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Atheist Books

What has been your favorite "atheist" non-fiction books? or
What books did you read on your path out of religion?

Crimson67 8 Jan 6
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7

"The God Delusion."

Your conciousness is a delusion. I mean all our thoughts are dillusional! What we think is reality

Huh?

I'm sure I've read a hundred. I started with Sagan and Asimov but I have to tell you that "The God Delusion" is at the top of my favorites.

4

My favorite atheist book still has to be "God Is Not Great," by Chris Hitchens. Hitch was one of the best orators of our time, and, love him or hate him, there is no denying the power of his words and convictions. Books and speeches by Dawkins & Harris are fantastic as well, but Hitch was usually far more truth-arresting than either of those two.

One example:

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This made me think. At first I thought about the books I've read since I embraced atheism i.e. Hitchens, Harris, Dawkins, Dennett, etc. But from my youngest days as an introvert in western Kansas I was an escape artist living in the fictional worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Marvel comics primarily at first, then books like Michael Moorcocks Eternal Champion series. Roger Zalazny Chronicles of Amber, Frank Herbert's Dune novels, Julian May's Saga of the Pliocene Exile, and many more. I think these forays into being elsewhere did more to make me question reality and authority than any non fiction.

4

A Treatise on Human Nature, David Hume
Beyond Good and Evil/Thus Sprake Zarathustra, Freideich Neitzsche
Why I Am Not A Christian, Bertrand Russell

4

I liked Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists by Dan Barker.

4

One automatically has to go to the "Four Horseman" to start. Dawkins - "The God Delusion", Dennett - "Breaking The Spell", Harris - "Letter to a Christian Nation" & "The End of Faith", Hitchens - "god is not Great" & his editing of "the Portable Atheist". Some other good ones are: Barker - "God: The Most Unpleasant Character In All Fiction", Mills - "Atheist Universe", Russell - "Why I Am Not A Christian", Silverman - "Fighting God" & even Douglas Adams - "The Salmon of Doubt" & Navabi's - "Why There Is No God". Also, YouTube has a plethora of "atheist" posters, in whatever mood or complexity strikes your fancy!!

One can also do the Hume, Kant, Spinoza, Nietzsche route, & if you have the desire & tenacity it is worth the journey, but for modern atheism/philosophy I'd go with my list above.

3

Any Diskworld novels.

3

I just finished God: A Human History, it was excellent.

Whose the author?

Sorry, who is the author!!!

gibberish and flying unicorns poor Cat Stevens went for the throat slitting Mohammed who raped his 9 year old bride on her wedding night ALLAH AK BAR !

Reza Aslan, sorry, didn't realize I omitted the name.

@HippieChick58 I just heard him interviewed on the radio and could only write down his name since I was driving. Is this the book that he discusses archeological evidence of Neanderthals that points to belief in an after life? with his point being it seems like humans are hardwired to reach for these kinds of things?

I think it likely that is is the book he was talking of. He does talk about cave paintings and how humans seem to have searched for a divine.

2

Also, actually reading the Bible helped to distance myself from religion.

2

Richard Dawkins was a very good influence. The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion are great. Cristopher Hitchens' God is not Great is also very powerful.
These helped me get through the Bible with a critical mindset.
Science books in general are a good way to that path.

2

"Who created God?" "What came before the Big Bang?" The common thread linking these questions is why I would choose 'The Big Bang Never Happened' by Eric Lerner.

2

I escaped religion @ age 4 teaching myself to read newspaper comics sounding out my ABCs hounding my dad for help while he read the same paper. ...@ age 5 I equated Easter Bunny xmas Santa all the same lies told to gullible kids dictionaries encyclopedias science books all dwarfed obviously biased xian literature and movies like Ben Hur or 10 Commandments worse than bad science fiction like SuperMan

xmas is identical to Pinocchio only Santa nose does not grow telling alleged baby god lies

1

"The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" gave me a whole new outlook on reality. Even though it's not explicitly atheist, it's easy to see that the author himself is an atheist who likes to poke fun at religion.

1

James Hillman's "Re-Visioning Psychology".

1

What books to recommend really seems to depend on the direction you want to go. Atheist is just a lack of belief in a God. You can focus on the Christian God or the Abrahamic God (Christian, Muslim, Jewish). I prefer this as most people you are likely to meet fit this group and the basic concept is similar for anyone who claims any knowledge of a supreme being.
I also like a more scientific and fact based study. So Dawkins, Hitchens, and Sam Harris, are my favorites. Hitchens is more my style, but Sam tries to find a conversation to lead others to the same conclusion. More productive probably. The Hitch slap is the best though. 🙂 Happy reading.

1

The chief book that lead me away from religion was the bible. I was picked for Christian leadership at 15 yo., but the more I read the Bible the more confused and incredulous I became. I then turned to Catholicism / priests who helped a little but also lead to more questions. Then I looked at other religions and while I liked some of Buddhism and Confucianism, they really were not of much help. I eventually went through Agnosticism to Atheism.

1

My path out of religion was seamless it was as if I was never really in... I was playing the part given to me by my private catholic school... I did liked the religion courses because it was "old testament"... stories, always liked history. I am selfmade with all the lack of information that it brings. It was like religion never stuck on me. I was kind of teflon like. And once grown never needed that validation. But we must read because there is so much more we can find to our interest and curiosity. The process is never to stop.

1

I cannot imagine why an attractive women like you would find it difficult to date someone. I mean apart from those who are too old (to whom sex would be like shooting pool with a rope) and those who want you to change their incontinence pads, surely, there must still be plenty of men out there who would like to date you?

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I just don't understand how anyone could be one way or the other. The same question exists that hasn't been answered, what created god, or what created the substance that caused the big bang? Hi! Originally from the mountains of West Virginia. Also, you are so very pretty, "says that coolly."

@witchymom sorry, I'm new on this site. I didn't realize I was commenting on a thread.
Thus spoke zarathustra is one of my favorite books. Also, a coworker asked me to read 'the atheist who didn't exist'. It's a Christian book but I learned a lot of atheist arguments. So when ever we would discuss the book, I would argue for the atheist! Being an undecided, I get to argue for whoever I want lol

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