Agnosticism and atheism Books

Book SynopsisThe bestselling cult classicgod Is Not Great is the ultimate case against religion. In a series of acute readings of the major religious texts, Christopher Hitchens demonstrates the ways in which religion is man-made, dangerously sexually repressive and distorts the very origins of the cosmos. Above all, Hitchens argues that the concept of an omniscient God has profoundly damaged humanity, and proposes that the world might be a great deal better off without 'him'. In god is Not Great Hitchens turned his formidable eloquence and rhetorical energy to the most controversial issue in the world: God and religion. The result is a devastating critique of religious faithTrade ReviewDo yourself a favor and skip the Dawkins and Harris; they're smug, turgid, and boring, with all the human feeling of a tax return. Read Hitchens instead... A tendentious delight, a caustic and even brilliant book... Thank God for Christopher Hitchens. -- Mark Warren * Esquire *Dazzling... A campaign to put this glittering anti-theist tract on the national curriculum for "religious education" should begin here. -- Johann Hari * Independent *Hitchens is a grand rhetorician, and his double-barrelled shotgun of a book is high entertainment... As with Voltaire, his scornful laughter is a powerful weapon. -- Christopher Hart * Sunday Times *The anti-religion case has never been put so well, so comprehensively or so definitively as in this razor-sharp book... Hitchens accumulates a devastating case... Outstanding. -- A.C. Grayling * Independent on Sunday *Christopher Hitchens is a master craftsman of argument... God is not Great is undoubtedly the most boisterously entertaining contribution to the [atheism] debate. -- Siobhan Murphy * Metro *God is not Great is easily the most brilliant and fascinating contemplation upon the role of religion in human society in recent times, the Das Kapital of a tolerant, if exasperated, atheism. -- Kevin Myers * Irish Independent *Table of Contents1: Putting It Mildly 2: Religion Kills 3: A Short Digression on the Pig; or, Why Heaven Hates Ham 4: A Note on Health, to Which Religion Can Be Hazardous 5: The Metaphysical Claims of Religion Are False 6: Arguments from Design 7: Revelation: The Nightmare of the "Old" Testament 8: The "New" Testament Exceeds the Evil of the "Old" One 9: The Koran Is Borrowed from Both Jewish and Christian Myths 10: The Tawdriness of the Miraculous and the Decline of Hell 11: "The Lowly Stamp of Their Origin": Religion's Corrupt Beginnings 12: A Coda: How Religions End 13: Does Religion Make People Behave Better? 14: There Is No "Eastern" Solution 15: Religion as an Original Sin 16: Is Religion Child Abuse? 17: An Objection Anticipated: The Last-Ditch "Case" Against Secularism 18: A Finer Tradition: The Resistance of the Rational 19: In Conclusion: The Need for a New Enlightenment

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Book SynopsisWhy have Western societies that were once overwhelmingly Christian become so secular? Looking to the feelings and faith of ordinary people, the award-winning author of Protestants Alec Ryrie offers a bold new history of atheism.We think we know the history of faith: how the ratio of Christian believers has declined and a secular age dawned. In this startlingly original history, Alex Ryrie puts faith in the dock to explore how religious belief didn't just fade away. Rather, atheism bloomed as a belief system in its own right.Unbelieverslooks back to the middle ages when it seemed impossible not to subscribe to Christianity, through the crisis of the Reformation and to the powerful, challenging cultural currents of the centuries since. As this history shows, the religious journey of the Western world was lived and steered not just by published philosophy and the celebrated thinkers of the day the Machiavellis and Michel de Montaignes but by men and women at every level of society. TheiTrade Review Praise for Unbelievers ‘Unbelievers covers much ground in a short space with deep erudition and considerable wit. The history of doubt is still in its relatively early stages. This is an important and convincing contribution to it.’ Spectator ‘Highlights the dynamic role that emotions have played in the very human tendency to disbelieve religious claims … Those with an interest in the history of religion will be treated to a new perspective on the old opposition between believers and nonbelievers’ Library Journal ‘Ryrie’s contention that its power and effectiveness derive as much from its emotional impact as its rational argumentation makes considerable sense to me … what Ryrie’s engaging book suggests is that the battle over God is really a battle about a certain sort of emotional literacy. Giles Fraser, Unherd.com ‘In Unbelievers we encounter heart-wrenching expressions of faith and its absence with nuanced attention to words and modulations of emotions. We find preachers, female writers, dramatists, poets and essayists who struggled daily with a religion that demanded faith … An arresting consideration of how their voices shaped what came after them. Deep insights are leavened with characteristic wit and humour, making this book a crucial read for anyone thinking about religion in our time.’ Bruce Gordon, author of Calvin ‘With wit and remarkable breadth of learning, Ryrie addresses an issue that touches us all.’ John O’Malley, author of Vatican I ‘How has unbelief come to dominate so many Western societies? The usual account invokes the advance of science and rational knowledge. Ryrie’s alternative, in which emotions are the driving force, offers new and interesting insights into our past and present.’ Charles Taylor, author of A Secular Age

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Book SynopsisIs modern racism a product of secularisation and the decline of Christian universalism? The debate has raged for decades, but up to now, the actual racial views of historical atheists and freethinkers have never been subjected to a systematic analysis. Race in a Godless World sets out to correct the oversight. It centres on Britain and the United States in the second half of the nineteenth century, a time when popular atheist movements were emerging and scepticism about the truth of Christianity was becoming widespread. Covering racial and evolutionary science, imperialism, slavery and racial prejudice in theory and practice, it provides a much-needed account of the complex and sometimes contradictory ideas espoused by the transatlantic community of atheists and freethinkers. It also reflects on the social dimension of irreligiousness, exploring how working-class atheists’ experiences of exclusion could make them sympathetic to other marginalised groups.Trade Review'Presents not only a fascinating glimpse into complex racial discussions in the late 19th century but also a wonderful, updated overview of the movement and the intellectual history of free-thought in general.'Anton Jansson, History of Intellectual Culture 2/2023'Race in a Godless World is a great contribution to the study of historical atheism, but also intellectual and religious history. It is timely, balanced, well-researched, laying bare the wide range of racial views atheists held.'Global Intellectual History'The book will be of interest to both scholars and general readers, who are likely to find this alternative narrative of the origins of racism in Britain and the United States as compelling as it is convincing.'The Journal of American History'Race in a Godless World is a timely and important contribution to a growing field.'The American Historical Review‘Race in a Godless World is an excellent study. This is intellectual history at its best, demonstrating how the discriminated against minority of unbelievers, at the foot of the religious pecking order, challenged racial hierarchies and championed racial minorities. The book shows that a commitment to science and reason underpinned racial views amongst both atheist and religionist intellectuals of the nineteenth century. But scepticism and contrariness drew atheists to apply the same reason in shifting towards a more inclusive and progressive social agenda. With a strong structure and vivid clarity, this is the best contribution so far to scholarly study of how racist thinking came to be linked with, but also rejected by, atheists in the USA and Britain.’Callum G. Brown, University of Glasgow‘An exhaustively researched and gracefully written book that makes a signal contribution to our understanding of the intersection of atheism and racial thought. The first book to fully flesh out the ties between racial thought and atheism, it is a masterful achievement that will be required reading for students and scholars of race, freethought, and British and American history more broadly.’Christopher Cameron, University of North Carolina at Charlotte‘Situating the history of freethought in a fully transatlantic framework, Alexander carefully unpacks the ambivalences and contradictions of white atheist views on race and civilisation. Certain about the superiority of science over Christianity, freethinkers were far less clear about the racial and cross-cultural implications of their irreligion. Many embraced scientific racism and white supremacy, while others resisted xenophobia and race prejudice. Alexander captures these secularist complexities with admirable nuance and insight.’ Leigh E. Schmidt, Washington University in St. Louis -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: the tangled histories of Christianity, secularization, and race1 Were Adam and Eve our first parents? Atheism and polygenesis2 Brute men: race and society in evolution3 A London Zulu: savagery and civilisation4 The wise men of the east: India, China, and Japan5 The best friends the negro ever had: African Americans and white atheists6 The curse of race prejudice: rethinking race at the turn of the centuryEpilogue: what next for racism in a godless world?NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisShould we believe in God? In this new book, written for a new generation, the brilliant science writer and author of The God Delusion, explains why we shouldn't.Should we believe in God? Do we need God in order to explain the existence of the universe? Do we need God in order to be good? In twelve chapters that address some of the most profound questions human beings confront, Dawkins marshals science, philosophy and comparative religion to interrogate the hypocrisies of all the religious systems and explain to readers of all ages how life emerged without a Creator, how evolution works and how our world came into being.For anyone hoping to grapple with the meaning of life and what to believe, Outgrowing God is a challenging, thrilling and revelatory read.--------------------------------Trade ReviewOutgrowing God is another sally against his oldest foe, the Almighty * The Times *Books of 2019: The scientist and controversial commentator on religious and cultural questions presents an accessible, "junior" version of The God Delusion (2006). * Guardian *His contagious enthusiasm renders the basics of natural selection newly astonishing. * The Guardian *Books of 2019: Richard Dawkins has always had it in for the almighty and he's back to take another pop at the poor bloke. Here he outlines what he believes is the real meaning of life. * The Times *Dawkins new book is special in the terrain of atheists’ pleas for humanism and rationalism precisely since it speaks to those most vulnerable to the coercive tactics of religion. As Dawkins himself says in the dedication, this book is for “all young people when they’re old enough to decide for themselves.” It is also, I must add, for their parents. * Professor Janna Levin, Claire Tow Professor of Physics & Astronoy at Barnard College of Columbia University *

