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Goodbye Jesus

Books A Newly Deconverted Should Read


Dagny

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A few months ago I became an atheist. I've been a Christian for 26 years and I was a serious one. Luckily I am also a serious seeker of the truth and this led me to where I am now.

 

Christianity affected me in both positive and negative ways. I'd like to get rid of the second and find the first in a secular worldview. I thought that books could be useful for this, so I am looking for books for the following goals:

 

1. I want to become less (passively) judgmental of people who are different; for example gay, atheist or part of another religion and culture. I want to expand my empathy.

2. Learning about evolution, cosmology and geology. I'm already reading books by Richard Dawkins and planning to read "Your inner fish" by Neil Shubin. Also I'm reading an textbook about ecology that I followed years ago at university. Back then I was critical about evolution by natural selection, now I fully embraced it and I even want to become an ecologist.

3. Learning about secular philosophy and ethics.

4. Just fun books. As a christian I took life way too serious ;)

 

I'm sure that most of you read many books and I am curious about your recommendations! :)
 

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Some of my favourites are:

 

Why I am not a Christian, Richard Carrier

 

Letter to a Christian Nation, Sam Harris

 

The Age of Reason, Thomas Paine

 

Biblical Nonsense, Dr Jason Long

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The Portable Athiest, a collection of essays edited by Christopher Hitchens (my hero, along with Dawkins)

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The God Virus by Darrell W. Ray is the best book I've read so far.

 

http://www.amazon.com/God-Virus-The-Religion-Infects/dp/0970950519

 

And anything by The Four Horsemen (Dawkins, Hitchens, Dennett, and Harris).

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Demon Haunted World by Sagan. 

 

Your Inner Fish by Shubin. 

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I've heard great things about "nailed" by David Fitgerald, though I honestly haven't read it personally. 

http://www.amazon.com/Nailed-Christian-Myths-Jesus-Existed/dp/0557709911/ref=la_B004ASD9M4_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397567510&sr=1-1

 

Plan on buying the audiobook today.

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The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins

 

Written long before Dawkins became such an outspoken atheist, The Selfish Gene is a fascinating look at natural selection, altruism, and evolution in general.

 

Cosmos - Carl Sagan

 

Sagan's sweeping prose is simply brilliant. You might not look at anything the same ever again. 

 

Just for fun?

 

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

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Leaving the Fold by Dr. Marlene Winell.

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Just for fun, I read all of the wicked-luring-children-into-witchcraft Harry Potter books. I found them delightful. I also second the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

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Here is my personal deconversion reading list. I have read or listened to most of these books within the past year or so since leaving the fold.

 

General Philosophy:

Robert Green Ingersoll. -- "Mistakes of Moses",  "About the Holy Bible", and "Hell Warm Words on the Cheerful and Comforting Doctrine"...[NOTE: I have read most of his works regarding the Bible and agnosticism. A lot of them are available online for free. PM me and I will shoot you links if you are interested.]

Aeschylus. --  "Prometheus Bound"

Thomas Taylor. -- "Arguments of Celsus, Porphyry and the Emperor Julian"

Nietzsche. -- "Beyond Good and Evil", "Thus Spake Zarathustra", and "Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits"

Carl Sagan. -- "The Demon Haunted World"

Bertrand Russell. -- "Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays", "The Problems of Philosophy" and "Why I Am Not A Christian"

Titus Lucretius Carus. -- "On the Nature of Things"

Anton LaVey. -- "The Satanic Bible"

 

Science:

*Social science books.

Ray Kurzweil. -- "The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology"

Michio Kaku. -- "The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind", "Physics of the Future" and "Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos"

Neil deGrasse Tyson. -- "Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries"

*Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha. -- "Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships"

*Oren Harman. -- "The Price of Altruism: George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness"

*Malcolm Gladwell. -- "Outliers: The Story of Success", "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking", "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference", and "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants"

 

History:

Will Durant. -- "The Story of Civilization" series Volumes 2, 3, and 4 (Life of Greece, Caesar and Christ, Age of Faith) [NOTE: These are very weighty books, about 700 pages apiece and very thorough treatments of history. Not for the faint of heart. I use them as reference resources.]

