The Intelligent Agnostic's Introduction to Christianity PDF Download

Author: Eugene Rolfe
Publisher: London : Skeffington
ISBN:
Category : Apologetics
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
For many people today only a vacuum exists where once there was a reconciling force between Man and God. The result is confusion, and the author of this forceful book places the responsibility as much with the Church as with the skeptics, because the Church still clings to outworn metaphysical tenets which modern man cannot accept. Yet, when seen not as "factual" statements, but as a means of religious communication through images, Christian orthodoxy can be shown to be pragmatically and psychologically true, and essential to balanced living. This, the author maintains, is especially evident in the realms of prayer and the Eucharist.--From publisher description.

Author: E. J. Rolfe (Professor.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Author: Bo Bennett
Publisher: eBookIt.com
ISBN: 1456600001
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description
Maybe you were born to Christian parents and raised as a Christian. Or maybe you are just a part of a Christian nation. You might have attended church regularly, or maybe just on special occasions. If asked, you say that you believe in God, but you really never thought about what that means exactly. You are a well-educated person who accepts the idea of Biblical miracles, but only the more "reasonable" ones. You have read some of the Bible, mostly just parts of the New Testament, but never committed to reading the Bible cover to cover. You are a good person who admires the many "Christian values" as demonstrated by Jesus Christ. But something does not feel right. * Science tells us that the universe is 13.7 billion years old, but the Bible tells us it's 6,000 years old. * Science tells us life is the result of emergent properties in combined molecules, and we have evolved from a very primitive life form, but the Bible says that God made us, as is, from dust, and blew life in our noses. * You see a world where little bunnies burn to death in forest fires, and wonder why an all-good and loving God would allow such a thing to happen. * You pray to God and you realize that sometimes your prayers are answered, and sometimes they aren't -- just as if you didn't pray at all. * You hear about other religions and wonder why your religion is right and every other religion on the planet is wrong. * You have a real problem with the idea of all your non-Jesus-believing friends and family spending eternity in Hell.âe¨ In fact, the more you look around, the more you see a world absent of this perfect image of a perfect God. As much as you want to avoid critical thinking and "just let go and have faith", you find that you cannot believe in something contrary to your logic and reason -- no matter how much you want to. This might lead to feelings of guilt, insincerity, and/or hypocrisy. Yet you just can't imagine living life without God, and you don't have to. When you start asking serious questions about God and religion, you begin to see through the stories of people living inside the stomachs of big fish, 900-year-old men, and bodies coming back to life after three days, and understand how man created God, and not the other way around. By daring to question "sacred" religion, challenging your childhood beliefs, and risking eternal damnation (okay, so there might be a minor side effect to reading this book), you will discover an appreciation for religion on a new level, as well as a renewed appreciation for the human race. Through a unique blend of science, philosophy, theology, and a touch of humor, you will see how you can trust your logic and reason, be true to yourself, and embrace God - not as a being, but as a concept - The Concept.

Author: Robin Le Poidevin
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199575266
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description
What is agnosticism? Is it just the 'don't know' position on God, or is there more to it than this? Is it a belief, or merely the absence of belief? Who were the first to call themselves 'agnostics'? These are just some of the questions that Robin Le Poidevin considers in this Very Short Introduction. He sets the philosophical case for agnosticism and explores it as a historical and cultural phenomenon. What emerges is a much more sophisticated, and much more interesting, attitude than a simple failure to either commit to, or reject, religious belief. Le Poidevin challenges some preconceptions and assumptions among both believers and non-atheists, and invites the reader to rethink their own position on the issues. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Author: Raymond A. Hult
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
ISBN: 1425197132
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 91

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Book Description
Agnosticity is a new word created by the author with the hope that it will cause the reader to take a fresh look at how Agnostics think. Volume 1 reflects agnostic concerns surrounding Christian doctrine and is the first of a series intended to analyze the belief systems of major organized religions around the world. Christianity was chosen first because it accounts for the religious preference of about three of ever four American adults. Using his twenty-seven years as a Special Agent for the FBI as a springboard, the author draws on his experience in deductive reasoning to justify the agnostic point of view. This book is written so that the average person can easily understand the doubts that agnostics struggle with in trying to decide the existence of God. Instead of requiring a PhD. in religious studies, the author appeals to the common sense and rational thought that is inborn in most everyone. A primary goal of the author is to portray the Agnostic in a more favorable light and that there is nothing evil with admitting that a sure knowledge of God may not be so sure after all. Almost every page will result in readers re-evaluating their belief in God and the tenants of Christianity. Whether agreeing or disagreeing, the reader will never regard Christian dogma exactly the same way again.