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Book SynopsisOutlines how Christianity transformed the ancient world in ways we may have forgotten: bringing liberation from fatalism, conferring great dignity on human beings, subverting the cruelest aspects of pagan society, and elevating charity above all virtues.Trade Review"Hart has the gifts of a good advocate. He writes with clarity and force, and he drives his points home again and again. He exposes his opponents errors of fact or logic with ruthless precision."—Anthony Kenny, Times Literary Supplement"It is a taut and tart introduction to the ideas that drove the Christian Revolution, fired by righteous anger and with an arsenal of learning that explodes off the page."—Nick Mattiske, The Lutheran (Australian Lutheran Church)"A brilliant investigation of the current fad among intellectuals for atheism."—Contemporary Review"A provocative work, vigorous, humorous, erudite."—James R. A. Merrick, Scottish Bulletin on Evangelical Theory". . . takes no prisoners in its response to fashionable criticisms of Christianity."—Dr Rowan Williams, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Church Times"Entertaining and challenging, this book brings us back to what Christmas is about."—Nick Baines, The Church Times (Christmas Books)"With impressive erudition and polemical panache, David Hart smites hip and thigh the peddlers of a 'new atheism' that recycles hoary arguments from the past. His grim assessment of our cultural moment challenges the hope that ‘the Christian revolution' could happen again."—Richard John Neuhaus, former editor in chief of First Things"Provoked by and responding to the standard-bearers of 'the New Atheism,' this original and intellectually impressive work deftly demolishes their mythical account of 'the rise of modernity.' Hart argues instead that the genuinely humane values of modernity have their historic roots in Christianity."—Geoffrey Wainwright, Duke Divinity School "In this learned, provocative, and sophisticated book, Hart presents a frontal challenge to today's myopic caricature of the culture and religion that existed in previous centuries."—Robert Louis Wilken, University of Virginia"Surely Dawkins, Hitchens et al would never have dared put pen to paper had they known of the existence of David Bentley Hart. After this demolition-job all that is left for them to do is repent and rejoice at the discreditation of their erstwhile selves."—John Milbank, author of Radical Orthodoxy: A New Theology"A devastating dissection of the 'new atheism,' a timely reminder of the fact that 'no Christianity' would have meant 'no West,' and a rousing good read. David Hart is one of America's sharpest minds, and this is Hart in full, all guns firing and the band playing on the deck."—George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington“An unanswerable and frequently hilarious demolition of the shoddy thinking and historical illiteracy of the so-called New Atheists.”—Michael Robbins, Commonweal -- Michael Robbins * Commonweal *

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Book SynopsisSUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE CATHOLIC HERALD BOOK AWARD FOR RELIGION AND THEOLOGYA NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019''Wonderful ... one of the few books that I started to reread a couple of minutes after I''d finished it.'' - Melvyn Bragg A meditation on the importance of atheism in the modern world - and its inadequacies and contradictions - by one of Britain''s leading philosophers''When you explore older atheisms, you will find some of your firmest convictions - secular or religious - are highly questionable. If this prospect disturbs you, what you are looking for may be freedom from thought.''For a generation now, public debate has been corroded by a narrow derision of religion in the name of an often very vaguely understood ''science''. John Gray''s stimulating and extremely enjoyable new book describes the rich, complex world of the atheist tradition, a tradition which he sees as in many ways as rich as that of religion itself, as well as being deeply intertwined with what is so often crudely viewed as its ''opposite''. The result is a book that sheds an extraordinary and varied light on what it is to be human and on the thinkers who have, at different times and places, battled to understand this issue.Trade ReviewA highly readable, fascinating book that jerks the debate on religion versus atheism right out of its crusted rut into the light of serious intellectual scrutiny * Observer *Pithy and revelatory -- Christopher Bellaigue * Financial Times *Wonderful ... the range, thoughtfulness and trenchant sense of Gray's sweep across the centuries of thought is wholly exhilarating ... one of the few books that I started to reread a couple of minutes after I'd finished it. -- Melvyn Bragg * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisInfidel. Atheist. Rationalist. Agnostic. Occultist Aleister Crowley, soldier J. F. C. Fuller, and poet Victor Neuburg embraced these labels as active contributors and participants in the British secularist movement at the dawn of the twentieth century. Rebelling against Victorian religious and social strictures, they dreamed of a world guided by scientific evidence instead of superstition. Friendship in Doubt examines how the Agnostic movement-from Saladin''s Agnostic Journal and G. W. Foote''s Freethinker, to the Rationalist Press Association and its Literary Guide--inspired and introduced Crowley, Fuller, and Neuburg to each other as foundational figures in the new religious movement of Thelema. Agnosticism would inform not only Thelema, but also Crowley''s publishing company S.P.R.T.; A?A?, a successor to the fragmented Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn; the Equinox journal; and the concept of magick as Scientific Illuminism. This volume also collects for the first time the contributions of all three to the Agnostic literature. This scarce and largely unknown material provides insight into the thinking of Crowley, Fuller and Neuburg at the start of their careers, and an understanding of their subsequent trajectories after they parted ways. As such, it provides unique insights into the role of Agnosticism in the formative years of an emerging occult movement which would go on to exert an immense influence on Western esotericism in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

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Book SynopsisSecularism: The Basics is a concise and engaging introduction to confusing and contradictory public discussions of secularism across the globe. In this lively and lucid book, Jacques Berlinerblau addresses why secularism is defined in so many ways and why it so ignites peopleâs passions. In so doing, he explores the following important questions: What does secularism mean? Why should we care about this idea? What are the different types of secularism and what are their histories? What are the basic principles of political secularisms? Why are secularism and Atheism often confused? What is the relationship between secularism and LGBTQ rights? What opposition are secularisms up against? What does the future hold for a concept millennia in the making, but only really operationalized in the last century and a half? This thoroughly updated new edition includes two new chapters on African Secularisms and the importance of Mexico in the history of political secularism.

