Beyond Belief by Joe C.

Beyond Belief: Agnostic Musings for 12 Step Life: Finally, Daily Reflections for Nonbelievers, Freethinkers and Everyone, Joe C. Toronto: Rebellion Dogs Publishing, 2014, 2013. e-book, 797 pps.



     Beyond Belief is a book of daily thoughts for the rest of us-- those of us who are in recovery from addiction without the involvement of any gods-- who are often neglected or the object of conversion attempts in standard recovery literature. After a quotation, a day's reflection focuses on recovery for those of us who are non-believers. The book is divided into months and days as is standard for meditation books.

sapphoq reviews says: I am currently using Beyond Belief myself as a way to start the day. The writing is of the highest quality and gives me stuff to think about. Highly recommended for the unchurched in recovery and for those believers who consider their religious expressions to be separate from their 12 step recovery.

Why Are You Atheists So Angry? by Greta Christina

Why Are You Atheists So Angry?: 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless, Greta Christina. San Francisco: Dirty Heathen Publishing, 2012. e-book, 366 pps.

     Anger has been given a bad rap. In some recovery rooms, it is popular to claim that anger is a "secondary emotion." If one is angry, then somehow one is "less spiritual." Or at the very least, something is wrong with the way that one is working the program. Some christians lay the charge of anger at the feet of atheists. Similar to recovering people everywhere, the validity of anger is not recognized.

     Greta Christina gives atheist and believer alike a solid list of reasons why many of the us in the no-gods camp are angry. She addresses fundamentalists, progressives, new age woo-woo followers, ecumenicals, and even those who claim to be spiritual but not religious. She wraps up her tome with some reasons why she does not believe in any gods-- solid references to current events-- and then exhorts atheists to get involved with atheist activism. A solid list of resources round out the book.

sapphoq reviews says: Greta Christina has penned a thought-provoking book. Why Are You Atheists So Angry? should be read by all christians. Atheists too will like the succinct writing that expresses what is at the heart of atheist anger so well. Highly recommended.

     

Disbelief 101 by Chris Edwards

Disbelief 101: A Young Person's Guide to Atheism, Chris Edwards / S.C. Hitchcock. Tucson AZ: See Sharp Press, 2009.


     Disbelief 101 was written for teens, although adults new to atheism or endeavoring to find clear info on atheism will also benefit from this book. S.C. Hitchcock presents arguments for and against the existence of a god. The first chapter takes a page from various parody religions and presents the Invisible Flying Clown. [The flying spaghetti monster and the invisible pink unicorn bless her holy hooves immediately came to my mind]. 

     Leslie White provided the cartoon at the end of each chapter. They are well-drawn and funny. I was delighted to find the first one, and each subsequent one.

     The rest of the book takes issue with the idea that "atheism is a religion," intelligent design, survivor special-ness, the role of feelings in belief, and religious indoctrination of children.

     Also included is a bibliography.


sapphoq reviews says: It is rather unfortunate that the last chapter of Disbelief 101 takes on religious indoctrination of children as an example of child abuse. This I think is the author's weakest argument. The author states that the teens reading this book ought not to openly rebel against their parents over this. The author may have also been remiss by not encouraging teens to learn about the religion of their family and other religions.  
     It might have been better if the author had pointed out that the United States did not sign the U.N. Rights of a Child document. Therefore, in the U.S.A., it is the parents who have charge of their children's religious or non-religious upbringing.
     I have had the privilege of being close with two sets of parents who are atheists. One set took their brood to the Unitarian Church when questions of "What religion are we?" came up. At that particular congregation, the kids learned about evolution in Sunday School and also about different cultures and religions. The second set of parents said to their kids when confronted with proselytizing peers, "Your mom and dad are atheists. When you are an adult, you can decide those things for yourselves."
     I think there is great value in teaching kids [and those adults who don't know it] the various cognitive fallacies and how to construct a sound argument. Whether children decide to stick with familial religious practices or familial atheism, or pick something else as adults, logical thinking is one skill that serves all of us well.
     Disbelief 101 is a valuable book for those teens who have already decided that they do not believe in any gods. Other teens may feel brow-beaten by the continuous assertions that there is no god. Because I cannot endorse children or teens reading books that their parents do not approve of, recommended with reservations.
     

