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Our selection of books and associated reviews. Each cover is an affiliate link to Amazon for purchase.
Jesus Christ and Mythology
Jesus Christ and Mythology is Bultmann’s interpretation of Heidegger’s existentialism as applied to the Christian worldview. He argues that the ancient worldview of the New Testament is incompatible with the modern worldview of science and that we must reinterpret our understanding of the biblical texts if we are to continue to find meaning within them. […]
Leaps of Faith: Science, Miracles, and the Search for Supernatural Consolation
The late Gordon Stein said of this book: “A very thoughtful and instructive book. Humphrey has marshalled his arguments carefully and illustrated them well. It is the kind of book that both skeptics and believers would do well to read, and it holds a unique place in the literature for that reason.” Telepathy. Ghosts. The […]
Malleus Maleficarum
For nearly three centuries Malleus Maleficarum (The Witches’ Hammer) was the professional manual for witch hunters. This work by two of the most famous Inquisitors of the age is still a document of the force of that era’s beliefs. Under a Bull of Pope Innocent VIII, Kramer and Sprenger exposed the heresy of those who […]
Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith
The best biography of Joseph Smith’s wife and a telling expose of polygamy in the Mormon church.
No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith: The Mormon Prophet
The first paperback edition of the classic biography of the founder of the Mormon church, this book attempts to answer the questions that continue to surround Joseph Smith. Was he a genuine prophet, or a gifted fabulist who became enthralled by the products of his imagination and ended up being martyred for them? 24 pages […]
Only Begotten Daughter
Murray Katz, the celibate keeper of an abandoned lighthouse near Atlantic City, has been blessed with a daughter conceived of his own seed and a holy ovum. Like her half brother Jesus, Julie Katz can walk on water, heal the blind, and raise the dead. But being the Messiah isn’t easy, and Julie, bewildered by […]
Philosophy of Religion: A Reader and Guide
This important new book is a combined anthology and guide intended for use as a textbook in courses on philosophy of religion. It aims to bring to the student the very best of cutting-edge work on important topics in the field. The anthology is comprised of six sections, each of which opens with a substantive […]
Raising the Devil: Satanism, New Religions, and the Media
Rob Hardy writes for Amazon: “Bill Ellis is a folklorist, and an academic specializing in English and American studies. His book, [i]Raising the Devil: Satanism, New Religions, and the Media[/i] (University Press of Kentucky) attempts a sympathetic understanding of how the Devil made one of his cyclic emergences and how folklore can affect society and […]
Religion Inc.: the Church of Scientology
Synopsis not complete.
Rose’s Will
Description When it comes to unconditional love, Italian matriarch, Rose D’Orsi is deeply challenged. Nobody feels it more than Glory, her estranged 48-year-old lesbian daughter. Though Rose attracts the attention of Eli Fineman, a rich Bulgarian Holocaust survivor whose love, compassion, and wit affects people in unimaginable ways, he arrives too late in life to […]
Secret Origins of the Bible
Description Using comparative mythology, and tell-tale verses in the Bible and archaeology, Secret Origins of the Bible demonstrates that the stories and themes of the Bible were part of the great mythic systems of the ancient world. The abstract God of modern monotheistic Judaism, Christianity and Islam is a comparatively recent creation. In later times […]
SOS Sobriety: The Proven Alternative to 12-Step Programs
In this controversial book, the founder of S.O.S. — Secular Organizations for Sobriety, or “Save Our Selves” — describes his “sobriety priority” approach to abstinence and attacks programs that promote “controlled drinking” for alcoholics and that insist alcoholism is a behavioral problem rather than a physiological and genetic one.
System of Nature (Volume 1)
The System of Nature, known as the Atheists’ Bible, is the most radical expression of atheist materialism to come from the eighteenth century milieu of the philosophes in Paris. D’Holbach (1723-1789) was a central figure of the French intellectual enlightenment, contributing prolifically to Diderot’s Encyclopedie, and undertaking numerous translations of British free thought. His intention […]
The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft
Offers four of the author’s best short stories along with the eerie novella, At the Mountains of Madness, complemented by a scholarly introduction, hundreds of detailed annotations, and photographs and illustrations depicting the author’s life and work.
The Bible’s Buried Secrets (DVD)
Description An archaeological detective story puzzles together clues to the mystery of who wrote the Bible, when and why. In this landmark two-hour special, viewers are taken on a fascinating scientific journey that began 3,000 years ago and continues today as NOVA travels to several excavations of ancient cities in the Near East, filming newly […]
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
Incantations of black magic unearthed unspeakable horrors in a quiet town near Providence, Rhode Island. Evil spirits are being resurrected from beyond the grave, a supernatural force so twisted that it kills without offering the mercy of death!
