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Essential Reading for Theists (A book recommendation thread)
#1
Essential Reading for Theists (A book recommendation thread)
I was thinking about my Mormon penpal while I was rage-typing a portion of my response to her last email and got to wondering:

Mormons challenge people to read the Book of Mormon (and praying about it to convince yourself it's true) as one of their tactics get people to consider Mormonism, and if she eventually puts this challenge to me I would challenge her to read a book that I recommend to her.

Which got me thinking:



What single book, besides the bible, would you recommend a theist read?



Would you recommend a book on atheism?

Would you recommend a book on critical thinking?

On comparative religion?

On textual criticism?

On counter-apologetics?

On history?


Titles and authors welcome!
Teenaged X-Files obsession + Bermuda Triangle episode + Self-led school research project = Atheist.
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#2
RE: Essential Reading for Theists (A book recommendation thread)
Animorphs. It doesn't have much to do with theism, but you should still read it. I enjoyed it. Big Grin
Poe's Law: "Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won't mistake for the real thing."

10 Christ-like figures that predate Jesus. Link shortened to Chris ate Jesus for some reason...
http://listverse.com/2009/04/13/10-chris...ate-jesus/

Good video to watch, if you want to know how common the Jesus story really is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88GTUXvp-50

A list of biblical contradictions from the infallible word of Yahweh.
http://infidels.org/library/modern/jim_m...tions.html

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#3
RE: Essential Reading for Theists (A book recommendation thread)
You mean theists should read it?

Or other atheists?

I'm wondering what books an atheist might recommend to a theist.
Teenaged X-Files obsession + Bermuda Triangle episode + Self-led school research project = Atheist.
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#4
RE: Essential Reading for Theists (A book recommendation thread)
Everyone. It was just a joke, though.

For anyone who reads theistic books like "Not enough faith to be an atheist", Steve Shives does videos on them from his atheist prospective. I would recommend they check that out, even though it's a video. Not a book.

https://www.youtube.com/user/stevelikes2...helf_id=11

As for just books, I guess books from famous atheists. I don't actually read things like "The god delusion", but theists can give them a try. Then find videos of those books from a theistic prospective, and bring it all full circle.
Poe's Law: "Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won't mistake for the real thing."

10 Christ-like figures that predate Jesus. Link shortened to Chris ate Jesus for some reason...
http://listverse.com/2009/04/13/10-chris...ate-jesus/

Good video to watch, if you want to know how common the Jesus story really is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88GTUXvp-50

A list of biblical contradictions from the infallible word of Yahweh.
http://infidels.org/library/modern/jim_m...tions.html

Reply
#5
RE: Essential Reading for Theists (A book recommendation thread)
I recommend Swedenborg's Divine Providence.
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#6
RE: Essential Reading for Theists (A book recommendation thread)
(July 13, 2015 at 3:04 pm)Clueless Morgan Wrote: You mean theists should read it?

Or other atheists?

I'm wondering what books an atheist might recommend to a theist.


Depending on the theist's level of intelligence, either the Four Horsemen  4 Horsemen

or the Masters of Suspicion, for the adults.
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#7
RE: Essential Reading for Theists (A book recommendation thread)
Recommended religious material for thesist would be...other holy books.
Poe's Law: "Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won't mistake for the real thing."

10 Christ-like figures that predate Jesus. Link shortened to Chris ate Jesus for some reason...
http://listverse.com/2009/04/13/10-chris...ate-jesus/

Good video to watch, if you want to know how common the Jesus story really is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88GTUXvp-50

A list of biblical contradictions from the infallible word of Yahweh.
http://infidels.org/library/modern/jim_m...tions.html

Reply
#8
RE: Essential Reading for Theists (A book recommendation thread)
I would recommend reading the wikipedia entry on atheism, theism and each position's arguments. If that doesn't convince you, hardly anything will
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you

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#9
RE: Essential Reading for Theists (A book recommendation thread)
(July 13, 2015 at 3:15 pm)Chad32 Wrote: Recommended religious material for thesist would be...other holy books.

Not to mention reading their own cover to cover at one go preferably in a respectable scholarly translation and not one geared to your own sect.  Christians really should read a good Jewish translation of the OT.   Pay close attention when you get to the parts referenced in the NT.  You might understand why the Jews don't see the prophecies the way you do. Angel
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god.  If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
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#10
RE: Essential Reading for Theists (A book recommendation thread)
I would recommend theists read Sagan's 'Demon Haunted World'.


(July 13, 2015 at 3:08 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: I recommend Swedenborg's Divine Providence.

Yeah, because god did such a bad job explaining himself, that humanity needed to wait thousands of years for Swedenborg to come along and clarify "god's perfect word".

You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
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