Download or read book Why Should Anyone Believe Anything at All written by James W. Sire and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2010-07-17 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Christianity Today 1995 Books of the Year Finalist! Believing. Most of us take it for granted. We just do it--whether it's trusting that the sun will come up tomorrow, that the lunch we are about to eat is not poisoned or that our religious beliefs are not ill-founded. But why should we believe any of these things? Why should anyone believe anything at all? With insight and humor, James W. Sire examines the reasons people give for believing what they do and suggests what are truly satisfying and compelling reasons for belief. He then turns to the question of a specific belief--namely, belief that the Christian faith is true. Sire tackles both the best reason for belief in Christianity (the identity of Jesus ) and the chief reason against it. (the problem of evil). And he responds to these issues personally and philosophically. Here is a book to challenge the skeptic and reassure the doubter in us all.

Download or read book Why Should I Believe Christianity written by James N. Anderson and published by Christian Focus. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New Series: The Big Ten -Critical Questions Answered Exploring the reasoning behind Christianity Challenges modern worldviews

Download or read book Why Would Anyone Believe in God written by Justin L. Barrett and published by Altamira Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Because of the design of our minds. That is Justin Barrett's simple answer to the question of his title. With rich evidence from cognitive science but without technical language, psychologist Barrett shows that belief in God is an almost inevitable consequence of the kind of minds we have. Most of what we believe comes from mental tools working below our conscious awareness. And what we believe consciously is in large part driven by these unconscious beliefs. Barrett demonstrates that beliefs in gods match up well with these automatic assumptions; beliefs in an all-knowing, all-powerful God match up even better. Barrett goes on to explain why beliefs like religious beliefs are so widespread and why it is very difficult for our minds to think without them. Anyone who wants a concise, clear, and scientific explanation of why anyone would believe in God should pick up Barrett's book.

Download or read book Why I Am an Atheist Who Believes in God written by Frank Schaeffer and published by Regina Orthodox Press,Csi. This book was released on 2014-11-07 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Caught between the beauty of his grandchildren and grief over a friend's death, Frank Schaeffer finds himself simultaneously believing and not believing in God--an atheist who prays. Schaeffer wrestles with faith and disbelief, sharing his innermost thoughts. He writes as an imperfect son, husband and grandfather whose love for his family, art and life trumps the ugly theologies of an angry God and the atheist vision of a cold, meaningless universe.

Download or read book Why I Believe in God written by Cornelius Van Til and published by Fig. This book was released on 1966 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Must a Jew Believe Anything written by Menachem Kellner and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2022-03-09 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The crucial question for today's Jewish world, Kellner argues, is not whether Jews will have Jewish grandchildren, but how many different sorts of mutually exclusive Judaisms those grandchildren will face. This accessible book examines how the split that threatens the Jewish future can be avoided. For this second edition, the author has added a substantial Afterword, reviewing his thinking on the subject and addressing the reactions to the original edition.

Download or read book Willing to Believe written by R. C. Sproul and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2002-04-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is the role of the will in believing the good news of the gospel? Why is there so much controversy over free will throughout church history? R. C. Sproul finds that Christians have often been influenced by pagan views of the human will that deny the effects of Adam's fall. In Willing to Believe, Sproul traces the free-will controversy from its formal beginning in the fifth century, with the writings of Augustine and Pelagius, to the present. Readers will gain understanding into the nuances separating the views of Protestants and Catholics, Calvinists and Arminians, and Reformed and Dispensationalists. This book, like Sproul's Faith Alone, is a major work on an essential evangelical tenet.

Download or read book The Believing Brain written by Michael Shermer and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2011-05-24 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Believing Brain is bestselling 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.

Download or read book Tomorrowland written by Steven Kotler and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2015 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A selection of Kotler's previously published writings, updated, on pivotal and controversial advances in science and technology.--

Download or read book Apologetics Beyond Reason written by James W. Sire and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this accessible and engaging work, veteran apologist Jim Sire gives us eyes to see the signs all around us that point to the specific truth of God in Christ. Sire focuses on the power of good literature—even from those who deny the existence of God—to enable us to perceive and testify to God's reality in ways that rational argument alone cannot.

Download or read book All Things Reconsidered written by Knox McCoy and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2020-06-02 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you able to give your first impressions a second look? In this lighthearted and humorous take on life, Knox McCoy explores questioning and examining long-held ideas that no longer represent how we think. What would it mean to really examine what you think you know about yourself and your beliefs? To not just rely on the cliches you’ve always recited to yourself but to look deeply into why you think what you think? In All Things Reconsidered, popular podcaster Knox McCoy uses a unique blend of humor, pop culture references, and personal stories to show how a willingness to reconsider ideas can actually help us grow ourselves, our lives, and our beliefs. In this laugh-out-loud defense of changing your mind, Knox dives into a variety of topics including: Are participation trophies truly the worst? Is it really worth it to be a ride-or-die sports fan? Do we believe in God because of the promise of heaven—or the threat of hell? Does prayer work? Is anyone even there? In a world where we’re divided by political, social, and religious differences, All Things Reconsidered is a hilarious and insightful book of essays that reminds us of the value of reflection and open-mindedness.