Robert Louis Wilken. -- "The Christians as the Romans Saw Them"

John Allegro. -- "The Sacred Mushroom and The Cross"

Niall Ferguson. -- " The Great Degeneration: How Institutions Decay and Economies Die" and "The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World"

Jared Diamond. -- "Guns, Germs and Steel" and "Collapse"

Mark Kurlansky. -- "Salt: A World History"

Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. -- "1492: The Year the World Began"

Don Jordan. -- "White Cargo: The Forgotten History of Britain's White Slaves in America"

Annie Laurie Gaylor. -- "Women Without Superstition : No Gods - No Masters" [NOTE: This may be hard to find. It is a collection of essays and personal writings of early leading female freethinkers, atheists and deists on a variety of topics (mostly religion and female roles in society).]

Susan Jacoby. -- "Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism" [NOTE: Probably the best introduction to the history of the freethought and atheist movements in the United States.] and "The Great Agnostic" [NOTE: This book is about Robert Green Ingersoll and would make a great introduction to further reading of his works.]

 

Politics:

[NOTE: These are recommendations based on one wanting to learn more about American right wing-fundamentalist Christian politics from an critical perspective. Many who are leaving Christianity may have been long-time conservatives or have had run-ins with those who are.]

Chris Hedges. -- "The World As It Is" and "American Fascists"

Chris Hitchens. -- "The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice"

CJ Werleman. -- "Crucifying America: the unholy alliance between the Christian Right and Wall Street"

Chrystia Freeland. -- " Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else"

Jeff Sharlet. -- "The Family" and "C Street"

Michael Lewis. -- "Flash Boys"

John Perkins. -- "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" and " The Secret History of the American Empire: The Truth About Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and How to Change the World"

 

A Little of This, A Little of That:

Robert Chambers and HP Lovecraft. -- "The King in Yellow"

Mary Shelley. -- "Frankenstein"

Christopher Moore. -- "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" and "The Stupidest Angel"

Philip K. Dick. -- "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and "The Man in the High Castle"

Ayn Rand. -- "The Fountainhead", "Anthem", and "Atlas Shrugged" [NOTE: "My Years With Ayn Rand" by Nathaniel Branden is a good read as well. Hell, you could probably read that instead and absorb most of Rand's philosophy. "Atlas Shrugged" is my favorite of her works and is the one to read if you are wanting to know what Ayn Rand is all about, imo.]

 

---------

 

Hope this helps you on your way to education and enlightenment. :)

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Seven77, 17.gif

 

You must be a fast reader. I am in awe.

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I listen to audiobooks sometimes. I'm also keeping Amazon's Kindle service in business, lol.

 

Some of these books are on the short side or can be read in parts without losing track.

 

I do read faster than some people though. ;).

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Can you recommend a good source for audiobooks? Thanks

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I've heard great things about "nailed" by David Fitgerald, though I honestly haven't read it personally. 

http://www.amazon.com/Nailed-Christian-Myths-Jesus-Existed/dp/0557709911/ref=la_B004ASD9M4_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397567510&sr=1-1

 

Plan on buying the audiobook today.

 

I wouldn't recommend that to a newly deconverted. The historicity of Jesus is a major topic to unpack and it's too soon for a newbie. 

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Here is my personal deconversion reading list. I have read or listened to most of these books within the past year or so since leaving the fold.

 

General Philosophy:

Robert Green Ingersoll. -- "Mistakes of Moses",  "About the Holy Bible", and "Hell Warm Words on the Cheerful and Comforting Doctrine"...[NOTE: I have read most of his works regarding the Bible and agnosticism. A lot of them are available online for free. PM me and I will shoot you links if you are interested.]

Aeschylus. --  "Prometheus Bound"

Thomas Taylor. -- "Arguments of Celsus, Porphyry and the Emperor Julian"

Nietzsche. -- "Beyond Good and Evil", "Thus Spake Zarathustra", and "Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits"

Carl Sagan. -- "The Demon Haunted World"

Bertrand Russell. -- "Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays", "The Problems of Philosophy" and "Why I Am Not A Christian"

Titus Lucretius Carus. -- "On the Nature of Things"

Anton LaVey. -- "The Satanic Bible"

 

Science:

*Social science books.

