Agnosticism and atheism Books

Book SynopsisReligions are a natural outgrowth of the intuitive ways of knowing that evolved with human culture. Though many people continue to find value in religious identity and community, intuitive knowledge has been eclipsed by a more effective way of knowing—the scientific way. A better way of relating religion to politics called secularism is gradually replacing theocracy. Once you understand and accept the scientific way of knowing and this preferred relationship of church and state, you become agnostic and secular—even if you continue to identify with and participate in religion.As Jeff T. Haley and Dale McGowan argue in this volume, this isn’t some abstract dream—it’s happening right now. Religions are in a continuous state of evolution, changing beliefs, values, and practices over time. All religions, including Christianity and Islam, can evolve to accept the scientific way of knowing and secularism, becoming agnostic and even atheistic without losing their essential value. Haley and McGowan explain how you can help this natural process, sharing reality with your friends and family in a way that encourages religions to embrace the best of humanity's knowledge and values.Trade Review"Should atheists and scientistsespecially scientists who are atheistsjust be disdainful of religious people, however thoughtful the believers may be? In Sharing Reality , Jeff T. Haley and Dale McGowan not only insist that disdain is not the waythey lay out in rich detail a better way. With wit and a compelling command of the facts, the authors are persuasive that their answer is correctand vitally important." Ed Buckner, Former President, American Atheists"This is a clear, candid, and iconoclastic contribution to the contemporary God debates. Haley and McGowan challenge believers and atheists alike with their radical vision of religion's future." Russell Blackford, Laureate, International Academy of Humanism, editor-in-chief, the Journal of Evolution and Technology , author, Freedom of Religion and the Secular State and The Mystery of Moral Authority"This is the best case yet made for a different approach toward secularizing the world by working with religious populations to liberalize their faith. Anyone who would balk at such an approach simply has to contend with the arguments in this book. There is a place for the diplomatic approach, and this book makes a case for it. It deserves to be heard and considered." Richard Carrier, author, Sense and Goodness without God and On the Historicity of Jesus" Sharing Reality is an important and very readable work for the secular movement in world politics, which is becoming increasingly infected with the excesses that traditional religion invites. In Sharing Reality , the authors make a heroically diplomatic plea for secularism that would unite people of all stripes." Shadia Drury, author, Terror and Civilization: Christianity, Politics, and the Western Psyche"We have long been in need of this book. In our often-stonewalled conversation with religious believers, Haley and McGowan bring a vital contribution for the dialogue of both coffee tables and conference halls. Packed full of insights, Sharing Reality turns our focus toward the critical component of science acceptance and exposes how the language we often use hinders real progress." Drew Bekius, Communications Director, The Clergy Project and author, The Rise and Fall of Faith

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Book SynopsisTheologian and writer Robert M. Price is perhaps best known today for his scholarly arguments against the existence of a historical Jesus. Yet, he has been at various times in his career an agnostic, an exponent of Liberal Protestant theology, a nontheist, a secular humanist, a religious humanist, a Unitarian-Universalist wannabe, an unaffiliated Universalist, and a Fellow of the Jesus Seminar. Any way you cut it, he is not your typical atheist. This collection of his best essays demonstrates his love for the various great religions, which he views as endlessly fascinating expressions of the human spirit. Beneath the keen insights and sharp critiques he offers, whether the subject is theology, secularism, or biblical studies, the essays themselves are also deeply personal and revealing. Read together, they document his self-extrication from the born-again Christianity in which he dwelt for some dozen years--and his subsequent rise to celebrated freethought advocate whose work has challenged an entire field.Trade Review"In these essays, Price surprises with a wealth of fresh perspectives: biographical, exegetical, philosophical, theological, religious-historical and -critical in a diverse mixture. In the volatile field of atheism and faitheism, Price succeeds in capturing the unbelieving and believing readers equally." Hermann Detering, author, The Fabricated Paul"Professor Price has the remarkable ability to see through the pretensions and BS of religion, and does so with relish and style. His knowledge of doctrine, scripture and faith traditions is nothing less than encyclopedic. He is an equal-opportunity deconstructionist. Enjoy!" Andrew Wilson, Unification Theological Seminary"This book, with Price's usual wit and grounded in philosophy and critical theory, is a hymn to Reason. I hope it finds a wide readership in this darkling time." Don Webb, High Priest, Temple of Set (Emeritus); co-author, Set: The Outsider

