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Honorary Board
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Featured Books
God and the Folly of Faith: The Incompatibility of Science and Religion DescriptionIt has become the prevalent view among sociologists, historians, and some theistic scientists that religion and science have never been in serious conflict. Some even claim that Christianity was responsible for the development of science. In God and the Folly of Faith, physicist Victor J. Stenger shows that this conclusion flies in the face of the historical facts. In a sweeping historical survey that begins with ancient Greek science and proceeds through the Renaissance and Enlightenment to contemporary advances in physics and cosmology, Stenger makes a convincing case that Christianity held back the progress of science for one thousand years. It is significant, he notes, that the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century occurred only after the revolts against established ecclesiastic authorities in the Renaissance and Reformation opened up new avenues of thought. The author goes on to detail how religion and science are fundamentally incompatible in several areas: the origin of the universe and its physical parameters, the origin of complexity, holism versus reductionism, the nature of mind and consciousness, and the source of morality. In the end, Stenger is most troubled by the negative influence that organized religion often exerts on politics and society. He points out antiscientific attitudes embedded in popular religion that are being used to suppress scientific results on issues of global importance, such as overpopulation and environmental degradation. When religion fosters disrespect for science, it threatens the generations of humanity that will follow ours. This thorough and hard-hitting critique is must reading for anyone interested in the interaction between religion and science. Comment"Just when I think I've nailed down the best answers to believers' arguments for god, religion, and faith, the incomparable Victor Stenger writes another book that causes me to reformulate my thoughts based on the latest scientific findings coupled with his razor-sharp reasoning. Stenger has a clarity of thought and clearness of writing that I envy, and God and the Folly of Faith is his best work to date, clearly placing him in the new atheist pantheon alongside Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens." "Stenger is a leading figure in the new atheist movement and a major contributor to the new atheist literature. His many books stand as exemplars of outstanding philosophical and scientific scholarship. God and the Folly of Faith is no different—indeed, it may be Stenger's best book to date. Utilizing his knowledge of both philosophy and science, Stenger provides a comprehensive and highly sophisticated defense of atheism. Simultaneously, he tears down with masterful precision many of the arguments leveled against atheism by authors ranging from William Lane Craig to Dinesh D'Souza. Stenger's book is a must-read for everyone interested in the question of God's existence and the reasonableness of religious belief." "The story of the fight against superstition has been told before, but never like this. Victor Stenger confronts the battle between religious superstition and science with the eye of a trained physicist and the practicality of a superb teacher. This thorough and readable adventure through the history of science should leave no doubt that science and religion are not friends." "God and the Folly of Faith brings needed light to the world. This book is a brilliant grand tour with stops at all the key points where religion and science collide. Stenger . . . is on top of his game here. Believers will find much to ponder on every page and even veteran skeptics will learn plenty by the time they reach the end of this remarkable effort." "Vic Stenger has put to rest the myth that science and religion can coexist peacefully. God and the Folly of Faith is a comprehensive and thoroughly engaging account of religion's unrelenting two-thousand-year campaign to thwart, subvert and suppress science. Stenger begins with the ancient Greeks' persecution of pre-socratic scholars and continues the tale through modern pop-gurus who use quantum physics to "prove" we can change reality with our minds. Folly shines a spotlight on religion's millennia-long anti-science campaign. It should be on the reading list of anyone concerned about religion's current attacks on evolution, global warming, stem-cell research and psychiatry." "This book by Victor J. Stenger is a tour de force. Among the published atheists trying to bridge the gap between scientifically minded people and people of faith, I think Stenger is the best. It is a massive refutation of the claim that science is a religion or that science is based on faith. At the end of it Stenger shows how the future of mankind will be determined by whether or not science wins over faith in issues like tobacco use, pollution, and global warming. Unlike some other books by Stenger this one was written for the average intelligent reader. There isn't a lot of technical jargon in it. Stenger just keeps getting better and better. I consider this book to be his best book yet because of its appeal to a broad range of readers and because he's hit the nail on the head, writing about the essential problem between scientifically minded people and believers. I think it'll probably be a classic." 
The Code for Global Ethics: Ten Humanist Principles DescriptionHumanists have long contended that morality is a strictly human concern and should be independent of religious creeds and dogma. This principle was clearly articulated in the two Humanist Manifestos issued in the mid-twentieth century and in Humanist Manifesto 2000, which appeared at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Now distinguished economist Rodrigue Tremblay has published this code for global ethics, which further elaborates ten humanist principles designed for a world community that is growing ever closer together. In the face of the obvious challenges to international stability—from nuclear proliferation, environmental degradation, economic turmoil, and reactionary and sometimes violent religious movements—a code based on the "natural dignity and inherent worth of all human beings" is needed more than ever. In separate chapters Tremblay delves into the issues surrounding these ten humanist principles: preserving individual dignity and equality, respecting life and property, tolerance, sharing, preventing domination of others, eliminating superstition, conserving the natural environment, resolving differences cooperatively without resort to violence or war, political and economic democracy, and providing for universal education. This forward-looking, optimistic, and eminently reasonable discussion of humanist ideals makes an important contribution to laying the foundations for a just and peaceable global community. ContentsPreface: Toward a new planetary humanism Paul Kurtz Kurtz, Paul 17 Introduction: The ethical infrastructure of every society 23 Chapter 1: Dignity and equality 33 Chapter 2: Respect life and property 45 Chapter 3: Tolerance : the empathy principle 65 Chapter 4: Sharing 71 Chapter 5: No domination, no exploitation 79 Chapter 6: No superstition 85 Chapter 7: Conservation 119 Chapter 8: Violence, war, and peace 135 Chapter 9: Democracy 163 Chapter 10: Education 193 Chapter 11: Morality in everyday life 199 Conclusion: For a better and more moral future 205 Annex: Comparative moral commandments 210 Notes: 213 Appendix: Main humanist and ethical organizations 249 Books cited or recommended: 253 Index: 285 Comment"The gap in the Humanist literature concerning the explanations of how Humanists should conduct their lives is filled by The Code for Global Ethics. This book represents a valuable and indispensable guide through the complexity of modern life and moral issues facing us every day. It offers a natural and far superior alternative to traditional religious moralities." "Dr. Tremblay offers not just armchair philosophizing, but solid, historical argument and proposals for integrating humanist philosophy into both our everyday lives, and our social institutions. Policy makers, and laypersons alike should heed Tremblay's account of humanist principles, for in them lies a path to greater peace, tolerance, and societal progress." "Dr. Tremblay points out in The Code for Global Ethics that we need to abandon selective moralities and move to a higher plane in which all members of the human family are treated equally as persons. Rodrigue Tremblay eloquently defends this form of rational humanism." "The principles proposed by Dr. Tremblay are dignity and equality, respect for life, tolerance and openness, sharing, anti exploitation, reason, ecology, peace, democracy and education. This is a timely book to read." "Tremblay's ten principles provide us with a rational jumping-off point toward a new society no longer exploited by the power elites of church, state, and business." 
DescriptionNow for something different: A novel by well-known author of nonfiction, Michael Martin...
Comment"A cool and quirky non-stop thriller." 
