Showing titles in Atheism

I see Christianity, as we know it today, as an outgrowth of mostly one mind and one perspective and that is the mind and perspective of Paul the apostle who was the alter-ego for another man who lived and wrote in the AD 80s and AD 90s. What I have discovered is that Paul, in writing about himself, is not writing about philosophy and movements that were later molded into a world religion; he is writing firstly about the very real events in which he participated, and only secondarily about his own singular effort to concoct a new religious perspective.

Deconstructing God makes a case for an understanding of religion that transcends the conventional categories in which one is either a believer, atheist, or agnostic by focusing on mysticism as the experiential core of religion. The book makes the case that this paradigm we've inherited in Western culture has left us stuck in a series of false arguments about the subject of religion: Whether there is or isn't "a God", the religion vs. science "debate", and the faith vs. reason "debate".

Drew Avery guides you to a “basecamp” of sensible, logical, rational faith. A place where you—the agnostic, the “none,” the “spiritual”—can leave vagueness behind. A place where you may find new purpose and the needed strength to live a better life and to help make a better world.

7 Reasons To Believe is a clear, powerful presentation of the seven most persuasive arguments for the existence of God and the truth of the Christian faith. Compelling evidence is examined from the fields of microbiology, genetics, cosmology, history and personal experience. Peppered with wit and brimming with meticulously-researched facts, this book will challenge even the most hardened sceptics and will strengthen the faith of those who already believe.

Are we on the brink of sacrificing science and history on the altar of fundamentalist ideology? Navigating the chasm between unyielding faith and empirical science, this memoir reveals a deeply personal struggle with Young Earth Creationism and religious fundamentalism. Indoctrinated at age six into a fundamentalist sect, the author is confronted with the undeniable evidence of science while simultaneously being torn by his church's warnings of eternal damnation for simply acknowledging reality.

Shortlisted for the 2012 Orwell Prize. 'As soon as we abandon our own reason', wrote Bertrand Russell, 'and are content to rely upon authority, there is no end to our troubles.' For over 40 years, Christopher Hitchens has proclaimed truth where others have spun falsehood and written, with passionate commitment, on matters that others fear to broach. This volume of essays encompasses Hitchens's writing over the past decade on politics, literature and religion.

Many Christians are fearful of engaging in conversation with atheists - believing that they will be hostile to Christian beliefs and conversations about the Bible. This short book is designed to help both Christians and whole churches understand more about the questions and issues that atheists of various kinds have about Christian faith, and to reach out to them with the good news of the Gospel.

Do you know how fortunate you are to have the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights in our Constitution? Do you know what's in it? Do you know how we got it? Did you know it is under constant attack from motivated interests? Knowledge, knowing the real facts through source checking and critical thinking, is both power and comfort. Is it propaganda that America was founded on christian principles, a televangelist's misinterpretation of history? Or is it true, and that's why we only see in America the Christian interpretation of everything?

This is a collection of poignant, engaging, and often humorous thoughts and anecdotes about disturbing aspects of the world of religion. This is a book for religious skeptics. They will find that far from being alone, they are in elevated company. Throughout history a high ratio of major thinkers, scientists, writers, reformers, scholars, champions of democracy, and other world changers have been and continue to be religious skeptics. Many risked their lives to confront the power of the ignorance, stupidity, and wrath of religion. This book, a testimony to them, is also for the unknowing, ...

Unlock the secrets of atheism: find out why millions are choosing reason over tradition—and how this choice can empower your life like never before. Being An Atheist: The Truth Revealed, presents a bold and unflinching exploration of the claims made by religious believers, and meticulously dismantles their arguments with the use of truth, reason and evidence. Go with the author as he navigates the complex landscape of faith and reason, guiding you through a remarkable journey of discovery. With each page, you will uncover compelling evidence that debunks long-held beliefs and reveals the ...

