Download or read book The False Dialectic Between Christians and Atheists written by Tom Donovan and published by Algora Publishing. This book was released on 2016 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Could it be that atheism and belief in God are both forms of avoidance behavior? It's easier to focus on belief than it is to take up a new practice of living. Perhaps both are ideological distractions that mystify the nature of reality and what knowledge is. What if we admit that we are neither believers nor atheists: Does that mean we're nothing?Philosophy aims to help us understand the world without appealing to something beyond. It's considered to be rooted in the search for eternal truths, and when the truth is unclear, philosophy is expected to embrace modesty and have a willingness to say I don't know. Rejecting the false dialectic of God/atheism will help us recognize that the world is our construction and our responsibility so long as we are here.Drawing on Georg Luk�cs and Max Horkheimer, the author argues that belief in God and atheism are both ideological distractions. They are both forms of immaturity that can only be transcended through action. The real good news is that we can do away with belief in the supernatural, but it will take more than non-belief; it will take philosophical action.He takes us on a journey through our philosophical practices to purge ourselves of mystified notions. The journey is long, but at least the path is strewn with the charm of Socrates, Descartes, Marx, and Sartre.In short, Prof. Donovan says, Nothing exists but this world, our world... Nothing is beyond God and atheism. Why not become nothing? Make yourself and those who matter proud.
Download or read book Atheism And The Case Against Christ written by Matthew S. Mccormick and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2012-09-25 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hundreds of millions of people believe that Jesus came back from the dead. This cogent, forcefully argued book presents a decidedly unpopular view —namely, that the central tenet of Christianity, the resurrection of Jesus, is false. The author asks a number of probing questions: Is the evidence about Jesus as it has been relayed to us over the centuries of sufficient quantity and quality to justify belief in the resurrection? How can we accept the resurrection but reject magic at the Salem witch trials? What light does contemporary research about human rationality from the fields of behavioral economics, empirical psychology, cognitive science, and philosophy shed on the resurrection and religious belief? Can we use contemporary research about the reliability of people’s beliefs in the supernatural, miracles, and the paranormal to shed light on the origins of Christianity and other religions? Does it make sense that the all-powerful creator of the universe would employ miracles to achieve his ends? Can a Christian believe by faith alone and yet reasonably deny the supernatural claims of other religions? Do the arguments against Christianity support atheism? By carefully answering each of these questions, this book undermines Christianity and theism at their foundations; it gives us a powerful model for better critical reasoning; and it builds a compelling case for atheism. Without stooping to condescension or arrogance, the author offers persuasive arguments that are accessible, thoughtful, and new.
Download or read book God written by William Lane Craig and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2003-09-18 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The question of whether or not God exists is profoundly fascinating and important. Now two articulate spokesmen--one a Christian, the other an atheist--duel over God's existence in an illuminating battle of ideas. In God? A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist, William Lane Craig and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong bring to the printed page two debates they held before live audiences, preserving all the wit, clarity, and immediacy of their public exchanges. Avoiding overly esoteric arguments, they directly address issues such as religious experience, the Bible, evil, eternity, the origin of the universe, design, and the supposed connection between morality and the existence of God. Employing sharp and humorous arguments, each philosopher strikes quickly to the heart of his opponent's case. For example, Craig claims that we must believe in God in order to explain objective moral values, such as why rape is wrong. Sinnott-Armstrong responds that what makes rape wrong is the harm to victims of rape, so rape is immoral even if there is no God. By assuming a traditional concept of God in their discussion, the authors ensure that they are truly addressing each other's viewpoints and engaging in a disagreement over a unified issue. The book is composed of six chapters that alternate between Craig and Sinnott-Armstrong, so that each separate point can be discussed as it arises. Ideal for courses in the philosophy of religion and introduction to philosophy, this lively and direct dialogue will stimulate students and anyone interested in the existence of God, regardless of whether or not they believe in God.
