SCFA - Book Reviews

Freethinking Books

Categories:

    Atheism
    Religion
    Christianity
    Church/State and History
    Humor
    Inspiration
    Science and Skepticism
    Fiction
    Apologetics

    Magazines

Our group will receive a percentage of the purchase price of books purchased from the links below. Prometheus Books also carries a wide selection of books of interest to atheists. Click here to view their online catalog.

Atheism:

Letter to a Christian Nation Sam Harris
“Thousands of people have written to tell me that I am wrong not to believe in God. The most hostile of these communications have come from Christians. This is ironic, as Christians generally imagine that no faith imparts the virtues of love and forgiveness more effectively than their own. The truth is that many who claim to be transformed by Christ’s love are deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism. While we may want to ascribe this to human nature, it is clear that such hatred draws considerable support from the Bible. How do I know this? The most disturbed of my correspondents always cite chapter and verse.” - Sam Harris
Godless in America : conversations with an atheist George Ricker
Godless in America is a testimonial about the advantages of life without gods and religions. It's also a no-holds-barred look at some of the problems with both concepts. Written in a style that is conversational, yet provocative, it is a candid assessment of the real culture war being fought in America today: the attack being waged by the Religious Right on the values of personal freedom, democratic government, and the necessity for all Americans to be treated as equals before the law and by their government.
At times humorous, at times outrageous, Godless in America treats religion and religious concepts as ideas that should be evaluated with the same standards used to evaluate all other ideas and concepts, not from the privileged position claimed by so many of a religious persuasion.

Like Rolling Uphill: Realizing The Honesty Of Atheism Dianna Narciso
Dianna Narciso describes the journey that is the subject of "Like Rolling Uphill: Realizing the Honesty of Atheism" this way: "...I found myself on a journey of learning and understanding that, while some spots were difficult and upsetting, was very much like rolling uphill toward self-enlightenment. I couldn't stop the progress, I couldn't stop the momentum, and I certainly couldn't go back to where I'd been."
Between the covers of this book is the story of a life in process. Narciso candidly tells the reader who she was, who she is and what caused her to change. She does so in a straightforward narrative that pulls no punches, whether assessing her own ideas and attitudes or commenting on some of the misunderstandings and misinformation she has encountered while realizing her own atheism. -- Reviewed by George R.

Atheism: A Reader edited by S.T. Joshi
This book is an excellent resource and introduction to many great thinkers of history. Some of my favorites were Nietzsche ["Not every one may be a Christian: one is not 'converted' to Christianity--one must first be sick enough for it..."], Mencken ["The so-called religious organizations which now lead the war against the teaching of evolution are nothing more at bottom, than conspiracies of the inferior man against his betters. They mirror very accurately his congenital hatred of knowledge, his bitter enmity to the man who knows more than he does, and so gets more out of life."], Ingersoll ["Every effort to really better the condition of mankind has been opposed by the worshipers of some God."], and Clarence Darrow on The Lord's Day Alliance ["If any poor mortal is caught enjoying life on Sunday its agents gleefully hie themselves to the nearest legislature and urge a law to stop the fun."]. Highly recommended reading. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.
Natural Atheism by David Eller
David Eller is a professor of cultural anthropology and, though written with clarity and conviction, his book definitely reflects that academic background. Eller packs a lot of information into the 352 pages of his book. He also inspires with an appeal for those who are so inclined to go forth and spread the "good news" about atheism. Along the way he manages to offer a short course in logic, a rebuttal of the chief arguments offered by theists and a strong declaration on behalf of the need for absolute separation between government and religion. Eller's book is well researched and very readable, though a bit of heavy lifting may be required in a few spots. All in all I found it a worthwhile addition to my growing library of atheist apologetics. -- Reviewed by George R.

Other readings:

The Atheist’s Handbook to Modern Materialism by Philip A. Stahl

Religion:

