mike_decock

I just added it to my Wish List .

-Mike...

cyclone

I was at Barnes and Nobles last night and nearly purchased a copy of Pagels' book Beyond Belief . As for The Gnostic Gospels , I just started reading that over the weekend.

As I've been fairly busy today, I will not be responding to Mageth or Mike Decock until some time tomorrow. How do you guys find the time to keep up with these threads?

Unrelated, can anyone recommend a book that argues against Christianity? I picked up Michael Martin's The Case Against Christianity , but I'm not sure if this would be considered the best stuff on this subject.

Thanks.

mike_decock

I'm currently a "man of leasure". I made some good money on my last job and decided to take a few months off and take a break.

The only one I've read that presents several arguments against Christianity is Losing Faith In Faith by Dan Barker. Half the book is autobiographical and the arguments are relatively simplistic so I'm not sure if that's what you were looking for but it's an enjoyable read. At least it dispels the myth that people only turn away from Christianity because they want to follow their "sinful desires", or that no "true" Christian would ever leave the faith.

I just started reading Thomas Paine's The Age Of Reason but haven't gotten far enough to form a solid opinion on it. Interesting arguments so far.

-Mike...

Mageth

Originally posted by cyclone
I was at Barnes and Nobles last night and nearly purchased a copy of Pagels' book Beyond Belief . As for The Gnostic Gospels , I just started reading that over the weekend.

That's great to hear. Let us know what you think about it. I'd highly recommend Beyond Belief after you finish The Gnostic Gospels, which was written 25 years ago, as it contains significant updates on the subject.

As I've been fairly busy today, I will not be responding to Mageth or Mike Decock until some time tomorrow. How do you guys find the time to keep up with these threads?

I'm a quick typer, I guess.

Unrelated, can anyone recommend a book that argues against Christianity? I picked up Michael Martin's The Case Against Christianity , but I'm not sure if this would be considered the best stuff on this subject.

Bertrand Russell's Why I am not a Christian is a "classic" on the subject, but I wouldn't really recommend it to a Christian as it's a bit dated (though still valid, for the most part) and kind of harsh and blunt. Most if not all of his arguments have been thoroughly covered in the EoG forum many times. But still, you might want to read it, but I'd recommend Barker's book first.

mike_decock

I just finished the first two chapters of Beyond Belief. Seeing GJohn as written in response to the Thomas Community (and possibly GThomas itself) seems to me the most rational explanation of existence of GThomas and the anti-Thomas statements unique to GJohn.

-Mike...

Mageth

Excellent point. I've now read Pagels' The Origin of Satan (another good read, which details the evolution of the concept of Satan as an opposing force to God in 1st-Century (and later) Judaism and Christianity (esp. in the canonical Gospels), and the association of orthodox Christianity's opponents (Jews and "heretics") with Satan.

I'm about to start Pagel's Adam, Eve, and the Serpent.

She has another interesting-looking book The Gnostic Paul, which delves into Gnostic aspects of Paul's writings, further expounding on hints of Paul's potential Gnostic leanings she touched on in her other books.

She's a great scholar and author, IMO. Most enjoyable. It's amazing learning about the "hidden" roots of Christian beliefs. They should teach this stuff in every church, IMO, (which they won't, of course) to let the flock know exactly how Christianity evolved over time and how "orthodoxy" prevailed.