When I was a xian I read Josh McDowell's Evidence That Demands a Verdict. When I was going through my problems with the bible and further reading I also read some online counter arguments to that book of his. I concur with your saying that many of those types of books are written to try to further convince Christians than they are to convert people.

I was given a book of Bible stories when I was little. I liked the story of Jesus bringing Jarius's daughter back from the dead, and the one about young Samuel hearing the voice of God in the temple. But that was before I developed doubts, so I guess they don't count.

Then there was the Bible, of course. I had to learn bits of it by heart. Most of it was way too boring to read.

Worst of all was the Shorter Catechism, sections of which I was expected to recite. (Glad I wasn't given the longer version!) Take Q&A #87, for instance:

Q87. What is repentance unto life?
A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.

Enough already.

First and foremost, the Bible. I think my thoughts on that are fairly obvious, given that I'm... you know, an atheist.

I have also, however, been told to read A Case for Christ. Didn't convince me in any way whatsoever. If anything, it was just a little bit sad.

Nothing in the theist arsenal has the capacity to convince me anymore. I'm just too well informed.

The bright side is when you need to start a fire, the gift gives you something to start the fire with.

I am sorry ,I would never read a book that was recommended to me in order to convince me there was a god . I read enough of that crap in catholic school

Bible... i questioned how a lot of things quoted could be or happen later. Oh ,thats a symbol of something else. I say crap. If it would of said something like, (the people in the horseless moving chariots in those tunnels could feel the heat and all horseless flying chariots were knocked out of the sky) .that might phase me.

The Bible. I found out that Christians don't believe in it.

Chick tracts, of course. I seem to recall being given a paperback entitled "Night Flight From Rome." And Tim LaHaye books. Result: Hysterical laughter.

I've always been a C. S. Lewis fan. Nobody had to push Narnia on me, or even the Screwtape letters. Lord, Liar or Lunatic was handed to me. The arguments only work in "laboratory conditions and don't hold up when looked t in the context of how the so-called gospels came to be. But I like his writing, so it wasn't a waste of my time.