Does God Exist: The Debate Between Theists and Atheists J.P. Moreland and Kai Nielsen
This book was okay, nothing to get excited about. The atheist, Kai Nielsen, maintained a narrow focus, but did well with his argument. The theist side was well represented, and I didn't feel that Mr. Nielsen adequately addressed Moreland's points. The downfall of the book lay in its final chapter in which Peter Kreeft advised us all on the methods we might use to determine which side we will go with. Basically, emotionalism and Pascal's Wager were his strongest recommendations. What feels right? And, only belief will earn you "the infinite prize of eternal life." Yep, I'm not kidding. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.
The Dogma of Christ and Other Essays on Religion, Psychology, and Culture by Erich Fromm
This book helped me to understand why people believe the things they do--what emotional and societal rewards belief has. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.
Moses and Monotheism by Sigmund Freud
A fascinating book outlining Freud's theory that Moses was an Egyptian and the two gods in the Pentateuch are a combination of the Egyptian Moses' loving god and Jahve, the Arabian volcano god. Freud briefly explains his theory of primeval man, totemism, and their relationship to Judaism and Christianity. Basically, primeval man lived in patriarchal family groups with the sons being banished, murdered or emasculated by the father/leader. At some point, the sons, together, murdered the father and ceremonially ate him. Thus arose Totemism, a religious reenactment of their crime and remembrance of their guilt. Judaism was a return of the father/leader/god. Christianity was an admission that the sons killed the father (god) and the belief in the necessary (spiritual) sacrifice and worship of the eldest son in his place. A great read. Led me to put Totem and Taboo by Freud on my reading list. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

Other religion books:

Christianity:

	Adam, Eve, and the Serpent by Elaine Pagels A very interesting read! Fabulous insights on the early history of Christianity. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		Backgrounds of Early Christianity by Everett Ferguson For anyone interested in the history of the time period, this is an excellent resource. Ferguson outlines the political, philosophical and religious history from about 300 BCE to about 300 CE. While I eagerly absorbed the information in this book, I was several times struck by Ferguson's lack of historical scholarship with respect to the Bible, both old and new Testaments, especially the Gospels. Instead of viewing the Gospels as questionable sources, as they are propaganda for a faith, he took them for history and even attempted, at times, to apologize for their weaknesses and conflicts with real historical data. While I understand that a large number of academics do not seriously question the existence of the Gospel Jesus, time might be better applied reading a book by an historian of the time period, rather than commentary by a Bible scholar. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	The Bible Handbook; Revised Edition. 1986; American Atheist Press This book lists thousands of contradictions, absurdities and atrocities in the Bible. Available from American Atheists bookstore online at American Atheists and American Atheists Press (see below). -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of its Sacred Texts by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman. This book was a real eye-opener! -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	*The Born Again Skeptic's Guide to the Bible* by Ruth Hurmence Green. This book is an excellent resource on the Bible and Christian theology. The author presents carefully reasoned arguments and wonderful insights even for the well-read Biblical critic. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		Challenging the Verdict by Earl Doherty Books by apologists frustrate me because as I read, counter-arguments enter my head and the authors just ignore them! I could barely get through Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ. He claimed he was being impartial but he never challenged the "experts" he questioned; he just accepted all they had to say. Doherty has written a comprehensive rebuttal to Strobel's book highlighting all the arguments Strobel conveniently left out or glossed over. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold by Acharya S Acharya S’s scholarship has been called into question by people I respect, so don’t take this book too seriously. But, I did find it fascinating. It’s a wild ride that will have you questioning everything you once thought true about Christianity. The trick is to keep questioning; never take just one person’s word as truth until you’ve fully researched the idea yourself. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		Christian Fundamentalism: A Journey into the Heart of Darkness by David W. Hopewell Available from American Atheists at American Atheists or American Atheist Press (see below) This book was scary! -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy by C. Dennis McKinsey An excellent, scholarly, well-organized explanation of the contradictions and difficulties in the Bible. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		An Evolutionist Deconstructs Creationism by Arndt Von Hippel I bought this book because of its title; I admit it--I judged a book somewhat by its cover. I was expecting to read a basic, point-by-point refutation of Creationism in favor of evolutionary theory. Instead, this book is a pretty good critique of Christianity in general. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	*The Fabrication of the Christ Myth* by Harold Leidner Leidner presents a well-researched and documented case that the gospels were lifted from earlier sources and the Jews are innocent. Explosively brilliant! Highly recommended. "Where is the moral authority of a religion that must resort to forgery to establish its cause?" p. 306 -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		Forgery in Christianity by Joseph Wheless An old book without enough good documentation to make it scholarly; but filled with much excellent information about early Christianity. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	*God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible* by Adam Nicolson This book offers insight into the people who translated the King James Version of the Bible and the struggle for balance between divergence from the Papacy and strict Puritanism (as exemplified by the Separatists). Nicolson fawns over the language of the translation as rich and majestic whereas the skeptic might query first as to its correctness. Good history, good anecdotes; worth a read. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		*The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man* by Robert M. Price This fascinating, scholarly book dissects the aspects of the Christ myth, searching for an historical Jesus. Guiding us through the birth narratives, early childhood fables, Jesus' time of teaching, his betrayal, death and resurrection, Price finds that the evidence for validity is scant. The most damning evidence against historicity, and taught to us in this book, is that every part of the Jesus story is lifted from another source. The idea that Jesus was god, born of a virgin, a miracle-worker, teacher, died on the cross and resurrected is told to us, not in any original words, but by simply cutting and pasting earlier testimonies of other gods and other events into the Jesus narrative. If Jesus really did walk the earth and do all he is purported to do, why did his chroniclers explain him only in borrowed words? Highly recommended reading. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	Is it God’s Word by Joseph Wheless An old book without good documentation to make it scholarly; but filled with valuable information on the Bible. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		The Jesus Mysteries: Was the "Original Jesus" a Pagan God? By Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy. Highly researched, scholarly book outlining the evidence for the theory that Jesus originated as a Pagan deity. This is the book that finally put it all in place for me--the theory that finally gave some sense to Christianity, in my eyes. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	The Jews in the Time of Jesus: An Introduction by Stephen M. Wylen This book is very helpful in understanding the nature of the gospels. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		Leaving the Fold: Testimonies of Former Fundamentalists edited by Edward T. Babinski These former fundamentalists became liberal Christians, agnostics or atheists, etc. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist by Dan Barker This was the first book I read supporting atheism. Mr. Barker explains his deconversion and offers many of his thoughts on religion as published in Freedom From Religion Foundation’s periodical Freethought Today. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		*The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity* by Hyam Maccoby Maccoby makes a strong case for his theories that Paul was not a Pharisee, but a Jewish convert of Pagan parentage; Jesus was a Pharisee; Jesus' disciples in Jerusalem remained distinctly Jewish; Jesus did not create a new religion; and the Jerusalem church was seriously opposed to Paul's Pagan Christianity. With knowledge of Judaism in the time of Jesus, the propaganda and lies of the Gospels become clear. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	*PsychoBible: Behavior, Religion and the Holy Book* by Armando Favazza Favazza is a professor of psychiatry; he discusses the Bible and Christians from that perspective. His book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the Bible, what it says, what people believe about it, historical backgrounds of its subjects, and human nature with respect to its doctrines. I was frustrated periodically in reading his book as it was often difficult to determine his position with respect to Christianity. He either understands and appreciates non-belief, or he is a non-Christian himself, or both; either way, his viewpoint was refreshing. However, he does make a few statements that are rather credulous. For example, he states, "Isaiah is an Old Testament prefiguration of Jesus..." as if this is fact. He claims: "By becoming a man Christ entered into human history and, therefore, could be depicted in images that documented history." Assertions such as these, casually strewn throughout this work must be forgiven, as Favazza is a student of psychiatry, not history. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

