Devastating in its use of cold logic, (The Independent), the classic essay collection that expresses the freethinker's views to religion and challenges set notions in today's society from one of the most influential intellectual figures of the twentieth century.

Dedicated as few men have been to the life of reason, Bertrand Russell has always been concerned with the basic questions to which religion also addresses itself--questions about man's place in the universe and the nature of the good life, questions that involve life after death, morality, freedom, education, and sexual ethics. He brings to his treatment of these questions the same courage, scrupulous logic, and lofty wisdom for which his other work as philosopher, writer, and teacher has been famous. These qualities make the essays included in this book perhaps the most graceful and moving presentation of the freethinker's position since the days of Hume and Voltaire.

I am as firmly convinced that religions do harm as I am that they are untrue, Russell declares in his Preface, and his reasoned opposition to any system or dogma which he feels may shackle man's mind runs through all the essays in this book, whether they were written as early as 1899 or as late as 1954.

The book has been edited, with Lord Russell's full approval and cooperation, by Professor Paul Edwards of the Philosophy Department of New York University. In an Appendix, Professor Edwards contributes a full account of the highly controversial Bertrand Russell Case of 1940, in which Russell was judicially declared unfit to teach philosophy at the College of the City of New York.

Whether the reader shares or rejects Bertrand Russell's views, he will find this book an invigorating challenge to set notions, a masterly statement of a philosophical position, and a pure joy to read.

The author's lifelong search for the truth about Christianity contains information you won't learn in church. There is no other book like it on the market. It's an easy read yet thorough. It's written to appeal to anyone looking for answers about Christianity, whether they go to church on a regular basis or never attend church. The author's mission is to help people who don't embrace Christianity to better understand why they might have made that decision and feel okay about it. For those who embrace the faith, it provides insight into how Christians can learn from the past and be a better force for good in the future. It's a must-read for anyone seeking the truth about Christianity. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to food banks.

Atheism is on the march in the western world, and its enemy is God. Religion, the New Atheists claim, is dangerous, it kills or poisons everything. And if religion is the problem with the world, their answer is simple: get rid of it.

But are things really so straightforward? Tackling the likes of Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett head on, John Lennox highlights the fallacies in the their approach, arguing that their irrational and unscientific methodology leaves them guilty of the same obstinate foolishness of which they accuse dogmatic religious folks.

Erudite and wide-ranging, Gunning for God packs some debilitating punches. It also puts forward new ideas about the nature of God and Christianity that will give the 'New Atheists' best friends and worst enemies alike some stimulating food for thought.

HOW TO GET YOUR FREEDOM FROM WITCHCRAFT AND DEMONIC OPPRESSIONS. This book you are about to read will cause you to have a spiritual paradigm shift. Spiritual Diagnosis will help you to view and interpret problems differently. This book will help you to properly diagnose each problem in your life and put them in their right perspective. It will sensitize your spirit and help you to be sensitive and discern between problems that are the will of God and those that are fueled from Satan and his cohorts, which are meant for your destruction. This book will also equip you with Biblical tools to appropriately deal with each problem in your life. Spiritual Diagnosis will expose to you Satan, your arch-enemy, and his works, and it will also direct you to our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has the answers to all our problems. This book will not only inform you, but it will also transform you. It will not only challenge you to walk in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit, but it will also change your life. This book can change your life

Zen as the ideal path for those who have left institutional religion behind

Do you feel there is something more to be found in life? Is there something more for your life? Traditionally people turn to religions to find that more.

Today, when cultures are in upheaval and traditional religions are collapsing, a prominent Zen teacher explores the possibility of a spirituality at the heart of all religions.

Zen at the End of Religion is a brief introduction to Zen as a practical expression of perennial wisdom, a naturalistic perennialism.

The book offers a simple introduction to the core of Zen's why and how. While Zen is a rich and varied tradition, this introduction focuses on the essentials, the foundations of the Zen way. This book explores the Four Noble Truths, the Two Truths, the Ten Ox Herding Pictures, Zen meditation, samadhi, koans, enlightenment, and more.

When I hear James Ford's words, something in me wakes up. He has the rare ability to communicate something that is much larger than himself. We are all lucky to be in contact with this gift. --Gesshin Claire Greenwood, author of Bow First, Ask Questions Later

Who or what is God? How do different religions interpret God's existence? How can we know God?

Many people believe in God; not just throughout history but also in the present day. But who or what is it they believe in? Many different and sometimes conflicting answers have been suggested to this question. This Very Short Introduction explores some of the answers provided by philosophers, poets, and theologians, and considers why some people believe in God and others do not.

