Marduk

I guess the Bible itself, no one takes any other Bronze/Iron Age War God Jibber Jabber seriously, why this one? I don't really trust the judgement of people that long ago. Not because I think they were stupid but because they had a fairly small database of scientific knowledge, why is it raining "God is peeing". That sort of thing.
Besides the very idea of the creator of the entire universe making landgrab deals with nomadic barbarians cracks me up.

Doubting Thomas

Brahma:

Have you checked out the <a href="http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/testimonials/index.shtml" target="_blank">Testimonials</a>?

For me it was a long and painful process...to some extent the break continues to be. Sometimes I really envy those who grew up in a non-religious environment.

A few good books:

"The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" by Carl Sagan.

"Why People Believe Weird Things" by Michael Shermer.

"How We Believe" by Michael Shermer.

"Why I am Not a Christian" by Bertrand Russell.

"Losing Faith In Faith" by Dan Barker.

Any of Robert G Ingersoll's 44 lectures.

-T

Ron Garrett

Who knew that a school teacher from Missouri, one Lester Dent, writing as Kenneth Robeson, would put millions on the path to rational inquiry, careers in criminalistics, chemistry, archeology, anthropology, electronics, physics, law, engineering, psychology, zoology, botany. Clark Savage Jr. was and remains the ideal.

Scotty

Fantasic to find other people have read these stories. I have about 80-100 of them (in the Batam book form) but have stopped looking for the books (I think there are 120)
They just make you wonder and find all sorts of things interesting (even if they are slightly sexist at times!).
-Scott
edit: spelling

[ March 09, 2002: Message edited by: Scotty ]</p>

Ruy Lopez

It was not a book. I was educated by Filipino and American Jesuits and in high school, I still recall two issues that ignited the doubt.

1.They said that outside the church, there is no salvation.
2. They said Jesus, who is supposed to be God, died for me to save me.

I had enough common sense at that age that God cannot possibly suffer and die. If he did, then he's not God. Secondly, where is the much vaunted compassion of the Christian God who will punish a
Kuwaiti Arab who never heard of Christian beliefs?

I enjoyed my career with Exxon and the Philippine National Oil Company after school and forgot religion. Stopped working at 40 and gradually investigated different religious beliefs which turned out to be mostly fictitious. Now I am an agnostic without regrets, stress and nagging problems about the Ultimate. Now, what are you going to do with all these opinions Brahma?

Tony

Ruy Lopez

For Bloggins02: Please elaborate on September Ele
ven. Thank you.

tony

ImGod

It's not hard to start questioning religions when you see what some people will do in the name of theirs. Studying and comparing the similarities of different religions in their development and cultural applications lead many of us to an atheist or agnostic conclusion.

BLoggins02

tony: What ImGod said, plus:

Not only do I get to see yet another example of people killing other people in the name of their particular imaginary friend, but then I get to hear christians blame it on God's anger because of course God hates everyone that they do (which is the exact same claim as the Muslims).

Then, I get to take part in this massive God Bless America God orgy, as if to say "No, God's not on YOUR side, he's on OUR side!"

Meanwhile, the laws of physics still work as always, we still haven't seen or heard from God, and it seems as though if He/She/It does exist, He/She/It doesn't give a box of shit about any of us.

As they say in mathematics, Q.E.D. <img src="graemlins/banghead.gif" border="0" alt="[Bang Head]" />

brahma

Actually I was looking for some books that had the potential to change one's beliefs in a radical way. IMHO its always better to get a recommendation from someone who's life it has changed than go and read some reviews on a bookseller's website. Plus I wanted to know the background and process that led to people lose their faith.

bonduca

I could never reconcile my religious teachings with anything I read that was even remotely related to science. Changing churches several times made it more confusing - what's true today, will be untrue tomorrow. So I always doubted.

This didn't change my mind, however, it made me feel that I was a sinner and must work harder to have faith. If God didn't ever answer my prayers, it must be because I was a terrible person.

What finally pushed me over the edge was Christianity's teachings regarding women and homosexuality. I couldn't see the big deal over my not wanting to be subordinate to someone quite possibly stupider than me (hey, my church was no brain trust), or two guys buying furniture together. I began to think that god was either a total crock, or a sadistic jerk. So god and I broke up.

[ March 09, 2002: Message edited by: bonduca ]</p>