Other Christianity books:

Church/State and History:

Why the Religious Right is Wrong About Separation of Church and State by Robert Boston
Perfect book for those who want to counter the religious right claims that the United States is a Christian nation. Boston highlights the arguments anti-separationists make and gives you the history you need to understand the truth behind their misquotes and lies. Highly recommended. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

Humor:

	*Ken's Guide to the Bible* by Ken Smith Hilarious book that points out all of the Bible's most embarrassing passages. -- Reviewed by Doug C.

Inspiration:

A Devil's Chaplain by Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins gives the lie to the notion of the intellectual life as one devoid of emotion. As passionate as he is eloquent, Dawkins speaks with a clarity that is sorely lacking in our public discourse and nowhere is its absence more evident than in the subjects of science and religion.
In A Devil's Chaplain: reflections on hope, lies, science and love, Dawkins has assembled a variety of essays. Most of the material has been previously published but some, like the title essay itself, is new. -- Reviewed by George R.

Science and Skepticism:

	The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan. An excellent introduction to critical thinking. This book should be required reading for every student. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		Evolution and the Myth of Creationism: A Basic Guide to the Facts in the Evolution Debate by Tim M. Berra Fabulous book! A very helpful guide for the layman. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	Flim-Flam!: Psychics, ESP, Unicorns and other Delusions by James Randi I was very disappointed in this book. Mr. Randi could have used a good editor, maybe even a ghost writer. His arguments against the most important of the pseudosciences lacked strength. Often he seemed to assume too much regarding the knowledge of his reader. I was hoping this book would make a good gift for some of the astrologists in my family but Randi's refutation of it left way too much to be desired. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson I actually listened to most of this book while traveling to Asheville. While I didn't get to hear all of it, what I heard was fascinating science! I plan to purchase a copy of it and actually read it. Highly recommended. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time by Michael Shermer One of the things I desired most when I realized I was atheist, was to understand why people believed the things they do. This book lays it out for the reader. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life By Daniel C. Dennett Darwin's Dangerous Idea is probably Dennett's best known work. Published in 1995, it has become something of a modern classic. While there are better, and more current, books on evolutionary theory as it relates to biology, there are few, possibly none, that explore the implications of Darwin's dangerous idea in fields outside of biology. -- Reviewed by George R.