John Bowker explores how the major religions established their own distinctive beliefs about God and how they interpret God's existence, and concludes by looking at how our understanding of God continues to evolve.

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.

Vital -The New York Times Book Review

Provocative... Hazleton] paddles the river of doubt with energy and exuberance. -The Seattle Times

A widely admired writer on religion celebrates agnosticism as the most vibrant, engaging--and ultimately the most honest--stance toward the mysteries of existence.

One in four Americans reject any affiliation with organized religion, and nearly half of those under thirty describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. But as the airwaves resound with the haranguing of preachers and pundits, who speaks for the millions who find no joy in whittling the wonder of existence to a simple yes/no choice?

Lesley Hazleton does. In this provocative, brilliant book, she gives voice to the case for agnosticism, breaks it free of its stereotypes as watered-down atheism or amorphous seeking, and celebrates it as a reasoned, revealing, and sustaining stance toward life. Stepping over the lines imposed by rigid conviction, she draws on philosophy, theology, psychology, science, and more to explore, with curiosity and passion, the vital role of mystery in a deceptively information-rich world; to ask what we mean by the search for meaning; to invoke the humbling yet elating perspective of infinity; to challenge received ideas about death; and to reconsider what the soul might be. Inspired and inspiring, Agnostic recasts the question of belief not as a problem to be solved but as an invitation to an ongoing, open-ended adventure of the mind.

What is agnosticism? Is it a belief, or merely the absence of belief? Is it the result of too little thought about an issue--or too much? Who were the first to call themselves agnostics? Does agnosticism deserve serious consideration today? Can an agnostic live a religious life? What place should agnosticism have in education? These are just some of the questions that Robin Le Poidevin considers in this Very Short Introduction, as he sets the philosophical case for agnosticism and explores it as a historical and cultural phenomenon. Agnosticism emerges here as a much more sophisticated, and much more interesting, attitude than a simple failure to either commit to, or reject, religious belief. Le Poidevin challenges the common wisdom about agnosticism among both believers and atheists, and invites the reader to rethink their own position on the issues. Indeed, in arguing in favor of agnosticism as a respectable position to take, this stimulating and provocative guide takes issue on many points with the assertions of prominent atheists such as Richard Dawkins.

Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2023

A radically new way of understanding secularism which explains why being secular can seem so strangely religious

For much of America's rapidly growing secular population, religion is an inescapable source of skepticism and discomfort. It shows up in politics and in holidays, but also in common events like weddings and funerals. In The Secular Paradox, Joseph Blankholm argues that, despite their desire to avoid religion, nonbelievers often seem religious because Christianity influences the culture around them so deeply. Relying on several years of ethnographic research among secular activists and organized nonbelievers in the United States, the volume explores how very secular people are ambivalent toward belief, community, ritual, conversion, and tradition. As they try to embrace what they share, secular people encounter, again and again, that they are becoming too religious. And as they reject religion, they feel they have lost too much. Trying to strike the right balance, secular people alternate between the two sides of their ambiguous condition: absolutely not religious and part of a religion-like secular tradition.

Blankholm relies heavily on the voices of women and people of color to understand what it means to live with the secular paradox. The struggles of secular misfits--the people who mis-fit normative secularism in the United States--show that becoming secular means rejecting parts of life that resemble Christianity and embracing a European tradition that emphasizes reason and avoids emotion. Women, people of color, and secular people who have left non-Christian religions work against the limits and contradictions of secularism to create new ways of being secular that are transforming the American religious landscape. They are pioneering the most interesting and important forms of secular religiosity in America today.

Irish Witchcraft and Demonology was originally published in 1913. It is a thorough investigation into Ireland's historical accounts of witchcraft and supernatural occurrences. Drawing from legal records, trial documents, and folklore, Seymour meticulously documents the various witch trials and instances of alleged demonic activity in Ireland from the medieval period through the 18th century. His scholarly approach provides a detailed and contextualized understanding of how witchcraft was perceived and prosecuted in Ireland, making this book an invaluable resource for historians and folklorists interested in the country's cultural and social history.

St. John D. Seymour (1884-1950) was an Irish Anglican clergyman, historian, and folklorist renowned for his work on Irish witchcraft and folklore. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he served in various clerical positions within the Church of Ireland. His work is valued for its meticulous research and remains a significant resource for scholars of Irish history and folklore.

On God contemplates our search for the sacred. Sometimes you think life is mechanical, and at other times when there is sorrow and confusion, you revert to faith, looking to a supreme being for guidance and help. Krishnamurti explores the futility of seeking knowledge of the unknowable and shows that it is only when we have ceased seeking with our intellects that we may be radically free to experience reality, truth, and bliss. He present the religious mind as one that directly perceives the sacred rather than adhering top religious dogma.

