I had to read "The Bible Unearthed" for a class at school not too long ago. After that I picked up "The God Delusion" and loved it. So I'm looking for other good books on religion, either from the religious or atheist point of view. I've heard some good things about "Letter to a Christian Nation" and "God is Not Great". It you could rank you favorite books like this and maybe a quick comparison. And/or how did you like "The God Delusion", and how does it compare to other books you've read?
2007-10-10 10:18:36 · 27 answers · asked by camof2009 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
not epicurus - I go to a Lutheran church and was raised Lutheran, but I've called myself agnostic for the past couple years. However Dawkins takes quite a bit of time saying why even agnosticism doesn't make sense. I don't think he spent enough time considering the deist god, which has a great probability, but I suppose I'd have to call myself an atheist now. He makes the point that if we say agnostic for even having a miniscule amount of faith that there's a god, we might as well call ourselves elf-agnostics and fairy-agnostics, too. I'll have to spend more time thinking about it, though.
reyman - Then do you have a Christian book I could read? I'm open to any, I just haven't heard of a "great" book from that side.
2007-10-10 10:30:29 · update #1
I'm already reading the sequel to the series, "The Atheism Delusion"
2007-10-10 10:21:30 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 8⤋
From the viewpoint of a theist here are a few suggestions-
C.S. Lewis- really anything he wrote, particularly Mere Christianity which is a good summary of what Christianity is (or should be) about.
For some good introductory apologetics I'd suggest the Case for Christ and the Case for Faith by Lee Stobel.
Anything by Gary Habermas, he is considered the authority today on evidence regarding the resurrection of Jeusus. There is a series of debates between him and the once very popular atheist Anthony Flew that has been published in book form. I would highly recommend that book. Those series of debates actually got Flew to leave atheism for a form of theism.
If you're into science I'd recommend you read Evolution: A Theory in Crisis by Michael Denton. Don't dismiss this as another Answers in Genesis style creationist book of propoganda. Denton isn't even a creationist, but he summarizes alot the major problems with current evolutionary theory.
2007-10-10 10:37:48 · answer #2 · answered by GrizzlyMint 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
God is not great was a decent book. A little preachy and anti-religionist, but he also makes some great points...
THe God Delusion I enjoyed as well, but Dawkins gets under my skin for some reason...he seems so condescending, which I disagree with.
If you want to read a good one, try Victor Stenger's "God: The Failed Hypothesis, How Physics Proves God Does Not Exist." Im no physicist, but the book was written in a way that even us lay people can understand some of these very complex theories... Pick it up - you will enjoy it. Out of all the books youve listed, I enjoyed that one the most.
Also, check out "The Jesus Papers" by Michael Baigent, one of the authors of Holy Bllod, Holy Grail.
2007-10-10 10:24:28 · answer #3 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I read much of the Dawkins delusion. Excellent. Layed waste to Professor Dawkins flawed reasoning and lack of scholarly work. Science writer Michael Ruse said the God Delusion made him embarassed to be an atheist and the Mgraths book The Dawkins Delusion shows why. Also I am reading the edge of evolution. Michael Behe looks at the most recent evidence and shows how evolution works and what it is and isn't capable of.
2007-10-10 10:31:00 · answer #4 · answered by Edward J 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I'd read "The Dawkins Delusion" next, just to get a balanced view.
I'm reading "The Blind Watchmaker" right now. I figured that would be a good response to Michael Behe's "Darwin's Black Box." It's pretty good. Dawkins is a smart guy.
Haven't read "God is Not Great" yet, but I do have "Letter to a Christian Nation." I'll read that one of these days.
Just make sure you get both sides.
2007-10-10 10:24:53 · answer #5 · answered by The_Cricket: Thinking Pink! 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
From my understanding, he did not understand what he changed into. He wasn't an atheist or a pantheist, because he stated he wasn't. He truly couldn't comprehend a starting off to a God (from Jewish beliefs, God has no starting up, so he couldn't trust in that God), yet he couldn't also comprehend the order he talked about contained in the universe and not using a God being latest. yet he easily changed into not a Christian. i imagine, given the Holocaust, he could were indignant on the perception. i imagine the Snopes answer though likely has something to do with it. same to human beings trust that blinking your headlights receives you killed, human beings have a tendency to get emails declaring Einstein did this or changed into that and take it as gospel. :P "In view of such solidarity contained in the cosmos which I, with my constrained human techniques, am able to understand, there are yet those who say there is not any God. yet what truly makes me offended is they quote me for the help of such perspectives." "i'm not an atheist and that i don't believe of i can call myself a pantheist. we are contained in the area of somewhat toddler getting right into a wide library full of books in a large number of languages. the youngster knows someone must have written those books. It does not understand how. It does not comprehend the languages wherein they're written. the youngster dimly suspects a mysterious order contained in the arrangements of the books, yet would not understand what it truly is. That, it type of feels to me, is the attitude of even the most wise man or woman in route of God." upload: purely to say it, if Einstein stated "i'm not a pantheist" it quite is what he stated, even with if what he also stated looks to lean in that route, you are able to't say "he turned right into a pantheist." He stated he wasn't, and... it truly is purely the way it truly is.
2016-10-08 23:44:41 · answer #6 · answered by xie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've just read 'The God Delusion' and feel so relived that it explains everything I've always thought. The historical basis of most major religions and how they are based on control and fear, often ingrained into young minds, frankly sickens me.
I was christened as a baby but never forced to worship, but now as an adult I feel so strongly about this issue that I am now going to change my religion on my birth certificate.
I also suggest reading 'A Letter To A Christian Nation' by Sam Harris, terrifying eye-opening stuff.
2007-10-10 10:38:46 · answer #7 · answered by Darren H 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Let me tell about 3 books that take 3 different appoarches to the faith question, I have them all on my shelf and encourage you to pick up the one you think looks the best. Do research on the net if you need to. My personal favorite on this list is the one by McLaren.
"The Question of God" C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and The Meaning of Life by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr.
"Finding Faith: A Self-Discovery Guide For your Spiritual Quest" by Brian D. McLaren
"Why Believe? Reason and Mystery as Pointers to God" by C. Stephen Evans
2007-10-10 10:27:47 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you liked The God Delusion, Dawkins has other books you might enjoy like The Selfish Gene.
2007-10-10 10:28:16 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Read C. S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters. Any of the books by Lee Stroebel. Charles Swindoll.
2007-10-10 10:37:04 · answer #10 · answered by Mark S 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Read Mary Midgley's critique of Dawkins in the 07 Oct 2006 issue of New Scientist or her book Evolution as Religion. Here is something short by her: http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article2977701.ece.
2007-10-10 10:34:07 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