Debunking Secular Humanism: A Christian Critique
Debunking Secular Humanism: A Christian Critique

Author: Samuel James

Publisher: Dr. Samuel Inbaraja S

Published: 2024-08-14

Total Pages: 82

ISBN-13:

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Debunking Secular Humanism: A Comprehensive Christian Critique Discover the compelling truths behind the limitations of secular humanism with "Debunking Secular Humanism: A Comprehensive Christian Critique." This profound work, authored by Dr. Samuel James, a seasoned Christian Apologist and medical doctor, delves into the philosophical, ethical, and existential shortcomings of secular humanism. Dr. James systematically dismantles its foundational beliefs, revealing the internal contradictions, lack of moral grounding, and failure to offer objective meaning that secular humanism presents. "In the 21st century, the rise of secular humanism presents one of the most significant challenges for Christians, as it seeks to redefine moral and existential truths through a lens that often excludes God and Christian values. Learning to dismantle secular humanism is crucial because it directly conflicts with the core tenets of Christianity, such as the belief in absolute truth, divine purpose, and moral accountability to a higher power. As secular humanism continues to influence global culture, politics, and education, it threatens to erode the spiritual foundations upon which Christian ethics and worldview are built. For Christians, equipping themselves with the knowledge and tools to critically engage and dismantle secular humanism is not just about defending their faith; it's about preserving the integrity of the Gospel message and ensuring that future generations can discern and embrace the truth of Christianity in a world increasingly dominated by secular ideologies." - Dr. Samuel James, Author. Who Should Read This Book? Christians and religious scholars seeking a deep understanding of Christian critiques of secular ideologies. Theologians and academics exploring the interplay between religion and philosophy. Individuals questioning secular humanism or interested in a thorough analysis of its principles. What Will You Gain? Readers will gain a well-researched, theologically sound critique of secular humanism, equipping them with the knowledge to understand and confront its beliefs. This book also serves as a guide to exploring further resources on Christian apologetics, with a call to action encouraging readers to engage more deeply with these critical issues.

The God Argument
The God Argument

Author: A. C. Grayling

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2013-03-14

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1408837420

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There has been a bad-tempered quarrel between defenders and critics of religion in recent years. Both sides have expressed themselves acerbically because there is a very great deal at stake in the debate. This book thoroughly and calmly examines all the arguments and associated considerations offered in support of religious belief, and does so in full consciousness of the reasons people have for subscribing to religion, and the needs they seek to satisfy by doing so. And because it takes account of all the issues, its solutions carry great weight. The God Argument is the definitive examination of the issue, and a statement of the humanist outlook that recommends itself as the ethics of the genuinely reflective person.

What It Means to Be Moral
What It Means to Be Moral

Author: Phil Zuckerman

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2019-09-10

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 1640092749

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“A thoughtful perspective on humans' capacity for moral behavior.” —Kirkus Reviews “A comprehensive introduction to religious skepticism.” —Publishers Weekly In What It Means to Be Moral: Why Religion Is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life, Phil Zuckerman argues that morality does not come from God. Rather, it comes from us: our brains, our evolutionary past, our ongoing cultural development, our social experiences, and our ability to reason, reflect, and be sensitive to the suffering of others. By deconstructing religious arguments for God–based morality and guiding readers through the premises and promises of secular morality, Zuckerman argues that the major challenges facing the world today—from global warming and growing inequality to religious support for unethical political policies to gun violence and terrorism—are best approached from a nonreligious ethical framework. In short, we need to look to our fellow humans and within ourselves for moral progress and ethical action. “In this brilliant, provocative, and timely book, Phil Zuckerman breaks down the myth that our morality comes from religion—compellingly making the case that when it comes to the biggest challenges we face today, a secular approach is the only truly moral one.” —Ali A. Rizvi, author of The Atheist Muslim

