Great Holiday Gifts for Atheists
Books. Most freethinkers love to read, particularly books that provoke thought. Recently, there have been a tide of great books released that relate to Atheism. Here are just a few.
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins "asserts the irrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm religion has inflicted on society, from the Crusades to 9/11." Dawkins is, of course, a preeminent scientist and the world's most prominent atheist. His book is as witty and thought-provoking as any on the subject, and I highly recommend all Atheists give it read.
God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens is another exceptional read. Hitchens makes the ultimate case against God and religion, and focuses on how religion poisons our world by distorting everything, from our origins to our nature to the cosmos.
Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris is a smaller text that would make a great stocking stuffer for your favorite Atheist. In the form of a letter to the conservative Christian right, Harris deftly demolishes "the intellectual and moral pretensions of Christianity in its most committed forms."
Subscriptions. A subscription to a freethinking magazine is something your favorite Atheist can enjoy all year long.
Free Inquiry is the bi-monthly journal that argues for freethinking, rationalism, and skepticism. A subscription can be purchased from the Council on Secular Humanism at their web site, secularhumanism.org.
American Atheist is another outstanding publication of Atheist news and thought. A subscription can be purchased from the American Atheists organization at their web site, atheists.org.
DVDs. If your favorite Atheist has already read all the latest books, and has already subscribed to a number of thought-provoking journals, you may want to try some wonderful DVDs.
Root of All Evil? is a two-part documentary in which "Oxford Professor Richard Dawkins examines how religious faith is gaining ground in the face of rational, scientific truth." Just recently made available on DVD, you can purchase Root of All Evil? on Richard Dawkins' web site, richarddawkins.net.
The God Who Wasn't There is another exceptional documentary, made by ex-Christian fundamentalist Brian Flemming. Flemming asserts that Jesus Christ is very likely a fictional character based on legend, and that Christianity is rife with contradiction.
Published by Jack Oceano
Jack Oceano is an attorney whose articles cover a broad range of topics, including politics, legal issues, travel and tourism, dining and nightlife, sports, books, movies, music, and writing. View profile
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23 Comments
Post a CommentI find the comments here interesting. I doubt there would be so many rude comments if your title was "Great Holiday Gifts For Christians" or some other sub-group.
Great article! And the comments are even better!
I don't think anyone, especially the religiously devout, can comment on Jack's suggestions in any informed way without reading or viewing at least one or two of the selections of athiest literature/media he's suggested. Furthermore, it's disheartening, though entirely expected, to see words like 'propaganda' bandied about in reference to Richard Dawkins, who, as Jack said, is a brilliant scientist who uses reason as lucidly and plainly as he can. I will say that he can get a bit muddled up in the details, and tends to repeat himself every now and again, but his logic is simple and very hard to argue against. He uses cold, hard facts, which right away puts his 'propaganda' above any religious text in reliability. I know that the religious are told not to test God, but I would think that a person's true faith could only be strengthened by a brief investigation into real, true, scientific atheism. Just my two cents, very nice article Jack.
How is Love possible without God? How is the concept of right and wrong possible without God? Shouldn't everybody be thinking only about themselves, if this life is all they got? Then, why to work, respect the law, or even love each other? Why to even try to convince other people that God does not exist? If you believe that God does not exist, you should not be worried about other people believing in something that does not exist. If you love, you are preaching God, because He said that He is love.
Nicely written.
I won't call myself an athiest, but maybe an agnostic with severe issues about the "logic" of God.
You couldn't be more wrong, Kim and Linda. This assault on reason has gone on far too long. I'm embarrassed for this nation, and I'm appalled that religion has halted our progress in important scientific areas such as stem-cell research. And I'm afraid that one of the loons who is rooting for the end of days (such as your fav, Mike Huckabee, Kim) might get into office and bring it about.
I have to agree with Linda. If you have already made up your mind, why do you concern yourself so much with attempting to disprove the notion of God? I understand your frustration with Christians who have tried to save you over the years, but it seems to me there are more important things you could be worrying about than a bunch of people who according to you, believe in a myth. It has been my experience that folks who think and talk about religion as much as you do still have a very well hidden notion that maybe there is something to it. Just a thought.
Matthew, I can assure you - even if you are right about Christ, not likely, but let's imagine - there are many of us who will never call him "lord."
Personally, I'd rather have peace on Earth and goodwill towards men but if you can't swing either of those I'll settle for a hug. There are also some neat DIY instructions for making holiday FSM light displays for your favorite free-thinker.
Thanks for the dose of crazy, Matthew.