Author: Alex McFarland
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1441266585
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 183

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Book Description
With notable nonbelievers such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens featured prominently in the media, it is no surprise that many Christians wonder how best to answer the growing number of atheist arguments they encounter every day. 10 Answers for Atheists is a one-of-a-kind resource from respected Christian apologist Alex McFarland that looks closely at the philosophical assumptions at the root of atheism and agnosticism and exposes the logical, historical, and conceptual fallacies that perpetuate unbelief. Readers will find easy-to-understand charts and clear explanations of key beliefs, as well as trustworthy, biblical answers to the honest questions posed by atheists and agnostics. Every reader, no matter where he or she falls on the spectrum of belief, will hear a call to thoughtful engagement with the historic Christian faith.

Author: Raymond A. Hult
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
ISBN: 1426987358
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 203

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Book Description
American Agnostic argues that the true worth of an American should not be based on an individual's faith or uncertainty in the reality of a biblical God. American Agnostic is an atempt by author Raymond A. Hult to bridge the unfortunate gap of mistrust and disrespect that too often currently exists in America between members of the Christian majority and the agnostic minority. Hult places the responsibility for achieving a mutually respectful understanding equally on the shoulders of both those who fervently believe in the Christian God and those who are as yet still unsure. He tries to show that moral behavior is more often than not unrelated to a person's religious persuasion. American Agnostic engages Christians and agnostics in a frank discussion of the main differences of opinion that separate both groups in regard to the authenticity of the Bible and the reality of the God as presented therein. Drawing on his transformation from a devout Christina leader to a questioning agnostic, the author recounts in detail the thought process that led to his gradual change of belief. He respectively defends this change as reasonable and deserving of serious consideration. He seeks to portray the agnostic in a more favorable light and that there is nothing inherently evil with admitting that a sure knowledge of God may not be so sure after all.

Author: S. T. Joshi
Publisher: Great Minds Series
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
This reader prints selections of some of the most profound and pioneering discussions of agnosticism over the past two centuries, including essays by Thomas Henry Huxley (who coined the term), Bertrand Russell, Albert Einstein, Isaac Asimov, and others.

Author: Sonu Shamdasani
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429901119
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 143

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Book Description
How many "posthumous" lives does a man have to live? Nearly half a century after his death, C. G. Jung is a subject of continual controversies. Every few years, a new life of Jung appears, each promising to provide the missing master key to the mysteries of his life and work, and to lay bare their secrets. However, with every successive "life", Jung becomes shrouded in an ever-increasing web of rumour, gossip, innuendo and fantasy. We may ask why Jung biographies are so filled with shortcomings? How did Jung become a fiction? This book addresses these issues. It demonstrates the pitfalls and fallacies of such works, and sets out how his life and work should be approached on a historical basis, drawing on decades of archival investigation and new documentation. It surveys attempts to write Jung's biography from during his own lifetime until the present; shows how Memories, Dreams, Reflections came to be falsely perceived as his autobiography; and why his Collected Works was never completed. Thus this work lays out an agenda for future studies and discussions of Jung, the reception of his work and its impact on contemporary culture.

Author: Michael J. Alter
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1725252732
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 602

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Book Description
The keystone of Christianity is Jesus’s physical, bodily resurrection. Present-day scholars can be significantly challenged as they forage through voluminous documents on the resurrection of Jesus. The literature measures well over seven thousand sources in English-language books alone. This makes finding specific sources that are most relevant for specific scholarly purposes an arduous task. Even when a specific book is relevant, finding the parts of the book that are most relevant to the resurrection rather than other topics often requires additional effort. A Thematic Access-Oriented Bibliography of Jesus’s Resurrection addresses these challenges in several ways. First, the bibliography organizes more than seven thousand English sources into twelve main categories and then thirty-four subcategories, which are designed to help you find the most relevant literature quickly and efficiently. Embedded are pro and con arguments which support efficient access through brief annotations and then annotate the diversity and complexity of the field of religion by including sources that represent a diverse range of views: theistic (e.g., Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc.), agnostic, and nontheistic. The objective of this bibliography is to provide convenient access to relevant sources from a variety of perspectives, allowing you to browse or find the one source accurately and with ease.