Dominion
Dominion

Author: Tom Holland

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2019-10-29

Total Pages: 624

ISBN-13: 0465093523

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A "marvelous" (Economist) account of how the Christian Revolution forged the Western imagination. Crucifixion, the Romans believed, was the worst fate imaginable, a punishment reserved for slaves. How astonishing it was, then, that people should have come to believe that one particular victim of crucifixion-an obscure provincial by the name of Jesus-was to be worshipped as a god. Dominion explores the implications of this shocking conviction as they have reverberated throughout history. Today, the West remains utterly saturated by Christian assumptions. As Tom Holland demonstrates, our morals and ethics are not universal but are instead the fruits of a very distinctive civilization. Concepts such as secularism, liberalism, science, and homosexuality are deeply rooted in a Christian seedbed. From Babylon to the Beatles, Saint Michael to #MeToo, Dominion tells the story of how Christianity transformed the modern world.

Seven Types of Atheism
Seven Types of Atheism

Author: John Gray

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Published: 2018-10-02

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 0374714266

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From the provocative author of Straw Dogs comes an incisive, surprising intervention in the political and scientific debate over religion and atheism When you explore older atheisms, you will find that some of your firmest convictions—secular or religious—are highly questionable. If this prospect disturbs you, what you are looking for may be freedom from thought. For a generation now, public debate has been corroded by a shrill, narrow derision of religion in the name of an often vaguely understood “science.” John Gray’s stimulating and enjoyable new book, Seven Types of Atheism, describes the complex, dynamic world of older atheisms, a tradition that is, he writes, in many ways intertwined with and as rich as religion itself. Along a spectrum that ranges from the convictions of “God-haters” like the Marquis de Sade to the mysticism of Arthur Schopenhauer, from Bertrand Russell’s search for truth in mathematics to secular political religions like Jacobinism and Nazism, Gray explores the various ways great minds have attempted to understand the questions of salvation, purpose, progress, and evil. The result is a book that sheds an extraordinary light on what it is to be human.

Debunking Hitchens: A Christian Response
Debunking Hitchens: A Christian Response

Author: Samuel James

Publisher: Dr. Samuel Inbaraja S

Published:

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13:

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In the contemplative shadow of Christopher Hitchens' intellectual legacy, there stands a multitude of voices, ready to engage with the spirited critiques he presented against religious belief. "Debunking Hitchens: A Christian Response" is not merely a book; it is a comprehensive, systematic Christian response to the sharp arguments laid down by one of the most formidable atheists of our time. The literary and philosophical armoury of Hitchens has compelled many to reconsider the foundations of faith. However, in the midst of these thought-provoking challenges, a path emerges for Christians not just to respond, but to delve deeper into the essence of their convictions.

Finding Purpose in a Godless World
Finding Purpose in a Godless World

Author: Ralph Lewis, MD

Publisher: Prometheus Books

Published: 2018-07-17

Total Pages: 409

ISBN-13: 1633883868

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A psychiatrist presents a compelling argument for how human purpose and caring emerged in a spontaneous and unguided universe. Can there be purpose without God? This book is about how human purpose and caring, like consciousness and absolutely everything else in existence, could plausibly have emerged and evolved unguided, bottom-up, in a spontaneous universe. A random world--which according to all the scientific evidence and despite our intuitions is the actual world we live in--is too often misconstrued as nihilistic, demotivating, or devoid of morality and meaning. Drawing on years of wide-ranging, intensive clinical experience as a psychiatrist, and his own family experience with cancer, Dr. Lewis helps readers understand how people cope with random adversity without relying on supernatural belief. In fact, as he explains, although coming to terms with randomness is often frightening, it can be liberating and empowering too. Written for those who desire a scientifically sound yet humanistic view of the world, Lewis's book examines science's inroads into the big questions that occupy religion and philosophy. He shows how our sense of purpose and meaning is entangled with mistaken intuitions that events in our lives happen for some intended cosmic reason and that the universe itself has inherent purpose. Dispelling this illusion, and integrating the findings of numerous scientific fields, he shows how not only the universe, life, and consciousness but also purpose, morality, and meaning could, in fact, have emerged and evolved spontaneously and unguided. There is persuasive evidence that these qualities evolved naturally and without mystery, biologically and culturally, in humans as conscious, goal-directed social animals. While acknowledging the social and psychological value of progressive forms of religion, the author respectfully critiques even the most sophisticated theistic arguments for a purposeful universe. Instead, he offers an evidence-based, realistic yet optimistic and empathetic perspective. This book will help people to see the scientific worldview of an unguided, spontaneous universe as awe-inspiring and foundational to building a more compassionate society.