Download or read book Atheism Answered written by Daniel Horace Fernald and published by Xulon Press. This book was released on 2008-10 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2006, Sam Harris made quite a stir with his best-selling book, Letter to a Christian Nation. In that book, he identified the Christian faith as the source of a host of evils, from Sub-Saharan AIDS to the imminent threat of a theocratically directed nuclear Holocaust. Dr. Daniel Horace Fernald first highlights the numerous gaping holes in Harris presentation, and then proceeds to challenge the very basis of Harris thesis: that Christian faith is by its very nature opposed to reason, science, and civil discourse. Fernald dispels this twisted caricature of Christians and their faith by demonstrating that it is actually the atheist worldview that is irrational, and that rationality itself is impossible without the God described in the Old and New Testaments. Using an approach adapted from presuppositional Christian apologetics, Fernald defends the faith and takes the battle to Harris, by showing the intellectual and moral emptiness of atheism. Dr. Daniel Horace Fernald is an accidental Christian conservative. He was born in New York City, studied French literature at the Sorbonne (University of Paris IV), and concluded his professional training by earning a Ph.D. in Philosophy at Atlantas Emory University. From these inauspicious beginnings, he found his way to Christ through an odd and circuitous path. A former tenured University professor and refugee from the academic asylum, he is the author of over 20 scholarly works. As a Paris-educated New Yorker, and adult convert to Christianity, he has survived numerous grillings by wary church elders, but is none the worse for wear. Dr. Fernald currently serves as Executive Director of The Christian Lyceum, an independent charitable apologetic, education, and hospitality ministry.
Download or read book Faith and Unbelief written by Stephen Bullivant and published by Canterbury Press. This book was released on 2013-09-16 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers a rounded understanding of the development of atheism, its many faces, and the places were Christian faith modern-day unbelief interact. It asks: Can a rational person still believe in God? What does the rise in atheism in Christian countries say about the church? How can Christians present the gospel in a world of unbelief?
Download or read book Letter to an Atheist written by Michael Patrick Leahy and published by Harpeth River Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this hard hitting and intellectually powerful response to Sam Harris' Letter to a Christian Nation, Michael Patrick Leahy exposes the intellectual dishonesty behind Mr. Harris' brand of Christian bashing atheistic evangelism. Leahy points out in devastating detail the numerous factual misrepresentations in Mr. Harris' book (for instance, debunking Mr. Harris' outrageous claim that 50% of all Americans believe the universe is only 6,000 years old--the facts show the number is 18% at most), and dismantles the simplistic solutions proposed by Mr. Harris. Stop violence by ending all faith ? Easier to try to stop the ocean tides. Limit the rights of Christians to participate in the political process ? In the name of justice then, Harris would oppress Christians, creating a world wide second class of citizens. Follow the model of fascists in Europe in dealing with the threat of Islamic fundamentalism ? Even fellow atheist Christopher Hitchens calls such a solution repugnant. Seekers of the truth from all faiths should run, not walk, to their keyboard or local book store and purchase Michael Patrick Leahy's Letter to an Atheist. Reviews Finally, a strong Christian voice addresses the intellectual dishonesty of atheistic evangelism Christine Schaub, best selling author of The Longing Season, the story of John Newton and Amazing Grace Michael Patrick Leahy skillfully debunks Harris' charge that serious Christians and Islamic radicals should be equally feared; He also exposes the bigotry and distortion typically shown by secularists when addressing Intelligent Design. More importantly, Leahy shows that Harris' proposed utopia, in which religion is caged and tamed by the secularists, hasalready been shown to produce a world that most do not care to inhabit. Ralph Seelke, Ph.D. Professor, Biology University of Wisconsin-Superior Michael Patrick Leahy's book is a substantive critique of the work of Sam Harris in Letter to a Christian Nation. Leahy shows how wrong minded and frankly lopsided Harris' view of reality ends up being. Good intellectual stuff. Dr. Bob Harrington Lead Pastor of Harpeth Community Church, Franklin, Tennessee A must-read for Christians and non-Christians who truly seek the truth about the toughest long-standing issues confronting humanity. Mr. Leahy has used a logical, step-by-step, reasoned, and well-referenced approach to engage and refute an attack on Christian positions and principles. The material is well worth reading and debating. I was especially impressed by the defense of Christians' track record in opposing slavery. With the recent public attention to the life and contribution of William Wilberforce, this chapter could not be more timely. Reginald Finger, MD, MPH Independent medical researcher About the Author Michael Patrick Leahy is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard, and has an MBA from Stanford. His professional career has been in technology marketing. For more information about the author, go to his website at http: //www.michaelpatrickleahy.com .
Download or read book Patience with God Faith for People Who Don t Like Religion or Atheism written by Frank Schaeffer and published by ReadHowYouWant.com. This book was released on 2010-04 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Frank Schaeffer has a problem with Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, Dennett, and the rest of the New Atheists - the self-anointed ''Brights.'' He also has a problem with the Rick Warrens and Tim LaHayes of the world. The problem is that he doesn't see much of a difference between the two camps. As Schaeffer puts it, they ''often share the same fallacy: truth claims that reek of false certainties. I believe that there is an alternative that actually matches the way life is lived rather than how we usually talk about belief.'' Sparing no one and nothing, including himself and his fiery evangelical past, and invoking subtleties too easily ignored by the pontificators, Schaeffer adds much-needed nuance to the conversation. ''My writing has smoked out so many individuals who seem to be thinking about the same questions. I hope that this book will provide a meeting place for us, the scattered refugees of what I'll call The Church of Hopeful Uncertainty.''