DescriptionBestselling author Michael Shermer's comprehensive and provocative theory on how beliefs are born, formed, reinforced, challenged, changed, and extinguished. In this work synthesizing thirty years of research, psychologist, historian of science, and the world's best-known skeptic Michael Shermer upends the traditional thinking about how humans form beliefs about the world. Simply put, beliefs come first and explanations for beliefs follow. The brain, Shermer argues, is a belief engine. From sensory data flowing in through the senses, the brain naturally begins to look for and find patterns, and then infuses those patterns with meaning. Our brains connect the dots of our world into meaningful patterns that explain why things happen, and these patterns become beliefs. Once beliefs are formed the brain begins to look for and find confirmatory evidence in support of those beliefs, which accelerates the process of reinforcing them, and round and round the process goes in a positive-feedback loop of belief confirmation. Shermer outlines the numerous cognitive tools our brains engage to reinforce our beliefs as truths. Interlaced with his theory of belief, Shermer provides countless real-world examples of how this process operates, from politics, economics, and religion to conspiracy theories, the supernatural, and the paranormal. Ultimately, he demonstrates why science is the best tool ever devised to determine whether or not a belief matches reality. Comment"Michael Shermer has long been one of our most committed champions of scientific thinking in the face of popular delusion. In The Believing Brain, he has written a wonderfully lucid, accessible, and wide-ranging account of the boundary between justified and unjustified belief. We have all fallen more deeply in his debt." "The physicist Richard Feynman once said that the easiest person to fool is yourself, and as a result he argued that as a scientist one has to be especially careful to try and find out not only what is right about one's theories, but what might also be wrong with them. If we all followed this maxim of skepticism in everyday life, the world would probably be a better place. But we don't. In this book Michael Shermer lucidly describes why and how we are hard wired to 'want to believe'. With a narrative that gently flows from the personal to the profound, Shermer shares what he has learned after spending a lifetime pondering the relationship between beliefs and reality, and how to be prepared to tell the difference between the two." "Michael Shermer has long been one of the world's deepest thinkers when it comes to explaining where our beliefs come from, and he brings it all together in this important, engaging, and ambitious book. Shermer knows all the science, he tells great stories, he is funny, and he is fearless, delving into hot-button topics like 9-11 Truthers, life after death, capitalism, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, and the existence of God. This is an entertaining and thoughtful exploration of the beliefs that shape our lives." "The Believing Brain is a tour de force integrating neuroscience and the social sciences to explain how irrational beliefs are formed and reinforced, while leaving us confident our ideas are valid. This is a must read for everyone who wonders why religious and political beliefs are so rigid and polarized—or why the other side is always wrong, but somehow doesn't see it." "We might think that we learn how the world works, because we take the time to observe and understand it. Shermer says that's just not so. We just believe things, and then make our world fit our perceptions. Believe me; you don't have to take my word for it. Just try clearing some space in your own Believing Brain." "The Believing Brain is a fascinating account of the origins of all manner of beliefs, replete with cutting edge evidence from the best scientific research, packed with nuggets of truths and then for good measure, studded with real world examples to deliver to the reader, a very personable, engaging and ultimately, convincing set of explanations for why we believe." 
The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True DescriptionMagic takes many forms. Supernatural magic is what our ancestors used in order to explain the world before they developed the scientific method. The ancient Egyptians explained the night by suggesting the goddess Nut swallowed the sun. The Vikings believed a rainbow was the gods' bridge to earth. The Japanese used to explain earthquakes by conjuring a gigantic catfish that carried the world on its back—earthquakes occurred each time it flipped its tail. These are magical, extraordinary tales. But there is another kind of magic, and it lies in the exhilaration of discovering the real answers to these questions. It is the magic of reality—science. Packed with clever thought experiments, dazzling illustrations and jaw-dropping facts, The Magic of Reality explains a stunningly wide range of natural phenomena. What is stuff made of? How old is the universe? Why do the continents look like disconnected pieces of a puzzle? What causes tsunamis? Why are there so many kinds of plants and animals? Who was the first man, or woman? This is a page-turning, graphic detective story that not only mines all the sciences for its clues but primes the reader to think like a scientist as well. Richard Dawkins, the world's most famous evolutionary biologist and one of science education's most passionate advocates, has spent his career elucidating the wonders of science for adult readers. But now, in a dramatic departure, he has teamed up with acclaimed artist Dave McKean and used his unrivaled explanatory powers to share the magic of science with readers of all ages. This is a treasure trove for anyone who has ever wondered how the world works. Dawkins and McKean have created an illustrated guide to the secrets of our world—and the universe beyond—that will entertain and inform for years to come. Comment"Exhilarating. The clearest and most beautifully written introduction to science I've ever read. Again and again I found myself saying 'Oh! So that's how genes work! (or stars, or tectonic plates, or all the other things he explains).' Explanations I thought I knew were clarified; things I never understood were made clear for the first time. My favorite adjective of praise has always been 'clear,' and this book has clarity all the way through." "I am often asked to recommend good books on science for young people. From now on, I will not have to hesitate. The Magic of Reality provides a beautiful, accessible and wide ranging volume that addresses the questions that all of us have about the universe, separating often too-little known facts from too-frequently believed fictions. For this reason it should be a powerful resource for people of all ages, written with the masterful and eloquently literate style of perhaps the best popular expositor of science, Richard Dawkins, and delightfully illustrated by Dave McKean. What more could anyone ask for?" "I wanted to write this book but I wasn't clever enough. Now I've read it, I am" "The questions have always been with us: Where did we come from? How did life begin? What makes earthquakes happen? Are we alone in the universe? Do we have a unique mission? As a scientist and science writer, Richard Dawkins approaches these questions with no less wonder than the most zealot believer or exalted mystic. 'I want to show you,' he writes, 'that the real world, as understood scientifically, has magic of its own—the kind I call poetic magic: an inspiring beauty which is all the more magical because it is real and because we can understand how it works.' An absorbing work enhanced by the imaginative paintings of award-winning artist Dave McKean." "In this outstanding 'graphic science book,' evolutionary biologist Dawkins (The Selfish Gene) teams up with illustrator Dave McKean (The Graveyard Book) to examine questions in everyday science, such as: why seasons occur; what things are made of; and whether there's life on other planets. They explain the answers from mythological and cultural points of view before diving into the chemistry, biology, and physics—all in language that advanced middle school, or most high school, students can absorb. Rather than oversimplifying things, Dawkins's explanations demonstrate that life on earth is magical enough without tricks of the eye or supernatural theories. Appearing on every page, McKean's illustrations cover the gamut from prehistoric creatures along the evolutionary chain to a sequence showing how the immune system defends the body from a flu virus. This book may be exactly what's needed to increase science literacy for readers of all ages." 
DescriptionThe Fifth-Century Political Battles That Forever Changed the Church. In this fascinating account of the surprisingly violent fifth-century church, Jenkins describes in bloody detail the battles over "right belief" that had a far greater impact on the future of Christianity than the much-touted Council of Nicea convened by Constantine a century earlier. Jenkins argues that were it not for these controversies the papacy as we know it would never have come into existence and today's church could be teaching something very different about Jesus. Comment"Are you hungry for a rip-roaring tale of theological intrigue filled with conspiracies, Byzantine plots, murder, and mayhem? Or are you longing for a solid, informative, and accurate history of the development of Christian orthodoxy? If your answer is yes to both, Philip Jenkins' Jesus Wars ... is your book." "In showing general readers how he finds fresh ideas and the resurrections of past teachings invigorating to religious studies, Jenkins provides an accessible book ... [which] enlightens readers on the backstory to current Christian divisions." "Jenkins ... has done a remarkable job of documenting this little-understood slice of history. There's lots of excitement and plenty of intrigue, and Jenkins does a fine job in his recitation of this strange story." "Jenkins condenses centuries of church and imperial strife with admirable clarity." "Jenkins manages to explain very clearly why people in the early Christian era were so passionately concerned with issues of high theology." 
