and reincarnation

The nativity of Jesus is an event that carries much cultural recognition. However, is it a narrative which commands much support in the academic world? Is it a story which holds much historical truth? Or were the two biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus an opportunity for the authors to impart a theological truth or otherwise? These are the sort of questions that are often asked of the nativity accounts and questions which are answered in this concise and yet well-researched and informative book. Some twenty arguments are looked at and presented in a clear and detailed manner, building a cumulative case for the objection to the historical nature of the Gospel accounts. The author also questions what purpose these stories do serve if indeed they do carry little or no historical truth. With reference to a wide array of contemporary and iconic works on the subject, Pearce has created a compendium of critical arguments against the historicity of a story which still remains a vital piece of our collective cultural and religious tapestry. "For anyone beginning to doubt the reliability of the gospels as eyewitness accounts, Pearce's "The Nativity" will teach you everything you need to know to move past the limitations of biblical infallibility and explore the complicated process that went into the gospel narratives of Jesus Christ." - Derek Murphy, author of Jesus Potter Harry Christ

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.

African Americans, Blacks, have long been associated with religious faith.Since the dawn of our time in America from 1619 to the present day. Do we see this.The Black Church has long been, and is still, seen as a bastian of hope in the Black Community.And for good reason: many of our Civil Rights champions came from the church.This fact, while brilliant and admirable, does not dismiss the evils associated with the church.Some of these evils include Jonestown, Waco, and 911. The appalling actions done "in the name of god" are highly capable of ruining lives on an epidemic scale.Not only can lives be lost but, lifestyles can be ruined as well. Entire fortunes have been squandered as well as childhood innosence all in the name of god.What is being done about this? Much of the ill-begotten deeds of religions squalid past are conveniently swept under the rug.From the pope to the small time country preacher, are the dirty deals kept hidden from the masses.Members are encouraged to "play along" and do everything the spiritual leader tells them to do.Members that seek answers are shunned by the spiritual leader and his/her brainwashed flock(maintaining that the will of god demands absolute trust and faith).This naturally sets the stage for confusion and betrayal.The pastor/preist is given a free pass to commit all kinds of bad things while the congregation looks on in confusion.And this same pastor/preist grants "special favors" to those who played along in a fitting and proper way in his eyes.All of this is done to achieve salvation and go to heaven when one dies.The time for change has come."The Black Atheist in America" by Jason Winn represents that change.Jason Winn, a former Christian himself, has seen the limited horizons and dirty deals done inside of the church.He struggled with faith for 34 years until he said,"enough is enough " The Black Church is seen as a haven of hope to most in the Black Community but, this is only a half thuth.The other half of truth regarding the Black Church is lack luster at best.The Black Community is still #1 in crime, AIDS, and low education but, the Black Church is still going strong.This is due to the Black Church not taking a stand against the negative elements within its community.The time, energy, and money used to build and support the church could be redirected to assist in supporting the community.Both the church and community are made up of people.And these people are needed to get things done."The Black Atheist in America" exposes this very basic truth along with many others.The reader will see the violent history of religion from The Crusades to the present day ethnic cleansings taking place in Africa.The reader will see the glaring hypocrisy running rampant in the church: faith healers and mega churches. The reader will also see how the church uses children(the most innocent among us)to fuel its turbo charged-high energy message to swell its membership.And finally, the reader shall see how a reason filled mind will triumph over a faith filled mind.A reason driven mind will be progressive in its function (forward moving). A religious driven mind will be retrogressive in its function(backwards moving). Jason Winn provides a simple example of this dynamic by explaining the passing of time.He states that, "Time is progessive and moves forward." He further states that this progression can be seen in technology throughout the ages: Stone to Bronze and Industry to Information.

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

As one accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior and begins the spiritual new birth, they would be faced with many situations and circumstances that cannot be handled by any human hands or flesh. These situations and circumstances are to be placed on the Lord, and ask him, to handle these circumstances for you. As a child of God Christians are admonish to cast their cares, circumstances and burdens upon the one and only person that is able to handle it and carry them through. A child of God must not trust in the arm of flesh, but fully trust in God, by faith and hope in God only. This book is written to shed light of some of the things that Christians go through, possible encouragements and spiritual enlistment. One is encourage to read this book thought fully, as in it, are words of wisdom and inspiration that will help you in your daily Christian walk in order that you can remain faithful to God. The birth of this book was a burden of my heart from God's Holy Spirit, who was with me in every step of the way in writing this book. This book was written; first of all to help sinners turn their heart to Christ, and to help and encourage Christians, significantly those who are struggling through their Christian life, to shed enlightenment on some of the persecutions, struggles, abuses, and accuses that one might encounter on their day to day living. I am persuaded that in this book, a sinner's heart will be geared towards serving God and a child of God heart would be stirred up to walk righteously and uprightly before him. For all its readers, this book will be a comfort to the hurting, a source of strength to the weak, healing for the sick, joy for those who are mourning and a garment of praise for those with a heavy heart. The words of wisdom that is shed in this book, is a must have and a must needed option. Be blessed. From the heart of God, to my heart, and transferred to your heart. -God's servant -Francine Lewis

Jesus Cries When You Touch Yourself is a comic monologue written in tribute to the late George Carlin on the topic of religious bullshit in America. Influenced by Carlin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Bill Maher, Monty Python, and the writers of South Park, the author uses constant mockery and absurdist humor on a tour of ridiculous beliefs in America. With devastating logic, Jesus, the most beloved character in all of history, is revealed to be the world's greatest pedophile. After all, if Jesus is God, then everyday he watches billions of children take off their clothes and hundreds of millions of others go poop. Well, the great Poop Inspector would be a pedophile, if only he wasn't merely our imaginary friend. From an invisible man in the sky that watches millions of people masturbate each day, to Jesus ascending into heaven and becoming an astronaut, to Catholics eating Jesus' penis every Sunday, Jesus Cries When You Touch Yourself contrasts intense realism with comical religious absurdity in the most ambitious ridicule of religion ever written.