30. Leaving the Fold: Testimonies of Former Fundamentalists, by
Edward T. Babinski (Editor)
"This riveting new collection offers testimonies of former
fundamentalists
who became disillusioned with their
churches and left. Presenting more than two
dozen personal journeys, this book
gives a clear picture of what attracts a
person to the fundamentalist faith
and what can drive believers away from
their religion."
31. Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist, by Dan
Barker
"About half of the book is Barker's story of his conversion and
deconversion. The other half are a
collection of essays Barker has put together about
biblical errancy, his TV appearances
and debates, and his experiences in the Atheist
community. A modern classic of
freethought literature."
32. Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong: A Guide for
Young Thinkers, by Dan Barker, Brian Strassburg (Illustrator)
"Discusses learning right from wrong, stressing such aspects as the
difference between rules and
principles and the importance of an individual's rights."
33. Maybe Yes, Maybe No: A Guide for Young Skeptics, by Dan
Barker, Brian Strassburg (Illustrator)
"Excellent non-pushy kid's introduction to skepticism. I read this book
to
my kids, ages 8 and 10, and they absolutely
loved it. One took it to bed
that night to re-read and the other
took it to school the next day. I've never
seen such a strong positive reaction
to a book from them. Yes, it's simplistic,
but it's a kid's book; it has to be.
As a parent, what i liked the most
about it is the gentle manner in
which difficult questions are introduced. We had
to pause many times for thoughtful
discussion. Kudos to Mr. Barker for
an excellent book encouraging
children to question the world around them
and to try to apply scientific
methods to understand it."
34. How Do You Know It's True? Discovering the Difference Between Science
and Superstition, by Hyman Ruchlis, Hy Ruchlis
"Far
and away the best of the best of new releases for teaching critical
thinking to young people. Actually,
this is for anybody, young or old,
who still has a tendency to flirt
with any form of superstition or
fairy-tale thinking or is curious why
other people do so."
35. Why I Am an Agnostic and Other Essays (The Freethought Library), by
Clarence Darrow
"The renowned lawyer Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) was also an impassioned
defender of intellectual freedom,
individual liberties, and social
injustice. In these wide-ranging
essays, Darrow attacks beliefs in the inerrancy of the Bible, the
immortality of the soul, miracles, and heaven as being completely at odds
with human experience and science."
36. God and Evil: An Introduction to the Issues, by Michael
Peterson
"This concise survey examines the problem of evil in the context of the
philosophy of religion. The main
problem of evil consists in reconciling
belief in a just and loving God with
evil and suffering in the world."
37.
Nonbelief & Evil: Two Arguments for the Nonexistence of God, by Theodore M.
Drange
"Drange's book, with more clarity and meticulous attention to detail
than
perhaps any other on the subject, demolishes
traditional beliefs with two
simple arguments. The existence of
nonbelief (in God) and evil (premature
death and suffering), as Drange
persuasively demonstrates, may very well
constitute an insurmountable
challenge to theists, especially evangelical
Christians."
38. What Is Atheism? A Short Introduction, by Douglas E. Krueger
"This
book is extremely well written, easy to understand and makes a great
companion book for Atheists and
theists alike. Unsure what Atheism is?
Douglas' book will explain it in
concise and easy to read terms but he
doesn't 'dumb it down'. I can't say
enough good things about this book
other than to say Buy it, read it,
absorb it, live it!"
39. Divine Hiddeness and Human Reason (Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of
Religion), by J.L. Schellenberg
"In this clearly written and tightly argued book, J. L. Schellenberg
addresses a fundamental yet neglected
religious problem. If there is a God, he asks,
why is his existence not more
obvious? Traditionally, theists have claimed that
God is hidden in order to account for
the fact that the evidence of his
existence is as weak as it is.
Schellenberg maintains that, given the understanding of
God's moral character to which
theists are committed, this claim runs into serious
difficulty."