DescriptionIn this successor volume to his critically acclaimed first anthology, The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails, John Loftus—a former minister and now a leading atheist spokesperson—has assembled a stellar group of respected scholars to continue the critique of Christianity begun in the first volume. The contributors include Victor Stenger, Robert Price, Hector Avalos, Richard Carrier, Keith Parsons, David Eller, and others. Loftus is the author of Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity. Taken together, the Loftus trilogy poses formidable challenges to claims for the rationality of the Christian faith. The first part considers the wildly improbable nature of basic Christian tenets; the lack of agreement among diverse Christian sects regarding the essential Christian message; and a counter argument to the popular Christian claim that it was incredible that the Christian faith arose if it wasn't true in the first place. The second part analyzes the role of ancient Near Eastern myth in the creation of the Bible, revealing that the image of God depicted there is a projection of evolving human needs during the Iron Age beginning with polytheism. In the third part, the contributors critique the Christian doctrines of the atonement, hell, and the resurrection. The final part considers the incompatibility of religion and science, reviews claims for intelligent design and life after death, and advances the proposition that science can help discover morality. Students and scholars with an interest in the philosophy of religion will find this compilation of incisive critical essays to be intellectually stimulating and deeply thought-provoking. Comment"This book is well worth reading. I am happy to endorse it. Initially, I was concerned that it was a rehash of other works or ideas but found it refreshingly informative and challenging. I am pretty well read and educated in the field and felt I was learning much of the time, or getting a new and interesting angle on an old idea. The creative ideas explored by the authors show how little Christianity has to offer our culture. Indeed, it is time for it to end." "No collection better demonstrates how taking Christianity seriously reveals its all too human origin. This superb, often witty, and exceedingly well-researched collection explains how early Christianity is only a pale resemblance of any of the diverse Christian sects today. As well, the authors reveal how vastly improbable Christian dogmas are: such as the notion that a god designed the universe; that life replete with personal identity continues after death; that hell represents divine justice; and the claim that morality is exclusively Christian. Overall, very sobering for Christians, and so wonderfully delightful for the rest of us." "Like everything else, religions evolve under pressure. The cultural environment for Christianity is currently as rigorous and demanding as ever. Perhaps the 'End of Christianity' should take the form of extinction, as this book's authors portend. At the very least Christianity's theological defense mechanisms are proven inadequate by the sharpest set of intellectual criticisms found under the cover of a single volume. The end of Christianity cannot be predicted, but it can be helped along by a careful reading of this tremendously useful book." "Should Christianity end? I think not. But unthinking Christianity definitely should. For that reason I am grateful to the authors of this outstanding collection of essays." "The End of Christianity reads like a family reunion which brings together the family of disbelieving intellectuals that we've grown to love and respect. The stories that form the great narrative of the history of unbelief find in this book fresh voices with new and exciting angles. Loftus and his friends annihilate the Christian Goliath with their disputatious sling shots. The reader will probably hope that believers will not shy away from this text if only so that Loftus will soon publish yet another exciting anthology." "A blurb does not do this fascinating book justice with its beefy arguments as well as tasty tidbits of information all geared to show that when it comes to 'God talk' and the 'revealed religion' known as Christianity, the questions outnumber the certainties. And though Christianity and religion in general will certainly endure long enough for John Loftus to edit additional works, that sort of blessing does not appear to be one for which some Christians will be eager to thank God." "The Christian Delusion is the first book I give to anyone who wants to understand why I am no longer a Christian. Loftus and company have returned with The End of Christianity, which will now be the second book I give to anyone who wants to read a substantive case against Christian faith." 
The Case Against the Case for Christ: A New Testament Scholar Refutes the Reverend Lee Strobel DescriptionLee Strobel arguably is now the leading apologist in America for evangelical, fundamentalist, benighted forms of Christianity. Although not an authority himself in any of the fields in which he defends his faith, he has produced a series of best-selling The Case For... books in which he consults alleged experts to obtain "evidence" and problematic information with which to prop up dubious beliefs he has adopted. He does not appear to have done any competent investigation on his own or consulted any genuine authorities on the relevant subjects. It is fair to say that all of Strobel's books are long exercises in applying the fallacy of informal logic known as "The appeal to authority." Originally published in 1998, The Case For Christ "has now bamboozled and hornswoggled the better part of a generation of Americans. Something needed to be done!" Professor, author, and New Testament scholar Robert M. Price—one of America's leading authorities on the Bible—has taken umbrage at the cavalier manner in which Christian apologist Lee Strobel has misrepresented the field of Bible scholarship in his book The Case for Christ. Because Strobel has drawn upon the best known and prolific apologists alive today and brought their arguments together for easy reading, Dr. Price has used the opportunity to wipe out the entire field of apologetics in the course of refuting Lee Strobel. With penetrating humor, Price has created a book that can be used as a handbook by anyone who is troubled by the claims and importuning of Christian apologists. Comment"I would like it if my book could wind up in the hands of anyone who has read Strobel's The Case for Christ! I just hate to see so many truth-hungry, well-intentioned people swindled by phony scholarship no better, really, than the drivel in The Da Vinci Code. Actually, it hardly matters whether one has read Strobel, since he is simply passing on material by numerous conservative Christian apologists. I would love it if apologists and their fans read my book and were prompted to reexamine the issues." "This book incinerates Lee Strobel's book along with the evangelical apologists he interviews, including Craig L. Blomberg, Gregory Boyd, Ben Witherington III, D.A. Carson, William Lane Craig, Gary Habermas, J.P. Moreland, and others." Bob is preaching to the choir for the most part, or at least people willing to learn. But what a wonderful sermon it is! It'll make you laugh as well as think, which is what a good sermon ought to do. Too bad these apologists can only make us laugh—at themselves. Price makes the case against Strobel's case in such a convincing manner that these apologists must be willfully ignorant." "The Case Against The Case for Christ by Dr. Robert M. Price ... is nothing short of an intellectual breath of fresh air." "A nice point-by-point refutation of born-againer nonsense, focusing on the writing of Lee Strobel." 
The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning: Why the Universe Is Not Designed for Us DescriptionDrawing on the findings of modern physics and cosmology, numerous authors have argued that it would have taken only slight changes to some of the universe's physical parameters to make life, as we know it, extremely unlikely or even impossible. But does the seemingly "fine-tuned" nature of the universe also suggest that there must be a creator god who intentionally calibrated the initial conditions of the universe to assure that life on Earth and the evolution of humanity would inevitably emerge? Some influential scientists, such as National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, think so. Others go even further, asserting that science "has found God." In his in-depth and highly accessible discussion of this fascinating and controversial topic, physicist Victor J. Stenger looks at the same body of evidence and comes to the opposite conclusion. He states at the outset that as a physicist who is dedicated to the scientific method he will go wherever the evidence takes him, even if it leads him to God. But after many years of research in particle physics and cosmology and careful thought about their implications, he finds that the observations of science and our naked senses not only show no evidence for God, they provide evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that God does not exist. Dr. Stenger argues that many of the claims made by theists are based on misunderstandings of the science. He looks at the specific parameters that brought about our universe and the life forms that inhabit Earth and shows that plausible reasons can be found within the existing standard models of physics and cosmology for the observations of science and the conclusions it has reached about our origins. These models are introduced in detail so that readers will gain the background needed to understand the role of the cosmic components that theists claim to be fine-tuned and to judge the veracity of the arguments on both sides of the issue. He also sheds much-needed light on related topics such as whether or not the universe had a beginning and what quantum mechanics implies about the involvement of human consciousness in affecting reality. Although Dr. Stenger has touched on the subject of fine-tuning in other books, this is his most thorough exploration of the topic, one that continues to intrigue scientists and the lay public alike. 
Forged: Writing in the Name of God--Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are DescriptionIt is often said, even by critical scholars who should know better, that "writing in the name of another" was widely accepted in antiquity. But New York Times bestselling author Bart D. Ehrman dares to call it what it was: literary forgery, a practice that was as scandalous then as it is today. In Forged, Ehrman's fresh and original research takes readers back to the ancient world, where forgeries were used as weapons by unknown authors to fend off attacks to their faith and establish their church. So, if many of the books in the Bible were not in fact written by Jesus's inner circle—but by writers living decades later, with differing agendas in rival communities—what does that do to the authority of Scripture? Bart D. Ehrman, the New York Times bestselling author of Jesus, Interrupted and God's Problem reveals which books in the Bible's New Testament were not passed down by Jesus's disciples, but were instead forged by other hands—and why this centuries-hidden scandal is far more significant than many scholars are willing to admit. A controversial work of historical reporting in the tradition of Elaine Pagels, Marcus Borg, and John Dominic Crossan, Ehrman's Forged delivers a stunning explication of one of the most substantial—yet least discussed—problems confronting the world of biblical scholarship. Ehrman's fascinating story of fraud and deceit is essential reading for anyone interested in the truth about the Bible and the dubious origins of Christianity's sacred texts. CommentThe evocative title tells it all and hints at the tone of sensationalism that pervades this book. Those familiar with the earlier work of Ehrman, a distinguished professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and author of more than 20 books including Misquoting Jesus, will not be surprised at the content of this one. Written in a manner accessible to nonspecialists, Ehrman argues that many books of the New Testament are not simply written by people other than the ones to whom they are attributed, but that they are deliberate forgeries. The word itself connotes scandal and crime, and it appears on nearly every page. Indeed, this book takes on an idea widely accepted by biblical scholars: that writing in someone else's name was common practice and perfectly okay in ancient times. Ehrman argues that it was not even then considered acceptable—hence, a forgery. While many readers may wish for more evidence of the charge, Ehrman's introduction to the arguments and debates among different religious communities during the first few centuries and among the early Christians themselves, though not the book's main point, is especially valuable. So what is the book about? It is about forgery in early Christianity, with primary (but not exclusive) interest in the New Testament. The most distinctive component is summed up well by the book's title: Ehrman argues throughout that the attempt to sugar-coat pseudepigraphy as something acceptable, non-deceptive—in short, something other than forgery—is problematic. As Ehrman himself puts it, "The Bible ... contains what almost anyone today would call lies. That is what this book is about" (p.5). The irony that Christianity historically presents itself as being focused on and offering "the Truth" is highlighted throughout. According to leading biblical scholar Bart Ehrman, many of his contemporaries have it wrong when it comes to the Bible. Instead of calling biblical forgeries what they are—lies—they often fall back on safer scholarly terms, stopping just short of the word "forgery." Ehrman, however, is not afraid of breaking rank with his fellow scholars and speaking the truth. In his new book, Forged: Writing in the name of God--Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are (HarperOne; April 2011), the New York Times bestselling author debunks many popular myths about the Bible's forged books and letters, including the idea that "writing in the name of another" was a common, accepted practice in antiquity. According to Ehrman, forgery was just as disgraceful then as it is today. "Ehrman's career is testament to the fact that no one can slice and dice a belief system more surgically than someone who grew up inside it ... There's something delicious (for nonbelievers, anyway) about the implacable, dispassionate way that Ehrman reveals how the supposedly 'divine truth' of Christianity was historically constructed." "Ehrman's clarity is something to emulate." 