Raving Atheists Forum

Seeing as the Raving Atheists Forum recently made the list of atheist sites on the Troll Hit List (a place where trolls or anyone can vote to troll or not troll suggested sites, I thought to myself "It is time to give the Raving Atheists Forum a review."  



http://ravingatheists.com/forum/index.php  is the addy.  The site itself is done in shades of blue and off-white which is easier on my brain-damaged eyes than many other colors.  Like many of the atheists on the site itself, Raving Atheists Forum is organized in a way that is logical and makes sense.  It is also easily navigable.


The forum has three major headers: TRA Announcements, Atheism, and General/Other.  A new member is encouraged to introduce him or herself in "Introduce Yourself" under the latter header.  One thing that is immediately clear is that folks who respond to the newbies indeed have a sense of humor along with a sense of how to construct a sound logical argument.


There is a steady flow to the conversations under all three headers. A Christian does show up from time to time and a few are regulars. Not all Christians are trolls of course.  The trolls will start a topic by asking a question which is designed to be provocative but quickly becomes rhetorical.  Thus, one troll may generate an inquiry about all of the natural disasters going on around us and tie that into uneasy feelings and the end times.  Another may state at the onset that they wish to convert the atheists on the forum to Christianity-- usually a form of Christianity that takes the Bible literally-- and thus win souls for Christ.


The Christians who aren't trolls are up front about their religious viewpoints and will not ask questions in order to prove a point.  Those Christians and atheists seem to get on alright in the forum in spite of the bold views being expressed rather loudly by the atheists.  


Many atheists are conscious of logical fallacies and endeavor to avoid them when having a heated discussion about anything with others.  [A lengthy list can be found at http://skepdic.com/ticriticalthinking.html ].  In my experience, many fundamentalist Christians aren't. And to me, that is rather unfortunate and the cause of much of the difficulties when two or more people attempt to have a conversation.  When the fundamentalist Christian begins to insist that "God said it in the Bible" [or alternately quotes an added paragraph in Josephus to prove that Jesus existed], the atheist will start using words like "circular reasoning" or "appeal to authority."  The insistence on historical or scientifically peer-reviewed citations and critical thinking skills by the atheist causes the fundamentalist Christian to default vigorously to "God said it..." and possibly to engage in some name-calling.  The atheist may also engage in some name-calling.


The Christians do not usually visit every thread.  In the threads predominated by the atheists on the site, there is certainly a bit of anger expressed.  That anger is understandable in a society which is slow to recognize that atheists are suitable to run for office and can indeed serve as military chaplains.  There is crude language, some crude joking, and crude pictures posted which are offensive to the sensibilities of the more sensitive personalities.  The Raving Atheists Forum has two words in its' name that indicate that the site is not for folks who cry easily or are fragile.  Raving is exactly what gets done.  Raving is enjoyable and a necessary release.  And atheists in general are known for being intellectual and dogmatic about logic.  There are other forums and places on the web for different kinds of atheists of course-- there are places for happy atheists, thinking atheists, positive atheists and so forth.  The Raving Atheists Forum is accurate and self-descriptive by name.  When you go there, you can expect to find a). a forum of b). atheists who are indeed c). raving.  The experience can be enjoyable or unnerving or frightening or boring.  It just depends upon where your head is at.


sapphoq reviews says:  I like the Raving Atheists Forum.  Fundamentalist Christians who venture there should be prepared for atheists who rave, atheists who insist upon the well-crafted argument, atheists who are fully aware that you are the visitor.  For those with the temperament to withstand biting humor and even to engage in it, for those who can craft and respect a logical argument, for those who relish atheists who are comfortable enough within not to sugarcoat their experiences, the Raving Atheists Forum just might be the place for you.  Thumbs up along with all of the other fingers.