Download or read book The Rise and Fall of Faith written by Drew Bekius and published by Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA). This book was released on 2017-07-01 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of religion in the twenty-first-century West has been defined, in part, by the stories of once-zealous pastors moving beyond their faith to embrace a life of reason. But too often and too quickly ardent believers dismiss such accounts as aberrations and fail to consider the real-life implications for those who make this transition. Atheists and other skeptics, meanwhile, struggle to understand what took these individuals so long to make such a journey—and why others aren't lining up more quickly to do the same. As a result, the questions posed by one side inevitably mirror those asked by the other. Why do believers trust in God the way they do? But what factors lead atheists to dismiss religious beliefs so easily? How can believers have faith in the face of known science and history? But what allows anyone to be so sure their beliefs are based in reality? What would it take for believers to stop believing in God? But what would it take for nonbelievers to start to believe? Drawing on the author's own story as a former evangelical pastor powerless to stop his turn to atheism, The Rise and Fall of Faith touches on these and other questions, inviting readers into a long-overdue conversation between Christians and atheists. While the aim of the book is to initiate this much-needed discussion, the author encourages all who care about the future of humanity to carry the dialogue forward—whether in the evaluation of our own inner thoughts, in the assumptions we make about the other side, or in how we work together in the pursuit of understanding and common ground as we navigate the world's ever-changing and increasingly challenging religious and cultural landscape.
Download or read book The New Atheists written by Fr. Michael Azkoul and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2017-03-22 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The new atheists criticize Christianity according to assumptions that are native to the Western understanding of religion. Those assumptionstheological, ecclesiological, and even anthropological and cosmologicaloriginate in the occidental Middle Ages. The new atheists (and all atheists) are unwilling to confess that their worldview is indebted to Western Christian thought; indeed, their atheism is product of this religion. There would be no science without it. Moreover, the new atheists are ignorant of what we call Eastern Christianity (Eastern Orthodoxy). If they knew that truth was not the product of reason, they would have encountered God, the one true God, not the abstract deity (supreme being) of Western thought. Unfortunately, the argument of theists delineated in public debates only strengthens the position of the new atheists. In himself, God is unknown and unknowable. We know him because he reveals himself to those who seek him, that is, the Holy Trinity. Of course, the knowledge of God is not cognitive but gnostic, spiritual knowledgesomething impossible for materialists. Also, the new atheists examine the nature and history of the church with false assumptions derived from the history of the West. They a priori deny the existence of the supernatural and, therefore, the validity of the gospel, spoken and written. Into all this is thrown a false theology and, therefore, of Incarnate Lord and his place in history. And, of course, the new atheists have no knowledge of the Eastern Church for no other reason than that they deny the supernatural, holding that all forms of Christianity are fundamentally the same and that access to God and his will comes to the holy.
Download or read book Freud for Thought written by Tom Donovan and published by Algora Publishing. This book was released on 2023-10-01 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prof. Tom Donovan suggests reading Freud today for inspiration in shaping one's outlook and taking control of one's life. We all have to confront the human condition and we face a constant challenge to steer a satisfying course around, over and through the distractions that tempt us to accept the easy gratifications and let the real treasures dribble away. Can one live a philosophical life in a world that has killed God and given the reins of society to what Nietzsche called “the last men”? Many of us are unsatisfied with the alternatives offered up today from various ideologies, as well as the obscene nature of today’s consumer capitalism, and the incoherent and distracting roaring of identity politics. But are there viable choices in the search for meaning, happiness, and value? There are major threads throughout our philosophical tradition for understanding the human condition and coming to terms with both our individual and collective lives. This book suggests that we return to our Western philosophical tradition: The Ancients, the Frankfurt School, and the existentialist penseurs. Tom Donovan places Freud within this tradition and utilizes Civilization and its Discontents as a catalyst to offer theoretical tools and concrete practices on how to forge ourselves into excellent humans. Happiness requires the evolution of a self. A coherent interpretive and hermeneutic approach understands that identities are situational. We should be wary of essentializing them. This book argues that there is a philosophical way of living and that this path emphasizes the pursuit of excellence and the courage to mediate our instincts through deep reflection, conversation, and noble practices. Rather than searching for some child within, what if we try to forge mature and deep ways of being and acting? La vie philosophique is the true path towards happiness and capturing human meaning and noble values. This book is for readers interested in forging a meaningful life, and for those of us who are not interested in dogmatic religions, vulgar consumerism, and overbearing social identities.