Download or read book Why We Believe in God s written by J. Anderson Thomson and published by Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA). This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 89 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this groundbreaking volume, J. Anderson Thomson, Jr., MD, with Clare Aukofer, offers a succinct yet comprehensive study of how and why the human mind generates religious belief. Dr. Thomson, a highly respected practicing psychiatrist with credentials in forensic psychiatry and evolutionary psychology, methodically investigates the components and causes of religious belief in the same way any scientist would investigate the movement of astronomical bodies or the evolution of life over time—that is, as a purely natural phenomenon. Providing compelling evidence from psychology, the cognitive neurosciences, and related fields, he, with Ms. Aukofer, presents an easily accessible and exceptionally convincing case that god(s) were created by man—not vice versa. With this slim volume, Dr. Thomson establishes himself as a must-read thinker and leading voice on the primacy of reason and science over superstition and religion.

Download or read book Why Good Arguments Often Fail written by James W. Sire and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2006-02-22 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With wisdom borne of both formal and informal experience, the author offers practical insight into making a more persuasive case for Christ. He includes an annotated bibliography of resources for framing effective arguments.

Download or read book Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe written by Larry Osborne and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2009-04-14 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this delightfully personal and practical book, respected Bible teacher Larry Osborne confronts ten widely held beliefs that are both dumb and dangerous. People don’t set out to build their faith upon myths and spiritual urban legends. But somehow such falsehoods keep showing up in the way that many Christians think about life and God. These goofy ideas and beliefs are assumed by millions to be rock-solid truth... until life proves they’re not. The sad result is often a spiritual disaster: confusion, feelings of betrayal, a distrust of Scripture, loss of faith, anger toward both the church and God. But it doesn’t have to be so. Respected Bible teacher Larry Osborne confronts ten widely held beliefs that are both dumb and dangerous, including: • Faith can fix anything • God brings good luck • Forgiving means forgetting • Everything happens for a reason • A godly home guarantees good kids Get ready to be shocked, relieved, and inspired in the pages of Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe. Because the truth is meant to set us free—not hurt us.

Download or read book Why People Believe Weird Things written by Michael Shermer and published by Holt Paperbacks. This book was released on 2002-09-01 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revised and Expanded Edition. In this age of supposed scientific enlightenment, many people still believe in mind reading, past-life regression theory, New Age hokum, and alien abduction. A no-holds-barred assault on popular superstitions and prejudices, with more than 80,000 copies in print, Why People Believe Weird Things debunks these nonsensical claims and explores the very human reasons people find otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing. In an entirely new chapter, "Why Smart People Believe in Weird Things," Michael Shermer takes on science luminaries like physicist Frank Tippler and others, who hide their spiritual beliefs behind the trappings of science. Shermer, science historian and true crusader, also reveals the more dangerous side of such illogical thinking, including Holocaust denial, the recovered-memory movement, the satanic ritual abuse scare, and other modern crazes. Why People Believe Strange Things is an eye-opening resource for the most gullible among us and those who want to protect them.

Download or read book Everything Happens for a Reason written by Kate Bowler and published by Random House. This book was released on 2018-02-06 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A meditation on sense-making when there’s no sense to be made, on letting go when we can’t hold on, and on being unafraid even when we’re terrified.”—Lucy Kalanithi “Belongs on the shelf alongside other terrific books about this difficult subject, like Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air and Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal.”—Bill Gates NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God’s disapproval. At thirty-five, everything in her life seems to point toward “blessing.” She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son. Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. The prospect of her own mortality forces Kate to realize that she has been tacitly subscribing to the prosperity gospel, living with the conviction that she can control the shape of her life with “a surge of determination.” Even as this type of Christianity celebrates the American can-do spirit, it implies that if you “can’t do” and succumb to illness or misfortune, you are a failure. Kate is very sick, and no amount of positive thinking will shrink her tumors. What does it mean to die, she wonders, in a society that insists everything happens for a reason? Kate is stripped of this certainty only to discover that without it, life is hard but beautiful in a way it never has been before. Frank and funny, dark and wise, Kate Bowler pulls the reader deeply into her life in an account she populates affectionately with a colorful, often hilarious retinue of friends, mega-church preachers, relatives, and doctors. Everything Happens for a Reason tells her story, offering up her irreverent, hard-won observations on dying and the ways it has taught her to live. Praise for Everything Happens for a Reason “I fell hard and fast for Kate Bowler. Her writing is naked, elegant, and gripping—she’s like a Christian Joan Didion. I left Kate’s story feeling more present, more grateful, and a hell of a lot less alone. And what else is art for?”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior and president of Together Rising

Download or read book Biblical Doctrine written by John MacArthur and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2017-01-13 with total page 1269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Long-Awaited Systematic Theology by Well-Known Pastor, Author, and President of the Master's Seminary Doctrine isn't just for theologians—it's important for every Christian because it shows us who God is and how we should live. Systematizing the robust theology that has undergirded John MacArthur's well-known preaching ministry for decades, this overview of basic Christian doctrine covers topics such as God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, salvation, and more. Comprehensive in scope yet written to be accessible to the average reader—with non-technical vocabulary, minimal footnotes, and a helpful bibliography—this volume offers Christians a solid foundation for what they believe and why.