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Book SynopsisA Sunday Times bestsellerChristopher Hitchens was an unparalleled, prolific writer, who raised the polemical essay to a new art form, over a lifetime of thinking and debating the defining issues of our times. As an essayist he contributed to the New Statesman, Atlantic Monthly, London Review of Books, TLS and Vanity Fair. Any publication of a volume of Hitchens' essays was a major event on both sides of the Atlantic. Now comes a volume of Hitchens' previously uncollected essays, covering the themes that define Hitchens the thinker: literature, religion and politics. These essays remind us, once more, of the fierce, brilliant and trenchant voice of Christopher Hitchens.Trade ReviewThe range is remarkable... Literary criticism is often where he shines - the pieces on Orwell and Chesterton, in particular, are alert, nuanced and witty. * Financial Times *And yet... there are few journalists who can match the verve and panache of Hitchens's prose. He mixes the loquaciousness of the barfly with the fluency of the literary artist, and could not pen a dull sentence if he tried. * Guardian *What you will find in And Yet..., is a body of work that offers some of the most various, nutritious and amusing prose you are likely to encounter, and that stands as a testament to the consolations of a phrase he cherished: litera scripta manet - the written word remains. * Daily Telegraph *This final collection displays his startling ability to write so well about so much... The sense of loss at the subjects he will not write about is more than outweighed by the pleasure at those that he did. * New Statesman *Table of Contents1: Che Guevara: Goodbye to All That 2: Orwell's List 3: Orhan Pamuk: Mind the Gap 4: Bring on the Mud 5: Ohio's Odd Numbers 6: On Becoming American 7: Mikhail Lermontov: A Doomed Young Man 8: Salman Rushdie: Hobbes in the Himalayas 9: My Red-State Odyssey 10: The Turkey Has Landed 11: Bah, Humbug 12: A. N. Wilson: Downhill All the Way 13: Ian Fleming: Bottoms Up 14: Power Suits 15: Blood for No Oil! 16: How Uninviting 17: Look Who's Cutting and Running Now 18: Oriana Fallaci and the Art of the Interview 19: Imperial Follies 20: Clive James: The Omnivore 21: Gertrude Bell: The Woman Who Made Iraq 22: Physician, Heal Thyself 23: Edmund Wilson: Literary Companion On the Limits of Self-improvement, Part I: Of Vice and Men 24: On the Limits of Self-improvement, Part II: Vice and Versa 25: On the Limits of Self-improvement, Part III: Mission Accomplished 26: Ayaan Hirsi Ali: The Price of Freedom 27: Arthur Schlesinger: The Courtier 28: Paul Scott: Victoria's Secret 29: The Case against Hillary Clinton 30: The Tall Tale of Tuzla 31: V. S. Naipaul: Cruel and Unusual 32: No Regrets 33: Barack Obama: Cool Cat 34: The Lovely Stones 35: Edward M. Kennedy: Redemption Song 36: Engaging with Iran Is Like Having Sex with Someone Who Hates You 37: Colin Powell: Powell Valediction 38: Shut Up about Armenians or We'll Hurt Them Again 39: Hezbollah's Progress 40: The Politicians We Deserve 41: Rosa Luxemburg: Red Rosa 42: Joan Didion: Blue Nights 43: The True Spirit of Christmas 44: Charles Dickens's Inner Child 45: G. K. Chesterton: The Reactionary 46: The Importance of Being Orwell 47: What Is Patriotism?

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Book SynopsisRoger Scruton explores the place of God in a disenchanted world. His argument is a response to the atheist culture that is now growing around us, and also a defence of human uniqueness. He rebuts the claim that there is no meaning or purpose in the natural world, and argues that the sacred and the transcendental are ''real presences'', through which human beings come to know themselves and to find both their freedom and their redemption.In the human face we find a paradigm of meaning. And from this experience, Scruton argues, we both construct the face of the world, and address the face of God. We find in the face both the proof of our freedom and the mark of self-consciousness. One of the motivations of the atheist culture is to escape from the eye of judgement. You escape from the eye of judgement by blotting out the face: and this, Scruton argues, is the most disturbing aspect of the times in which we live. In his wide-ranging argument Scruton explains the growing sense oTrade ReviewRoger Scruton is one of our most interesting intellectuals... This is an important book, with a very wide cultural range. It is brave in pointing to a turning away from God as the fundamental plight of our times. * The Church Times *... if you want a handy pocket guide to humanity's perennial search for God, one that will take you safely round the edges of the current religious battlefield, this elegant and gracious book is one to buy. * New Statesman *... [Scruton's] sequence on the structure of the effable (buildings) is good, and the book contains many interesting and prettily phrased thoughts. * The Guardian *Scruton develops this account with illuminating attention to some classic artworks (the book has 20 illustrations), and the book's introduction and five chapters are consistently nontechnical and accessible. -- P.K. Moser, Loyola University Chicago * CHOICE *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The View from Nowhere 2. The View from Somewhere 3. Where Am I? 4. The Face of the Person 5. The Face of God

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Book SynopsisThere is widespread confusion about the nature of religious truth. For the first time in history, a significantly large number of people want nothing to do with God. Militant atheists preach a gospel of godlessness with the zeal of missionaries and find an eager audience. Tracing the history of faith from the Palaeolithic Age to the present, Karen Armstrong shows that meaning of words such as ''belief'', ''faith'', and ''mystery'' has been entirely altered, so that atheists and theists alike now think and speak about God - and, indeed, reason itself - in a way that our ancestors would have found astonishing.Does God have a future? Karen Armstrong examines how we can build a faith that speaks to the needs of our troubled and dangerously polarised world.Trade ReviewOne of our best living writers on religion...prodigiously sourced, passionately written * Financial Times *A journey through religion that helps us to rescue what remains wise from so much that to many in Britain today no longer seems true... Armstrong is one of the the handful of wise and supremely intelligent commentators on religion -- Alain de Botton * Observer *A tour de force of learning. A hefty history of theology, philosophy and science, and how they converge, it knocks Dawkins and Hitchens into an intellectual cocked hat...Armstrong rejoices in the unknowableness of life and searches, logically enough for meaning therein * Sunday Herald *It isn't an easy read - why should it be? - but she is wonderfully clear and insightful - and not out to convert anyone * Daily Mail *Dense and brilliant, chastening and consoling. Whether or not it sells as well as the latest Hitchens or Dawkins will be a measure of us, not the book * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisThere has been a bad-tempered quarrel between defenders and critics of religion in recent years. Both sides have expressed themselves acerbically because there is a very great deal at stake in the debate. This book thoroughly and calmly examines all the arguments and associated considerations offered in support of religious belief, and does so in full consciousness of the reasons people have for subscribing to religion, and the needs they seek to satisfy by doing so. And because it takes account of all the issues, its solutions carry great weight. The God Argument is the definitive examination of the issue, and a statement of the humanist outlook that recommends itself as the ethics of the genuinely reflective person.Trade ReviewA lucid, informative and admirably accessible account of the atheist-secular-humanist position * New Statesman *Precise and incisive … Mr Grayling is a talented apologist. His brand of humanism comes across as sensible, reasonable and characterized by generosity of spirit that is often absent from religious structures, many of which involve compiling lists of what is forbidden and dreaming up creatively horrendous punishments for those who fall short * Economist *A calm and intelligent look at different religions and their various arguments for the existence of their gods * Daily Mail *Grayling writes with clarity, elegance and the occasional aphoristic twist ... straight alpha material * Independent on Towards The Light *There is an immense depth of human wisdom on display here, and five minutes with any passage will have you contemplating all day * Independent on The Good Book *Undeniably thought-provoking * The Sunday Times *Professor Grayling himself neatly exemplifies the values of calm rationality which are at the heart of Stoicism, and which influenced early Christian thought * Church Times *Debunks the teleological, ontological and cosmological arguments employed throughout Christendom for the literal existence of God … Those looking for a succinct analysis of these centuries old debates will appreciate Grayling’s insights * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisEste livro analisa, ainda que de forma abreviada, a criação de mitos, muitos dos quais já consagrados em várias religiões, sobre a criação do Universo, do planeta Terra e dos seres que a habitam, com enfoque especial no ser humano como animal pensante e, portanto, o único capaz de elaborar perguntas e procurar pelas respostas que há milênios vêm desafiando a humanidade. Somente o homem, utilizando-se da principal ferramenta de que dispõe - a ciência -, pode ultrapassar a barreira do incognoscível e questionar o que nos ensinam a maioria das religiões, por meio de seus mitos e de crenças muitas vezes sem fundamento plausível e de algumas divindades que provavelmente nunca existiram. O Universo, desde o seu início, se desdobra em novos espetáculos continuamente e de forma imprevisível. E o faz, naturalmente para usufruir a sua própria essência. Existe, é claro, para o gozo da vida material. É por isso incompatível com a ficção espiritual - ideia que nasceu do sofrimento e da inconformidade com a morte.Este livro foi pensado e composto no dia a dia de um pesquisador e professor de neuroanatomia, por várias décadas, em uma Universidade Estadual. Ao escrevê-lo, o Autor mantém o que defende desde a juventude, o que ele percebeu em relação às coisas sobrenaturais e às crenças religiosas. O seu propósito não é outro senão o de convidar o leitor a fazer uma introspecção a respeito do sentido das religiões e das crenças que nos são propostas há séculos. A sua sólida análise parte de um dado científico: o corpo morre. A alma é feita do mesmo material que o corpo. A alma morre. No momento de nossa morte ela simplesmente se dissolve - não há vida após a morte. Os que creem vêm tanto se consolando quanto se torturando com a ideia de que algo os espera depois de suas mortes.A reflexão encetada pelo Autor nos convida a reconhecer que, como a alma morre junto com o nosso corpo, é necessário entender que não pode haver recompensa ou castigos póstumos. Por isso, é bastante plausível supormos que todas as religiões organizadas são, acima de tudo, ilusões supersticiosas. Essas ilusões baseiam-se em desejos, medos e ignorâncias enraizadas profundamente ao longo dos séculos. Os humanos projetam imagens do poder, da beleza e da segurança perfeita que gostariam de ter. Ao moldar seus deuses de acordo com essas imagens, tornam-se escravos de seus próprios sonhos impossíveis.Longe de aceitar o desespero como saída para essa conclusão lapidar e assustadora, com coragem e ousadia, o Autor se alinha com a atitude do herói grego, daquele que merece ser lembrado porque vive sem esperança, mas ainda assim enfrenta o agon, ou seja, o conflito, que é a vida e o comportamento para quem vive tragicamente. Viver sem esperança é o modo de amadurecimento resistindo à melancolia, olhando-a nos olhos, mas, ainda assim, desafiando-a na lida com os objetos concretos da vida, que nos retira da doença, do desespero, legando-nos à coragem como outra grande virtude trágica, sustentada pela virtude da reverência como reconhecimento de que vivemos lutando contra forças que jamais venceremos.