	The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution by Richard Dawkins If you want to know what the modern biological sciences have to say about the theory of evolution, you will search in vain for a better guide than Richard Dawkins. In The Ancestor's Tale, Dawkins takes his readers on a journey through generations of living creatures, taking care to point out the highlights along the way. The Ancestor's Tale is 673 pages, including notes and index, and some of it requires moderate to heavy lifting. But those who make the effort will be rewarded with a much clearer understanding of evolution.-- Reviewed by George R.

Fiction

	Calling Bernadette's Bluff by Dale McGowan Funny, touching, honest. A great read. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		*The Da Vinci Code* by Dan Brown This is an interesting book that blends history with legend and presents it with a mystery. Engaging, written like most bestsellers. If nothing else, it may inspire people to learn about church history and the Knights Templar. It no doubt will have people looking for pictures of Da Vinci's Last Supper. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

Apologetics

	A Shattered Visage: The Real Face of Atheism by Ravi Zacharias This is a vitriolic attack on atheists. Never recommend this to any atheist for whom you have any respect or kind feelings. It is designed for only two purposes: encouraging other Christians in their hatred of atheists and engendering discord between our two camps. You can read other skeptic’s reviews of Zacharias on The Secular Web. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel What can I say except that these were poor examples of unbiased reporting. Strobel pretends to be out for the truth but he just gobbles up the Christian story as it’s spoon fed to him. You can read other skeptics reviews of Strobel’s apologetics on The Secular Web. Be sure to check out Earl Doherty's Challenging the Verdict with the books on Christianity above. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell When I first read these books, they were separate. Now they are contained in one volume under their new title. They were the first apologetics books that I read after Mr. Zacharias’ abuse (see A Shattered Visage above). The evidence does indeed demand a verdict and the verdict is: Christianity is false. McDowell’s apologetics are full of half-truths, lies, misquotes and misrepresentations. My first thought upon reading his books was, "Is this the best Christians can do?" You can read other skeptics responses to McDowell on The Secular Web. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		How to Make an Atheist Backslide by Ray Comfort I had the pleasure of witnessing Mr. Comfort debate Ron Barrier of American Atheists at the 2001 convention of American Atheists in Orlando, Florida. Mr. Comfort is a passionate, articulate speaker and I’m sure he is very persuasive to his Christian audiences; but he would do best to stick to that venue. He started out with an explanation of the banana (of which he presented a visual aid) and how it is "designed" perfectly for the human animal to hold, peel and eat. He was, for we atheists, a fabulous break from the serious nature of the majority of the convention. The best part of Mr. Comfort’s appearance was the free book! Unfortunately, it doesn’t work so I don’t recommend it to any Christians looking to "make an atheist backslide." -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	Letters From A Skeptic by Gregory A. Boyd Not a bad case for Christianity. But as usual, the case is spoon fed to the vict...er, convert and he just laps it up with nary a rebuttal. It’ll shore up your faith, but it won’t convince your atheist friends of anything. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.		Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis Mr. Lewis is to be respected as an author and he does present a fair and thoughtful case for Christianity and his reasons for belief. But he is unconvincing–again, a good book for the Christian, but his lack of critical thinking applied to his own beliefs is obvious. You can read skeptic responses to this book on The Secular Web. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	That’s Your Interpretation: Responding to Skeptics Who Challenge Your Faith by Paul Copan Not a bad apologetic–fraught with the errors in critical thinking that always fail to convince rationalists, but presented thoughtfully and logically. Mr. Copan is apparently associated with Ravi Zacharias and you can read about his support for Mr. Zacharias’ A Shattered Visage on The Secular Web. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

Magazines

The Skeptic
Freethought Today
Skeptical Inquirer
Free Inquiry
The American Rationalist
Reason

