If you’re new to atheism you might be wondering what it’s all about or you might be confused by the contradictions between what you’ve been told by theists or the media and how you feel. For example, there is much talk about how atheists can’t know how to be good, yet, you know you are good and, perhaps, see that theists aren’t being that good.
People coming out of religion are not going to find the answer in these books, or any books. A skeptical, atheist mind doesn’t want to be told the answer. They want to learn to ask a better question.
These books are a arranged from beginner to advanced.
Atheism: A Very Short Introduction – Julian Baggini
Atheism is often considered to be a negative, dark, and pessimistic belief which is characterized by a rejection of values and purpose and a fierce opposition to religion… continue:
Unintelligent Design – Robyn Williams
Intelligent design has found its way into the headlines, has been spruiked in the Parliament and is now trying to slink into our schools. So where did this wilfully ignorant sibling of creationism and its anti-scientific arguments spring from… continue:
Adams vs God: The Rematch – Phillip Adams
Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America’s Leading Atheists – Dan Barker
After almost 20 years of evangelical preaching, missionizing, and Christian songwriting, Dan Barker “threw out the bathwater and discovered that there is no baby.” Continue:
Dan Barker’s presentation at The Rise of Atheism Conference in Melbourne in March 2010 was a… revelation… to some lifetime atheists. The mindset and thought patterns of an Evangelical Christian are totally foreign to many atheists, like listening to another language.
Letters to a Young Contrarian – Christopher Hitchens
Hitchens bemoans the loss of the skills of dialectical thinking evident in contemporary society. He understands the importance of disagreement…
God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything – Christopher Hitchens
With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion.
Greatest Show On Earth, The: The Evidence For Evolution – Richard Dawkins
It is no accident that we see green almost wherever we look. It is no accident that we find ourselves perched on one tiny twig in the midst of a blossoming and flourishing tree of life; no accident that we are surrounded by millions of other species, eating…
The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever – Christopher Hitchens
From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of God Is Not Great, a provocative and entertaining guided tour of atheist and agnostic thought through the ages–with never-before-published pieces by Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali…
God Delusion, The – Richard Dawkins
“The God Delusion” caused a sensation when it was published in 2006. Within weeks it became the most hotly debated topic, with Dawkins himself branded as either saint or sinner for presenting his hard-hitting, impassioned rebuttal of religion…
Selfish Gene, The (30th Anniversary Ed) – Richard Dawkins
The million copy international bestseller, critically acclaimed and translated into over 25 languages. This 30th anniversary edition includes a new introduction from the author…
God the Failed Hypothesis by Stenger
Society Without God by Zuckerman
50 Voices of Disbelief
“50 Voices of Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists” presents a collection of original essays drawn from an international group of prominent voices in the fields of academia, science, literature, media and politics who offer carefully considered statements of why they are atheists. It features a truly international cast of contributors, ranging from public intellectuals such as Peter Singer, Susan Blackmore, and A.C. Grayling, novelists, such as Joe Haldeman, and heavyweight philosophers of religion, including Graham Oppy and Michael Tooley.
Does God Hate Women by Jeremy Stangroom and Ophelia Benson
The new book from high profile philosophy writers Ophelia Benson and Jeremy Stangroom (authors of the hugely successful “Why Truth Matters”), exploring a topical and controversial religious and cultural issue in a highly accessible manner.This fascinating book explores the role that religion and culture play in the oppression of women. Philosophy writers Ophelia Benson and Jeremy Stangroom ask probing questions about the way that religion shields the oppression of women from criticism and why many Western liberals, leftists and feminists have remained largely silent on the subject.
The Australian Book of Atheism.
Edited by Warren Bonett
Does the Anzac ethos have roots in atheism? Does prayer have a place in parliament? Should ”creation science” be taught in Australian schools? Is atheism maligned in political debate? Will Australia’s future be godless? While prominent international thinkers have made significant contributions to the general conversation on belief and religion, Australians have been less heard.
The Australian Book of Atheism is the first collection to explore atheism from an Australian viewpoint. Bringing together essays from 32 of the nation’s pre-eminent atheist, rationalist, humanist, and skeptic thinkers, it canvasses a range of opinions on religion and secularism in Australia.
Including contributions from Michael Bachelard, Dr Leslie Cannold, Robyn Williams, Lyn Allison, Tim Minchin, and Phillip Nitschke, this diverse and entertaining collection showcases the unique character of Australian atheism.