The Dawkins Delusion? PDF Download

Author: Alister McGrath
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830868739
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Book Description
Alister McGrath and Joanna Collicutt McGrath present a reliable assessment of The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, famed atheist and scientist, and the many questions this book raises--including, above all, the relevance of faith and the quest for meaning.

Author: V.C. Thomas
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1462804861
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 564

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Book Description
Todays modern technology and scientific knowledge contradicts all religious dogma created in ancient times by ignorant and superstitious people who had just learned to write. Modern science can test the strength of ones faith and it can make him a skeptic, causing him to discard the religious beliefs of his family for generations past. Deep religious experiences (or self-induced delusions) can be explained by physical, psychological, biological and medical sciences today. Evil or Sin is the result of social and mental conditions and can be corrected with education and medication today and without the help of an imaginary God. To quote Mark Twain Faith is to believe in what you know for sure is not true. The GOD Dilemma is an unscientific investigation to justify believing in religion today and in particular the Christian faith. It argues that scientific and logical discussions about religion and the existence of God are futile; however, we cannot stop thinking about it. Humans are (maybe) born with a faith in Gods existence and with a conscience that tells them which is morally and ethically right and which is not. Author Thomas used to believe in religion, God, and Christianity through his teenage years, but even if he learned to ignore it during his 50 adult years, he never consciously discarded his Christian faith. He now shares his investigations and attempts to believe in Jesus Christ once again, despite todays knowledge of the universe and evolution and by ignoring the sanctimonious behavior of fundamentalist US Christians. In the international scene, Thomas believes that the US wars since WWII cannot be justified by the life and the teachings of Jesus Christ. There is an underlying moral claim by fundamentalist Christian Americans that its actions are justified by Jesus and Christianity. The new phenomenon called Christian Zionism which requires the removal of Palestinians from their homeland to create and expand Israel to enable the second coming of Christ, categorically contradicts the teachings of Jesus in the four Gospels. Zionism is based on the Old Testament Bible (OTB) and Revelations in the New Testament both of which are scientifically ridiculous. The OTB is also historically questionable (about a God interacting with his only chosen people in Middle East) and morally criminal (God sponsored and assisted armed robbery and genocide to create Israel ancient and modern) by todays legal and ethical standards. Why has the life and teachings of Jesus Christ not produced universal love and non-violence among Christians? Why are American Christians the most active supporters of (or not speaking out against) the wars, bombing and destruction by the USA since WWII? Are Ashkenazi European Jews really the descendants of Semitic slaves from Egypt? What were the reasons for anti-Semitism and the Holocaust in Christian Europe of the past? Why is the European Union and the US punishing the Palestinians for the Holocaust crimes in Europe? Can Gods orders in the Bible be legally used by the United Nations to recreate Israel again in the 20th century after 3000 years by getting rid of Palestinians? The book seeks to inform and provoke critical thinking of the readers through this investigation into religion and God and, in particular, the violent, intolerant and self-righteous behavior of Christians for centuries past and even in todays enlightened age using the source of the Christian religion the Bible.

Author: Richard Dawkins
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0547348665
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 464

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Book Description
A preeminent scientist—and the world's most prominent atheist—asserts the irrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm religion has inflicted on society, from the Crusades to 9/11. With rigor and wit, Dawkins examines God in all his forms, from the sex-obsessed tyrant of the Old Testament to the more benign (but still illogical) Celestial Watchmaker favored by some Enlightenment thinkers. He eviscerates the major arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of a supreme being. He shows how religion fuels war, foments bigotry, and abuses children, buttressing his points with historical and contemporary evidence. The God Delusion makes a compelling case that belief in God is not just wrong but potentially deadly. It also offers exhilarating insight into the advantages of atheism to the individual and society, not the least of which is a clearer, truer appreciation of the universe's wonders than any faith could ever muster.

Author: G. Oppy
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137354143
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
.... compares two theories—Naturalism and Theism—on a wide range of relevant data. It concludes that Naturalism should be preferred to Theism on that data. The central idea behind the argument is that, while Naturalism is simpler than Theism, there is no relevant data that Naturalism fails to explain at least as well as Theism does.