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Book SynopsisGreat journeys often start with a single question. For D. K. Evans, a newly married professional in the Christian-dominated South, that question was, “Why Do I Believe in God?” That simple query led him on a years-long search to better understand the nature of religion and faith, particularly as it applies to the Black community. While many taking such a journey today might immerse themselves in the writing of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens, Evans took inspiration not only from John Henrik Clarke, Yosef-Ben Jochannan, Hubert Harrison, and John G. Jackson, champions of a rich Black tradition of challenging religious orthodoxy, but also from many others in his own community who had similarly come to question their core religious beliefs. While this journey eventually led him to discount the notion of God, he calls on all to ask their own questions, particularly those within the Black community who act on blind faith. While their own journey might not lead to his truth, he acknowledges, that is the only way they will ever emancipate themselves from the truths thrust on them by others and arrive at their most important truth—their own.Trade Review" Emancipation of a Black Atheist offers an emotional and intellectual odyssey through the expansive sea of religion in the Black community . . . . Believers will appreciate the respect Dr. Evans pays them, but they may encounter challenging questions about their own faith. Nonbelievers will find comfort in his familiar and relatable experiences. All will be challenged by his prescriptions for bridging over the troubled waters that stand between believers and nonbelievers in the Black community." Candace R. M. Gorham, LPC, author, The Ebony Exodus Project: Why Some Black Women Are Walking Out on Religionand Others Should Too

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Book SynopsisFundamentalist Christians often use the Bible as a guide to the natural world, which inevitably leads them to reject much of what modern science says about the universe. But what if we were to use modern science as a guide to the Bible? What might a scientific reading of the Bible tell us not only about religion’s claims, but also about nature and our place in it? If God really did part the Red Sea, how might he have engineered such a feat? If Jesus really did raise Lazarus from the dead, under what circumstances might it have happened? In this witty and informative book, science writer Clay Farris Naff brings the miracles of the Bible into sharp focus through the lens of modern science. Whether you’re a religious skeptic or a true believer, you’ll find what comes into view is mind-bending, thought-provoking, and even amusing—and you’ll likely be left even more amazed and entranced by the universe we live in.Trade Review"You'll learn a lot about science and a lot about scripture from this light-hearted yet serious-minded look at the Bible." Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now"Most people conceive of God as a supernatural being outside of nature. If so, then how can we ever know anything about him through natural means? We can't. That's why miracles are so important to believers. A miracle is when a supernatural God reaches into the natural world to effect some change, such as curing cancer or averting a storm in response to a petitionary prayer. But are miracle stories true, in some scientific sense? Clay Farris Naff attempts to answer this question for the most famous miracle stories in the most entertaining book I've read on the subject. Michael Shermer, Publisher Skeptic magazine, columnist Scientific American , Presidential Fellow Chapman University, author of Why People Believe Weird Things, The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, and Heavens on Earth"In It's a Miracle!? , Clay Naff does a masterful job of discussing religious miracles from the perspective of modern science and reason. He explores what meant by science and reason, and how this can be applied to stories from the Bible. Naff's wit also makes it entertaining to read and explore these ancient tales. This would be a good read for everyone from a college professor to a retired coal miner." Ted W. Reid, PhD, professor, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center"Clay Farris Naff's elegant writing style provides an excellent analysis of whether science can be reconciled with biblical miracles... [A] must read for the skeptic and believer alike!" Brad Ericson, PhD, biologist

