Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ralph Dumain on February 20, 2009 at 6:04am

Now on to books not previously mentioned.

I love historical works most of all. One should not miss out on these magnificent anthologies:

Gaylor, Annie Laurie, ed. Women Without Superstition: "No Gods—No Masters": The Collected Wri.... Madison, WI: Freedom From Religion Foundation, 1997.

Whitehead, Fred; Muhrer, Verle, eds. Freethought on the American Frontier. Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1992.


I have reviewed Michel Onfray's The Atheist Manifesto.
http://reasonsociety.blogspot.com/search/label/Michel%20Onfray

Oh, here are my remarks on Philosophers Without Gods:
http://reasonsociety.blogspot.com/2007/12/philosophers-without-gods...

More to come.

Permalink Reply by Ralph Dumain on February 28, 2009 at 8:23am

I haven't looked at this one yet, just discovered its existence:

Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America -- And Found Unexpected Peace
by William Lobdell

http://www.powells.com/biblio?show=hardcover:sale:9780061626814:18....

Permalink Reply by Jeffrey Mark on February 28, 2009 at 1:46pm

I'm partial to my own book, of course. :-) It's called Christian No More. You can see the amazon page at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0981631304 .

And one favorite of mine is 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God.

Jeff

Permalink Reply by Dr. Thoss on March 16, 2009 at 1:22pm

"Atheism Advanced" by David Eller.

Let me just say you need to read this book. I am overwhelmed with all that it had to say and can't write a coherent sentence. But let me try:

I just finished it and immediately went back and started re-reading it. It's not like I didn't pay attention the first time either; the thing is bristling with post-it notes and Page Points. It's just that there is so much here to think about.

This is not another (though they're good, too) book that simply restates what's wrong with various religions. Rather, the author covers much of how we unwittingly reinforce the position of religion in society with many of our own arguments and even our speech. He covers many aspects of religion and importantly covers the critical issues of remembering that we need to use the right words in our discussions. Simply put, atheists inadvertently argue less effectively when they speak in ways that focus on just being anti-christianity. We know we are anti-theism and presumably are also anti-"nontheist religion" (belief in chi, a soul, ghosts, etc) as well. But, some of the ways we argue with christians and other theists actually make their case for them. (A simple one we get caught in is the old line that if you say "there is no god" then you must have a concept of god in order to be able to deny it and therefor really do believe in god in spite of your words.)

I am unworthy to try to summarize all the points made in his book.

The book is however, "advanced" atheism and not "atheism 101". Someone struggling with their religious beliefs is going to be baffled by this. It is great for those who have fully left "religion" but have questions about why religions exist, what can we do about them, how are they harmful, why and how should we make an effort to impair their influence on society, and much more.

If you go to Amazon and look in the "used and new" options, you can buy it direct from the author.
http://tinyurl.com/cwfy4a

Permalink Reply by Paul Lin on November 17, 2009 at 12:32pm

The best one I think is "Atheism: The Case Against God" by George Smith. It includes many criticisms against arguments from the theists and exposes the holes of those theists' arguments, including the First Cause argument. It is also a great introductory book for an intellectual atheist who wants to learn about the kind of ethics that does not depends on the belief of God.

Permalink Reply by David Allan Wilson on November 18, 2009 at 8:31pm

One of my favorites was "atheist universe" by david mills (i think)

Permalink Reply by Paul Lin on November 19, 2009 at 12:01am

I came across "Atheist Universe" years ago. It's good. I didn't buy it, though, because it told me what I had already know.

Permalink Reply by D.O.S on November 19, 2009 at 11:07am

I didn't see it on anyones post so I'd add Michel Onfray's Atheist Manifesto.

Permalink Reply by Noah Petersen on January 25, 2010 at 1:10pm

I like "Everything You Know about god Is Wrong": The Disinformation Guide to Religion by Russ Kick, Neil Gaiman and Richard Dawkins.

Permalink Reply by Dustin Rogers on March 31, 2010 at 1:37am

besides my heros Darwin, Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, Hitchens.

i would have to suggest Victor J. Stenger's book "God The Failed Hypothesis" or Darrel W. Ray's "The God Virus How Religion Infects our Life and Culture" or Neil Shubin's Your Inner Fish A journey into The 3.5- Billion Year History Of The Human Body" or Steven Pinker's "The Blank Slate The Mordern Denial of Human Nature" as well as, John Allen Paulos book " Irreligion a Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up". i have only tried to mention a few their are many more books out their to read that might interest you i hope i could help.

Permalink Reply by Dr. Thoss on May 18, 2010 at 4:04pm

Agreed. I bought it and didn't read it for a while since the title sounded a little too "woo woo" to me. But it was really excellent. My copy has all kinds of post-its stuck to pages marking excellent points that the author makes.

Permalink Reply by Dr. Thoss on May 18, 2010 at 7:08pm

Yes, "Doubt" was excellent as well. 'Natural Atheism" and "Atheism Advanced" were a couple that I found were great (I've posted about them here before). Another I read some time ago that is also on my "shelf of fame" was "Like Rolling Uphill."

I really do think any of Bart Ehrman's books are worth a read as well. I read "Misquoting Jesus" but I know there are others of his that are likely worthwhile as well.

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