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Book SynopsisThe central contention of the “New Atheism” of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens is that there has for several centuries been a war between science and religion, that religion has been steadily losing that war, and that at this point in human history a completely secular scientific account of the world has been worked out in such thorough and convincing detail that there is no longer any reason why a rational and educated person should find the claims of any religion the least bit worthy of attention.But as Edward Feser argues inThe Last Superstition, in fact there is not, and never has been, any war between science and religion at all. There has instead been a conflict between two entirely philosophical conceptions of the natural order: on the one hand, the classical “teleological” vision of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas, on which purpose or goal-directedness is as inherent a feature of the physical world as mass or electric charge; and the modern “mechanical” vision of Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, and Hume, according to which the physical world is comprised of nothing more than purposeless, meaningless particles in motion. As it happens, on the classical teleological picture, the existence of God, the immortality of the soul, and the natural-law conception of morality are rationally unavoidable. Modern atheism and secularism have thus always crucially depended for their rational credentials on the insinuation that the modern, mechanical picture of the world has somehow been established by science. Yet this modern “mechanical” picture has never been established by science, and cannot be, for it is not a scientific theory in the first place but merely a philosophical interpretation of science. Moreover, as Feser shows, the philosophical arguments in its favor given by the early modern philosophers were notable only for being surprisingly weak. The true reasons for its popularity were then, and are now, primarily political: It was a tool by which the intellectual foundations of ecclesiastical authority could be undermined and the way opened toward a new secular and liberal social order oriented toward commerce and technology. So as to further these political ends, it was simply stipulated, by fiat as it were, that no theory inconsistent with the mechanical picture of the world would be allowed to count as “scientific.” As the centuries have worn on and historical memory has dimmed, this act of dogmatic stipulation has falsely come to be remembered as a “discovery.”However, not only is this modern philosophical picture rationally unfounded, it is demonstrably false. For the “mechanical” conception of the natural world, when worked out consistently, absurdly entails that rationality, and indeed the human mind itself, are illusory. The so-called “scientific worldview” championed by the New Atheists thus inevitably undermines its own rational foundations; and into the bargain (and contrary to the moralistic posturing of the New Atheists) it undermines the foundations of any possible morality as well. By contrast, and as The Last Superstition demonstrates, the classical teleological picture of nature can be seen to find powerful confirmation in developments from contemporary philosophy, biology, and physics; moreover, morality and reason itself cannot possibly be made sense of apart from it. The teleological vision of the ancients and medievals is thereby rationally vindicated – and with it the religious worldview they based upon it.

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Book SynopsisA dazzling investigation into psychology, art and religion; the demise of capitalism; and the beginning of a new era from the author of IDEAS.Trade ReviewI would not wish to have missed The Age of Nothing by Peter Watson, a brisk 565 pages on the displacement of God from Western Culture. -- TOM STOPPARD * TLS - BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2014 *his erudition is formidable -- THEODORE DALRYMPLE * THE TIMES *In a vividly engaging conspectus of the formative ideas of the past century, The Age of Nothing shows how Nietzsche's diagnosis evoked responses in may areas of cultural life, including some surprising parts of the political spectrum. -- John Gray * NEW STATESMAN *I recommend this book to anyone who needs to know what the loss of religious faith has meant to the high culture of our civilsation and what, if anything, we might do about it.... (it) covers a whole century of intellectual endeavour as lightly as it can. -- ROGER SCRUTON * THE INDEPENDENT *The beauty of this book is Watson's ability to impose order on a riot of ideas. * PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY *This book will appeal to anyone with intellectual curiosity about the human condition and the development of ideas. It will especially appeal to the non-religious reader. This isn't a book about, or even particularly in defence of atheism as a worldview, but it sets out objectively a history of non-religious thought that covers everything from science to poetry, incorporating philosophy, the rise of new age 'spiritualism' and therapy. -- GREG JAMESON * ENTERTAINMENT FOCUS *There is much in this book that I did not know, and I am grateful to have learnt it. -- Theodore Dalrymple * THE TIMES *his erudition is formidable -- Theodore Dalymple * THE TIMES *The beauty of this book is Watson's ability to impose order on a riot of ideas. * Publisher's Weekly *This book will appeal to anyone with intellectual curiosity about the human condition and the development of ideas. It will especially appeal to the non-religious reader. This isn't a book about, or even particularly in defence of atheism as a worldview, but it sets out objectively a history of non-religious thought that covers everything from science to poetry, incorporating philosophy, the rise of new age 'spiritualism' and therapy. -- Greg Jameson * Entertainment Focus *I recommend this book to anyone who needs to know what the loss of religious faith has meant to the high culture of our civilsation and what, if anything, we might do about it.... (it) covers a whole century of intellectual endeavour as lightly as it can. -- Roger Scruton * THE INDEPENDENT *In a vividly engaging conspectus of the formative ideas of the past century, The Age of Nothing shows how Nietzsche's diagnosis evoked responses in may areas of cultural life, including some surprising parts of the political spectrum. -- John Gray * NEW STATESMAN *

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Book SynopsisThe rise of the New Atheism has aroused great general interest, yet the debate up to this point has focused largely on rebutting the new atheist critique of Christianity. Alister McGrath takes the discussion further, and explores how the ideas of the New Atheism are defended and propagated through websites and blogs.Trade ReviewMcGrath's book, in my view, conclusively refutes any claim that "reason and science" can claim some sort of rational superiority to "reason and religion", and is a masterly exposé of the moral pretensions of the "new atheism". -- Keith Ward * Church Times *Why God Won't Go Away simply demolishes New Atheism in all departments and in every respect . . . There's no way back for it from this. And to think that mild-mannered Alister McGrath delivered the fatal blow. Priceless. * The Church of England Newspaper *Armed with McGrath, the message is clear - it's time for Christians to embrace science and philosophy without fear, and defend Christianity from the misleading rhetoric of the militant atheists. * Christianity magazine *

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1845, this concise critique formed the basis of thirty later lectures delivered in 1848 by Ludwig Feuerbach, one of Germany's most influential humanist philosophers. In The Essence of Religion Feuerbach applied the analysis expounded in The Essence of Christianity (1841) to religion as a whole. The main thrust of Feuerbach's argument is aptly summed up in the original subtitle to this work: "God the Image of Man. Man's Dependence upon Nature the Last and Only Source of Religion." Feuerbach reviews key aspects of religious belief and in each case explains them as imaginative elaborations of the primal awe and sense of dependence that humans experience in the face of nature's power and mystery. Rather than humans being created in the image of God, the situation is quite the reverse: "All theology is anthropology," he says, and "the being whom man sets over against himself as a separate supernatural existence is his own being." Feuerbach goes on to argue that the attributes of God are no more than reflections of the various needs of human nature. Further, as human civilization has advanced, the role of God has gradually diminished. In ancient times, before human beings had any scientific understanding of the way nature works, divine powers were seen behind every natural manifestation, from lightning bolts to the change of seasons. By contrast, in the modern era, when an in-depth understanding of natural causes has been achieved, there is no longer any need to imagine God behind the workings of nature: "He who for his God has no other material than that which natural science, philosophy, or natural observation generally furnishes to him . . . ought to be honest enough also to abstain from using the name of God, for a natural principle is always a natural essence and not what constitutes the idea of a God." Feuerbach's naturalistic philosophy had a decisive influence on Karl Marx and radical theologians such as Bruno Bauer and David Friedrich Strauss. His incisive critique remains a challenge to religion to this day.

