Happy Atheist Forum

Have any of you read any books about things like atheism, religion, morality, philosophy, etc. that you would recommend? I'm kind of bored and I feel like pushing that American stereotype a bit.

Combine religion and conspiracy theory (That's what I like to do ) and you get among others Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. A very interesting book. I recommend it if you haven't read it already.

Quote from: "Asmodean"Combine religion and conspiracy theory (That's what I like to do ) and you get among others Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. A very interesting book. I recommend it if you haven't read it already.

I've read that one. It is very good! It's funny though, I read that when I was a Christian and I liked it then nearly as much as I do now. (though I also read the Da Vinci Code and nearly threw it across the room, go figure)

The little book of atheist spirituality is a pretty good book.  Pretty much what I do is go to a bookstore and head to the philosophy section.  Just sort of browse until something catches your eye.

Quote from: "susangail"Have any of you read any books about things like atheism, religion, morality, philosophy, etc. that you would recommend? I'm kind of bored and I feel like pushing that American stereotype a bit.

Well this isn't a book about atheism,but it is about how silly religion can make some people. Witches: History of a Persecution By Nigel Cawthorne.It's a great book has alot of art from the time,trial transcripts and such.Or Cassell Dictionary of Superstitions is great.Full of older and newer superstitions.I mostly stick to true crime.(Morbid/History)

Quote from: "Salladin"The little book of atheist spirituality is a pretty good book.  Pretty much what I do is go to a bookstore and head to the philosophy section.  Just sort of browse until something catches your eye.

Oh I do that sometimes! It's so fun!

Quote from: "afreethinker30"Well this isn't a book about atheism,but it is about how silly religion can make some people. Witches: History of a Persecution By Nigel Cawthorne.It's a great book has alot of art from the time,trial transcripts and such.Or Cassell Dictionary of Superstitions is great.Full of older and newer superstitions.I mostly stick to true crime.(Morbid/History)

Thank you, that sounds really interesting.

Why People Believe Weird Things, Michael Shermer and SJ Gould

Demon Haunted World Carl Sagan

Flim Flam, James Randi (may be out of print)

I'll have to check out the rest of my Skeptic Library. Got tons of good ones, I'm just away from home right now.

Quote from: "McQ"Demon Haunted World Carl Sagan

I'm reading that one right now along with The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence. Next up is Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. I've always been a tremendous Sagan fan, but never read much outside Cosmos (which I'm hoping they release on Bluray soon).  lol

I recently ordered "Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism" by David Mills. I haven't received it in the mail yet but i did read some of it on Amazon.com

Check it out http://www.amazon.com/Atheist-Universe- ... N8WXQ4P7BJ (http://www.amazon.com/Atheist-Universe-Thinking-Christian-Fundamentalism/dp/1569755671/ref=pd_ybh_2?pf_rd_p=280800601&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1501&pf_rd_i=ybh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1MV7ZSG4V9N8WXQ4P7BJ)

Sweet, I was looking for a thread like this.
(not trying to shill for amazon but they tend to have customer reviews that can be interesting  :hide:
Its a historical look at the incarnations of an afterlife and the versions of hell that followed.  I remember it starting in Ancient Egyptian religions and working its way forward.  It not something that seemed to me to set out to bash religion, so it should be a fairly good read for our friends who still carry the faith around here.

Quote from: "McQ"Demon Haunted World Carl Sagan

My favorite chapter of Demon Haunted World is regarding the persecution of witches. It's brilliant. I think Carl goes a little overboard with debunking alien myths, but other than that it's a pretty good read. Made me rekindle my interest in science.

I also enjoy Great Freethinkers. It's a quote-book that covers a spectrum of issues from all kinds of skeptics. I sort of use it as a reference.

I don't know if this really fits in here, but I've been reading The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire, by Matt Taibbi. It takes on religion, politics, and weird conspiracies in America today. It's been quite good and is a really fast read. Taibbi's an atheist, so that makes me appreciate it all the more.

Quote from: "myleviathan"I think Carl goes a little overboard with debunking alien myths, but other than that it's a pretty good read.

Yeah - although, as much as anyone else, I think he was a product of his times.  Consider how not very long ago "Project Blue Book" and all the other UFO mythology was a hot topic (crop circles, ancient astronauts, and all that jazz).  I think if I was a professional scientist, specifically studying planets (including the possibility of life on them), all this "aliens are visiting the earth" crap would annoy the hell out of me.  Just think - how many times did he have to field questions about UFOs and alien abductions from the public?