Raised Catholic, I questioned my indoctrination, especially an apparent Bible contradiction, which threatened to destroy the very foundation of Christianity. At thirteen, I saw myself drowning as my life flashed before my eyes, during a near-death experience.

High school evolution studies further eroded my faith, leading to a downward spiral into the dark realm of the occult. Divine intervention later directed me to a Bible study where debate raged over Scripture interpretations. How? It was one book!

Why are we here? Where did we come from? What happens after death?

With an obsession for truth, I weighed the validity of all Christian doctrines against the Bible, as Darwin's Theory of Evolution loomed menacingly in the background. My search culminated in a solo pilgrimage to the Holy Lands of Israel and Egypt.

All my life I've been searching for the truth.

I found it.

Tom Blake changed the face of surfing and has long been lauded as one of the true pioneers and innovators in the sport. Although much has been written about him and his contributions (culminating in Gary Lynch's magisterial biography of him, Tom Blake: The Uncommon Journey of a Pioneer Waterman, published in 2001), very little work has been done on Tom Blake's Einsteinian philosophy. This is a shame, since though Blake was not formally educated (he never graduated high school due to the devastating influenza epidemic that swept the world in 1918 and 1919), he was an astute observer of nature and had a deep understanding of science and its implications on such perennial questions concerning ethics, God, and the goal of human life. The essence of Tom Blake's philosophical outlook is best captured in his book, Voice of the Atom, an engaging narrative that centers on his conversations with a young nomadic wanderer named Anthony. Yet, there are also other scattered writings, particularly letters that he wrote to friends over the years, that provide a wider glimpse into Blake's thinking that are invaluable.

For centuries the gospels have been cherished devotional literature, and under the guidance of preachers and priests, they've been understood as reliable depictions of Jesus. But even the most devout Christians stumble across sayings of Jesus that don't sound quite right. In fact-if we're honest-some of them are alarming. I discovered a few of these verses when I was a kid, but Jesus was our lord and savior, so I didn't let it bother me too much.

But the problem won't go away, even if many of the faithful file these troublesome texts in a mental drawer marked Too uncomfortable to think about. In fact, the problem is much larger than many people suppose. In this book, you'll find things Christians wish Jesus hadn't taught categorized in ten chapters.

How can this not be food for thought? What are the implications of this major downside of the gospels? It takes a certain level of bravery-frankly, curiosity and courage are required-to examine everything that Jesus taught. This book is designed to help with that adventure.

David Madison

Angels occupy a significant space in contemporary popular spirituality. Yet, today more than ever, the belief in the existence of intermediary spirits between the human and divine realms needs to be evangelized and Christianized. Angels and Demons offers a detailed synthesis of the givens of the Christian tradition concerning the angels and demons, as systematized in its essential principles by St. Thomas Aquinas. Certainly, the doctrine of angels and demons is not at the heart of Christian faith, but its place is far from negligible. On the one hand, as part of faith seeking understanding, angelology has been and can continue to be a source of enrichment for philosophy. Thus, reflection on the ontological constitution of the angel, on the modes of angelic knowledge, and on the nature of the sin of Satan can engage and shed light on the most fundamental areas of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. On the other hand, angelology, insofar as it is inseparable from the ensemble of the Christian mystery (from the doctrine of creation to the Christian understanding of the spiritual life), can be envisioned from an original and fruitful perspective.

Father Serge-Thomas Bonino is a renowned European theologian and highly regarded expert in Thomist thought, both philosophical and theological. He is the current Secretary of the International Theological Commission. To date very little of his work has been translated into English. This book is a comprehensive philosophical and theological investigation of angels and demons and is unquestionably the most comprehensive book on this neglected topic written since the Second Vatican Council.

In 1999, five scholars presented lectures at Washington National Cathedral about our images of God and what difference they make. This book is ideal for parish study groups and individuals to consider and discuss the viewpoints of Marcus Borg, Karen Armstrong, Jack Miles, James Cone, and Andrew Sung Park.