Download or read book Atheism Is False Richard Dawkins and the Improbability of God Delusion written by David Reuben Stone and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2007-08-01 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Reuben Stone presents a modern defense of the existence of God. Two new arguments are presented: The Argument From The Laws Of Physics, and the Fine-Tuning Argument. The atheism of Richard Dawkins is refuted in great detail, as well as writings of the following atheistic authors: Quentin Smith, Michael Martin, William Rowe, Victor Stenger, Theodore Drange, J.L. Schellenberg, Nicholas Everitt, Michael Ikeda, Bill Jefferys, Theodore Schick Jr., Wesley C. Salmon, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Victor Cosculluela, Thomas Metcalf, and Bruce and Frances Martin. The defenses of atheism by these leading thinkers now stand thoroughly critiqued and in need of substantial revision. A must read for anyone interested in the existence of God. The defense of Hugh Ross's fine-tuning arguments against objections raised by Ikeda and Jefferys is, alone, worth the price of this book! David Reuben Stone is president and founder of Atheism Is False Ministries: www.atheismisfalse.com
Download or read book God or Godless written by John W. Loftus and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perhaps the most persistent question in human history is whether or not there is a God. Intelligent people on both sides of the issue have argued, sometimes with deep rancor and bitterness, for generations. The issue can't be decided by another apologetics book, but the conversation can continue and help each side understand the perspectives of the other. In this unique book, atheist John Loftus and theist Randal Rauser engage in twenty short debates that consider Christianity, the existence of God, and unbelief from a variety of angles. Each concise debate centers on a proposition to be resolved, with either John or Randal arguing in the affirmative and the opponent the negative, and can be read in short bits or big bites. This is the perfect book for Christians and their atheist or agnostic friends to read together, and encourages honest, open, and candid debate on the most important issues of life and faith.
Download or read book I Don t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist written by Norman L. Geisler and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2021-05-17 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To some, the concept of having faith in a higher power or a set of religious beliefs is nonsensical. Indeed, many view religion in general, and Christianity in particular, as unfounded and unreasonable. Norman Geisler and Frank Turek argue, however, that Christianity is not only more reasonable than all other belief systems, but is indeed more rational than unbelief itself. With conviction and clear thinking, Geisler and Turek guide readers through some of the traditional, tested arguments for the existence of a creator God. They move into an examination of the source of morality and the reliability of the New Testament accounts concerning Jesus. The final section of the book deals with a detailed investigation of the claims of Christ. This volume will be an interesting read for those skeptical about Christianity, as well as a helpful resource for Christians seeking to articulate a more sophisticated defense of their faith.
Download or read book Thank God for Atheists written by Marshall Davis and published by . This book was released on 2017-05 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Warning! This book may be dangerous to your faith! This book is not for the faint of heart. This is not a work of Christian apologetics designed to arm the believer with biblical and theological strategies to counter humanist arguments. It is not designed to buttress your Christian faith against attacks from atheists and other unbelievers. On the contrary, this book takes the claims of atheists seriously. It listens to the arguments of atheists against the existence of God, and it comes to the conclusion that in a number of areas, atheists are right and Christians are wrong. For that reason it may actually undermine your faith. So please, if you are a Christian, think twice before you read it. Drawing upon the writings of the 21st century New Atheists, as well as previous generations of atheists, the author explores the most convincing arguments that atheists make against theism. His conclusion is that the New Atheists have important things to say to today's Christians. He goes so far as to say that atheists are God's prophets to the Church today, sent by God to purify the Church by proclaiming hard truths that Christians are not willing to hear. He make a case for nonbelieving prophets in the Bible, and then explains how atheists are playing the prophetic role today by echoing the same themes as the biblical prophets. Old Testament prophets regularly confronted the religious authorities and orthodoxies of their day, often paying for "speaking truth to power" with imprisonment and death. Likewise atheists are among the most mistrusted people today. Davis suggests that instead of instinctively resorting to confrontational, evangelistic or apologetic approaches, Christians should listen to atheists with open minds and hearts. They might just hear a word from God! He examines the New Atheists' arguments against God, with particular emphasis on the atheists' strongest argument: the age-old problem of evil and suffering. Along the way he explores the issues of violence ordered by God in the Bible, scriptural historicity, biblical literalism, creationism, hell, prayer, miracles, resurrection, and the problematic doctrine of substitutionary atonement. This book examines