Anyway, if you guys liked Demon Haunted World like I did, you should consider The Varieties of Scientific Experience, published by Ann Druyan after Sagan's death.  In particular, the transcripts of the Q&A sessions at the end of the book are terrific - its wonderful to watch how Carl Sagan oh-so-reasonably responds to questions (which run the gamut from interesting to absurd).

Michael Shermer's book I loved.Bart D. Ehrman - The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot was a great look into Judas his life in the bible and how some believed Judas to be the only person to really understand Jesus and his life.Richard Dawkins-God Delusion another great book.Sam Harris-Letter to a Christian Nation I think is a great way to show someone how messed up religion can make some.Sam Harris-The End of Faith.I'm thinking about ordering Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity  John W. Loftus.

QuoteFor about two decades John W. Loftus was a devout evangelical Christian, an ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and an ardent apologist for Christianity. With three degrees--in philosophy, theology, and philosophy of religion--he was adept at using rational argumentation to defend the faith. But over the years, as he ministered to various congregations and taught at Christian colleges, doubts about the credibility of key Christian tenets began to creep into his thinking. By the late 1990s he experienced a full-blown crisis of faith, brought on by emotional upheavals in his personal life as well as the gathering weight of the doubts he had long entertained.

In this honest appraisal of his journey from believer to atheist, Loftus carefully explains the experiences and the reasoning process that led him to reject religious belief. The bulk of the book is his "cumulative case" against Christianity. Here he lays out the philosophical, scientific, and historical reasons that can be raised against Christian belief. From the implications of religious diversity, the authority of faith vs. reason, and the problem of evil, to the contradictions between the Bible and the scientific worldview, the conflicts between traditional dogma and historical evidence, and much more, Loftus covers a great deal of intellectual terrain. For every issue he succinctly summarizes the various points of view and provides references for further reading. In conclusion, he describes the implications of life without belief in God, some liberating, some sobering.


This frank critique of Christian belief from a former insider will interest freethinkers as well as anyone with doubts about the claims of religion.

This looks like good entertainment.Going to pick this up next week.

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
Make no mistake: A.J. Jacobs is not a religious man. He describes himself as Jewish "in the same way the Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant." Yet his latest work, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, is an insightful and hilarious journey for readers of all faiths. Though no fatted calves were harmed in the making of this book, Jacobs chronicles 12 months living a remarkably strict Biblical life full of charity, chastity, and facial hair as impressive as anything found in The Lord of the Rings. Through it all, he manages to brilliantly keep things light, while avoiding the sinful eye of judgment. --Dave Callanan
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0743291476/103-5105994-7496631?SubscriptionId=0PZ7TM66EXQCXFVTMTR2

Just remembered this one.

The Last Day by Glenn Kleier

Would the first cloned human being not have a soul? Would s/he be the next coming of Christ, or the anti-Christ?

Synopsis (not a spoiler): [spoiler:ogtotoos]Just in time for the millennium, Glenn Kleier mixes bioengineering and religion, miracles and modern warfare, politics and physics to produce a gripping tale set in the Middle East at the dawn of the 21st century. When a mysterious explosion destroys a top-secret laboratory in the Negev desert on Christmas Day 1999, Jonathan Feldman, a reporter, isn't satisfied with the official explanation. Neither is the Vatican, nor an American fundamentalist preacher, nor the patriarch of the Jehovah's Witnesses, all of whom believe that Armageddon may truly be at hand. After a New Year's Eve earthquake strikes the temple at the Well of David and a mysterious figure appears in the ruins, strange things begin to happen. Reports of miracles filter in from throughout the region, and the legend of Jeza takes on a life of its own. When the young miracle worker chooses Jonathan to connect her to the world and broadcast her warning of the cataclysm to come, the world's religious leaders are plunged into conflict. Seeking to discredit her, they spread the secret of her high-tech, bioengineered birth. But their actions backfire; Jeza's influence grows. Holy wars break out in the Middle East and chaos erupts all over the world. As Easter 2000 approaches, the political situation grows even more tense: Will there be another crucifixion, another resurrection? Kleier handles this complicated plot with ease, and fans of futuristic thrillers won't be disappointed. --Jane Adams[/spoiler:ogtotoos]

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi9.ebayimg.com%2F03%2Fc%2F00%2Fc0%2F72%2F44_8.JPG&hash=9e8b27d81a647212630fdd9c02a137557a3eaa88)

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Day-Glenn-Kl ... 0446605980 (http://www.amazon.com/Last-Day-Glenn-Kleier/dp/0446605980)