Showing titles in Agnosticism

Should we believe in God? Do we need God in order to explain the existence of the universe? Do we need God in order to be good? In 12 chapters that address some of the most profound questions human beings confront, Dawkins marshals science, philosophy and comparative religion to interrogate the hypocrisies of all the religious systems and explain to listeners of all ages how life emerged without a Creator, how evolution works and how our world came into being.

"Forty-four percent of the American population is convinced that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead sometime in the next 50 years," writes Sam Harris. "Imagine the consequences if any significant component of the U.S. government actually believed that the world was about to end and that its ending would be glorious. The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes this...should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency."

Christopher Hitchens continues to make the case for a splendidly godless universe in this first-ever gathering of the influential voices past and present that have shaped his side of the current (and raging) God/no-god debate. With Hitchens as your erudite and witty guide, you'll be led through a wealth of philosophy, literature, and scientific inquiry, including generous portions of the words of Lucretius, Benedict de Spinoza, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Mark Twain, and more.

For the millions of people who want spirituality without religion, Sam Harris’s new book is a guide to meditation as a rational spiritual practice informed by neuroscience and psychology. From bestselling author, neuroscientist, and “new atheist” Sam Harris, Waking Up is for the increasingly large numbers of people who follow no religion, but who suspect that Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Rumi, and the other saints and sages of history could not have all been epileptics, schizophrenics, or frauds.

From the perspective of an unbeliever, Fear and Trembling explores the paradox of faith, the nature of Christianity, and the complexity of human emotion. Kierkegaard examines the biblical story of Abraham, who was instructed to sacrifice his son Isaac, and forces us to consider Abraham's state of mind. What drove Abraham, and what made him carry out such an absurd and extreme request from God? Kierkegaard argues that Abraham's agreement to sacrifice Isaac, and his suspension of reason, elevated him to the highest level of faith. 

In this first book of his Ten Tough Problems series, David Madison shares three critical problems in Christian belief. Problem One: God is invisible and silent. This fact forces humanity to rely on ineffective ways of knowing God — common knowledge, sacred books, visions, prayer, personal feelings, and theologians. But all these sources of God knowledge fall short as evidenced by a world of disagreement, not just between Christians and other religions, but within Christianity itself.

 Atheist? Believer? Uncertain? No matter: The Portable Atheist will engage you every step of the way. From the number one New York Times best-selling author of God Is Not Great, comes this provocative and entertaining guided tour of atheist and agnostic thought through the ages with original pieces by Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Not believing, but only experiencing, says Osho in this inspiring series of talks, is a way of finding truth and meaning. While Nietzsche's declaration that "God is dead, therefore man is free" was an incredible step in understanding, he argues, it is in itself a negative solution and does not bring freedom. Simply removing God is not enough. Osho is no atheist by far and not in favor of any "anti-believe" system either. "It is meditation that fulfills your inner being and takes away the vacuum that used to be filled by a great lie, God."

Each of this book's four chapters covers one of the most important questions a person must ask themselves: What is the purpose of my life? How can I best realize the purpose of my life? Who do I want to be? How do I want other people to think of me? Rather than give you answers to these questions, this guide provides a framework that helps you develop your own answers while equipping you with the neuroscientific tools necessary to transform yourself into whomever you choose to be.

Humanity consists of coevolving software (our religion and culture), firmware (our hardcoded proclivities, such as language acquisition), and hardware (our brains). Ripping out a third of the equation has led to innumerous unintended—and typically negative—consequences. This book offers a guide to rebuilding or fortifying this increasingly neglected aspect of the human condition.

Regarding your life and your brief existence on Earth, is that all there is? If you have ever felt that there is more here than an exclusively physical reality, you may be surprised to discover that scientific data from astronomy, quantum physics, biology, neuropsychology and cosmology actually confirms your intuition. With unusual clarity and humor, Dr. Shawn Adair Johnston reveals the utter failure of current science, based on an exclusively physical model of the universe, to account for the origin of the cosmos, human DNA, consciousness, free will or criminal behavior.

Incorporating his own thoughts along with those of noted academics, philosophers, and theologians, Loftus is able to properly define "miracle" and then show why there's no reason to believe such a thing even exists. 

Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus is the founding stone of Western esotericism. Hermes is regarded as being the author of numerous philosophical and spiritual texts, including the Divine Pymander. Even though the historical existence of Hermes is not clear, he has been regarded as the master of wisdom and the initiator of the divine knowledge for centuries. The Divine Pymander is one of the ancient texts attributed to Hermes. The Divine Pymander explains a cosmology and philosophy which blends Egyptian, Greek, and Jewish mystical traditions.

A six-month debate at work with a religious fundamentalist led to years of research and contemplation resulting in the author's journey towards Atheism. The three great monotheisms are picked apart, exposing their shortfalls via their own texts, world history, philosophy, and thought-provoking hypotheticals. If your brilliant logical brain is ready to be freed, you have come to the right place. This book will help you quell the doubt and fear associated with leaving the credulous herd. 

Do we have free will? And if we don’t, why do we feel as if we do? In a godless universe governed by impersonal laws of cause and effect, are you responsible for your actions? Former evangelical minister Dan Barker and author of God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction unveils a novel solution to the question that has baffled scientists and philosophers for millennia.

This personal story about a spiritual journey away from Christianity is an honest examination of what we can know about God. Popular religious beliefs and practices are challenged, with potential new information for those who may be questioning their faith. After formal academic study of religion, Baptist minister David Ramsey became agnostic and left the ministry altogether. In this book, he shares how his search for truth led to personal doubts about the foundation of Christianity, the resurrection of Jesus, and eventually the very existence of God.

This book may allow some people to overcome their fear of the vengeful, cruel God they were taught to believe in as children. It may allow more people to speak out when they hear religious leaders use their God to incite people to harm others. It may even allow more of us to admit, "I could be wrong."

With every argument for theism long since discredited, the result is that atheism has become little more than the noises reasonable people make in the presence of unjustified religious beliefs. Thus, engaging in interminable debate with religious believers about the existence of god has become exactly the wrong way for nonbelievers to try to deal with misguided - and often dangerous - belief in a higher power. The key, author James Lindsay argues, is to stop that particular conversation.

In this essay, Ingersoll describes his religious education and the process of his arrival at the belief that agnosticism is the most reasonable world view.

Atheists talk a lot about the importance of skepticism. But the truth is, they're not nearly skeptical enough. While atheists champion the importance of a critical stance toward religion, they often fail to take that same stance toward their own beliefs.