Question for the atheists only please?

Question

Is there any one book in particular that you have found that has cemented your non belief in God. If so, please share which one(s) have had a big influence on your stance.

I'm not interested in hearing "i don't need any books, I just know....." I'm interested ONLY in books that might've swayed you.....

thanks

SuperAtheist - I believe in God and have read and learned from that book as well

Answer 1

"The Daughters of Copper-woman". Which is really another version of creation BUT it did get me thinking.

Everyone thinks they are right, but somebody is WRONG, maybe everybody. If other cultures have their own version then it seems to me that like customs, beliefs were shaped according to the needs of that society. If that is true then their version IS true, FOR THEM.

I think it matters not where we go when we die, but how we live here on earth. We KNOW we have this time, we exist, therefore we are. After death we cannot prove what happens therefore it is a moot point.

All religions are trying to teach people to live an honorable life. (It gets real effed up in some lives, but nonetheless). After reading "Daughters of Copper-woman" I figured it was up to me to define what was right and what was wrong and then be true to myself.

Peace.

Answer 2

Not one in particular: it needed more thought and consideration of alternate viewpoints.

As with others, I (eventually) found study of the bible gave evidence against it's being divinely inspired rather than the reverse.
Goldingay's "Approachs to Old Testament interpretation", a technical theological work showed me that there was very limited agreement on how the bible should be read, or how its message should be taken.

When considering alternate viewpoints, I found Colin Chapman's "The case for Christianity" the most unbiased presentation of all major religions and philosophies that I have come across in one volume.
I'd recommend that to anyone.

A wonderful read,
"Truth is stranger than it used to be: Biblical faith in a postmodern age" (Middleton and Walsh) carried the review line "All thinking Christians should read this book" but I don't think it was a best-seller.
It might help some believe but it might make others feel that the certain truth of the bible is less certain.
A neutral but eye-opening book, perhaps.

Answer 3

People have already listed the books I was going to list. And I also add the bible to that list as well!

Also, a couple documentaries: The God Who Wasn't There and Zeitgeist. I saw these, though, way after I denounced religion.

I'm actually not 100% an atheist, I'm more of an agnostic. But I'm certainly not a believer in most religions, especially Abrahamic religions.

Answer 4

I was never not an atheist. I just got better at it with practice.

One book that helped a lot was Dawkins' 'The Blind Watchmaker'. Prior to reading it, I thought I knew a lot more about evolution than I really did.

Reading it brought home the absolute undeniable inevitability of evolution - even in systems other than biological. Evolution is not some weird thing that happened to life on this planet, but more a force of nature: a process that builds complexity out of simplicity, given deep time.

It's an extraordinary process, that we are only just beginning to exploit for our own ends in computation and mathematics. It build things that we would never dream of, simply by trying EVERYTHING until something works.

So - it could be helpful.

CD

Answer 5

Sam Harris' The End Of Faith does a good job of explaining why religion is dangerous.

But you must get over your religious brainwashing and such before reading something like Sam Harris. Because if you don't understand why god doesn't exist, beforehand, Sam Harris will just make you angry.

But as others have pointed out, the best way to become an atheist is to read the Christian bible. But of course, in addition, a basic understanding of biology, astronomy, physics, and natural history, (and I mean a BASIC understanding) will definitely help you understand why the bible is obviously mythology.

Answer 6

Yes. Carl Sagan's the Demon Haunted World. It sparked my interest in science, whereas before, I was actually intimidated by the subject. The book confirmed many of the doubts I felt about religion and took it to their logical end. Though Sagan was an agnostic (non-theist would probably be a more appropriate term -- his view of traditional religion was much the same as Dawkins), I became more interested in atheism.

Also reading the Bible, especially Genesis, led me to say that "god is not real" when I was about ten or twelve. The stories were simplistic, like thousands of other creation stories, and denigrated women ("she will bear children in pain and be subjective to her husband" was one of the lines)

Answer 7

Why I'm Not a Christian, by Bertrand Russell, was the first important book by an atheist that I read. I read it about 4 years after I realized I was an atheist.

Answer 8

My college biology book

... in it, the evidence for evolution is astounding. Not to mention some inherent features are deemed 'evil' by Christians... like the method by which DNA replicates (and the resulting inevitable death of the animal, as a result of this natural process - DNA can't replicate without losing a segment of itself... its impossible to live forever, thus the concept of Adam & Eve is absurd). I could go on for hours

Answer 9

God' Debris is a free download on-line. by Scott Adams.

Didn't cement it...but sure was a mind trip. quick read too.

enjoy!
http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/godsdebris/

Answer 10

'End of Faith', by Sam Harris. 'God is Not Great' by Christopher Hitchens, 'Letter to a Christian Nation', by Sam Harris. 'Breaking the Spell' by Daniel C. Dennett, and of course 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins.