July 10, 2007
I received a copy of Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism
I love to have books like this on hand for when I am attacked in my own home by the various religious groups that proselytize on my street during these summer months.
I also just really like expanding my knowledge of the subject.
Being an atheist isn't an easy thing to be in this country, and I live in the deep south, the bible belt, so I am in the minority here.
Atheists are the most despised and untrusted group of people in the United States.
We are considered more untrustworthy than even Muslims.
We are told we are evil, we are unpatriotic, we lack morals and ethics, and we are overall, just very, very, bad people.
Atheist Universe written by David Mills, is an excellent book. It kept me turning the pages, laughing, nodding my head in agreement, and easily understanding all that was written within it's pages.
Book description:
Clear, concise, and persuasive, Atheist Universe details exactly why God is unnecessary to explain the universe and life's diversity, organization, and beauty. The author thoroughly rebuts every argument that claims to "prove" God's existence — arguments based on logic, common sense, philosophy, ethics, history and science.
Atheist Universe avoids the esoteric language used by philosophers and presents its scientific evidence in simple lay terms, making it a richly entertaining and easy-to-read introduction to atheism. A comprehensive primer, it addresses all the historical and scientific questions, including: Is there proof that God does not exist? What evidence is there of Jesus' resurrection? Can creation science reconcile scripture with the latest scientific discoveries?
Atheist Universe also answers ethical issues such as: What is the meaning of life without God? It's a spellbinding inquiry that ultimately arrives at a controversial and well-documented conclusion.
Important Questions Answered in This Book:
* What, precisely, is atheism, and why is it misunderstood so thoroughly?
* If God is a myth, then did the universe appear from nothing?
* Does the meticulous clockwork of planetary motion result from mindless random forces?
* Do atheists believe that human beings evolved through blind accident from lifeless matter?
* Do the splendor and intricacy of life on Earth reveal evidence of intelligent design by a supernatural Creator?
* Can atheists prove that God does not exist?
* What about Creation Science, and the popular new movement to reconcile Scripture and science?
* Have recent scientific discoveries pointed to God’s governance of the cosmos?
* Did Albert Einstein believe in God?
* Does the fact that energy cannot be destroyed lend credibility to a belief in eternal life?
* Without God, can there be a valid system of ethics or an objective "right" and "wrong"?
* Does religion encourage moral conduct and civilized behavior? Is the Golden Rule really such a bad idea?
* What is the meaning of life without God?
* When we die, are we simply dead like dogs?
* Did atheists suffer a trauma in childhood that warped them into blasphemous rebellion?
* Because of ubiquitous injustice on Earth, is an afterlife required to redress the imbalance, where evil is ultimately punished and virtue rewarded?
* Is atheism just another crackpot religion?
* What’s the harm in a person’s private spirituality? Does humanity have everything to gain, and nothing to lose, through belief in God (even if He’s only imaginary)?
* Apart from the Bible, is there secular historical evidence of Jesus’ miracles and resurrection?
* How do atheists explain "near death" experiences and medical miracles which amaze even skeptical doctors?
* Why should a tiny minority of atheists be able to force their opinions on everyone else by banning prayer in public schools?
* Since "there are no atheists in foxholes," have famous nonbelievers recanted on their deathbeds?
* Did Old and New Testament prophecies correctly predict events which actually unfolded during our own lifetimes?
* What about the Shroud of Turin and the discovery of wood fragments from Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat in Turkey?
* Does the Law of Entropy (or the "running down" of the universe) contradict evolutionary theory, which asserts that Nature’s complexity is increasing?
* Is there absolute proof that man evolved from a lower form of life?
* Even if you believe that all life evolved from a single cell, how could complex cellular life originate without a Creator?
* Is atheism a totally negative philosophy, leading only to cynicism and despair?
* Does communism’s past embrace of atheism prove that atheism is an evil and failed philosophy?
* Was America really founded upon Christian principles by Christian believers?
* What is the true, behind-the-scenes relationship between politics and religion in 21st-century America?
The books is also chock full of quotes from some of the world's most famous scholars and their thoughts on religion.
I'd definitely suggest it as mandatory reading for any doubters out there, for anyone who just wants to know what an atheist really is instead of just assuming that a lack of religion is indicative of a lack of morals and ethics.
The answers it provides to the questions above, are thorough and easy to understand.
April 12, 2007
American novelist Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., has died at age 84.
Kurt Vonnegut was born on November 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the Midwestern United States. His schooling at Cornell University was interrupted when the United States entered World War II. As a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany, he witnessed the firebombing of that city. This catastrophe later became the subject of his most powerful novel, "Slaughterhouse Five."
The most important thing I learned on Tralfamadore was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral. All moments, past, present and future, always have existed, always will exist. The Tralfamadorians can look at all the different moments just that way we can look at a stretch of the Rocky Mountains, for instance. They can see how permanent all the moments are, and they can look at any moment that interests them. It is just an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another one, like beads on a string, and that once a moment is gone it is gone forever. - "Slaughterhouse Five"
March 30, 2007
This is the cover that has been released so far for book 7.
We are definitely looking forward to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
The teens and I take turns reading the books at our own leisure, and then passing it onto the next.
One of our rules is that the first and second reader, cannot discuss the book until the last one has read it.
We play a game of rock, paper, scissors, to determine the reading order so it's not always the same person getting the first crack at the binding.
We're also huge fans of the movies and hope that now that this is the supposed last book in the series, that a movie will be made and the original cast comes back for one last movie together.
It's been a real treat to watch all these kids grow up together.
This is the full jacket cover.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows