Listing books in religion
| Full title | Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Daniel Dennett (author) |
| Publisher | Viking Books |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 0-670-03472-X [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 448 |
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Part I: Opening Pandora's Box
Part II: The Evolution of Religion
Part III: Religion Today
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| Full title | The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist fundamentalism and the denial of the divine [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Alister McGrath (author) and Joanna Collicutt McGrath (co-author) |
| Publisher | SPCK |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| ISBN | 978-0-281-05927-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 78 |
| Synopsis | A review, synopsis, and a criticism of Dawkins' The God Delusion, The Dawkins Delustion? examines the issues raised there. |
| Review | The book is pretty well presented, but unfortunately it was very boring and lacks substance. It really could be shortened down to an essay. The main message from the book is that Dawkins' book doesn't take enough into account, and that his criticism of religion is unfounded. |
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| Full title | The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Sam Harris (author) |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 0-393-32765-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 348 |
| Synopsis | The central thesis in End of Faith is that faith is dangerous, because beliefs unsupported by evidence, when put into action, can't be reasoned with. Harris gives a lot of historical examples of this (indeed, the book has a pretty extensive bibliography in the back), and the book is peppered with endnotes (and a few pages-long ones, at that!). The last two chapters are called A Science of Good and Evil (where Harris tries to map out an emerging science of morality) and Experiments in Consciousness (where Harris basically advocates meditation as a rational way of garnering knowledge about subjectivity, and where he doesn't reject the notion of consciousness surviving physical death). While I reject the notion that personhood survives death (that is, I think consciousness is dependent upon the brain being able to function properly and that when it eventually succumbs to decay, that'll be the end of us), I can wholeheartedly join Harris in admitting ignorance on that question. |
| Review | While I can't say the book was an entirely enjoyable read, it's definitely well-written and engaging. What turned me off was the incessant referencing to past atrocities. However, that was in part (I think) the intent of the book, and in that sense it succeeded. I can definitely recommend it, nonetheless. |
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| Full title | The God Delusion [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Richard Dawkins (author) |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 978-0-618-68000-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 406 |
| Synopsis | The God Delusion unapologetically criticizes religion (as the title implies, belief in gods is a delusion, on the same level as believing you're Napoleon). First off, he tries to avoid confusion with the way Einstein and Hawking have used religious terms to express their appreciation of contemplating the universe, by invoking what he calls Einsteinian religion (neither Einstein nor Hawking are theists, by the way). In that respect, Dawkins tells us that he's a deeply religious non-believer, but dislikes using the word, instead preferring to reserve it for traditional religion. |
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1: A Deeply Religious Non-Believer
2: The God Hypothesis
3: Arguments for God's Existence
4: Why There Almost Certainly is No God
5: The Roots of Religion
6: The Roots of Morality: Why Are We Good?
7: The 'Good' Book and the Changing Moral Zeitgeist
8: What's Wrong With Religion? Why Be So Hostile?
9: Childhood, Abuse and the Escape From Religion
10: A Much Needed Gap?
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| Full title | God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Christopher Hitchens (author) |
| Publisher | Twelve |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| ISBN | 978-0-446-50945-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 354 |
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| Full title | The Happy Atheist [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | P. Z. Myers (author) |
| Publisher | Pantheon Books |
| Categories | Religion and skepticism |
| Publication year | 2013 |
| ISBN | 978-0-307-37934-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 190 |
| Synopsis | The Happy Atheist is Myers' first book. Readers familiar with his blog Pharyngula will know what to expect. The book deals with religion and atheism from a lot of different angles, and in essence it's a popular book written for a popular audience, using popular arguments. This is not to say that the book is simplistic, just that it isn't scholarly. If you want a preview of the book, read his essay "Planet of the Hats", which in the book is the chapter called "About the Author". |
| Review | I half-expected the book (having read Myers' blog) to be much more angry than it is. In fact it's a very funny, lively, and readable book, and at no point was I bored. (In fact, I had trouble putting it down. I didn't read it in one sitting, but two.) |
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| Full title | Infidel: My Life [permalink] |
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| Original title | Mijn Vrijheid |
| Language | English |
| Author | Ayaan Hirsi Ali (author) |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Categories | Autobiography and religion |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| Original publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4165-2624-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 353 |
| Synopsis | The first part of the book is all about Ayaan's upbringing in Somalia (and her later emigrations elsewhere), while the latter part is about her career in the Netherlands and beyond. |
| Review | Ayaan describes her life in such vivid detail that it's impossible not to be drawn in by her writing. I found the first part of the book, if not boring, then at least not gripping, but by the latter part of the book, I was totally absorbed. She writes with intelligence and wit, and hers is a most amazing story. Highly recommended reading. |
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Part I: My Childhood
Part II: My Freedom
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| Full title | Letter to a Christian Nation [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Sam Harris (author) |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 0-307-26577-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 96 |
| Synopsis | This book is a criticism of religion. Specifically, it criticizes the inherently stupid things being done by humans in the name of the particular branch of religion that they happen to have been brought up with (like opposing abortion, stem-cell research, and embracing the idea of martyrdom). It's written as an open letter to a Christian, so it didn't particularly speak to me, but I imagine a Christian might have a mind-opening experience if he read it. |
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| Full title | The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Bart D. Ehrman (author) |