Does the face of God change? Years ago I would have said, 'No.' Countless hymns, passage of Scripture and confessions of faith assert or imply the changelessness of God. To take issue with traditions that are centuries, if not millennia old, seemed to be daunting and misguided....But when the great professions of confidence in God harden into philosophical propositions, one is bound to ask: What difference would it make to say that God has only one face? Even if true in some sense, the fact of the matter is that features each of us would count as necessary and changeless would be a matter of considerable debate.
- From the Introduction

African Americans, Blacks, have long been associated with religious faith.Since the dawn of our time in America from 1619 to the present day. Do we see this.The Black Church has long been, and is still, seen as a bastian of hope in the Black Community.And for good reason: many of our Civil Rights champions came from the church.This fact, while brilliant and admirable, does not dismiss the evils associated with the church.Some of these evils include Jonestown, Waco, and 911. The appalling actions done in the name of god are highly capable of ruining lives on an epidemic scale.Not only can lives be lost but, lifestyles can be ruined as well. Entire fortunes have been squandered as well as childhood innosence all in the name of god.What is being done about this? Much of the ill-begotten deeds of religions squalid past are conveniently swept under the rug.From the pope to the small time country preacher, are the dirty deals kept hidden from the masses.Members are encouraged to play along and do everything the spiritual leader tells them to do.Members that seek answers are shunned by the spiritual leader and his/her brainwashed flock(maintaining that the will of god demands absolute trust and faith).This naturally sets the stage for confusion and betrayal.The pastor/preist is given a free pass to commit all kinds of bad things while the congregation looks on in confusion.And this same pastor/preist grants special favors to those who played along in a fitting and proper way in his eyes.All of this is done to achieve salvation and go to heaven when one dies.The time for change has come.The Black Atheist in America by Jason Winn represents that change.Jason Winn, a former Christian himself, has seen the limited horizons and dirty deals done inside of the church.He struggled with faith for 34 years until he said,enough is enough! The Black Church is seen as a haven of hope to most in the Black Community but, this is only a half thuth.The other half of truth regarding the Black Church is lack luster at best.The Black Community is still #1 in crime, AIDS, and low education but, the Black Church is still going strong.This is due to the Black Church not taking a stand against the negative elements within its community.The time, energy, and money used to build and support the church could be redirected to assist in supporting the community.Both the church and community are made up of people.And these people are needed to get things done.The Black Atheist in America exposes this very basic truth along with many others.The reader will see the violent history of religion from The Crusades to the present day ethnic cleansings taking place in Africa.The reader will see the glaring hypocrisy running rampant in the church: faith healers and mega churches. The reader will also see how the church uses children(the most innocent among us)to fuel its turbo charged-high energy message to swell its membership.And finally, the reader shall see how a reason filled mind will triumph over a faith filled mind.A reason driven mind will be progressive in its function (forward moving). A religious driven mind will be retrogressive in its function(backwards moving). Jason Winn provides a simple example of this dynamic by explaining the passing of time.He states that, Time is progessive and moves forward. He further states that this progression can be seen in technology throughout the ages: Stone to Bronze and Industry to Information.

Have you ever searched for a scripture when you, or someone you knew, were in need of healing, protection, or financial provision? For over seventeen years, Jacqueline Mortenson volunteered at a scriptural prayer line at her church. She received daily telephone calls and prayer requests from parishioners and others who knew about the line, and she or one of the core group would find the right scripture to meet each request. The following morning, forty-plus prayer line members would pray these scriptures for the people who had called for them. Realizing that a simple handbook of scriptures for specific needs, particularly for Catholics, would be useful, Jacqueline spent the next few years gathering and categorizing scriptures to address particular concerns. Using the Sword of the Spirit is the result of this work. Whatever your own needs might be, God's Word has the answer-and this little book will help you find it

Marla artfully and bravely gives all of us a front row seat to her own deconstruction while also welcoming us and helping us feel safe in our own wildernesses. -Matthew Paul Turner, New York Times bestselling author of What Is God Like?

When you start to doubt your once-certain faith, it can feel overwhelming, discouraging, and honestly kind of terrifying. But the very good news is that you're not alone.

In unbelieve: poems on the journey to becoming a heretic, Marla Taviano-author, single mom, and former very-good-Christian-girl who had all the answers-welcomes you into a space where you can let it all out, let it all go, and start heading in brave new directions. And she'll be right there beside you on your journey.

In her past life, Taviano wrote books for Christians that today make her cringe, but with unbelieve she offers a simple poem on each page that will make you say, simply, hell yeah. Covering biblical literalism, fundamentalist hypocrisies, racism, LGBTQ+ rights, loving the poor, and so much more, Marla helps you fight for creating new boundaries with toxic beliefs and discovering who you were meant to be.

With appendices of amazing book lists, her written apology to Democrats and Jesus, and a bold affirmation of gay marriage, you'll find unbelieve to be a book you return to again and again-whenever you need a friendly companion on the road to heresy and freedom.