	Letter to a Christian Nation Sam Harris “Thousands of people have written to tell me that I am wrong not to believe in God. The most hostile of these communications have come from Christians. This is ironic, as Christians generally imagine that no faith imparts the virtues of love and forgiveness more effectively than their own. The truth is that many who claim to be transformed by Christ’s love are deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism. While we may want to ascribe this to human nature, it is clear that such hatred draws considerable support from the Bible. How do I know this? The most disturbed of my correspondents always cite chapter and verse.” - Sam Harris
	Godless in America : conversations with an atheist George Ricker Godless in America is a testimonial about the advantages of life without gods and religions. It's also a no-holds-barred look at some of the problems with both concepts. Written in a style that is conversational, yet provocative, it is a candid assessment of the real culture war being fought in America today: the attack being waged by the Religious Right on the values of personal freedom, democratic government, and the necessity for all Americans to be treated as equals before the law and by their government. At times humorous, at times outrageous, Godless in America treats religion and religious concepts as ideas that should be evaluated with the same standards used to evaluate all other ideas and concepts, not from the privileged position claimed by so many of a religious persuasion.
	Like Rolling Uphill: Realizing The Honesty Of Atheism Dianna Narciso Dianna Narciso describes the journey that is the subject of "Like Rolling Uphill: Realizing the Honesty of Atheism" this way: "...I found myself on a journey of learning and understanding that, while some spots were difficult and upsetting, was very much like rolling uphill toward self-enlightenment. I couldn't stop the progress, I couldn't stop the momentum, and I certainly couldn't go back to where I'd been." Between the covers of this book is the story of a life in process. Narciso candidly tells the reader who she was, who she is and what caused her to change. She does so in a straightforward narrative that pulls no punches, whether assessing her own ideas and attitudes or commenting on some of the misunderstandings and misinformation she has encountered while realizing her own atheism. -- Reviewed by George R.
	Atheism: A Reader edited by S.T. Joshi This book is an excellent resource and introduction to many great thinkers of history. Some of my favorites were Nietzsche ["Not every one may be a Christian: one is not 'converted' to Christianity--one must first be sick enough for it..."], Mencken ["The so-called religious organizations which now lead the war against the teaching of evolution are nothing more at bottom, than conspiracies of the inferior man against his betters. They mirror very accurately his congenital hatred of knowledge, his bitter enmity to the man who knows more than he does, and so gets more out of life."], Ingersoll ["Every effort to really better the condition of mankind has been opposed by the worshipers of some God."], and Clarence Darrow on The Lord's Day Alliance ["If any poor mortal is caught enjoying life on Sunday its agents gleefully hie themselves to the nearest legislature and urge a law to stop the fun."]. Highly recommended reading. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.
	Natural Atheism by David Eller David Eller is a professor of cultural anthropology and, though written with clarity and conviction, his book definitely reflects that academic background. Eller packs a lot of information into the 352 pages of his book. He also inspires with an appeal for those who are so inclined to go forth and spread the "good news" about atheism. Along the way he manages to offer a short course in logic, a rebuttal of the chief arguments offered by theists and a strong declaration on behalf of the need for absolute separation between government and religion. Eller's book is well researched and very readable, though a bit of heavy lifting may be required in a few spots. All in all I found it a worthwhile addition to my growing library of atheist apologetics. -- Reviewed by George R.

	*Does God Exist: The Debate Between Theists and Atheists* J.P. Moreland and Kai Nielsen This book was okay, nothing to get excited about. The atheist, Kai Nielsen, maintained a narrow focus, but did well with his argument. The theist side was well represented, and I didn't feel that Mr. Nielsen adequately addressed Moreland's points. The downfall of the book lay in its final chapter in which Peter Kreeft advised us all on the methods we might use to determine which side we will go with. Basically, emotionalism and Pascal's Wager were his strongest recommendations. What feels right? And, only belief will earn you "the infinite prize of eternal life." Yep, I'm not kidding. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	The Dogma of Christ and Other Essays on Religion, Psychology, and Culture by Erich Fromm This book helped me to understand why people believe the things they do--what emotional and societal rewards belief has. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.

	*Moses and Monotheism* by Sigmund Freud A fascinating book outlining Freud's theory that Moses was an Egyptian and the two gods in the Pentateuch are a combination of the Egyptian Moses' loving god and Jahve, the Arabian volcano god. Freud briefly explains his theory of primeval man, totemism, and their relationship to Judaism and Christianity. Basically, primeval man lived in patriarchal family groups with the sons being banished, murdered or emasculated by the father/leader. At some point, the sons, together, murdered the father and ceremonially ate him. Thus arose Totemism, a religious reenactment of their crime and remembrance of their guilt. Judaism was a return of the father/leader/god. Christianity was an admission that the sons killed the father (god) and the belief in the necessary (spiritual) sacrifice and worship of the eldest son in his place. A great read. Led me to put Totem and Taboo by Freud on my reading list. -- Reviewed by Dianna N.