Spiritual Summer Reading

By the way, I’m almost done with Christopher Hitchens’ book God is Not Great.

I’ve been wanting to buy that book and read it. How is that book? Is it a good read? Is it worth buying?

Have you read any of Acharya S.’s books? I don’t know if you enjoy mytholoogy or not, but you may enjoy her books.

Have you read the “His Dark Materials” trilogy by Philip Pullman? It’s a fantastic fantasy story, and it’s rife with humanism themes for good measure.

The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon is pretty good, even though I really didn’t like The Adventures of Kavalier and Klay.

Highlight reads from the last couple of years for me:

Marshall McLuhan : Understanding Media

Douglas Coupland : All Families Are Psychotic – or- Girlfriend in a Coma -or- ok, just read all of his novels…

CS Lewis : Mere Christianity

Donald Miller : Blue Like Jazz

I loved Ian McEwan’s “Saturday,” a short novel that’s compelling and has an underlying reason v. mysticism theme. I also second the recommendation on “Life of Pi.”

Hemant,

I just finished your book, “I Sold My Soul on eBay.” There was so much that I agreed with you concerning problems with Christianity. I am a Christian and at times it was painful to read some of your critiques; I was embarrassed that an outsider had to witness irresponsible and harmful attitudes and words. I am, however, very grateful that you took on the task and am glad to know that you have a better or more accurate assessment of Christians; hopefully Christians will have a more accurate view of Atheists! I am going to recommend your book to my pastor when I see him in a couple of days. Christians have a long way to go to reflect what Jesus originally began. People are supposed to see God through His children; at least that is what 1John 4.12 is implying.

I am not certain whether you have had some of your questions answered, but I hope that you have. Your response toward the end of the book mentioned that it would take a “miracle” for you to believe in God. That is interesting indeed. On pages 90-91, you mentioned “doubting” Thomas. You wrote that “Thomas saw his evidence standing right in front of him,” and that “if Jesus did that to me now, I’m sure I’d change my mind, too!” Yet, Jesus told Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Those who believe without seeing are blessed” (John 20.29). The author of the book confessed he had recorded such things “so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life [eternal] in His name” (John 20.31).

Christians who have told you that you must “want” to believe; that you must “open your heart to God;” or that you are “thinking too rationally,” are speaking out of line with Scriptural Christianity. Faith is not illogical. One does not have to turn off his or her mind to believe in God. I am not even sure how exactly one could even do that. But your statement of needing a miracle to happen before you will believe in God (pp. 172-173) is, I believe, never going to happen. Miracles and faith are diametrically opposed to one another. The Bible states that it is only those who have faith in Christ who are considered God’s children (Romans 4). Why does one need “saving?” Why are unbelievers considered “lost?” Because we are sinners. I would like to explain that further, but I do not want to get on your nerves. If you are truly interested in any further dialogue, my email is remonstrants@hotmail.com and my blog is classicalarminianism.blogspot.com.

Thank you for all that you endured and experienced. I am confident that it will help Christians and non-Christians mentally and spiritually. And thank you for being so cordial; something I wish Dawkins would learn. And hopefully Christians will lose their combative nature as well . . . God knows it gets on my nerves as much as yours!

Sincerely,

William

I just finished “Parenting Beyond Belief” and “I Sold my Soul on eBay.”

Currently waiting for my copy of “God is not Great.” Thinking rereading “Unweaving the Rainbow.”

Oh yeah . . . forgot: “The Reenchantment of Nature” by Alister McGrath. It’s a cracking read.

An Unseemly Men by Larry Flynt

Logos said,

May 27, 2007 at 12:38 pm

A whole class on C.S.Lewis. How neat, did they talk about his spanking fetish?

No, but that might have made the class more interesting.

I just bought your book as well as Al Gore’s The Assault on Reason yesterday. There is my late spring reading list!

Anyone read Monkey Girl by Humes on the Dover trial? It sounds interesting, but I haven’t heard too much about it or gotten around to reading it yet.

If you’ve read Hitchens book, I’d suggest looking up his articles and statements in support of the invasion of Iraq, cluster bombs, impeachment, etc. Hitchens isn’t great, he’s a swine.

I’d suggest reading up on Cavarka, to see that nothing is new. This extract is pretty skimpy but it will give you an idea.
http://www.humanistictexts.org/carvaka.htm
It’s a lot better than the pop-atheism around today.

Then there is The Woman’s Bible, by Elizabeth Cady Stanton et al. You can find that online too.

But best of all, Mindfulness in Plain English, also available on line.

http://www.budsas.org/ebud/mfneng/mind0.htm

If you’re like me and have bad allergy problems, it might be better to try mindfulness of walking so you don’t have to think about your sinuses.

Or you could just read Katherine Anne Porter’s Ship of Fools, the greatest novel written by an American to date. Get in on the ground floor of that literary heresy I’m trying to start.

If you’ve read Hitchens book, I’d suggest looking up his articles and statements in support of the invasion of Iraq, cluster bombs, impeachment, etc. Hitchens isn’t great, he’s a swine.

Just because you disagree with some one does not make them a swine , isn’t that one thing Hemant has taught us?

Miko, I’d suggest, given his career as a backstabber of those for whom Hitchens has no further use that his resurgent career in anti-religion is most probably evidence of him realizing that the Iraq invasion which he favored cannot be seen as anything but one of the stupidest and most criminal acts in the post-war era. He’s a rat leaving a sinking ship. Look at what he said about The Nation, which built a good part of his career, as he saw more lucrative opportunities supporting the Bush junta.

I’ve got to stop coming here after Atheist Ethicist. My sentences are twice as long a half hour after that.

Listen to Snakes and Arrows by Rush…

it’s Dawkin’s The God Delusion set to music….