This thought-provoking essay exposes, in clear and accessible terms, the fallacies inherent in arguing for a "morality without God" and the impact that has had on contemporary Western society, and in shaping Western approaches to matters such as multiculturalism, separation of Church and State, political correctness, and culture wars.The denial of the transcendent origin of the moral values that form the basis of our civilisation, Roversi argues, does not lead to some sort of secular Utopia with its own “neutral” morality, but to the rise of religious beliefs other than Christianity, ...

For more writings by Mike Dobbins, visit his Patreon page. https://www.patreon.com/MikeDobbins The rise of confrontational atheism has led many non-believers to assert that religion should ‘disappear’ or be ‘extinguished.’ Little are atheists aware that in the process of embracing and expressing their atheism, rather than ‘extinguish’ religion, they have created their own. Many atheists have moved beyond the dictionary definition and are naturally and predictably attempting to fill the religious void left from abandoning their theistic tradition by replacing it with an atheist ...

Believing in a religion is a personal commitment. Unfortunately, this personal commitment often requires followers to recruit others. Religious people have been known to push their beliefs onto others; many religions even require it. This places substantial pressure on us who don’t believe. You may have found yourself in a church pew on Sunday simply to avoid the argument. By applying science, reason, logic, psychology, and the experiences of atheist defenders worldwide, this book will help you stand your ground. Throughout this book, you’re presented with several of the most common ...

"I grew up in a magical world. Negative words attracted negative experiences. Thought, like a metaphysical sculptor taking the circumstances of the world as raw material, had the incredible power to bring about the most diverse imagined situations. All environments and people manifested good or bad energies capable of positively or negatively affecting the course of my existence. I had a personal relationship with the omnipotent Being who created the universe. He was permanently at my disposal like a customer service that never shuts down. Fortunately for me, commerce with the beyond was ...

A bold philosophical defense of existential nihilism based on modern science. * * * When we imagine a machine, the result is always something close to a mechanical system that works by itself. It doesn’t bother us to think that it’s nothing beyond that. But how do we feel when we imagine ourselves as a machine? Empty. We have the feeling that something is missing. And what is missing? What’s there in a human that is missing in a machine? Illusion. The emptiness of the machine is the consciousness that our subjective world is a fiction; the consciousness that our humanity is a delirium...

How does one go from an atheist to a drug dealer, to a Rabbi? Growing up in New York City, Ira was an angry, disillusioned Orthodox Jew living with the hurt and shame of his parents' divorce. As a young adult, he wanted nothing to do with God or religion. Trying to find himself and his path in life, Ira pushed back on his father's beliefs and dropped out of college in Wisconsin and headed to Colorado where he earned a living in the "pharmaceutical business."

An essay on secular ethics and morals, on the theme of why and how the "is-ought" problem derails most attempts at justifying them but is solved by a life-based ethics. Such a life-based ethics is described and contrasted to religious ethics. Good is not only possible without God - it is better! (This booklet is a modified version of a chapter in The Australian Book of Atheism.)

Creationism, especially in its pseudoscience manifestation, Intelligent Design, has failed to make any significant progress in its campaign to be adopted by mainstream biomedical scientists. Instead, it is almost universally condemned and rejected by scientific bodies througout the developed world. It makes no predictions and cannot be tested therefore it is usless as a science and has still not generated a single peer-reviewed paper in any mainstream science journal.. The only signifcant success of the Discovery Institutes 'Wedge' Strategy, launched in 1991 and now hopelessly behind ...

Across the globe, deity belief and engagement in organised religions is waning and secularism is on the rise in nearly every country and religion. Despite this, there are many profitable aspects and structures that religions have created and refined over the centuries which may be useful in an ever-secularising world. This book looks at some of the most recent data from surveys across the globe and makes suggestions as to what we need to consider to enable us to become more unified secular societies. Due to the numerous small colour graphs and charts, this book is best read on a tablet/iPad...

Thought-provoking essays on the conflict between fundamentalist religion and science, and exposing the anti-science, extremist political agenda of the modern creationist industry. Based on the popular Rosa Rubicondior blog rosarubicondior.blogspot.com. (Beware of abusive imitations).