40. Arguing for Atheism: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion, by
Robin Le Poidevin
"The arguments are accessible to the non-philosopher, all terminology
is
carefully explained when introduced. this
book is rewarding for the
intellectual exercise provided by the
rigorous logic and for the insights that deep
analysis of personally significant
beliefs can reveal. You do not have to be an
Atheist to enjoy this concise and
fair set of arguments in defense of Atheism and of embracing
religion as useful fiction."
41. The Godless Constitution: The Case Against Religious Correctness, by
Isaac Kramnick, R. Laurence Moore, Laurence Moore (Contributor)
"Concise Defense of the Separation of Church and State - This book
examines American History to discover
the original intent of the First
Amendment. America is not, nor has it
ever been an instrument for
religion. It was purposely founded on
secular ideals to avoid the
oppression which all to often plagued
governments where church
and state were not separated. The
American form of government is
founded on ideals which were
formulated in the mind of man."
Carl Sagen's Baloney Detection Kit...
42. Why the Religious Right Is Wrong About Separation of Church & State, by
Rob Boston, Robert Boston, Barry W. Lynn (Introduction)
"A
journalist's account of how the religious right is using the political
arena to wage war against the
governing principle of separation of church and
state to promote their
ultraconservative agenda. The dangers of the
Religious Right movement - Rob Boston
presents an intelligent, well written argument
against the threat of the Religious
Right movement in America. He traces
church-state relations from several
hundred years ago to the present day
and confronts the non-seperationists
with zeal and passion."
43. The Most Dangerous Man in America? Pat
Robertson and the Rise of the Christian Coalition, by Rob
Boston, Robert Boston
"Despite televangelist Pat Robertson's high ranking in the powerful
Christian Coalition, many Americans
are unaware of his extreme political views or his goals for the
United States. This book examines the role Robertson plays in
contemporary politics and his efforts
to influence American society through
his various political organizations,
businesses, and broadcast empire."
44. Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between
Theocracy and Democracy, by Frederick Clarkson
"What is behind the violence against
abortion clinics, attacks on gays and
lesbians and the growing power of the
religious right? Frederick Clarkson
makes it clear that beyond the
bombers and assassins who sometimes make
news, is a growing, if not well
understood, movement that encompasses Pat
Robertson's Christian Coalition, the
Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon
and the Promise Keepers--the lead
agency of the so-called Christian men's
movement.
45. Not by Politics Alone: The Enduring
Influence of the Christian Right, by Sara Diamond
"The Christian right is many things. Its a political coalition with
strong
ties to and influence on the Republican
Party, but its also a subculture
that provides, as she puts it, ``a
safe haven when political success is not
forthcoming. Through the media,
church and community organizations,
and other avenues, the right creates
a strong ideology. The ideology
propagates the notion that this is a
persecuted group battling immoral
enemies (e.g., abortion doctors, gay
employees) in an eternal struggle
between good and evil. In such a
context, momentary political travails
are of little consequence."
"Campbell is
particularly good on the Scrolls' historical setting and builds up a convincing
picture of the development of different strands of religious thought, belief
and practice within second temple period Judaism. If you approach this book
without prejudice, as Campbell does the available facts, you will come to
understand the origins of modern Judaism and Christianity."
"Superb
kaleidoscopic history of religion, from an English nun-turned-scholar. Armstrong
was a nun in the early 1960's but left her convent in 1969 as part of the great
wave that defected from religious life at that time. Although her faith
grew progressively weaker, her fascination with
religion didn't abate, and, even as a nonbeliever, she continues to pursue
theological studies. Here, her basic message is that religion is highly
pragmatic. We shall see that it is far more
important for a particular idea of God to work than for it to be logically
or scientifically sound.''
"This
is an excellent layperson analysis of the Holy Bible. Steve Allen makes no
pretension to biblical scholarship. Indeed, must one have such credentials
to understand and appreciate the alleged word of God? I think not and
neither does Allen as he rips through dozens of topics revealing the blatant
flaws and fallacies of the "good book". He does stop to smell the proverbial
flowers, which are the few and far between edifying passages. I must say
that it is truly incredible that those of the Western culture either do not
see or do not know how much of the Holy Bible is not well suited to
children's bedtime stories." 