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Book SynopsisA growing number of powerful arguments have been formulated by philosophers and logicians in recent years demonstrating that the existence of God is improbable. These arguments assume that God's existence is possible but argue that the weight of the empirical evidence is against God's actual existence. This unique anthology collects most of the important arguments for the improbability of God that have been published since the mid-1900s. The editors make each argument clear and accessible by providing a helpful summary. In addition, they arrange this diverse collection of arguments for the improbability of God into four thematic groups: Part 1 contains cosmological arguments based on the weight of the evidence relative to the origin of the universe; Part 2 presents teleological arguments based on the weight of the evidence relative to the order in the universe; Part 3 deals with inductive evil arguments based on the weight of the evidence relative to the widespread and horrendous evil in the world; and Part 4 contains nonbelief arguments based on the weight of the evidence relative to the widespread nonbelief or the reasonable nonbelief in the world. The list of distinguished authors includes William Rowe, Theodore Drange, Quentin Smith, Victor Stenger, J. L. Schellenberg, and Michael Martin, among others. With this new anthology as a companion to their earlier anthology, The Impossibility of God (2003), Martin and Monnier have created an indispensable resource in the philosophy of religion.Table of ContentsPart 1: Cosmological Arguments Against the Existence of God; Part 2: Theological Arguments Against the Existence of God; Part 3: Inductive Evil Arguments Against the Existence of God; Part 4: Non-Belief Arguments Against the Existence of God.

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Book SynopsisIn this wide-ranging collection of insightful, controversial, and often-witty essays, the renowned author of Why I Am Not a Muslim has created a representative selection of his best work on the Koran and various problems posed by the interaction of Islam with the West. The title of the collection comes from an article that originally appeared in the London Guardian on recent textual studies of the Koran. This research suggests that, contrary to a longstanding Muslim belief about the afterlife, a harem of beautiful virgins may not be waiting for the faithful male departed in heaven. For the many readers of his books who have wondered about his background, the author begins with a charming personal sketch about his upbringing in England and his unabashed Anglophilia. A section on Koranic criticism includes excerpts from two of his books, What the Koran Really Says and Which Koran? No stranger to controversy and polemics, the author devotes two sections to articles that consider the totalitarian nature of contemporary political Islam and explore the potential for an Islamic Reformation comparable to the Protestant Reformation in the West. The concluding section is composed of Ibn Warraq's journalism, including a critique of reputed Muslim reformer Tariq Ramadan, a defense of Western culture ("Why the West Is Best)," an article about the Danish cartoons that provoked widespread Muslim outrage, and even a commentary on heavy metal music in a Muslim setting. This thoughtful, engaging collection on diverse topics will interest both longtime readers of Ibn Warraq and those new to his work.

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Book SynopsisAtheism in Five Minutes offers insights into a number of commonly held questions about the ideas, practices and attitudes concerning atheism and atheists. The volume highlights approaches based on the study of religion, sociology, history, anthropology, politics and psychology. It also examines the implications and assumptions in common questions about atheism. Ideal for both classroom use and personal study, some of the questions asked include: Are atheists immoral? Are children born atheist? Do atheists have rituals? How has atheism related to politics? Why do some atheists remain members of religious groups? Is it difficult to be an atheist in Muslim countries? Do atheist parents have atheist children? Why are there so few black atheists? What are the most atheistic societies? Has the Internet made atheism more popular? Each essay is based on the latest research written by a leading scholar in the field. They offer concise and thoughtful answers along with suggestions for further reading.Table of ContentsPreface Teemu Taira Conceptual and Historical Issues What Does the Term “Atheism” Mean? Nathan G. Alexander What Is the Difference Between Atheism, Agnosticism, Nonreligion and Secular? Christopher R. Cotter, University of Edinburgh Have All Great Scientists Been Atheists? Aku Visala, Univesity of Helsinki Were There Atheists in Ancient Greece and Rome? Ramón Soneira Martinez, University of Erfurt What Is the Relationship Between Judaism and Atheism? Daniel Langton, University of Manchester Why Has Buddhism Been Perceived as Atheistic? Jens Schlieter, University of Bern Is It Difficult to Be an Atheist in Muslim Countries? Karin van Nieuwkerk, Radboud University Society, Politics and Media What Are the Most Atheistic Societies? Isabella Kasselstrand, University of Aberdeen Why Are Some Societies More Atheistic than Others? Teemu Taira Are Atheists Typically Young People? Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, University of Waterloo, & Joel Thiessen, Ambrose University Why Are Men More Likely to Be Atheists than Women? Tiina Mahlamäki, University of Turku Why Are There So Few Black Atheists? Daniel Swann, Goucher College and University of Maryland College Park How Has Atheism Related to Politics? Steven Kettell, Univesity of Warwick Does Atheism Promote Peace? Stacey Gutkowski, King's College London How Has Atheism Related to Communism? Atko Remmel, University of Tartu Is Contemporary Atheism Leaning Politically to Right or Left? Stuart McAnulla, University of Leeds Do Laws About Religion Take Atheism into Account? Lori Beaman, University of Ottawa What Do Religious People Think of Atheists? Petra Klüg, Universität Bremen How Are Atheists Organized? Richard Cimino, Religion Watch, & Christopher Smith Do Atheists and Feminists Support Each Other? Tiina Mahlamäki How Are Atheists Represented in the Media? Teemu Taira What Is the Historical Role of Atheism in Literature and the Arts? James B. Reeves, Texas State University Beliefs, Values and Practices Do Atheist Parents Have Atheist Children? Christel Manning, Sacred Heart University How Does One Become an Atheist? Julia Martínez-Ariño, University of Groningen How Do Atheists Deal with the Problem of Evil? Sami Pihlström, University of Helsinki How Do Atheists Cope with Mortality? Jacob S. Sawyer, Pennsylvania State University Where Do Atheists Get Their Values? Kyle Thompson, Harvey Mudd College and MiraCosta College Do Atheists Have Religious Experiences? Abby Day, Goldsmiths, University of London Do Atheists Have Sacred Scripture? Ethan G. Quillen Do Atheists Have Rituals? Richard Cimino & Christopher Smith Can an Atheist Be Spiritual? Atko Remmel Are Atheists Immoral? Kyle Thompson Are Atheists Intolerant? Filip Užarević, Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Zagreb Do Atheists Value Some Religions More than Other Religions? Joel Thiessen & Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme What Do Atheists Value in Religion, If Anything? Teemu Taira Is Atheism Good for Your Health? Kevin McCaffree & Anondah Saide, both at University of North Texas Future What is the Future of Atheism? Teemu Taira

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Book SynopsisWhen Richard Dawkins published The God Delusion, David Robertson wanted an intelligent Christian response – and so he wrote it. This honest book draws on Robertson’s experience as a debater, letter writer, pastor and author to clarify the questions and the answers for thinkers and seekers, and to respond to Dawkins in a gentle spirit.Trade Review"I have read your manuscript. In a word, it is SUPERB! You really do an extraordinary job." -- Samuel Logan (International Director, World Reformed Fellowship)Wow, this is an intelligent and well-crafted view of RD's book. -- Response from an atheist on Richard Dawkins WebsiteThe content is excellent. It's a fun, engaging read. -- Ligon Duncan (Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary)The book does a particularly good job of point out the unending contradictions between what Dawkins wants to believe and what he must actually believe. -- Tim Challies (Author, ‘Seasons of Sorrow’)This book is a more than useful contribution to the 'Dawkins Debate.' -- Christian Marketplace (Resourcing retailers and suppliers)Brief, brilliant and compelling... It is a remarkable apologetic for the Christian faith and an essential tool in winning the battle of ideas. I'd give it ten stars if I could! -- Richard Morris, Wesley OwenThis book is a refreshing, excellent read... I wouldn't hesitate to pass this book on to a non-Christian, atheistically-persuaded friend. -- The Evangelical Magazine (Published by Evangelical Movement of Wales)Note from the author: The poster, 'richarddawkins.net' (is this an official view?) accuses me of lying and gives the example of the quotes on the cover of the book having been made up. From a Christian perspective this accusation of lying by either myself or CFP is very serious. Lying for Jesus is obviously self contradictory and wrong. The example that the poster gives is just wrong. All the quotes came from the Dawkins website, were seen by many people, and I have copies of them all. However over 300 posts were removed from that particular thread - including many of my own posts and all the ones referred to in the book. Perhaps it was just a coincidence but whatever the case those quotes did exist. If the poster is writing on behalf of richarddawkins.net, they know this and therefore are themselves not telling the truth. It is not the first time that a lie is told in order to accuse others of lying. It is very strange that richarddawkins.net are so keen to accuse me of lying, it indicates a certain level of desperation. They are struggling to answer The Dawkins Letters and so have to revert to attacking the author. -- David RobertsonWow, this is an intelligent and well-crafted view of RD's book. -- Reader on www.richarddawkins.net

