(August 11, 2013 at 4:36 pm)Creed of Heresy Wrote: I actually WOULD suggest Dawkins' books, along with Hitchens' as well. ANYTHING by Hitchens, not just his things against religion. Reason for Dawkins' books is because if you intend to get into debates with low-level (see also: cherry-picker/ignorant-of-their-book's-content) religious folks and you don't quite have a firm, solid grasp on concise points, they will provide you with some novice-to-apprentice level debating points that may convince such potentially-skeptical types to start analyzing their "holy" texts more carefully. I don't mean to sound like some kind of atheist-evangelist but honestly the more people stop believing these silly myths and start opening their minds, the quicker society can actually get on a track with some kind of progression that doesn't require motherfucking decades to fully integrate.
So, yes, if gentle anti-theism is something you might be interested in, I would suggest Dawkins' books along with any other reading on science, skepticism, and rejection of ignorance/bigotry/credulousness.
It all depends on how new to being an atheist you are. Shrugging off the shackles of a religious belief comes with a new burden; the burdens of the realization of personal insignificance, mortality, and responsibility. You find yourself groping blindly as your eyes adjust to the light of reason, flailing wildly and struggling to tread water in an ocean of fresh uncertainty, which is absolutely terrifying for many people who once were given such childish comforts. It's nice to have something that can direct your attention and convince you of the beauty of the world around you faster than you otherwise would. If you've long been an atheist and have come to accept all that already, though, it's still useful for some other considerations all the same.
I'm not a new atheist (basically a lifer, albeit closeted), but I've never gotten into religious debates with anyone, either, except in my own head. So I can see your point. For example, a few years ago I was talking to a friend who said she really wanted to make herself believe in God. She basically summed up Pascal's Wager, and I didn't say anything because at the time I didn't even realize that argument had a name. Now that I've read The God Delusion and am more familiar with Pascal's Wager, I feel like I could have been more help to her as she struggled with that.