The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims DescriptionThis book reveals how, for well over a millennium, across three continents—Asia, Africa, and Europe—non-Muslims who were vanquished by jihad wars, became forced tributaries (called dhimmi in Arabic), in lieu of being slain. Under the dhimmi religious caste system, non-Muslims were subjected to legal and financial oppression, as well as social isolation. Extensive primary and secondary source materials, many translated here for the first time into English, are presented, making clear that jihad conquests were brutal, imperialist advances, which spurred waves of Muslims to expropriate a vast expanse of lands and subdue millions of indigenous peoples. Finally, the book examines how jihad war, as a permanent and uniquely Islamic institution, ultimately regulates the relations of Muslims with non-Muslims to this day. Scholars, educators, and interested lay readers will find this collection an invaluable resource. Comment"[P]rovides a comprehensive history of jihad." "Bostom's book amply documents the systematic and destructive character of Islamic jihad, refuting the much-repeated argument that jihad is a "rich" concept that has many meanings and that jihad first of all signifies "inner struggle." Jihad is first of all war, bloodshed, subjugation, and expansion of the faith by violence. The book implicitly devastates the fashionable but uninformed opinion that all religions are elaborations of the Golden Rule. Jihad is everything the Golden Rule is not." "[A]n impressive compendium that meticulously documents the terror that is jihad ... an unparalleled documentary history of nearly fourteen centuries of jihad, and of the non-Muslims who have been subjugated as a result of that relentless campaign. His account is a sober warning of the mortal challenge posed to free societies by the ongoing jihad of the militants." "Bostom's 759-page volume ... could be called 'Everything Westerners Need to Know about Jihad—But are Afraid to Ask.' Often letting the jihadists' ferocious words speak for themselves, the book chronicles thirteen centuries' worth of Islamic attempts to conquer and slaughter non-Muslims. The scholarly articles and original documents—some published in English for the first time —debunk the popular ahistorical, superficial explanations for the current Islamicist terror wave ... [an] invaluable volume." 
The God Debates: A 21st Century Guide for Atheists and Believers (and Everyone in Between) DescriptionThe existence of God is a subject that has occupied individual thinkers and entire schools of philosophy for thousands of years, and it remains one of the greatest debates of our day. In The God Debates: A 21st Century Guide for Atheists and Believers, John Shook, Director of Education and Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Inquiry, and a self-professed "fair and open-minded skeptic," explains prominent arguments about God's existence in a nontechnical manner and justly analyzes the chances of their success. Shook challenges believers and nonbelievers alike to engage in an informed dialogue about the existence of God. All major traditional and contemporary arguments for God are included in the following sections: This book is aimed at people who want to know what is going on with all the God debating, people who want to learn the arguments, and their pros and cons, as efficiently as possible without encountering too much technical philosophy or theology. Comment"The God Debates is a clear, accessible, up-to-date account of philosophical wrangles about the existence of God. Shook reorganizes the arguments in an interesting way ... [and] takes on more-esoteric arguments such as the claim that we must presuppose the existence of God if we are to engage in reasoning and scientific inquiry. In all, this is a lucid, concise, up-to-date, yet comprehensive account of intellectual debates about the existence of God. It is easy enough to be used by senior high school students, and could certainly be useful in undergraduate courses in philosophy of religion." "If you've been puzzled by the complexity of the recent debates for and against God, this is the place to start. Shook lays out the questions, controversies, and schools of thought with amazing clarity, gradually building his case for a 'staunchly naturalistic yet faithfully ethical humanism' ... Clear and blunt, with a light touch of irony." "Knowing for sure is not necessarily a virtue. By mapping scriptural, intellectual, and mystical theologies as well as naturalistic ethical worldviews, John Shook helps us to understand the rich range of human ideas and arguments, and hence ourselves and our neighbors. Shook invites us all to become winners when he writes in the preface 'real winners are those who think about the questions, reflect on proposed answers, and come up with new questions.' A most interesting and valuable book." "The Center for Inquiry's John Shook, author of The God Debates, will discuss effective ways for nonbelievers to engage believers over that very question: 'Does a god exist?' Maybe it's not the old, familiar arguments themselves, but new strategies and tactics that make the atheist message get heard and produce results." 
DescriptionThis accessible, engaging, and timely book brings together philosophy and evolutionary psychology in a way that will open up debate between the two disciplines. Is religion compatible with evolution? Is religious faith intellectually flawed? Steve Stewart-Williams addresses these and other fundamental questions raised by Darwin's theory of evolution. Drawing on philosophy, biology and the exciting new field of evolutionary psychology, he makes a strong case for a naturalistic, atheistic view of the universe. Topics covered include: God, life after death, whether we are superior to other animals, the meaning of life, voluntary euthanasia, and the proper treatment of other animals. Contents1. Darwin and the big questions Comment"Steve Stewart-Williams explains how evolutionary thought challenges many deep-seated assumptions about God, morality, and human superiority and raises significant questions about such things as euthanasia, suicide, and the way we treat non-human animals. While it has become commonplace for many to equate Darwin's legacy with the stripping away of the moral and the good and to replace it with unpalatable 'Darwinist' alternatives that advocate a morality, nihilism, and a world where 'might makes right', Stewart-Williams carefully and entertainingly shows that, on the contrary, the world after Darwin remains meaningful, wondrous, and intrinsically moral." "This is an important, accessible, and timely book for anyone wishing to understand the implications of evolutionary theory for standard views of human nature, morality and religion." "If you are a broad thinker, you will really enjoy Stewart-Williams' work ..." 
Churches Ad Hoc: A Divine Comedy DescriptionWith its eighty-six duotone illustrations and a foreword by Kern Trembath (Assistant Chairman, Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame) this is a humorous look at churches in America by photographer Herman Krieger. Comment"Among the best examples of satire on the Internet." "This is a fun book of photos by a man with a keen eye. Many of the pics are gut-busting hilarious. The theme is religion but there is nothing here to offend the religious. I highly recommend Churches Ad Hoc: A Divine Comedy to every one. "Herman Krieger doesn't preach to the choir. He has seen through the pious facades of a lot of churches." "Herman Krieger has a good eye and a knack for taking an offbeat look at churches and their surroundings." "This sometimes irreverent photo essay draws a variety of responses. Christians see devotion. Atheists see satire. Photographers see artistry." "I delighted in the photo captions. Composing them must have given you as much pleasure as reading them gave me. I browsed through them with both pleasure and amusement." 
