Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Laura on April 20, 2011 at 2:09pm

I'd recommend anything by A.C Grayling. He's a great commander of language and makes very compelling arguments for humanism and atheism. It may be useful to tie atheism in with secular humanism, as the former is simply a stance on one issue, whereas the other is a philosophical perspective with many benefits and a compelling set of values.

I would also recommend you listen to this short clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q715ty5hLt4&feature=related) by Stephen Fry on a world without God. He's a wonderful, poetic speaker.

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Permalink Reply by Emily Frias on April 20, 2011 at 2:13pm

Thanks, that is a really good point. I was thinking of including a discussion of morality, using the ten commandments Dawkins lays out in The God Delusion. Secular humanist thought will definitely add to that part of the argument =)

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Permalink Reply by Emily Frias on April 21, 2011 at 1:14pm

I know what you mean - and I wouldn't be comfortable doing this outside of my specific English class. My school is public but still very much Christian, and outside of my class would not at all be receptive to anything I had to say about this. This class is pretty selective though, and I expect an at least tolerant audience from them.

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Permalink Reply by FreeThinker on April 20, 2011 at 4:56pm

If you want some background on the history of atheism, I'd recommend Jonothan Miller's "Atheism:  A Rough History of Disbelief".  Here is the documentary, divided into three parts:

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSTj-qh0KRc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vx1Vnp1IZE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFvHZFHbFJk

 

 

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Permalink Reply by FreeThinker on April 20, 2011 at 5:42pm

I'd also recommend "The Christian Delusion:  Why Faith Fails", which is a collection of articles by authors and scholars, such as John Loftus, Richard Carrier, Robert M. Price, and Hector Avalos.  It is written in a similar vein as Dawkin's "The God Delusion", but is specifically directed towards Christianity and the arguments Christians make.

 

Specifically, I'd recommend chapter 13, written by David Eller, which is entitled "Christianity Is Not the Basis for Morality".  Eller discusses what morality is and talks about morality without Christianity, morality without religion, and even morality without humanity. 

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Permalink Reply by Jedi Wanderer on April 21, 2011 at 7:52am

Hey, pretty decent videos. I'm only 30 minutes in to the first one so far, but it's really not bad. Thanks for putting this up here.

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Permalink Reply by paul babcock on April 20, 2011 at 5:41pm

Of all of the four horsemen I always found Sam Harris to be what I would think the most accessible and reasonable to a theist audience and the least objectionable. He doesn't even use the word "atheist" i "End of Faith". He simply makes arguable point after point arguing that faith is a bad way of believing things about the world, god or anything.

"Letter to a Christian Nation" is quite short and to the point. And it is ostensibly written directly to Christians. Tho I doubt many at all read it, it is aimed at explaining secularism to them.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Wood on April 21, 2011 at 4:08am

Michael Onfray: "Atheist Manifesto"

Anything by Bertrand Russell but especially "Why I Am Not a Christian."

Daniel Dennett: "Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon"

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Permalink Reply by Grace Fitzpatrick on April 21, 2011 at 4:31am

Have you checked out the Freedom From Religion Foundation webpage?  They have a number of excellent books that might be helpful to you.  Since you are about to graduate (and believe me maybe never set eyes on some of these people again), you might want to go ahead and take the risk.  It's not like you're going to be around these folks much longer.

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Permalink Reply by Jedi Wanderer on April 21, 2011 at 7:53am

Yeah very true. The only one's you'll see or care to see again are your close friends, so take a chance! Who cares what the morons think?

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Permalink Reply by Emily Frias on April 21, 2011 at 2:12pm

Thanks all of you, these sources look very useful. I'm going to go to the library and check out some of these books, and I'll keep you updated on my progress and the strategies I use. I might even post my presentation when I'm done =)

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Permalink Reply by Brian George on April 21, 2011 at 10:18pm

I would recommend The God Virus by Darrel Ray. The book is a fascinating look at how and why religion is able to propagate itself across many different cultures. This covered in chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 4 covers the use of guilt in religion and chapter 6 talks about morality. I think these chapters would be the most useful for what you describe that you're trying to do in your assignment.

It may not be as helpful on the "pro Atheism" side as some of Dawkins or Hitchens works, but will be helpful for the contrasts to the "pro religion" arguments.

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