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Book SynopsisA study of clerical reaction to the sizeable number of Catholics who outwardly conformed to Protestantism in late 16c England. An important and satisfying monograph... Many insights emerge from this rich and original study, whichwhets the appetite for more. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW [Diarmaid MacCulloch]`Church Papist' was a nickname, a term of abuse, for those English Catholics who outwardly conformed to the established Protestant Church and yet inwardly remained Roman Catholics. The more dramatic stance of recusancy has drawn historians' attention away from this sizeable, if statistically indefinable, proportion of Church of England congregations, but its existence and significance is here clearly revealed through contemporary records, challenging the sectarian model of post-Reformation Catholicism perpetuated by previous historians. Alexandra Walsham explores the aggressive reaction of counter-Reformation clergy to the compromising conduct of church papists and the threat theyposed to Catholicism's separatist image; alongside this she explains why parish priests simultaneously condoned qualified conformity. This scholarly and original study thus draws into focus contemporary clerical apprehensions andanxieties, as well as the tensions caused by the shifting theological temper ofthe late Elizabethan and early Stuart church.ALEXANDRA WALSHAM is Lecturer in History at the University of Exeter.Trade ReviewA short book on a big subject...fluent, well-structured, sensitive, wise and mature. I wish it had been twice as long. JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORYAn important and satisfying monograph... Many insights emerge from this rich and original study, which whets the appetite for more. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW [Diarmaid MacCulloch]A distinguished and impressively scholarly book... Alexandra Walsham has succeeded admirably in her basic aim of putting church papists firmly on the religious map of early modern England. * HISTORY *Table of ContentsThe discovery of the church papist; the Reformation and the rediscovery of the church papist; "Reasons of Refusall"; "Comfortable Advertisements"; church papists; statute protestants.

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Book SynopsisDemonstrates definitively that the secularization thesis is correct, and religion is losing its grip on societies worldwideIn the decades since its introduction, secularization theory has been subjected to doubt and criticism from a number of leading scholars, who have variously claimed that it is wrong, flawed, or incomplete. In Beyond Doubt, Isabella Kasselstrand, Phil Zuckerman, and Ryan T. Cragun mount a strong defense for the theory, providing compelling evidence that religion is indeed declining globally as a result of modernization. Though defenses of secularization theory have been mounted in the past, we now have many years' worth of empirical data to illuminate trends, and can trace changes not just at a given point in time but over a trajectory. Drawing on extensive survey data from nations around the world, the book demonstrates that, in spite of its many detractors, there is robust empirical support for secularization theory. It also engages with the Trade ReviewSociology professors Kasselstrand, Zuckerman, and Cragun examine the rise of secularization in this edifying entry. The authors draw on rich empirical evidence and careful analysis to make their case, and the global perspective is both ambitious and rewarding. Religion students and scholars will find this illuminating. * Publishers Weekly *Emphatically argues that when empirical measures and rigorous definitions are applied, religion declines. ... The authors take aim at refuting the stances of sociologists Rodney Stark, Peter Berger, Grace Davie, Christian Smith, and others who said otherwise. They also sift through the global survey data on religious beliefs, behaviors, and belonging. From this, they posit that the rationalization and differentiation of modernism has had exactly the effect that secularization theory predicted it would: that religions will decline as societies develop. * Library Journal *Featuring multiple decades’ worth of extensive and comprehensive data, the authors defend and formalize secularization theory in a way that is compelling yet simple. Indeed, Beyond Doubt will be the defining text on the undeniable proof that secularization theory is correct and here to stay. -- Steve Bruce, author of Secularization: In Defence of an Unfashionable TheoryPresents critics’ arguments against secularization theory fairly, yet the case the authors make I think critics will find difficult to reject. This book will make a significant contribution, not just to the sociology of religion, but to anyone interested in the role of religion in society today. -- Jesse M. Smith, co-editor of Secularity and Non-religion in North America

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Book SynopsisRecent books by, among others, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens have thrust atheism firmly into the popular, media, and academic spotlight. This so-called New Atheism is arguably the most striking development in western socio-religious culture of the past decade or more. As such, it has spurred fertile (and often heated) discussions both within, and between, a diverse range of disciplines. Yet atheism, and the New Atheism, are by no means co-extensive. Interesting though it indeed is, the New Atheism is a single, historically and culturally specific manifestation of positive atheism (the that there is/are no God/s), which is itself but one form of a far deeper, broader, and more significant global phenomenon.The Oxford Handbook of Atheism is a pioneering edited volume, exploring atheism--understood in the broad sense of ''an absence of belief in the existence of a God or gods''--in all the richness and diversity of its historical and contemporary expressions. BringTrade Review...a touchstone reference work in the study of atheism and related phenomena, and the editors and contributors are to be commended for producing an accessible refer-ence text containing world-leading, original scholarship that will stand the test of time. * Christopher R. Cotter, Numen *This collection will be warmly welcomed by philosophers of religion, philosophers of science, historians of ideas, andmetaphysicians for themany fresh angles it opens up on familiar difficulties with defining atheism ... the volume provides an especially gratifying richness of reflection on its strengths and weaknesses as a full-fledged philosophical outlook * James Orr, Religious Studies *a truly interdisciplinary and comprehensive review ... All of the chapters are well-written and coverage of major philosophers and movements is extensive ... an essential resource. No library should be without it. * Darren E. Sherkat, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *The Oxford Handbook of Atheism is a momentous achievement, displaying a depth and breadth that is unlikely to be equaled * Benjamin B. DeVan, Theology and Science *The Oxford Handbook of Atheism is an essential resource. No library should be without it. * Darren E. Sherkat, Scientific Study of Religion *Table of Contents1: DEFINITIONS AND DEBATES; 2: HISTORY OF (WESTERN) ATHEISM; 3: WORLDVIEWS AND SYSTEMS; 4: ATHEISM AND THE NATURAL SCIENCES; 5: ATHEISM AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES; 6: GLOBAL EXPRESSIONS; 7: ATHEISM AND THE ARTS

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Book SynopsisOver the last decade, New Atheists such as Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens have pushed the issue of atheism to the forefront of public discussion. Yet very few of the ensuing debates and discussions have managed to provide a full and objective treatment of the subject.Atheism: What Everyone Needs to Know provides a balanced look at the topic, considering atheism historically, philosophically, theologically, sociologically and psychologically. Written in an easily accessible style, the book uses a question and answer format to examine the history of atheism, arguments for and against atheism, the relationship between religion and science, and the issue of the meaning of life-and whether or not one can be a happy and satisfied atheist. Above all, the author stresses that the atheism controversy is not just a matter of the facts, but a matter of burning moral concern, both about the stand one should take on the issues and the consequences of one''s commitment.Trade Reviewinteresting and thought-provoking * Guardian, GrrlScientist *Fully aware of how tedious tracts on either theology or atheism can be, Michael Ruse sets out not to be boring. He succeeds! As a nonbeliever who hesitates to call himself an atheist, he also strives in this book to be balanced and fair to his opponents. I'll let other readers decide whether he succeeds or not, but I can say that even where I disagree with him, I find his book much more informed and compelling than the recent, much less educated New Atheist putdowns of people of faith. Before reading Dennett, Dawkins, Harris or Hitchens, read Michael Ruse. * John F. Haught, Professor Emeritus of Theology, Georgetown University *Atheism: What Everyone Needs to Know is an excellent scholarly yet very readable account of an important subject, which reveals its complexity and contradictions along with those of the human mind itself. * Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Prologue ; Chapter One: From the Greeks to the Enlightenment ; Chapter Two: From the Enlightenment to the Present ; Chapter Three: Statistics ; Chapter Four: God and Humans ; Chapter Five: Belief ; Chapter Six: The Matter of Science ; Chapter Seven: Questions for the Christian ; Chapter Eight: Are there Good Reasons to Believe? ; Chapter Nine: Alternative Religions ; Chapter Ten: Naturalistic Explanations ; Chapter Eleven: Is Religion Evil? ; Chapter Twelve: The Meaningful Life ; Envoi ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisAccording to anthropologists, religion arose in the Neolithic period, a time that began 12 thousand years ago when people abandoned the hunter-gatherer lifestyle and started settling down in communities. By the time of the ancient Egyptians, religion had reached a significant level of development. The spirits of the seeds and the weather had evolved into gods. In the end, the gods numbered more than a thousand; every god required a temple, and every temple needed a priest, or several of them. For the Christian god to reach its final form took an additional three hundred years. It was accomplished through the work of dozens of bishops who wrestled with the problem of how a god consisting of three persons could really be one entity. Religion, Power & Illusion: A Genealogy of Religious Belief puts forth the idea that modern concepts of God are inextricably tied to the generations of mortal priests that shaped biblical and religious ideas. Religious orthodoxy as we know it today is the result of the countless solutions proposed by priests, not necessarily as the result of so-called primary texts or teachings, with various bishops condemning various proposals as heretical and blessing others as conventional. But how were orthodoxy and heresy distinguished? Any position that increased the power of the bishops was, by definition, orthodox, and any position that undermined it was heretical. Thus, the Christian god that we have today is a construct assembled over many years, and for two thousand years it has served to augment and solidify the power of the bishops who created it and who sustain it. Religion, Power & Illusion concludes that priestly power is so firmly rooted in the human condition that religion is not likely to disappear any time soon. It also explores the defective logic used by religious promoters, and what is necessary for experiences to be non-illusory.