Doubting Jesus' Resurrection: What Happened in the Black Box? DescriptionThis book considers the historical veracity of Jesus' resurrection with special emphasis on the rise of the earliest known Christian beliefs and traditions: Jesus died for our sins, was raised on the third day, and appeared to many people (1 Corinthians 15:3-7). ContentsChapter 1: The Discovery of an Empty Tomb, Fact or Fiction? Comment"Rare is it when a lay author puts in the effort of wide research, gathers the references to every point together, interacts with the leading disputes, and offers something soundly argued that hadn't been so well argued before. Komarnitsky does all of that and presents a surprisingly excellent demonstration of how belief in the resurrection of Jesus could plausibly have originated by natural means. Though I don't always agree with him, and some issues could be discussed at greater length, everything he argues is plausible, and his treatise as a whole is a must for anyone interested in the resurrection." "If you liked my book Beyond Born Again, you're going to love this one by Kris Komarnitsky! He shows great acuity of judgment and clear-eyed perception of the issues. He does not claim to have proof of what happened at Christian origins, but he does present a powerfully plausible hypothesis for what might have happened, which is all you need to refute the fundamentalist claim that things can only have gone down their way. By now it is a mantra—it is also nonsense, and Kris shows that for a fact." "Komarnitsky is addressing an important topic in a considered and rational way. This book offers the open-minded reader an opportunity to work through some of the key questions surrounding the Easter mystery that lies at the heart of Christian faith." "Clearly written and well argued, Doubting Jesus' Resurrection lays out a plausible and intriguing case for a non-supernatural explanation of the New Testament resurrection accounts. Don't be put off by the fact that Komarnitsky is not a scholar—his book makes a solid contribution to the historical-critical understanding of these immensely important texts. This book deserves serious attention from scholars and all those interested in Christian Origins." "Proving the exception, this book shows that if a layman takes the time to investigate a topic, including learning how the relevant disciplinary tools are applied and familiarizes themselves with what experts have already written on a subject, they can draw balanced and even insightful conclusions that enhance the conversation. Those interested in a plausible natural explanation for the birth of Christianity will want to seriously consider this book." "A well researched book that should be valuable to individuals or study groups interested in how the resurrection tradition may have originated." 
Decoding the Language of God: Can a Scientist Really Be a Believer? DescriptionIn his bestselling book, The Language of God, Francis Collins—the scientist who led the National Institutes of Health's Human Genome Project—attempted to harmonize the findings of scientific research with Christian belief. In this response to Collins's work, fellow geneticist George C. Cunningham presents a point-by-point rebuttal of The Language of God, arguing that there is no scientifically acceptable evidence to support belief in a personal God and much evidence that discredits it. Written with admirable clarity for the nonscientist, Decoding the Language of God covers much of the same ground addressed by Collins in his book:
Cunningham also devotes chapters to the unreliability of the Bible as a basis for belief; the conflict between naturalistic explanations of reality, which are anchored in scientific research, and supernatural interpretations, which are not; and the many difficulties in conceptualizing the origins of the universe in terms of a personal God. Unlike recent hostile attacks on religious belief, Cunningham's respectful, well-reasoned discussion will appeal to open-minded people across the whole spectrum of belief and unbelief. Comment"This is a wonderful book—sound, elegant, and readable. If you are looking for a common-sense explanation for matters generally taken on faith, this is it."
"The Language of God by Francis Collins is a good example of how a minority of scientists compartmentalize their thinking and blinker themselves to the contradictions between their faith and their science. This timely and complete analysis lays bare the many weaknesses in Collins' thinking and the paucity of his knowledge of theology, philosophy, and any science outside of his own narrow speciality."
"I have to admit that at some points while reading this book, I felt so much sympathy for Collins that I didn't want to read on. Cunningham absolutely eviscerates him."
50 Voices of Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists Russell Blackford, Udo Schuklenk (Eds.) Description50 Voices of Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists presents a collection of original essays drawn from an international group of prominent voices in the fields of academia, science, literature, media and politics who offer carefully considered statements of why they are atheists. • Features a truly international cast of contributors, ranging from public intellectuals such as Peter Singer, Susan Blackmore, and A.C. Grayling; novelists, such as Joe Haldeman; and heavyweight philosophers of religion, including Graham Oppy and Michael Tooley. • Contributions range from rigorous philosophical arguments to highly personal—even whimsical—accounts of how each of these notable thinkers have come to reject religion in their lives. • Likely to have broad appeal given the current public fascination with religious issues and the reception of such books as The God Delusion and The End of Faith. Comment"In their excellent collection of essays exploring and defending the philosophical stance of atheism, Russell Blackford and Udo Schuklenk had an inclusive vision. Contributors to the book range from those with science-fiction backgrounds to modern-day philosophy."
"By turns witty, serious, engaging and information, it is always human and deeply honest, and immensely rewarding to read."
"The contemporary relevance,and timeliness of this book is unsurpassed. It is ... an account of various well known nonbelievers [and] personal viewpoints, directed at a popular audience. Very approachable at all levels, containing a wide range of stories, anecdotes and personal statements about why each of the authors considers themselves to be a non believer. Overall, this book is well suited for a mainstream audience interested in questioning the power that religion holds over our lives. It [also] has good references ... which will also serve to guide the reader if further information is wanted. Thus, I recommend this book to anyone (regardless of their views concerning religion) interested in understanding why different people hold certain views concerning religion."
"For many who have spent some time involved in any form of engagement in these matters, the names should appear familiar: from the great AC Grayling to the revolutionary Maryam Namazie. Finally, in one book we can hear their stories—if not about themselves, then about the aspects of religion or lack thereof they find most important. If all these contributors were speakers at a convention, it would be sold out many times over."
"I am strongly recommending it as a present for anyone who has an interest in atheism/theism from either side of the debate. It's just a great read, from great authors."
"It's a very good book, and I recommend it for all of us godless ones—or those who are considering abjuring the divine. It's far more than just a collection of stories about 'How I came to give up God.' Many of the writers describe the philosophical and empirical considerations that led them to atheism. Indeed, the book can be considered a kind of philosophical handbook for atheists."
"Wow! A book about atheism and it's not written by Dawkins, Hitchens, Dennett or Harris! So this book is welcome partly because it helps break that knee-jerk reaction. But it's also welcome because many of its contributors advance interesting ideas. There's plenty to choose from. And one advantage of a collection like this is that you can dip into it wherever you want. There is something for everyone. And there is the opportunity to discover new ideas."
"In more than 50 brief statements organized by Blackford and philosopher Schuklenk ... contributors share views—their routes toward nonbelief and their feelings about the place of religion in the world ... including James (the Amazing) Randi, a well-known magician and debunker of spurious psychic phenomena. Considering the popularity of Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion, Christopher Hitchens's God Is Not Great, and Sam Harris's The End of Faith, [these] memoirs and observations will be of interest to disbelievers."
The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails DescriptionIn this anthology of recent criticisms aimed at the reasonableness of Christian belief, former evangelical minister and apologist John W. Loftus, author of the critically acclaimed Why I Became an Atheist, has assembled fifteen outstanding articles by leading skeptics, expanding on themes introduced in his first book. Central is a defense of Loftus' "outsider's test of faith," arguing that believers should test their faith as if they were outsiders with the same skeptical standards they use to evaluate the other faiths they reject. Experts in medicine, psychology, and anthropology join Loftus to show in four chapters why, when this test is applied to Christianity, it becomes very difficult to rationally defend. Three chapters follow that demonstrate errors and superstitions throughout the Bible, making any claim of the Bible being God's word nearly impossible to sustain. Two chapters expose the immorality of the biblical God, with an innovative argument from animal suffering and a cogent reply to Christians who attempt to defend the depravity of the Bible's God. Three chapters then focus on why it is unreasonable to believe that Jesus is the risen son of God. Finally, three popular Christian claims are dispatched. The contributors show why Christianity does not provide the basis for morality, why atheism was not the reason Hitler murdered so many, and why Christianity was not responsible for modern science. Collectively, these articles reveal that popular Christian beliefs tend to rely on ignorance of the facts. Drawing together experts in diverse fields, including Hector Avalos, Richard Carrier, David Eller, and Robert Price, The Christian Delusion deals a powerful blow against Christian faith. Comment"I'm quoted in this book as saying that treating the arguments of others fairly is simply an application of the Golden Rule. Christians regularly ask atheists to listen to their arguments and read their books. If a Christian wishes to return the favor, this volume offers atheist views on a range of subjects, presented respectfully (for the most part) yet with conviction. Christians who wish to critically examine and reflect on their beliefs will benefit from the outsider perspectives offered here. I join with its authors in encouraging you to dare to doubt. If you follow that courageous path, you may at times draw the wrong conclusions. If you do not, you will certainly be wrong at least as often."