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Book SynopsisRichard A. Conn, Jr. demonstrates why all parents who value science and reason can help stop the centuries-old practice of religious indoctrination and offers advice on how to encourage children to discover the world and their place in it for themselves. Only by teaching them that we are in this world together and have a limited time to live can we truly enable them to flourish and build a peaceful world—not just for their generation but for the future.Trade Review"In a period of religious extremism Richard Conn provides practical advice about how to raise children without religious dogma, as thoughtful, responsible, creative individuals." -- George Soros, philanthropist & author"A remarkable book I wish I had read thirty years ago. A convincing and beautiful guide to nonreligious parenting." -- Henrik Carlsen, father of world chess champion Magnus Carlsen

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Book SynopsisThroughout history, religion has been used as a tool of female subjugation. Women have been deemed less worthy than men, have been prevented from owning property, and worse—all in the name of a higher power. In recent decades, women have made progress in terms of equal rights with men, at least in Western democracies, but still, why has the United States never had a female president? Why aren’t more women heads of Fortune 500 companies? Why do politicians in the West continue to attack women’s reproductive rights? As this volume explores, it would be hard to find a bigger culprit than religion when identifying the last cultural barriers to full gender equality. With topics ranging from the subjugation of women in the Bible to the shame and guilt felt by women due to religious teaching, this volume makes clear that only by rejecting the very system that limits their autonomy will women be fully liberated from its malignant influences, not just in codified law but also in cultural practice.Trade Review"This book gathers together some heartfelt writings of women who give overwhelming evidence of the multiple ways in which religion has betrayed and abused the female sex. To read these writings is to realize that religion has been far more cruel than kind to women; and this is particularly reprehensible in view of the fact that it is based on lies, concocted for profit and for the benefit of men. A thoroughly enlightening work." -- Barbara G. Walker, author of The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets"These essays about dealing with the socially ingrained biases against those who identify as female reveal how religion instigates and perpetuates those biases. All people will benefit from reading this comprehensive collection that explains the obstacles and struggles women face in and out of religion." -- Amanda Knief, author of The Citizen Lobbyist"In this collection of powerful essaysboth personal and academicKaren Garst thoughtfully and comprehensively tackles the subjugation of women by the Abrahamic religions. The book provides compelling arguments to back the proposition that these religions continue to assign second-class status to women around the world. The wide range of expertise offered by the anthology makes it an important addition to the growing pantheon of contemporary religious critiques--this book should serve as a clarion call to feminists everywhere to discard the psychological chains that religion imposes." -- Monica L. Miller, Senior Counsel, American Humanist Association"Reading Women v. Religion is truly a journey through the minds and lives of women who have experienced the oppression and intimidation of the Abrahamic religions. They often lay their inner struggles bare as they take you through the journey of being in search of validation and wholeness. The essays clearly show that as one attempts to meet the constrictions of religious 'rightness' and 'goodness,' they become lost to themselves. Shame, guilt, sin prevail until religion's grip is released allowing for the full expression of the individual." -- Rebecca (Becky) Hale, President, American Humanist Association"Despite the patriarchal and misogynist origins of many world religions, women of all ethnicities have the highest rates of religious participation across the globe. What accounts for this seeming contradiction? What social and cultural factors can address this disparity? The multi-faceted essays of Karen Garst's Women v. Religion provide an insightful historical critique of the dominance of organized religion and how it undermines gender equality, women's self-determination, and the agency of women of color. The book is a valuable resource for secular and religious scholars seeking an alternative to the thesis that organized religion and faith are necessary moral and social forces in women's lives." -- Sikivu Hutchinson, author Moral Combat: Black Atheists , Gender Politics and the Values Wars , and Godless Americana: Race and Religious Rebels"Abrahamic religions infantilize all people, with their father figures and supplication demands. But women are especially subordinated. How? Karen Garst explains, in a book that provides a valuable compendium of smart, thoughtful critiques of religion's treatment of women. This tightly edited collection of essays by an array of accomplished women writers will enlighten and entertain even as it infuriates you with its deep dive into the patriarchy that is religion." -- Robyn E Blumner, President and CEO, Center for Inquiry and Executive Director, Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science"If you ever wondered about women's roles in religion through the ages, Women v. Religion will thoroughly educate you. If you ever doubted that religion has systematically subjugated women, this book will dispel those doubts. This set of essays is clearly written by 13 secular women and carefully edited by Karen Garst, but it's not exactly an easy read. It's a serious, revelatory, sometimes revolting and always carefully portrayed collection of women's trials with religion." -- Linda LaScola, co-author with Daniel C. Dennett of Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind"This is an important and timely book, at a time when Islam is being labelled as a 'feminist religion' by ignorant feminists who know little of its bloodied past. It is important to look at the time before Islam, at the lives of women erased during early Islam, so this myth of an equal religion cannot be popularized." -- Sadia Hameed, Spokesperson, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain

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Book Synopsis“A thoughtful perspective on humans' capacity for moral behavior.” —Kirkus Reviews“A comprehensive introduction to religious skepticism.” —Publishers WeeklyIn What It Means to Be Moral: Why Religion Is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life, Phil Zuckerman argues that morality does not come from God. Rather, it comes from us: our brains, our evolutionary past, our ongoing cultural development, our social experiences, and our ability to reason, reflect, and be sensitive to the suffering of others.By deconstructing religious arguments for God-based morality and guiding readers through the premises and promises of secular morality, Zuckerman argues that the major challenges facing the world today—from global warming and growing inequality to religious support for unethical political policies to gun violence and terrorism—are best approached from a nonreligious ethical framework. In short, we need to look to our fellow humans and within ourselves for moral progress and ethical action.“In this brilliant, provocative, and timely book, Phil Zuckerman breaks down the myth that our morality comes from religion—compellingly making the case that when it comes to the biggest challenges we face today, a secular approach is the only truly moral one.” —Ali A. Rizvi, author of The Atheist Muslim

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Book SynopsisRachael is one of the the most effective advocates of the argument that there are immense practical benefits, and even a demanding moral necessity to investigate and uncover the intricacies of religious faith... Her ability to penetrate so deeply into other peoples modes of religious expression and belief, whether they stand in light or in darkness, is remarkable and unique. At the same time, her voice of where to direct her gaze, whether at Christian media accounts of Jews in the period of the Second World War or the sexual machinations of cults of the late twentieth century or the struggles of women to make a place for themselves in religious institutions, is both brave and expansive. - Rabbi Prof. Fred Morgan. Rachael Kohns insightful comments, inform, inspire, and provoke: a lovely combination of scholarly research, journalistic clarity and personal passion. -- Prof Amy-Jill Levine, New Testament and Jewish Studies, Vanderbilt University. Rachael Kohn understands the issues she writes about at the deepest level and as well as providing a way through the thorniest controversies always keeps a sense of the shape of the whole argument... This is a superb volume. Greg Sheridan, foreign editor, The Australian, author of God is Good for You.