The Creationists
This is a history of creationism from the age of Darwin to the present. The author discusses such thinkers as George Frederick Wright, George McCready Price, and John C. Whitcomb, organizations like The Religion and Science Association, The Deluge Geology Society and The Creation Research Society, and creationism in the churches.
The End of Christianity
Description In this successor volume to his critically acclaimed first anthology, The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails, John Loftus—a former minister and now a leading atheist spokesperson—has assembled a stellar group of respected scholars to continue the critique of Christianity begun in the first volume. The contributors include Victor Stenger, Robert Price, Hector Avalos, Richard […]
The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power
Description They insist they are just a group of friends, yet they funnel millions of dollars through tax-free corporations. They claim to disdain politics, but congressmen of both parties describe them as the most influential religious organization in Washington. They say they are not Christians, but simply believers. Behind the scenes at every National Prayer […]
The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture
Description Dr. Darrel Ray, psychologist and lifelong student of religion, discusses religious infection from the inside out. What makes religion so powerful? How does it weave its way into our political system? Why do people believe and follow obvious religious charlatans? What makes people profess deep faith even as they act in ways that betray […]
The Humanist Alternative
The contributors to this volume were asked the following questions: The term “Humanism” is widely used, as are the terms “ethical” Humanism, “scientific” Humanism and “religious” Humanism. What is Humanism? Can you define it? If there is in your judgment no clear definition in the literature, you may wish to propose one. You may also […]
The Last Temptation of Christ
Hailed as a masterpiece by critics worldwide, The Last Temptation of Christ is a monumental reinterpretation of the Gospels by one of the giants of modern literature. Nikos Kazantzakis, renowned author of Zorba the Greek, brilliantly fleshes out the story of Christ’s passion, giving it a dynamic spiritual freshness. Kazantzakis’s Jesus is gloriously divine, yet […]
The Making of the Messiah: Christianity and Resentment
“This book presents a picture of the origins of Christianity very different from anything that has been published before,” writes Robert Sheaffer in the Introduction to The Making of the Messiah. “Many Christians will find this book as offensive as Moslem fanatics did Salman Rushdie’s ‘blasphemous’ Satanic Verses.” Sheaffer has provided fascinating reading for all […]
The Mystical Mind: Probing the Biology of Religious Experience
How does the mind experience the sacred? What biological mechanisms are involved in mystical states and trances? Is there a neurological basis for patterns in comparative religions? Does religion have an evolutionary function? This pathbreaking work by two leading medical researchers explores the neurophysiology of religious experience. Building on an explanation of the basic structure […]
The Origin of Satan
Pagels’ lucid history of the social construction of Satan is not only a wealth of historical information, but also a source of important insights into the demonization of “intimate enemies” that has marked the history of Christianity. Pagels writes that she began with the assumption that Christian discourse about invisible beings, including Satan and other […]
The Portable Voltaire
Satirist, novelist, poet, dramatist, historian, moralist, critic, courtier, and correspondent, champion of reason and fanatical adversary of fanaticism, a darling of kings with the unfortunate habit of turning them into enemies, François Arouet de Voltaire is one of the few writers to have imposed his name on an entire epoch. It is entirely appropriate that […]
The Resurrection of Christ: A Historical Inquiry
Although Christianity is anchored to the doctrine of the resurrection, historical research shows that from a historical standpoint Jesus was not raised from the dead. In the thorough explanation and discussion of the primary texts dealing with the claimed resurrection of Christ, New Testament expert Gerd Ludemann presents compelling evidence to show that the resurrection […]
The Small Book
When the author and his wife started Rational Recovery in 1986, their program met the huge demand for an alternative to 12-step recovery programs. The Small Book — as opposed to AA’s The Big Book — is the secular guide for people who want to recover through self-reliance, not through dependence on religion, sponsors, or […]
The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide
It’s safe to say that The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is one of the funniest science fiction novels ever written. Adams spoofs many core science fiction tropes: space travel, aliens, interstellar war–stripping away all sense of wonder and repainting them as commonplace, even silly. This omnibus edition begins with The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the […]
There’s Something About Mary: Essays on Phenomenal Consciousness and Frank Jackson’s Knowledge Argument
Book Description In Frank Jackson’s famous thought experiment, Mary is confined to a black-and-white room and educated through black-and-white books and lectures on a black-and-white television. In this way, she learns everything there is to know about the physical world. If physicalism–the doctrine that everything is physical–is true, then Mary seems to know all there […]