| Categories | History and religion |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 978-0195343519 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Full title | Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Bart D. Ehrman (author) |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Categories | History and religion |
| Publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-073817-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 242 |
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| Full title | The Missionary Position: Mother Theresa in Theory and Practice [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Christopher Hitchens (author) |
| Publisher | Verso |
| Categories | Biography, politics and religion |
| Publication year | 1995 |
| ISBN | 978-1-85984-054-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 98 |
| Synopsis | This 98-page little book is a very short, critical introduction to the life of Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, known popularly as Mother Theresa. |
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| Full title | The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Non-Believer [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Christopher Hitchens (foreword) |
| Publisher | Da Capo Press |
| Categories | Anthology, philosophy and religion |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| Pages | 499 |
| Synopsis | A huge collection of writings by atheists about religion, faith, non-religion, reason, science, and logic, with biographical information on each author. Some of them are pretty dated, but they're interesting nonetheless. |
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| Full title | The Reason-Driven Life: What Am I Here on Earth For? [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Robert M. Price (author) and Julia Sweeney (foreword) |
| Publisher | Prometheus Books |
| Categories | Bible, philosophy, religion and skepticism |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 978-1-59102-476-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 363 |
| Synopsis | The Reason-Driven Life is written as a response and critique of Rick Warren's similarly-titled book, The Purpose-Driven Life. It's structured in much the same way as Warren's book, with 40 chapters meant to be read over 40 days. At the end of each chapter is a Point to Ponder, a Quote to Remember, and a Question to Consider. It's written mainly for Christians who have actually read Warren's book, which I'm not and which I haven't. |
| Review | It's a somewhat interesting read in that Price is a Bible scholar and really knows his stuff, however the book is meant for someone with a different mentality than my own. So I had to imagine I was a fundamentalist Christian for most of the book. The tone of the book is very respectful, though forceful and to-the-point (all this to say that it's a very personal and honest book). I imagine a wavering intelligent (fundamentalist) Christian would really enjoy it, and maybe even be deconverted by it. Go for it if you're curious, but if you're like me (skeptical and non-religious by nature) you can safely skip it! There are other, better, Price books. |
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| Full title | Rocks of Ages: Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Stephen Jay Gould (author) |
| Publisher | Vintage Books |
| Categories | Religion and science |
| Publication year | 2002 |
| Original publication year | 1999 |
| ISBN | 978-0-099-28452-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 241 |
| Synopsis | This is the book in which Gould lays out in full detail his concept of NOMA, Non-Overlapping Magisteria, the idea that science and religion are masters over different (and mutually incommunicable) realms. It's an attempt to reconcile the recent intellectual hostilities between scientists and people of faith by appealing to NOMA, saying that there doesn't have to be a conflict. |
| Review | I'm not sure if this book is winning me over to Gould's way of thinking, but it's extremely well written, interesting, and full of siren arguments and pretty poetry. I can definitely recommend it if you're interested in the history of the conflict between science and religion. |
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| Full title | The Satanic Bible [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Anton Szandor LaVey (author) and Peter H. Gilmore (introduction) |
| Publisher | Avon Books |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 1969 |
| ISBN | 0-380-01539-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 272 |
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(FIRE)
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| Full title | The Satanic Rituals: Companion to The Satanic Bible [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Anton Szandor LaVey (author) |
| Publisher | Avon Books |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 1972 |
| ISBN | 0-380-01392-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 220 |
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| Full title | Tilslørt. Avslørt: Et oppgjør med norsk naivisme [permalink] |
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| Translated title | Veiled. Revealed: A Settlement with Norwegian Naiveté |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Authors | Hege Storhaug (author) and Solveig Lid Ball (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Kagge Forlag |
| Categories | Politics and religion |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| ISBN | 978-82-489-0740-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 178 |
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| Full title | The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature — Being the Gifford Lectures on Natural Religion Delivered at Edinburgh in 1901–1902 [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | William James (author) |
| Categories | Philosophy, psychology and religion |
| Publication year | 1902 |
| Online version | Link |
| Synopsis | This is the manuscript version of a series of lectures that the Harvard psychologist and philosopher William James gave in Edinburgh between 1901 and 1902 (the so-called Gifford series of lectures given annually at a number of Scottish universities). It explores, as the title implies, varieties of religious experience, from different parts of the world in different times and by different means (although, perhaps only to modern readers, the absence of a full discussion on animistic or primitive or tribal religion is conspicuous). These lectures contain a plethora of case studies, excerpts, and poignant vignettes on whatever the subject happens to be, which really helps give the expositions more context. |
| Review | I think I will have to re-read this book eventually, as I don't feel I can give a proper review not having really understood it completely. |
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| Full title | Words in Genesis [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Isaac Asimov (author) and William Barss (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Categories | History, religion and science |
| Publication year | 1962 |
| Pages | 233 |
| Synopsis | Asimov explains, as the book is titled, the words in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. |
| Review | This is actually more than simply a list and explanation of the words used in Genesis. It goes into great detail into important verses in Genesis, explaining the history behind the verses as well as the etymologies of the words used (Asimov was Jewish by descent and spoke Yiddish, which helps). There are even appendices with maps of the relevant areas of the time, and genealogies of antediluvian (pre-Flood) and postdiluvian patriarchs. |
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