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Book SynopsisThe key to the book is a set of interviews with people who fall broadly into the Christian Atheist category; some are more agnostic and less sceptical than others, but what they have in common is the rejection of traditional belief in God, counterbalanced by an admiration for the aesthetic genius of Christianity (leading to a sense of deeper value), the Christian moral compass, and in some cases the community aspect of Christian life. As one of his interviewees points out, you can?t have Christian atheism without mainstream, traditional Christianity, so Brian Mountford sets their comments within a broader discussion of the issues: God, aesthetics, orthodoxy, doubt and belief, ethics and communal values. His purpose is threefold: to validate and affirm the Christian atheist position within the broad spectrum of Christianity to say to the Church, you ignore this phenomenon at your peril to show that the distinction between atheist and religious adherent is rarely black and white, and that the ground between the two is a fertile source of meaning and valueTrade ReviewIn this fascinating and thoughtful book, Brian Mountford explores the borderland where Christians and atheists gaze at each other with expressions ranging from the hostile and scornful to the friendly and sympathetic. In some ways it is the most interesting place in contemporary religion. Mountford has an extensive knowledge of this borderland, and in the interviews and reflections in this book he explores it in the company of some eloquent and thoughtful contemporaries. (Philip Pullman, author and self-confessed Christian Atheist)

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Book SynopsisAlthough humankind today can peer far deeper into the universe than ever before, we still find ourselves surrounded by the unknown and perhaps the unknowable. All great science fiction has used the human imagination to explore that realm beyond the known, just as theistic religions have done since long before the genre existed. As Hugo Award-winning author Robert Charles Wilson argues in Owning the Unknown, the genre’s freewheeling speculation and systematic world-building make it it a unique lens for understanding, examining, and assessing the truth claims of religions in general and Christianity in particular. Drawing on his personal experience, his work as a science fiction writer, and his deep knowledge of the classics of the genre, he makes the case for what he calls intuitive atheism—an atheism drawn from everyday personal knowledge that doesn’t depend on familiarity with the scholarly debate about theology and metaphysics, any more than a robust personal Christianity does. And as he reminds us, the secrets that remain hidden beyond the borders of the known universe—should we ever discover them—will probably not resemble anything currently found in our most prized philosophies, our most sacred texts, or our most imaginative science fiction.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A tour-de-force survey of the changing relation of culture and religion."—Publishers Weekly"Eagleton produces an account of the continuing power of religion that is rich and compelling. Open this book at random, and you will find on a single page more thought-stirring argument than can be gleaned from a dozen ponderous treatises on philosophy of sociology. Most of the critical turning points in modern thought are examined illuminatingly."—John Gray, New Statesman"Wide-ranging and intellectually impassioned."—Sarah Bakewell, Financial Times"His latest book confirms him as one of the most interesting thinkers on culture and religion that we have, and the good news is that what he says about our contemporary situation is true, important and accessible . . . That Eagleton . . . ought to be taken seriously by serious people is beyond doubt."—John McDade, The Tablet"Getting rid of God has been a long slog, Eagleton’s concise, absorbing overview of the philosophical and cultural trends of the past three centuries explains."—Marcus Tanner, The Independent"Terry Eagleton brings all his forensic insights and acerbic wit, to the search for a replacement for God in critical thinking since the Enlightenment . . . Eagleton’s thoughts – 'one can kill for all sorts of motives, but killing on a spectacular scale is almost always the consequence of ideas' – are a joy to ponder. That and his depth of knowledge make for fascinating reading."—Scarlett MacGwire, Tribune Magazine"If Terry Eagleton didn't exist, it would be necessary to invent him."—Simon Critchley, author of The Book of Dead Philosophers"The central virtue of Eagleton's reliably witty and erudite story of culture and politics in Western thought is the insistence on how difficult, and how rare, genuine atheism is. No one interested in the seemingly endless 'God debate' can ignore this book, which briskly surveys more than three centuries of intellectual discourse about democracy and the divine, and then ends with a well-turned, provocative snarl."—Mark Kingwell, author of Unruly Voices: Essays on Democracy, Civility and the Human Imagination

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Book SynopsisAtheism is an erudite and open-ended exploration of profound questions of estrangement, death, suicide, and the infinite that demonstrates the range and the provocative power of Alexandre Kojève’s thought.Trade ReviewKojève is a riddle, his Russian roots eclipsed by his legendary role as explicator of German idealism to French intellectuals in the 1930s. This splendid translation of his erudite, eccentric 1931 text reveals him taking on the most Dostoevskian of questions with all the wisdom of Western Europe at his back. What is our relation to what is outside the world? Here is an inquiry into atheistic anthropology that would have thrilled Heidegger himself. -- Caryl Emerson, Princeton UniversityAlexandre Kojève became famous and influential primarily because of his seminar on Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit that was given in Paris between the years 1933 and 1939. This seminar was regularly attended by leading figures of the French intellectual life of that time such as Georges Bataille and Jacques Lacan. Kojève's earlier book Atheism is a brilliant analysis of the relationship between faith and atheism that offers invaluable insights on the formation of Kojeve’s thought but also remains important in our time. -- Boris Groys, author of Under Suspicion: A Phenomenology of MediaAlexandre Kojève's philosophical novella on the stakes of atheism for his time is the most significant work of his early career. It is key to understanding his famous Hegel lectures, his attempt to outdo Heidegger, and his idiosyncratic early politics that mixed hopes of radical transformation with a deep pessimism. Thanks to Jeff Love's translation, we can open up anew those philosophical movements of interwar France, including phenomenology and existentialism, which Kojève would so profoundly affect. -- Stefanos Geroulanos, New York UniversityIn Jeff Love's careful translation, this difficult text exudes the irresistible attraction of Kojève's philosophical prose. Written a couple of years before his famous lectures on Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, this essay already displays Kojève's signature combination of intellectual depth, probity, and radicalism. -- Galin Tihanov, George Steiner Professor of Comparative Literature, Queen Mary University of LondonKojève’s text is intriguing and suggestive in its ideas as well as in its genre. -- Clare Carlisle * Times Literary Supplement *I found it most enlightening and asking questions that lie underneath the surface that is usually not scratched by other atheist philosophers. * Scene Point Blank *This book is dense and very rewarding for those who approach it patiently. * Choice *We are glad to have this profound essay to stimulate our thinking on theism, atheism, and mortality, and to give us further insight into the breadth of Kojeve's inquiries. * Review of Metaphysics *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Atheism and PoliticsTranslator’s NoteAtheismNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisAn updated edition showcasing the social health of the least religious nations in the worldReligious conservatives around the world often claim that a society without a strong foundation of faith would necessarily be an immoral one, bereft of ethics, values, and meaning. Indeed, the Christian Right in the United States has argued that a society without God would be hell on earth. In Society without God, Second Edition sociologist Phil Zuckerman challenges these claims. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews with more than 150 citizens of Denmark and Sweden, among the least religious countries in the world, he shows that, far from being inhumane, crime-infested, and dysfunctional, highly secular societies are healthier, safer, greener, less violent, and more democratic and egalitarian than highly religious ones. Society without God provides a rich portrait of life in a secular society, exploring how a culture without faith copes with death, grapples with the meaning of life, and remainTrade ReviewZuckerman has been at the forefront of the growing field of Secular Studies for the best part of two decades. From Society Without God, it's easy to see why: beautifully written and engaging, drawing on both deep scholarship and an insightful mind. This is classic Zuckerman. -- Stephen Bullivant, Professor of Theology and the Sociology of Religion, St Mary's University, UK