"The contributors to this book have interesting, important, and controversial things to say to conservative Christians: It isn't true that modern society has Christian foundations; it isn't true that there is significant historical evidence for the Resurrection; it isn't true that scripture portrays a perfectly good God; it is untenable to suppose that the Bible is the Word of God; and there are many new challenges to the believability of Christianity in contemporary sciences: psychology, sociology, cognitive science, archaeology, and the like. This book is a fitting successor to Loftus' book Why I Became an Atheist, and merits a similarly broad readership."
"John Loftus and his distinguished colleagues have certainly produced one of the best—and arguably the best—critique of the Christian faith the world has ever known. Using sociological, biblical, scientific, historical, philosophical, theological and ethical criticisms, this book completely destroys Christianity. All but the most fanatical believers who read it should be moved to have profound doubts."
DescriptionAcademy Award nominated for Best Documentary Feature, Jesus Camp, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (directors of the critically acclaimed The Boys of Baraka), follows Levi, Rachael, and Tory, to Pastor Becky Fischer's "Kids On Fire" summer camp in Devil's Lake North Dakota where kids as young as six are taught to become dedicated Christian soldiers in "God's army." The film follows these children at camp as they hone their "prophetic gifts" and are schooled in how to "take back America for Christ." Jesus Camp is a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future. Comment"The feverish spectacle of a summer camp for evangelical Christian kids is the focus of Jesus Camp, a fascinating if sometimes alarming documentary. (Shortly after its release, the movie gained a new notoriety when Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, who appears near the end of the film, resigned his post amid a male prostitute's allegations of drug use and sexual misconduct.) For most of the film, we follow a charismatic teacher, Becky Fischer, as she trains young soldiers in "God's Army" at a camp in North Dakota. Some of the kids emerge as likable and bright, and eager to continue their work as pint-sized preachers; elsewhere, the visions of children speaking in tongues and falling to the floor in ecstasy are more troubling. Even more arresting is the vision of a generation of children home-schooled to believe that the Bible is science, or Fischer's certainty that America's flawed system of democracy will someday be replaced by a theocracy. (In one scene, a cardboard cut-out of George W. Bush is presented to the children, who react by laying their hands on the figure as though in a religious procession.) Power broker Haggard is the creepiest person in the film, an insincere smooth-talker whose advice to one of the young would-be camp-goers comes across as entirely cynical. Time will tell whether the film's Christian soldiers will be marching onward." "An Extraordinary, Deeply Disturbing Look at American Evangelicalism." "Spiritual Abuse." "This film gave me nightmares." "Hands down the scariest movie I have seen in years and will without question be taking it's rightful place alongside the other horror films in my collection ..." 
36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction DescriptionEqually adept at fiction (a winner of the National Jewish Book Award) and philosophy (a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation "genius" prize), Rebecca Newberger Goldstein gives us a novel that transforms the great debate between faith and reason into an exhilarating romance of both heart and mind. At the center: Cass Seltzer, a professor of psychology whose book, The Varieties of Religious Illusion, has become a surprise best seller. He's been dubbed "the atheist with a soul," and his sudden celebrity has upended his life. He wins over the stunning Lucinda Mandelbaum—"the goddess of game theory"—and loses himself in a spiritually expansive infatuation. A former girlfriend appears: an anthropologist who invites him to join in her quest for immortality through biochemistry. But he is haunted by reminders of the two people who ignited his passion to understand religion: his teacher Jonas Elijah Klapper, a renowned literary scholar with a suspicious obsession with messianism, and an angelic six-year-old mathematical genius, heir to the leadership of an exotic Hasidic sect. Each encounter reinforces Cass's theory that the religious impulse spills over into life at large. 36 Arguments for the Existence of God plunges into the great debate of our day: the clash between faith and reason. World events are being shaped by fervent believers at home and abroad, while a new atheism is asserting itself in the public sphere. On purely intellectual grounds the skeptics would seem to have everything on their side. Yet people refuse to accept their seemingly irrefutable arguments and continue to embrace faith in God as their source of meaning, purpose, and comfort. Using her gifts in fiction and philosophy, Goldstein has produced a true crossover novel, complete with a nail-biting debate ("Resolved: God Exists") and a stand-alone appendix with the thirty-six arguments (and responses) that propelled Seltzer to stardom. Author's NoteDinner party hostesses used to be warned to steer the conversation away from politics and religion. I used to wonder why, but I don't anymore. There are some differences that reveal rifts so deep that dialogue breaks down. Among these are the current debates that have been raging between God-believers and the so-called new atheists. It often seems that people on one side can't begin to grasp what the world is like, what it feels like, for those on the other side. When the person with whom one is conversing appears utterly opaque, then mistrust and contempt are easily aroused: How can he be saying that when the opposite seems so obvious to me? Is he stupid, dishonest, maybe just a touch evil? These are not the sort of suspicions that the gracious hostess wants intruding at her candle-lit dinner table. But for me, as a novelist, it's differences like these, indicating entirely different orientations toward the world, which are the most tantalizing to explore. Arguments alone can't capture all that is at stake for people when they argue about issues of reason and faith. In the end, I place my faith in fiction, in its power to make vividly present how different the world feels to each of us and how these differences are sometimes what is really being expressed in the great debates of our day on the existence of God. The title of the book is 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction. I meant the subtitle to be understood as a sort of joke, but as a serious one, too. Comment"Rebecca Newberger Goldstein does it all. She has written a hilarious novel about people's existential agonies, a page-turner about the intellectual mysteries that obsess them. The characters in 36 Arguments For the Existence of God explore the great moral issues of our day in a novel that is deeply moving and a joy to read." "A remarkable novel—as entertaining as it is illuminating—savagely funny in its characterizations, brilliant in its contemplation of the self and the sublime. This is a timely and timeless book, and definitive proof of Rebecca Newberger Goldstein's protean intellect and engaging talent." "So extravagantly witty and smart that it's making everything else I've read recently seem drab." "Goldstein ... ramps up her gifts for radiant humor and the transmutation of metaphysics, mathematics, and Jewish mysticism into narrative gold ... Goldstein is entrancing and unfailingly affectionate toward her brilliant yet bumbling seekers in this elegant yet uproarious novel about the darkness of isolation and the light of learning, the beauty of numbers and the chaos of emotions, the 'longing for spiritual purity' and love in all its wildness." "A captivating, original, and at times riotously funny novel. ... Goldstein has fashioned a tale that does justice to the depth of the problem of reconciling a scientific worldview with the insistent yearning for transcendence, and has done so in a way that is philosophically sophisticated without being pedantic, and deeply moving without being weighed down by the burdensome dross of sentimentality." "[Goldstein] has taken on some of the deepest philosophical questions of human existence and shaped them into a page-turner at once funny and heartbreaking and challenging ... A terrifically engaging novel." "Comic and supremely witty, 36 Arguments for the Existence of God is both a satire of the academic world and a feast of philosophical and religious ideas." "You do not have to perpetrate an act of faith to confront the question of why there is something rather than nothing. It is faith itself that consists of nothing. Rebecca Goldstein, on the other hand, is quite something." "Rollicking ... Irreverent and witty, Goldstein seamlessly weaves philosophy into this lively and colorful chronicle of intellectual and emotional struggles." "A high-energy caper in which religion, relativism, passion, and primitivism meet in the brainy collisions and collusions of a best-selling scholar, ex-lovers, rabbis, cosmologists, and one tiny math prodigy." "A hilarious novel that will add fuel to the debate that Richard Dawkins has made a million-pound industry. Rebecca Goldstein has penned a great story that will steal some of Dawkins' action ... An intellectual delight ..." "An ambitious novel about big ideas—love, sex, religion—that nevertheless faces these issues with irony and humor ... A big-hearted novel, filled with energy and an encouraging zest for life." 