Author: Chris Hodges
Publisher: HarperChristian Resources
ISBN: 0310088585
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 110

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Book Description
As Christians, we have real hope in Jesus that we have been called to share with others. But how we share that hope makes a difference. In a world that rejects everything we believe, we face a dilemma: how do we walk closely with God without caving in to pressure or alienating those we want to reach? In this six-session video Bible study, Chris Hodges looks at the lives of both Daniel and Jesus, showing how we can stand for our biblical beliefs without being hostile or insulting to others. We can stand up for God's truth in a morally corrupt culture–while still loving others–because the goal is never about winning the argument but about winning hearts. As Jesus demonstrated, when we connect with others before we correct them, we can handle the hard questions without compromising God's grace or truth. Chris offers fresh insights and practical ideas to encourage Christians struggling with their cultural reality to hold God's standards high and to keep his grace deep–just as Jesus did, and just as his followers today are called to do. The Daniel Dilemma Study Guide includes video discussion questions, Bible exploration, and personal study and reflection materials for in-between sessions. Sessions include: In the World but Not of It Identity Theft You Are What You Worship Who's the Boss? Divided, Distracted, and Disturbed What the World Needs Now Designed for use with the Daniel Dilemma Video Study (sold separately).

Author: R. Keith Loftin
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830863451
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
Is morality dependent upon belief in God? Is there more than one way for Christians to understand the nature of morality? Is there any agreement between Christians and atheists or agnostics on this heated issue? In God and Morality: Four Views four distinguished voices in moral philosophy ariticulate and defend their place in the current debate between naturalism and theism. Christian philosophers, Keith Yandell and Mark Linville and two self-identified atheist/agnostics, Evan Fales and Michael Ruse clearly and honestly represent their differing views on the nature of morality. Important differences as well as areas of overlap emerge as each contributor states their case, receives criticism from the others and responds. Of particular value for use as an academic text, these four essays and responses, covering the naturalist moral non-realist, naturalist moral realist, moral essentialist and moral particularist views, will foster critical thinking and contribute to the development of a well-informed position on this very important issue.

Author: Herman Philipse
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199697531
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 391

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Book Description
Herman Philipse puts forward a powerful new critique of belief in God. He examines the strategies that have been used for the philosophical defence of religious belief, and by careful reasoning casts doubt on the legitimacy of relying on faith instead of evidence, and on probabilistic arguments for the existence of God.

Author: Plato
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Author: Ronald Dworkin
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674728041
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 71

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Book Description
In his last book, Ronald Dworkin addresses questions that men and women have asked through the ages: What is religion and what is God’s place in it? What is death and what is immortality? Based on the 2011 Einstein Lectures, Religion without God is inspired by remarks Einstein made that if religion consists of awe toward mysteries which “manifest themselves in the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, and which our dull faculties can comprehend only in the most primitive forms,” then, he, Einstein, was a religious person. Dworkin joins Einstein’s sense of cosmic mystery and beauty to the claim that value is objective, independent of mind, and immanent in the world. He rejects the metaphysics of naturalism—that nothing is real except what can be studied by the natural sciences. Belief in God is one manifestation of this deeper worldview, but not the only one. The conviction that God underwrites value presupposes a prior commitment to the independent reality of that value—a commitment that is available to nonbelievers as well. So theists share a commitment with some atheists that is more fundamental than what divides them. Freedom of religion should flow not from a respect for belief in God but from the right to ethical independence. Dworkin hoped that this short book would contribute to rational conversation and the softening of religious fear and hatred. Religion without God is the work of a humanist who recognized both the possibilities and limitations of humanity.

Author: Scott Adams
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 9780740747878
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
In God's Debris, best-selling author and creator of Dilbert Scott Adams fashioned a thought-provoking exploration of life's great mysteries (everything from quantum physics and God to psychic phenomena and dating) that quickly captured the attention and imaginations of readers everywhere. The intriguing story of a deliveryman who meets the world's smartest person and learns the secret of reality is threaded with a variety of hypnosis techniques that Adams, a certified hypnotist, used to induce a feeling of euphoric enlightenment in readers to mirror the main character's feelings as he discovers the true nature of the universe.Launched to coincide with the hardcover publication of its sequel, The Religion War (see opposite page), this first paperback edition of God's Debris will soon make the leap to a broader audience. As Adams designed it, the book will "make your brain spin around inside your skull" and drive readers toward The Religion War as they seek to confirm or deny the dizzying impressions and chaotic memories of reading God's Debris.The book provides one of the most compelling visions of reality ever experienced on the printed page. Along the way, readers will enjoy the Thought Experiment: Trying to discover what's wrong with the sage's explanation of reality. This is a book, as Adams says, to be shared and savored with smart friends.