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Book SynopsisExamines how Religious Nones negotiate tensions with those who think they ought to provide their children with a religious upbringingThe fastest growing religion in America isnone! One fifth of Americans now list their religion as none, up from only 7 percent two decades ago. Among adults under 30, those poised to be the parents of the next generation, fully one third are religiously unaffiliated. Yet these Nones, especially parents, still face prejudice in a culture where religion is widely seen as good for your kids. What do Nones believe, and how do they negotiate tensions with those convinced that they ought to provide their children with a religious upbringing?Drawing on survey data and in-depth personal interviews with religiously unaffiliated parents across the country, Christel Manning provides important demographic data on American Nones and offers critical nuance to our understanding of the term. She shows that context is crucial in understanding how thoTrade ReviewFull of new insights both conceptual and practical about the growing religiously unaffiliated population today. Manning offers a new typology for understanding its diverse constituency, beliefs and identities. For 'none' parents, she addresses many questions and issues likely to arise with their children. And does so in an honest and engaging manner drawing on insights gleaned from dealing with her own teenage daughter. A good and informative read. -- Wade Clark Roof,J.F. Rowny Professor of Religion and Society Emeritus, University of California at Santa BarbaraA very useful and timely addition to the sociological literature on the fast growing population of Nones, which is having a growing impact on 21st century American society. The dilemmas facing the current generation of parents who self-identify with no religion and have to grapple with the question of how to raise their children can be a real challenge for many couples. This book provides valuable insights and guidance by offering a rich body of material including a societal overview, interviewees stories, and the authors own experience as a parent. -- Barry A. Kosmin,Director, Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society & Culture, Trinity CollegeThe 'rise of the Nones' has been the decade's most important story about religion in America, but we know very little about what distinguishes the religiously unaffiliated from other Americans. In this sophisticated yet accessible qualitative study, Christel Manning provides a fascinating view of how None parents negotiate the moral and spiritual upbringing of their children. -- Mark Silk,Trinity CollegeThis book should be required reading for anyone interested in the changing contours of American religious and nonreligious life. * Reading Religion *Manning offers a thorough and incisive examination of the salience of choice in unaffiliated parents'moral world views. * Review of Religious Research *Will be of interest to the very population it examines, as it unwittingly reads a little like a how-to manual. I write thisweeks away from the birth of my first child, and I found this book informative, since I will soon be joining the ranks of the unaffiliated parents. * Sociology of Religion *[Manning] explores how parents of these varying worldviews raise their children, some in parts of the country where not attending church is viewed with great suspicion, and how they respond when a child asks the big questionsabout God, about death, about going to church. * VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates *This book is lively, readable, and provocative. * Nova Religio *Manning explores the incredible diversity to be found among Nones, who include everyone from the esoteric spiritual seekers to devout Christians who simply don't identify with a particular denomination...a thorough primer. * Publishers Weekly *Refreshingly nonpolemicalwill be of special interest to secular parents struggling with some of the issues presented. * Kirkus Reviews *Complicates our scholarly understanding of religiousNonesand advances our understanding of how religion functions in their lives as parents."Losing Our Religionoffers important nuances in the picture of religious Nones in the early 21stcentury in the United States. Manning also makes important contributions to painting a more finely grained picture of Nones, their diversity, their motivation and longings, and the families they create * Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *[] Christel Mannings interesting new analysis of the unaffiliated, also known as & Nones for their stated preference for no religion in particulararea diverse lot but even the secularists, like Manning herself, still commonly struggle with the default religiosity of American society and with the assumption that religion is inherently good or necessary for individual goodness. * Anthropology Review Database *[T]he most interesting insight in this book comes from Mannings characterization of what Nones are looking for in their own lives and the way they bring up their children. * Books & Culture *In this impressive book, [Manning] presents a detailed profile of religiously unaffiliated or disinterested parents and reveals the variety of ways in which they are raising the next generation. Summing Up: Highly recommended. * Choice *

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Book Synopsis''Passionate, challenging, tumultuously articulate . . . Fascinating.'' John Carey, Sunday Times''A wonderful, effortlessly brilliant book.'' Evening Standard''A rare gem, a book that carries conviction by being honest all the way through.'' John Gray, IndependentUnapologetic is a book for those curious about how faith can possibly work in the twenty-first century. But it isn''t an argument that Christianity is true - because how could anyone know that (or indeed its opposite)? It''s an argument that Christianity is recognisable, drawing on the deep and deeply ordinary vocabulary of human feeling, satisfying those who believe in it by offering a ruthlessly realistic account of the bits of our lives advertising agencies prefer to ignore.Trade ReviewA unique book, cutting its way ruthlessly through thickets of both religious and anti-religious sentimentality; painfully funny at points, always impassioned and never glib. Rowan Williams, Master, Magdalene College, Cambridge University and former Archbishop of Canterbury Spufford has the great virtue of making the reader want to argue with him, while simultaneously yearning to hear more. Daily Telegraph Remarkable, passionate, challenging and tumultuously articulate book ... this is Spufford's most fascinating book. Our Choice, Sunday Times An interesting additional to the religious cannon ... a refreshing approach, which makes the book far more palatable than the nearly hysterical polemics we have come to expect from both sides. Spufford writes well, and his rationality shines through here. Sunday Business Post

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Book SynopsisAtheism was the most foundational challenge to early-modern French certainties. Theologians and philosophers labelled such atheism as absurd, confident that neither the fact nor behaviour of nature was explicable without reference to God. The alternative was a categorical naturalism, whose most extreme form was Epicureanism. The dynamics of the Christian learned world, however, which this book explains, allowed the wide dissemination of the Epicurean argument. By the end of the seventeenth century, atheism achieved real voice and life. This book examines the Epicurean inheritance and explains what constituted actual atheistic thinking in early-modern France, distinguishing such categorical unbelief from other challenges to orthodox beliefs. Without understanding the actual context and convergence of the inheritance, scholarship, protocols, and polemical modes of orthodox culture, the early-modern generation and dissemination of atheism are inexplicable. This book brings to life both early-modern French Christian learned culture and the atheists who emerged from its intellectual vitality.Trade Review'… indispensable … sure to fruitfully inspire many historians for years to come.' Jeffrey D. Burson, American Historical ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Reading Epicurus; 2. The Epicureans; 3. At the boundaries of unbelief; 4. Historians' atheists and historical atheists; Conclusion; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisThis is an honest look at his growing scepticism within his previously unquestioned religious community. The book represents Mr Murphy''s first work in a series that will attempt to discuss the stark realities of taboo subjects from the unbiased perspective of the everyday reader. In his initial book he provides a clear account of why he adopted, questioned, and ultimately rejected religious faith. No matter what your faith, his plainly spoken and readable narrative addresses the unspoken thoughts that linger in us all, as we seek to answer the age old question Is there a God?

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Book SynopsisNatural theology is the process of observing nature and engaging science and reason to provide evidence for God's existence by "reasoning to the best explanation". It sets aside the revealed word and engages only with the evidence supplied by science, history, and philosophical reasoning to affirm the existence of God. This book provides signposts to God from solid evidence from physics, chemistry, biology, the social sciences, philosophy, and history. This evidence has forced many scientists, including a number of Nobel laureates in science, who have thought deeply about the ultimate meaning of their work to accept Almighty God.Table of ContentsPreface; The Value of Natural Theology; Anthropic Reasoning and Explanation in Science; The Micro World; The Big Bang: How It All Began; We Live in the Best Zip Code in the Universe; Feeding the Planets Life; If You Dont Want God, Better Get a Multiverse; The Queen of All Scientific Problems: The Origin of Life; The Language of Life; Biological Evolution: Micro and Macro; Intelligent Design and Theistic Evolution; I Am Fearfully and Wonderfully Made; The Brain: The Little Universe Within; The Secular Benefits of Christianity; Philosophical Approaches to God; The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: The Event that Changed Everything; The Shroud of Turin: Silent Witness to the Resurrection?; References; Index of Names; Index of Terms.

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