Ray Kurzweil. -- "The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology"

Michio Kaku. -- "The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind", "Physics of the Future" and "Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos"

Neil deGrasse Tyson. -- "Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries"

*Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha. -- "Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships"

*Oren Harman. -- "The Price of Altruism: George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness"

*Malcolm Gladwell. -- "Outliers: The Story of Success", "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking", "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference", and "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants"

 

History:

Will Durant. -- "The Story of Civilization" series Volumes 2, 3, and 4 (Life of Greece, Caesar and Christ, Age of Faith) [NOTE: These are very weighty books, about 700 pages apiece and very thorough treatments of history. Not for the faint of heart. I use them as reference resources.]

Robert Louis Wilken. -- "The Christians as the Romans Saw Them"

John Allegro. -- "The Sacred Mushroom and The Cross"

Niall Ferguson. -- " The Great Degeneration: How Institutions Decay and Economies Die" and "The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World"

Jared Diamond. -- "Guns, Germs and Steel" and "Collapse"

Mark Kurlansky. -- "Salt: A World History"

Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. -- "1492: The Year the World Began"

Don Jordan. -- "White Cargo: The Forgotten History of Britain's White Slaves in America"

Annie Laurie Gaylor. -- "Women Without Superstition : No Gods - No Masters" [NOTE: This may be hard to find. It is a collection of essays and personal writings of early leading female freethinkers, atheists and deists on a variety of topics (mostly religion and female roles in society).]

Susan Jacoby. -- "Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism" [NOTE: Probably the best introduction to the history of the freethought and atheist movements in the United States.] and "The Great Agnostic" [NOTE: This book is about Robert Green Ingersoll and would make a great introduction to further reading of his works.]

 

Politics:

[NOTE: These are recommendations based on one wanting to learn more about American right wing-fundamentalist Christian politics from an critical perspective. Many who are leaving Christianity may have been long-time conservatives or have had run-ins with those who are.]

Chris Hedges. -- "The World As It Is" and "American Fascists"

Chris Hitchens. -- "The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice"

CJ Werleman. -- "Crucifying America: the unholy alliance between the Christian Right and Wall Street"

Chrystia Freeland. -- " Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else"

Jeff Sharlet. -- "The Family" and "C Street"

Michael Lewis. -- "Flash Boys"

John Perkins. -- "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" and " The Secret History of the American Empire: The Truth About Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and How to Change the World"

 

A Little of This, A Little of That:

Robert Chambers and HP Lovecraft. -- "The King in Yellow"

Mary Shelley. -- "Frankenstein"

Christopher Moore. -- "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" and "The Stupidest Angel"

Philip K. Dick. -- "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and "The Man in the High Castle"

Ayn Rand. -- "The Fountainhead", "Anthem", and "Atlas Shrugged" [NOTE: "My Years With Ayn Rand" by Nathaniel Branden is a good read as well. Hell, you could probably read that instead and absorb most of Rand's philosophy. "Atlas Shrugged" is my favorite of her works and is the one to read if you are wanting to know what Ayn Rand is all about, imo.]

 

---------

 

Hope this helps you on your way to education and enlightenment. smile.png

 

That was a very thorough deconversion! 

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Can you recommend a good source for audiobooks? Thanks

 

I am in the US, so the sources I use may not be as valuable to you since you are in NZ and the copyright laws may be different.

 

I have purchased some audiobooks through Amazon and Audible.com here in the US. LibriVox is a good place to get audiobooks of works that are in the public domain, as some of the titles in the philosophy list are.

 

The following titles are available on YouTube here in the US as well. Not sure if they will be open to those outside of it, but you can try.

 

Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan

Why I Am Not A Christian by Bertrand Russell

Anthem by Ayn Rand

 

"Atlas Shrugged" is also available on YouTube. SKIP IT. Do yourself a favor and purchase the abridged version online or check it out of the library on CD because you will want the abridged version with chapter breaks. It is an immense book, over a 1,000 pages long.

 

Documentary films are another way to get a taste of what a book is about.

 

"The Ascent of Money" was made into a six part series by the BBC. The parts are scattered all over YT, but someone also edited all of them together into a single 4 hour movie as well. It's a pretty good overview of the book. I watched it first while I waited for the book to become available at my local library.

 

"Guns, Germs and Steel" was made into a three part series by the National Geographic Channel. HERE is a link to a movie of all 3 parts.

 

There are other films and interviews available on YouTube. Just take a look around. :)

 

That was a very thorough deconversion!

 

 

I suppose it was. ;)

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The Bible, so you can get to know God. By that, I mean objectively so. The idea of what they call God, you see the asshole the Bible describes, you'll want to be less and less like him. It will honestly make you a better person afterward.

