Download or read book Beyond Atheism Beyond God written by Philip A. Stahl and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2013-08-19 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his new study, Beyond Atheism, Beyond God, author Philip A. Stahl uses atheism as a rational stepping stone to arrive at an emergent conception of the universe, exposing features that might be described as transcendent. He presents an impersonal approach to Being that is devoid of any specific religious overtones or affi liations. Each person becomes a quantum-based co-creator in his or her own right, according to physicist Henry Stapp. As such, we are able to thereby see ourselves and our humanity in a new light, as opposed to being merely reactive cogs in a vast mechanical-reductionist machine. Effectively, we emerge as much more than assemblies of molecules. This volume, the fourth and final entry in Stahls series on atheism, seeks to arrive at a transcendent concept of being that also surpasses absolutism and nave or dogmatic deity templates. It considers the development of a more realistic, cogent and effective ethics and morality less likely to be exploited by the power mongers or sacred source apologists, and it answers the question of whether God existsthough not in the way one would normally assume.
Download or read book Women Beyond Belief written by Karen L. Garst and published by Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA). This book was released on 2016-10-01 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Women have made great strides toward equal rights over the past hundred years, especially in the West. But when considering the ongoing fight over reproductive rights and equal pay—and the prevalence of sexual violence and domestic abuse—it is clear that a significant gap still exists. With scripture often cited as justification for the marginalization of women, it is time to acknowledge that one of the final barriers to full equality for women is religion. Much has been written about the great strides humankind has made in knocking down many long-held religious beliefs, whether related to the age of the earth or the origin of the species. But religion's negative impact on women has been less studied and discussed. This book is a step toward changing that. Twenty-two women from a variety of backgrounds and Judeo-Christian traditions share their personal stories about how they came to abandon organized religion, and how they discovered life after moving away from religious and supernatural beliefs. Their words serve both as a celebration of all who have taken similar steps under the weight of thousands of years of religious history—and as a source of inspiration for those individuals, especially women, who have deep doubts about their own belief traditions but who don't yet know how to embrace life without falling back on religion.
Download or read book Beyond God written by Emmanuel Papadakis and published by Iff Books. This book was released on 2013-07-26 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beyond God is the product of a scientist’s decade-long journey through Eastern and Western philosophy and religion inspired by the dramatic changes in modern science. Beginning from the perspective of secular Western atheism and believing the world is largely as we see it, the author considers the nature of reality more deeply: what science really tells us, what that means for religion and philosophy, and what that implies for how we choose to live. The result is an exploration of the key ideas in religion and philosophy that are compatible with recent scientific developments, which form the basis for a synthesis of Eastern and Western thought on the path to happiness. Beyond God considers the purpose of existence, what science really means for our view of the ‘meaning of life’, and how we should live it. ,
Download or read book Beyond Atheism written by and published by Atheist Spirituality. This book was released on 2019-02-09 with total page 648 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beliefs are the easy part; the rubber hits the road with practices. In Beyond Atheism, psychologist Edward Chandler invites hard-core atheists, agnostics, spiritual atheists, secular humanists, and anyone else seeking spirituality without delusions to explore and develop such practices.
Download or read book Finding God Beyond Religion written by Tom Stella and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2013 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do you describe yourself as spiritual but not religious? Whether young or old, church connected or not, are you spiritually restless for an authentic faith life but do not find conventional religious teachings pertinent to you? This accessible guide to a meaningful spiritual life is a salve for your soul. It reinterprets traditional religious teachings central to the Christian faith - God, Jesus, faith, prayer, morality and more - in ways that connect with people who have outgrown the beliefs and devotional practices that once made sense to them.
Download or read book Beyond God written by Peter Klein and published by . This book was released on 2018-02-28 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religious beliefs and institutions continue to be the cause of many problems around the world. Over the last 100,00+ years humankind has gone through three different phases in trying to understand and explain how things came to be: The Magical, The Religious and now The Scientific. Is it now time to dispense with mythology and superstitions as a way to live our lives and fully embrace the scientific method? This book incisively scrutinises religions, refuting their claims by assessing the evidence from cosmology, evolutionary biology, theology, philosophy, morality and the scientific method. The analysis is sprinkled throughout with humour and quotes to keep the reader engaged from start to finish.
Download or read book Outgrowing God written by Richard Dawkins and published by Random House. This book was released on 2019-10-08 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Should we believe in God? In this brisk introduction to modern atheism, one of the world’s greatest science writers tells us why we shouldn’t. Richard Dawkins was fifteen when he stopped believing in God. Deeply impressed by the beauty and complexity of living things, he’d felt certain they must have had a designer. Learning about evolution changed his mind. Now one of the world’s best and bestselling science communicators, Dawkins has given readers, young and old, the same opportunity to rethink the big questions. In twelve fiercely funny, mind-expanding chapters, Dawkins explains how the natural world arose without a designer—the improbability and beauty of the “bottom-up programming” that engineers an embryo or a flock of starlings—and challenges head-on some of the most basic assumptions made by the world’s religions: Do you believe in God? Which one? Is the Bible a “Good Book”? Is adhering to a religion necessary, or even likely, to make people good to one another? Dissecting everything from Abraham’s abuse of Isaac to the construction of a snowflake, Outgrowing God is a concise, provocative guide to thinking for yourself. Praise for Outgrowing God “My son came home from his first day in the sixth grade with arms outstretched plaintively demanding to know: ‘Have you ever heard of Jesus?’ We burst out laughing. Maybe not our finest parenting moment, given that he was genuinely distraught. He felt that he had woken up one day to a world in which his peers were expressing beliefs he found frighteningly unreasonable. He began devouring books like The God Delusion, books that helped him formulate his own arguments and helped him stand his ground. Dawkins’s new book is special in the terrain of atheists’ pleas for humanism and rationalism precisely since it speaks to those most vulnerable to the coercive tactics of religion. As Dawkins himself says in the dedication, this book is for ‘all young people when they’re old enough to decide for themselves.’ It is also, I must add, for their parents.”—Janna Levin, author of Black Hole Blues “When someone is considering atheism I tell them to read the Bible first and then Dawkins. Outgrowing God—second only to the Bible!”—Penn Jillette, author of God, No!
Download or read book Beyond God talk written by Eric Greg Boehlke and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Beyond the Control of God written by Paul Gould and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2014-03-27 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The question of God's relationship to abstract objects touches on a number of perennial concerns related to the nature of God. God is typically thought to be an independent and self-sufficient being. Further, God is typically thought to be supremely sovereign such that all reality distinct from God is dependent on God's creative and sustaining activity. However, the view that there are abstract objects seems to be a repudiation of this traditional understanding of God. Abstract objects are typically thought to exist necessarily and it is natural to think that if something exists necessarily, it does so because it is its nature to exist. Thus, abstract objects exist independently of God. Philosophers have called this the problem of God and abstract objects. In this book, six contemporary solutions to the problem are set out and defended against objections. It will be valuable for all students or scholars who are interested in the concept and nature of God.
Download or read book The God Beyond Belief written by Nick Trakakis and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-11-03 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study of Professor William Rowe’s defense of atheism on the basis of evil assesses the literature that has developed in response to Rowe’s work, closely examining two strategies: mystery – the idea that God may have reasons beyond our comprehension for permitting evil; and theodicy - explanations as to why God allows evil to flourish. The book unearths difficulties in both, concluding that the God of theism must be "beyond belief."
Download or read book Outgrowing God written by Alan Jeskin and published by Createspace Independent Pub. This book was released on 2010-03-14 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Alan Jeskin's thought-provoking book, Outgrowing God: Moving Beyond Religion, readers are introduced to a meticulously developed argument against traditional religion, and offered an inspiring pitch for using reason and compassion as primary guides for contemporary living. Unlike anti-religious narratives that read more like diatribes, the author uses the personal story of his own transformation from devout Christian to unabashed non-believer to make his case with reason and humor that reflects respect for all but the most fundamentalist believers. Jeskin advances the position that ancient holy books like the Bible and Koran are not valid sources of information about the natural world or appropriate references for modern morality. He critically probes the role of religion throughout the ages and challenges its utility in today's society. Finally, Jeskin makes a compelling case for moving beyond religion in order to improve public discourse in the service of humanity.
Download or read book A God Beyond Belief written by Lance Moore and published by John Hunt Publishing. This book was released on 2019-12-14 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Something Has Gone Terribly Wrong… We face a spiritual crisis, but the extremes of religious fundamentalism on one hand, and scientific atheism on the other, offer no cure. Scepticism is soaring, especially among Millennials. Daily, we read of scandals among our politicians, priests and Hollywood stars. Mass shootings are epidemic, yet entertainment media glorifies violence. Drugs, not “religion” as Karl Marx claimed, are now the “opiate of the masses". “Christian” TV preachers use donations to purchase private jets and mansions - while children starve. The White House has claimed that “Truth is not the truth.” Our leaders and institutions have lost all moral authority. A common religious response to crisis is to thump the Bible harder and louder. This book challenges us to go beyond a simple, childish belief. Dr Lance Moore offers an intelligent faith rooted in a respect for Scripture, while taking a fresh look at calcified orthodoxies. He invites readers to embrace paradox - in Spirituality and in Science - to rediscover God for our Quantum Age.
Download or read book Religion for Atheists written by Alain De Botton and published by Signal. This book was released on 2012-03-06 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of The Architecture of Happiness, a deeply moving meditation on how we can still benefit, without believing, from the wisdom, the beauty, and the consolatory power that religion has to offer. Alain de Botton was brought up in a committedly atheistic household, and though he was powerfully swayed by his parents' views, he underwent, in his mid-twenties, a crisis of faithlessness. His feelings of doubt about atheism had their origins in listening to Bach's cantatas, were further developed in the presence of certain Bellini Madonnas, and became overwhelming with an introduction to Zen architecture. However, it was not until his father's death -- buried under a Hebrew headstone in a Jewish cemetery because he had intriguingly omitted to make more secular arrangements -- that Alain began to face the full degree of his ambivalence regarding the views of religion that he had dutifully accepted. Why are we presented with the curious choice between either committing to peculiar concepts about immaterial deities or letting go entirely of a host of consoling, subtle and effective rituals and practices for which there is no equivalent in secular society? Why do we bristle at the mention of the word "morality"? Flee from the idea that art should be uplifting, or have an ethical purpose? Why don't we build temples? What mechanisms do we have for expressing gratitude? The challenge that de Botton addresses in his book: how to separate ideas and practices from the religious institutions that have laid claim to them. In Religion for Atheists is an argument to free our soul-related needs from the particular influence of religions, even if it is, paradoxically, the study of religion that will allow us to rediscover and rearticulate those needs.