Not the Impossible Faith: Why Christianity Didn't Need a Miracle to Succeed Book DescriptionNot the Impossible Faith is a tour de force, dissecting and refuting the oft-repeated claim that Christianity could not have succeeded in the ancient world unless it were true. Dr. Carrier surveys a whole range of topics regarding the origin of Christianity and its cultural context, demonstrating that its success has entirely natural explanations and nothing to do with whether its supernatural claims were true. Though framed as a detailed rebuttal to Christian apologist J.P. Holding (author of The Impossible Faith), Carrier takes a general approach, answering many questions on the history and sociology of the ancient world, making this a valuable work for understanding the religion and society of that time. Along the way, many questions are answered, such as: How did Christians approach evidence? Was there a widespread prejudice against the testimony of women? Was resurrection such a radical idea? Who would worship a crucified criminal? And much more. Even if you have no interest in the refutation of an already dubious Christian apologetic, you will find this book both fascinating and illuminating. Written with occasional humor and an easy style, thoroughly referenced, and with many entertaining "gotcha!" moments, Not the Impossible Faith is a must-read for anyone interested in the origins of Christianity. Extended ContentsIntroduction...9
1. Who Would Believe in a Crucified God?...17
2. Who Would Follow a Man from Galilee?...51
3. Was Resurrection Deemed Impossible?...85
4. Was the New Always Bad?...129 5. Who Would Join a Moral Order?...135
6. Who Would Join an Intolerant Cult?...147
7. Was Christianity Vulnerable to Disproof?...161
8. Who Would Want to be Persecuted? 219
9. Was a God Incarnate Always Repugnant? 247
10. Would Groupthinkers Never Switch Groups? 259
11. Did No One Trust Women? 297
12. Did No One Trust Illiterate Laymen? 323 13. Would the Facts Be Checked? 329
14. Who Would Follow an Ignorant Savior? 369 15. Who Would Follow an Executed Criminal? 373 16. Were Christian Teachings Too Radical? 375
17. Did Christians Encourage Critical Inquiry? 385
18. How Successful Was Christianity? 407
Extended Contents 449 Comment"This book is a fascinating look into early christian history and at the dishonest tactics Christian apologists use. Highly recommended!"
"As a former evangelical fundamentalist Christian I was humbled in reading this book. So many of the 'assumptions' I accepted from popular Christian apologists are based upon nothing more than shoddy historical research. I lost my faith in the bible as 'divinely inspired truth' due to things I learned in Cosmology. However, for a while I still didn't know what to do with Jesus and the resurrection. 'How did this belief system just pop out of nowhere?' It just so happens that Richard Carrier is a scholar in the field of history from this time and sees right through these arguments that once led me captive. I was impressed by his knowledge of the subtleties of thought and customs that would make certain arguments that seem strong by todays standards, completely worthless. But this is what happens when one has a proposition (like the historicity and resurrection of Jesus) that they want to prove and defend; they scour ancient sources, lifting convenient quotes, while ignoring details that would weaken their efforts. I recommend this book to anyone interested in really getting to know the truth about Christian origins. This book has only made me look forward with even greater anticipation toward his forth coming work: On the Historicity of Jesus Christ. "I was not expecting much from this book. In the introduction we learn that this book was the product of an internet debate with J.P. Holding. I typically do not expect much from internet debates, even when I'm one of the debaters. But I was pleasantly surprised. This book is a careful and scholarly consideration of the question of whether the historical truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is at all necessary to explain the growth and ultimate success of Christianity.
"Carrier takes his lead from points of Holding's argument by heading each chapter with a question raised (e.g., "Was Resurrection Deemed Impossible?" "Did No One Trust Women?"). In the course of responding to these questions we get an erudite examination of many lines of evidence of relevance. Carrier weighs in on the historical reliability of the Gospels, comparing them with the methods of critical historians of antiquity. He considers with considerable care the likely demographics of Christians in the first century. He reveals the prevalence of resurrection stories in ancient times, both within Judaism and within the wider Greco-Roman world ..."
DescriptionPicking up where Bible expert Bart Ehrman's New York Times bestseller Misquoting Jesus left off, Jesus, Interrupted addresses the larger issue of what the New Testament actually teaches--and it's not what most people think. Here Ehrman reveals what scholars have unearthed:
These are not idiosyncratic perspectives of just one modern scholar. As Ehrman skillfully demonstrates, they have been the standard and widespread views of critical scholars across a full spectrum of denominations and traditions. Why is it most people have never heard such things? This is the book that pastors, educators, and anyone interested in the Bible have been waiting for--a clear and compelling account of the central challenges we face when attempting to reconstruct the life and message of Jesus. Contents Preface ix
Comment"A MIND-BLOWING, Shocking work, grounded in solid scholarship." "Amazing... Bart Ehrman has created yet another 'can't put it down' book on the most influential subject of the western world--Jesus. Jesus, Interrupted pulls back the curtain on what you thought you knew about the bible and reveals a fresh, eye-opening perspective. 
Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America and Found Unexpected Peace DescriptionWilliam Lobdell's journey of faith—and doubt—may be the most compelling spiritual memoir of our time. Lobdell became a born-again Christian in his late 20s when personal problems--including a failed marriage--drove him to his knees in prayer. As a newly minted evangelical, Lobdell--a veteran journalist--noticed that religion wasn't covered well in the mainstream media, and he prayed for the Lord to put him on the religion beat at a major newspaper. In 1998, his prayers were answered when the Los Angeles Times asked him to write about faith. Yet what happened over the next eight years was a roller-coaster of inspiration, confusion, doubt, and soul-searching as his reporting and experiences slowly chipped away at his faith. While reporting on hundreds of stories, he witnessed a disturbing gap between the tenets of various religions and the behaviors of the faithful and their leaders. He investigated religious institutions that acted less ethically than corrupt Wall St. firms. He found few differences between the morals of Christians and atheists. As this evidence piled up, he started to fear that God didn't exist. He explored every doubt, every question--until, finally, his faith collapsed. After the paper agreed to reassign him, he wrote a personal essay in the summer of 2007 that became an international sensation for its honest exploration of doubt. Losing My Religion is a book about life's deepest questions that speaks to everyone: Lobdell understands the longings and satisfactions of the faithful, as well as the unrelenting power of doubt. How he faced that power, and wrestled with it, is must reading for people of faith and nonbelievers alike. ContentsChapter 1: "You Need God" Chapter 2: Born Again Chapter 3: A God Thing Chapter 4: Answered Prayers Chapter 5: Shot Out of a Cannon Chapter 6: My Ten Commandments Chapter 7: Father Hollywood Chapter 8: A Spiritual Body Blow Chapter 9: The Golden Rule Chapter 10: Millstones Around Their Necks Chapter 11: A Gentle Whisper Silenced Chapter 12: 'Rebuild My Church' Chapter 13: Heal Thyself Chapter 14: The Dark Night of the Soul Chapter 15: At the Edge of the Earth Chapter 16: Letting Go of God Chapter 17: One Story Too Many Chapter 18: "Welcome to the Edge" Epilogue Comment"Lobdell's spiritual journey fascinates, not least on account of the irony of his trajectory from agnosticism to belief to atheism while covering religion. It's a story that may raise eyebrows among believers and nonbelievers alike." "The book is a complex and compelling account of his loss of faith while he was delving deeply into religion in America as a journalist." If you're someone who only recently became an atheist, or someone who's only thinking about it, this is a book that could help you along the way. If you're religious, it can help you understand why some atheists choose the path that we do. "Lobdell’s 302-page hardcover--published by HarperCollins, and stemming from a front-page story he wrote for the Times--is a layered, nuanced autopsy into what killed his faith.
Like all seasoned journalists, he knows how to hook the reader.
"Lobdell is a gifted writer. Avoiding the disparaging polemics that often characterize the debate between nonbelievers and people of faith, he turns his own story into a fast-paced, engrossing tale, one that is sure to be popular with nonbelievers, but deserves to be read by Christians as well." 