 

I'd also recommend other religious books as well, to see how many claims there are as to the "right path", will kind of get you thinking. With them all saying eachother is false, which one is most likely to ring true?

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Can you recommend a good source for audiobooks? Thanks

 

I am in the US, so the sources I use may not be as valuable to you since you are in NZ and the copyright laws may be different.

 

I have purchased some audiobooks through Amazon and Audible.com here in the US. LibriVox is a good place to get audiobooks of works that are in the public domain, as some of the titles in the philosophy list are.

 

The following titles are available on YouTube here in the US as well. Not sure if they will be open to those outside of it, but you can try.

 

Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan

Why I Am Not A Christian by Bertrand Russell

Anthem by Ayn Rand

 

"Atlas Shrugged" is also available on YouTube. SKIP IT. Do yourself a favor and purchase the abridged version online or check it out of the library on CD because you will want the abridged version with chapter breaks. It is an immense book, over a 1,000 pages long.

 

Documentary films are another way to get a taste of what a book is about.

 

"The Ascent of Money" was made into a six part series by the BBC. The parts are scattered all over YT, but someone also edited all of them together into a single 4 hour movie as well. It's a pretty good overview of the book. I watched it first while I waited for the book to become available at my local library.

 

"Guns, Germs and Steel" was made into a three part series by the National Geographic Channel. HERE is a link to a movie of all 3 parts.

 

There are other films and interviews available on YouTube. Just take a look around. smile.png

 

That was a very thorough deconversion!

 

 

I suppose it was. wink.png

 

 Thank you so much!  Fabulous

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I have to get some of those books. yellow.gif

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I have to get some of those books. yellow.gif

I generally go on Amazon.com two or three times a year and buy 2 dozen books at a time.  Saves money and I usually get free shipping.

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Wow! Sounds like a good idea actually.

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1. I want to become less (passively) judgmental of people who are different

 

1. Orientalism by Edward Said, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift - both make you aware of assumptions you might have about other people and force you to reassess them. Likewise any Louis Theroux documentary, including the one he did on the Westboro Baptist Church.

 

3. Learning about secular philosophy and ethics.

 

3. Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton - short and easy to read. He chooses 6 areas of modern life and quotes and discusses excerpts from 6 major philosophers's works in order to address each one: Socrates on Unpopularity, Epicurus on Money, Seneca on Frustration, Montaigne on Inadequacy, Schopenhauer on A Broken Heart and Nietzsche on Difficulties. It's a great introduction to some great philosophers and highly relevant to modern life.

 

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Joseph Campbell, Myths to Live By

And math/geometry books to teach you how to think - anything that teaches you how to think.

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Woah that's a lot of books to read! :D Super! I am very enthusiastic to read this! Thanks everyone!

 

@seven77 - that's a huge list man! will take me some time but I'll read at least some of them! Thanks a lot! :)

 

@maxmaxmaxmax - thanks for your personal recommendations. Will read everything you mentioned. About Louis Theroux, I think I've seen every documentary by him and indeed it's a great way to understand other people (and at the same time see how crazy and judgmental people can be, in the case of the Westboro baptists). And the book by Alain the Botton you recommend must be great! Many years ago I saw the documentary series that was made about this book and it was my introduction to philosophy. I watched it many times, good idea to read this book!

 

Again thanks everyone and keep the suggestions coming, I'm sure that many other people, including myself, are interested in hearing what books you like l. I'll let you know when I've read something from this list or something else that's interesting! :)

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1. I want to become less (passively) judgmental of people who are different

 

1. Orientalism by Edward Said, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift - both make you aware of assumptions you might have about other people and force you to reassess them. Likewise any Louis Theroux documentary, including the one he did on the Westboro Baptist Church.

 

3. Learning about secular philosophy and ethics.

 

3. Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton - short and easy to read. He chooses 6 areas of modern life and quotes and discusses excerpts from 6 major philosophers's works in order to address each one: Socrates on Unpopularity, Epicurus on Money, Seneca on Frustration, Montaigne on Inadequacy, Schopenhauer on A Broken Heart and Nietzsche on Difficulties. It's a great introduction to some great philosophers and highly relevant to modern life.

 

 

 

Thanks for recommending Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton. I'd never heard of it, but it sounds like something I need. 

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