Download or read book Difficult Atheism written by Christopher Watkin and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2013-03-31 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing primarily on the work of Alain Badiou and Jean-Luc Nancy, plus Quentin Meillassoux and Slavoj Zizek, Watkin explores the theme of atheism through the ideas of the death of God and nihilism in contemporary French philosophy.
Download or read book The New Atheism written by Victor J. Stenger and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2009-12-04 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years a number of bestselling books have forcefully argued that belief in God can no longer be defended on rational or empirical grounds, and that the scientific worldview has rendered obsolete the traditional beliefs held by Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The authors of these books—Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Victor J. Stenger—have come to be known as the "New Atheists." Predictably, their works have been controversial and attracted a good deal of critical reaction. In this new book, Victor J. Stenger, whose God: The Failed Hypothesis was on the New York Times bestseller list in 2007, reviews and expands upon the principles of New Atheism and answers many of its critics. He demonstrates in detail that naturalism—the view that all of reality is reducible to matter and nothing else—is sufficient to explain everything we observe in the universe, from the most distant galaxies to the inner workings of the brain that result in the phenomenon of mind. Stenger disputes the claim of many critics that the question of whether God exists is beyond the ken of science. On the contrary, he argues that absence of evidence for God is, indeed, evidence of absence when the evidence should be there and is not. Turning from scientific to historical evidence, Stenger then points out the many examples of evil perpetrated in the name of religion. He also notes that the Bible, which is still taken to be divine revelation by millions, fails as a basis for morality and is unable to account for the problem of unnecessary suffering throughout the world. Finally, he discusses the teachings of ancient nontheist sages such as Buddha, Lao Tzu, and Confucius, whose guidelines for coping with the problems of life and death did not depend upon a supernatural metaphysics. Stenger argues that this "way of nature" is far superior to the traditional supernatural monotheisms, which history shows can lead to a host of evils. The New Atheism is a well-argued defense of the atheist position and a strong rebuttal of its critics.
Download or read book Atheists written by Nick Spencer and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-05-08 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The clash between atheism and religion has become the defining battle of the 21st century. Books on and about atheism retain high profile and popularity, and atheist movements on both sides of the Atlantic capture headlines with high-profile campaigns and adverts. However, very little has been written on the history of atheism, and this book fills that conspicuous gap. Instead of treating atheism just as a philosophical or scientific idea about the non-existence of God, Atheists: The Origin of the Species places the movement in its proper social and political context. Because atheism in Europe developed in reaction to the Christianity that dominated the continent's intellectual, social and political life, it adopted, adapted and reacted against its institutions as well as its ideas. Accordingly, the history of atheism is as much about social and political movements as it is scientific or philosophical ideas. This is the story not only of Hobbes, Hume, and Darwin, but also of Thomas Aitkenhead hung for blasphemous atheism, Percy Shelley expelled for adolescent atheism, and the Marquis de Sade imprisoned for libertine atheism; of the French revolutionary Terror and the Soviet League of the Militant Godless; of the rise of the US Religious Right and of Islamic terrorism. Looking at atheism in its full sociopolitical context helps explain why it has looked so very different in different countries. It also explains why there has been a recent upsurge in atheism, particularly in Britain and the US, where religion has unexpectedly come to play such a significant role in political affairs. This leads us to a somewhat paradoxical conclusion: we should expect to hear more about atheism in the future for the simple reason that God is back.
Download or read book Finding God Beyond Religion written by Tom Stella and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Take Your Understanding of Church Teachings from Limiting to Life-Giving—& Free Your Faith to Flourish "No longer sustained by easy answers, we may find ourselves standing before a three-pronged fork in the road: we can wander in the direction of conventional beliefs and practices, we can reject God and turn away from religion altogether, or we can embrace our uncertainty as an invitation to a more vital understanding of both God and religion." —from the Introduction Do you describe yourself as "spiritual but not religious"? Whether young or old, church connected or not, are you spiritually restless for an authentic faith life but do not find conventional religious teachings pertinent to you? This accessible guide to a meaningful spiritual life is a salve for your soul. It reinterprets traditional religious teachings central to the Christian faith—God, Jesus, faith, prayer, morality and more—in ways that connect with people who have outgrown the beliefs and devotional practices that once made sense to them. It helps you find new ways to understand and relate to traditional, narrowly defined Christian “truths” that honor their full spiritual power and scope, and opens your mind and heart to the full impact of Christian teachings.