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Book SynopsisComing out as an atheist is a powerful, liberating act. It makes life better for you, for other atheists, and for the world. But telling people you’re an atheist can be risky. What are the best ways to do it? And how can we help each other take this step? In this compassionate, friendly, down-to-earth how-to guide, author Greta Christina offers concrete strategies and guiding philosophies for coming out as an atheist. Based on hundreds of coming-out stories, the book offers a map of the territory atheists are likely to encounter and ideas on how to pick the path that’s best for you. This accessible, empathetic guide reflects a wide range of coming-out experiences, and for atheists who are already out, it gives practical ideas on how to help others join you in the sunlight. For atheists who are on the fence, it offers guidance on making that decision—and gentle encouragement to take that step. Inspiring and realistic, kind and powerful, Coming Out Atheist is the much-needed guidebook atheists have been waiting for.Trade Review"Witty, wise, helpful, and humane, this clear and engaging book is most timely. Coming Out Atheist is a great resource for the many Americans out there who have rejected religious faith and are moving towards embracing, acknowledging, and proclaiming their atheism." Phil Zuckerman, PhD, author, Faith No More: Why People Reject Religion"Chock-full of useful ideas; but above all it is wise and compassionate." Alan Sokal, professor of physics, New York University"There's no doubt that it's hard to be an atheist in America, but Greta Christina's message will make you rethink keeping your beliefs to yourself. There's an optimistic truth that ties her book together: By coming out publicly as nonreligious, we are doing something courageous, powerful, and important. Given the choice between simply handing someone a copy of The God Delusion and telling that person you don't believe in God, Greta reminds us that the personal message may be the most powerful weapon in the atheist arsenal." Hemant Mehta, blogger, FriendlyAtheist.com, and author, The Young Atheist's Survival Guide"What an accomplishment! In Coming Out Atheist , Greta Christina has pulled together a great resource for emerging atheists. She very thoroughly captures the reality that atheists are people too, including nonbelieving clergy." Catherine Dunphy, acting executive director, the Clergy Project"Greta Christina knows that the philosophy of atheism is incomplete without practical and sensible advice about how to live in a world full of believers. Her fascinating life experience and astute observations of atheists, in or out of the closet, offers readers some of the most potent testimony for why coming out as an atheist will make a godless life better." Hector Avalos, professor of religious studies, Iowa State University, and author The End of Biblical Studies"Millions of Americans are discovering that life without religion and superstition can be rewarding, fulfilling, and joyful. Greta Christina has done that growing demographic a great service, with this thoughtful and entertaining book that will inform and inspire those who embrace personal secularity."" David Niose, author, Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans"This is an important book at the right time by a clear thinker, elegant writer, and passionate human being. Greta Christina is one of a small handful of atheist authors I can count on to bring that happy combination home, time after time." Dale McGowan, Atheism for Dummies

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Book SynopsisEvery thinking person wants to lead a life of meaning and purpose. For thousands of years, holy books have told us that such a life is available only through obedience and submission to some higher power. Today, the faithful keep popular devotionals and tracts within easy reach on bedside tables and mobile devices, all communicating this common message: “Life is meaningless without God.” In this volume, former pastor Dan Barker eloquently, powerfully, and rationally upends this long-held belief. Offering words of enrichment, emancipation, and inspiration, he reminds us how millions of atheists lead happy, loving, moral, and purpose-filled lives. Practicing what he preaches, he also demonstrates through his own personal journey that life is valuable for its own sake—that meaning and purpose come not from above, but from within.Trade Review"A lovely book!" Richard Dawkins, author, The God Delusion"One of the biggest misconceptions about atheists is that without God they can have no morals, values, or meaning in their lives. In this lovely secular sermon, Dan Barker handily rebuts that claim, showing that true meaning and morality can come only from accepting our finitude, and dealing with it rationally and humanistically." Jerry Coyne, author, Why Evolution Is True"Dan Barker has cleverly reversed the arrows of purpose so they fly from the bows of life instead of raining down from an imaginary archer in the sky." Victor J. Stenger, author, God: The Failed Hypothesis

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Book SynopsisHenry More (1614-1687) was probably the most important English philosopher between Hobbes and Locke. Described as the 'hammer' of the Cartesians, More attacked Descartes' conception of spirit as undermining its very intelligibility. This work, which analyses an episode in the evolution of the concept of spiritual substance in early modernity, looks at More's rational theology within the context of the great seventeenth century Cartesian controversies over spirit, soul-body interaction, and divine omnipresence. This work argues that More's new, univocal spirit conception, highly influential upon Newton and Clarke, contributed unwittingly to a slow secularisation process internal to theistic culture. It thus fills a lacuna in scholarship by examining how conceptual changes in early modern metaphysics, as opposed to better researched transformations in moral philosophy, were an additional ingredient in the origins of modern speculative atheism. It also suggests that these controversies are by no means merely of historical interest but represent a resource for contemporary philosophical reflection. Winner of the Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise 2013.

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