the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of Christianity as exposed by the New Atheism. It also explores the responses of Christian apologists who oppose the New Atheism. In the last section of the book, Davis "reimagines" Christianity in the light of reason, evidence, science and historical criticism. Marshall Davis tests the Christian faith from the viewpoint of skepticism to see if it is worthy of our devotion. His conclusion is that it is, but that the New Atheism can help put Christianity on a stronger footing ... if Christians are willing to listen to God speaking through the New Atheists. "This book transcends the typical atheist-theist debate over the existence of God as a supernatural being. He takes a number of pro-science, pro-future insights from religious skeptics and offers a fresh interpretation of Christianity in light of the Evidential Reformation now emerging throughout the world. I highly recommend it." ~ Rev. Michael Dowd, author of "Thank God for Evolution" and host of "The Future Is Calling Us to Greatness"
Download or read book An Atheist and a Christian Walk Into a Bar written by Randal Rauser and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2016 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The question of God is simply too important--and too interesting--to leave to angry polemicists. That is the premise of this friendly, straightforward, and rigorous dialogue between Christian theologian Randal Rauser and atheist Justin Schieber. Setting aside the formality of the traditional debate, the authors invite the reader to join them in an extended, informal conversation. This has the advantage of easing readers into thorny topics that in a debate setting can easily become confusing or difficult to follow. Like any good conversation, this one involves provocative arguments, amusing anecdotes, and some lively banter. Rauser and Schieber begin with the question of why debates about God still matter. They then delve into a number of important topics: the place of reason and faith, the radically different concepts of God in various cultures, morality and its traditional connection with religious beliefs, the problem of a universe that is overwhelmingly hostile to life as we know it, mathematical truths and what they may or may not say about the existence of God, the challenge of suffering and evil to belief in God, and more. Refreshingly upbeat and amicable throughout, this stimulating conversation between two friends from opposing points of view is an ideal introduction to a perennial topic of debate.
Download or read book How to Defend the Christian Faith written by John W. Loftus and published by Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA). This book was released on 2015-11-01 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book on Christian apologetics written by a leading atheist figure that teaches Christians the best and worst arguments for defending their faith against attack The Christian faith has been vigorously defended with a variety of philosophical, historical, and theological arguments, but many of the arguments that worked in an earlier age no longer resonate in today's educated West. Where has apologetics gone wrong? What is the best response to the growing challenge presented by scientific discovery and naturalistic thought? Unlike every work on Christian apologetics that has come before, How to Defend the Christian Faith is the first one written by an atheist for Christians. As a former Christian defender who is now a leading atheist thinker, John Loftus answers these questions and more. He shows readers why Christian apologists have failed to reach the intelligent nonbeliever and offers practical advice for Christians, whether they want to better defend their faith against atheist arguments, or actively convert more individuals to Christianity.
Download or read book The Salvation of Atheists and Catholic Dogmatic Theology written by Stephen Bullivant and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2012-04-19 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-5), the Catholic Church has formally declared the possibility of salvation for atheists: 'those who, without fault, have not yet arrived at an express recognition of God' (Lumen Gentium 16). However, in the very same document, the Council also reiterates the traditional doctrine of the necessity of faith, baptism, and the mediation of Church in order for someone to be saved (Lumen Gentium 14). This monograph explores how these two seemingly contradictory claims may satisfactorily be reconciled. Specifically, it asks - and ultimately answers - the question: How, within the parameters of Catholic dogmatic theology, is it possible for an atheist to be saved? As the first full-length study of this topic since Vatican II, the book discusses crucial foundational issues - the understanding of 'atheist' in Catholic theology; the developing views on both unbelief, and the salvation of non-Christians, in the decades preceding the Council - before tackling the conciliar teaching itself. Considerable attention is then given to the classic solution of imputing an 'implicit' faith to righteous atheists, best known from Karl Rahner's theory of 'anonymous Christians' (though the basic idea was advocated by many other major figures, including Ratzinger, Schillebeeckx, de Lubac, Balthasar, and Küng). After discussing Rahner's specific proposals in detail, this kind of approach is however shown to be untenable. In its place, a new way of understanding Vatican II's optimism for atheists is developed in detail, in light of scripture, tradition, and magisterium. This draws principally on Christ's descent into Hell, a renewed understanding of invincible ignorance, and a literal interpretation of Matthew 25.