Intolerance and the Gospel: Selected Texts from the New Testament Book DescriptionTolerance or intolerance? Which of the two is promoted by the New Testament? And why? Contemporary Christians usually suppose that Christianity is quite congenial to the democratic ideals that are the basis of free, open Western societies. Among these ideals is freedom of religion, which encourages a broad tolerance for different belief systems. Nonetheless, a careful examination of core Christian beliefs and the history of Christianity reveal little tolerance for thinking or acting outside the orthodox Christian tradition. In this enlightening analysis of key New Testament texts, historian of early Christianity Gerd Lüdemann discusses the inherently intolerant attitude that has characterized monotheistic belief systems generally and Christianity in particular. As Lüdemann points out, Christianity evolved within the context of the pluralistic Roman Empire, which generally allowed separate belief systems as long as political allegiance to the Roman state was never questioned. Ironically, Christians inherited their essential intolerance from Judaism, whose first commandment is the expression of a jealous God: "I am the Lord your God ... Thou shalt have no other gods before me." After Christianity became the state religion of Rome, tolerance disappeared and did not reappear on the world stage until the European Enlightenment of the 18th century. In addition to the discussion of these issues, Lüdemann presents a textual analysis in five chapters of some of the letters in the New Testament. In each case he translates the letter, presents textual commentary, and demonstrates how the text reflects Christian intolerance of heretics and nonbelievers. In conclusion, Lüdemann suggests that attempts to harmonize Christianity with the democratic ideal of tolerance cannot really work because there is a logical contradiction between monotheism and Christology, on the one hand, and the core values of a pluralistic society, on the other. Comment"Tolerance or intolerance? Which of the two is promoted by the New Testament? And why? Only a close reading of the early sources can answer these questions. And only an independent expert can do this job. Lüdemann's exegesis is impeccable, and the answer he comes up with is as straightforward as it is convincing: the representatives of the early church followed Jewish monotheists in their intolerance toward unbelievers and heretics. A fascinating book to read and to ponder." "This fascinating and probing book shows tolerance and intolerance delicately balanced between theological inquiry and historical investigation regarding the New Testament ... A solid and compelling piece of scholarship, the book often reads as an apologetic treatise, with Lüdemann engaging what he sees as an incongruousness between religious pluralism, which champions tolerance, and the biblical text, which is inherently intolerant ... Certain to fire up debate, this work is recommended for theological and academic libraries." "With his customary detailed scholarship, Gerd Lüdemann traces quite convincingly the history of intolerance from its emergence in the monotheism and attendant concept of the Chosen People in the Old Testament and Judaism, through the New Testament, especially the Johannine and Deutero-Pauline Epistles, down through Christianity and Islam, to its devastating consequences in the political situations of today." "Christian theology has long prided itself on a gospel of love, forgiveness, respect and tolerance. Gerd Lüdemann, with his usual skill at marshalling evidence and reading documents contextually, alerts us to the fact that the modern democratic concept of tolerance would have been completely foreign to the New Testament writers; that Christian monotheism and the emerging belief in the divinity of Jesus promoted exclusion and conflict rather than social harmony; and that the epistolary tradition of the early church shows a growing tendency toward intolerance and slandering of those unwilling to sign onto the new religion. A much needed and indispensable study." 
Paperback Apocalypse: How the Christian Church Was Left Behind DescriptionWill there be a Rapture? Will Jesus return from heaven? Who is the Antichrist? Will all these things happen? They won't, according to Robert M. Price. The great popularity of the Left Behind novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins attests to the strong appeal of apocalyptic beliefs in many conservative Christian communities. As biblical scholar Robert M. Price reveals in this history and critique of Christian end-time beliefs, LaHaye and Jenkins's famous novels are just the latest examples of a long tradition of popular fundamentalist eschatology. Price traces the origin and scriptural basis, which is sometimes astonishingly skimpy, for such beliefs as the Rapture, the Second Coming, the Antichrist, and Messianic prophecy. He emphasizes that the writers of the New Testament consistently set a first-century deadline for the return of Jesus Christ, and yet the stubborn fact that the Second Coming obviously did not occur has not deterred fundamentalist Christians from blindly predicting the event throughout the centuries up to the present day. Price then critiques the raft of previous apocalyptic novels before turning to the Left Behind series. He offers both literary and theological criticism, while explaining the psychological appeal of the books. Finally, he offers a parody chapter on the Left Behind series called "Tribulation Farce." With its approachable, engaging style, The Paperback Apocalypse makes complex scholarly research accessible to the interested lay reader. Seminarians, religion scholars, interested observers of the American religious scene, and even fans of the Left Behind series will learn much from Price's in-depth scholarship. ContentsIntroduction: The Beginning of Sorrows 9
Comment"There is no end in sight for the American obsession with the End Times. But Dr. Robert Price does put an end to many of the most absurd claims made by Christian writers who peddle their apocalyptic nightmares to unwary buyers.... Dr. Price threads his way expertly through both popular and scholarly media in order to explain the depth of the failure of biblical prophecy. With the scalpel of a trained biblical scholar, and the inside knowledge of a former fundamentalist preacher, Dr. Price is fully equipped to issue this relentless exposé of how the Left Behind series, among other Christian musings on the apocalypse, actually represent attempts to hide one of the greatest prophetic failures in history."
"Oh what fun it is to read Robert M. Price skewer modern apocalypticism in general and fundamentalist pretribulationism in particular, with his rapier-like wit and his daunting scholarship. Not content to point out the biblical errors and theological absurdities in the Left Behind series, Price takes us on a guided tour of the whole notion of the End-Times, from the first stirrings of biblical apocalyptic to its appropriation by 19th century fundamentalists who invented the idea of the Rapture. Along the way we get a perceptive and funny review of every significant novel in the apocalyptic genre. Price closes with his own, side-splitting contribution to the genre, a 'lost' final chapter of the Left Behind series, in which Rayford Steele and the rest of the Trib Force begin to suspect that the Millennium isn't all it's cracked up to be. A wonderful, enjoyable read."
Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists Book DescriptionAfter 19 years as an evangelical preacher, missionary, and Christian songwriter, Dan Barker "threw out the bathwater and discovered there is no baby there." Barker, who is now co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (America's largest organization of atheists and agnostics), describes the intellectual and psychological path he followed in moving from fundamentalism to freethought. The four sections in Godless--Rejecting God, Why I Am An Atheist, What's Wrong With Christianity, and Life is Good!--include chapters on bible problems, the historicity of Jesus, morality, the Kalam Cosmological argument, the unbelievable resurrection, and much more. Barker relates the positive benefits from trusting in reason and human kindness instead of living in fear of false judgment and moral condemnation. Godless expands the story told in Dan's 1992 book, Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist--the two books overlap about 20%--but a lot has happened in 16 years, and Dan updates the story with four new chapters, including "The New Call" (lessons from the debate circuit), "Adventures in Atheism," and "We Go To Washington" (FFRF's Supreme Court lawsuit, in which Dan was a plaintiff). ContentsForeword by Richard Dawkins
Comment"Valuable in the human story are the reflections of intelligent and ethical people who listen to the voice of reason and who allow it to vanquish bigotry and superstition. This book is a classic example." - Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything "The most eloquent witness of internal delusion that I know--a triumphantly smiling refugee from the zany, surreal world of American fundamentalist Protestantism--is Dan Barker." - Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion "In Godless, Barker recounts his journey from evangelical preacher to atheist activist, and along the way explains precisely why it is not only okay to be an atheist, it is something in which to be proud." - Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine "This book profoundly affected me. It's funny, and poignant,and most importantly, true! You must read this book." - Julia Sweeney comedian, actress, Saturday Night Live alum, author of Letting God of God "Dan Barker's esteemed reputation is richly deserved. I recommend getting three copies. You will need one as a source of evidence to which you will frequently refer. There sill be miles and miles of underlining as you mark the pages of special interest to you. You will need your second to lend to others. You will be enthusiastic about this book, and you will want to share its wisdom with family and friends. Others will likewise want to share it, and the book will never be returned to you. Finally, you will want a third copy to be in pristine condition on your bookshelf, since Dan Barker has created a volume which will only grow in its historical significance." - David Mills, author of Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism "Godless is a fascinating memoir and a handbook for debunking theism. But most of all, it is a moving testimonial to one man's emotional and intellectual rigor in acclaiming critical thinking." - Robert Sapolsky, author of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers "Godless was a revelation to me. I don't think anyone can match the (devastating!) clarity, intensity, and honesty which Dan Barker brings to the journey--faith to reason, childhood to growing up, fantasy to reality, intoxication to sobriety." - Oliver Sacks, author of Musicophilia |
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