Why I Became an Atheist
Why I Became an Atheist

Author: John W. Loftus

Publisher: Prometheus Books

Published: 2012-10-10

Total Pages: 1047

ISBN-13: 1616145781

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For about two decades John W. Loftus was a devout evangelical Christian, an ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and an ardent apologist for Christianity. With three degrees--in philosophy, theology, and philosophy of religion--he was adept at using rational argumentation to defend the faith. But over the years, doubts about the credibility of key Christian tenets began to creep into his thinking. By the late 1990s he experienced a full-blown crisis of faith. In this honest appraisal of his journey from believer to atheist, the author carefully explains the experiences and the reasoning process that led him to reject religious belief. The original edition of this book was published in 2006 and reissued in 2008. Since that time, Loftus has received a good deal of critical feedback from Christians and skeptics alike. In this revised and expanded edition, the author addresses criticisms of the original, adds new argumentation and references, and refines his presentation. For every issue he succinctly summarizes the various points of view and provides references for further reading. In conclusion, he describes the implications of life without belief in God, some liberating, some sobering. This frank critique of Christian belief from a former insider will interest freethinkers as well as anyone with doubts about the claims of religion.

A Christian Perspective of Postmodern Existentialism
A Christian Perspective of Postmodern Existentialism

Author: John D. Carter

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2021-06-08

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 1725292653

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The Western Humanism originating in classical Greek philosophy--where the capacity of human reason became the dominant means for perceiving a worldview based in reality--reigned in Western philosophy until the onset of Postmodern Existentialism in the mid-twentieth century. Plato's Theory of Forms prepared the Western gentile mind to accept the rationality of a transcendent ultimate reality, and in so doing steered the gentile mind from its bent to pantheistic deities. The apostle Paul boldly proclaimed to the Athenians that their "unknown god" was indeed the transcendent God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Christianity prevailed in Western philosophy until the Enlightenment--which was the result of the unprecedented success of the scientific method--began to turn the Western mind to the existentialistic idea of the relativity of moral truth.

The Anthropology of Christianity
The Anthropology of Christianity

Author: Fenella Cannell

Publisher: Duke University Press

Published: 2006-11-07

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 0822388154

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This collection provides vivid ethnographic explorations of particular, local Christianities as they are experienced by different groups around the world. At the same time, the contributors, all anthropologists, rethink the vexed relationship between anthropology and Christianity. As Fenella Cannell contends in her powerful introduction, Christianity is the critical “repressed” of anthropology. To a great extent, anthropology first defined itself as a rational, empirically based enterprise quite different from theology. The theology it repudiated was, for the most part, Christian. Cannell asserts that anthropological theory carries within it ideas profoundly shaped by this rejection. Because of this, anthropology has been less successful in considering Christianity as an ethnographic object than it has in considering other religions. This collection is designed to advance a more subtle and less self-limiting anthropological study of Christianity. The contributors examine the contours of Christianity among diverse groups: Catholics in India, the Philippines, and Bolivia, and Seventh-Day Adventists in Madagascar; the Swedish branch of Word of Life, a charismatic church based in the United States; and Protestants in Amazonia, Melanesia, and Indonesia. Highlighting the wide variation in what it means to be Christian, the contributors reveal vastly different understandings and valuations of conversion, orthodoxy, Scripture, the inspired word, ritual, gifts, and the concept of heaven. In the process they bring to light how local Christian practices and beliefs are affected by encounters with colonialism and modernity, by the opposition between Catholicism and Protestantism, and by the proximity of other religions and belief systems. Together the contributors show that it not sufficient for anthropologists to assume that they know in advance what the Christian experience is; each local variation must be encountered on its own terms. Contributors. Cecilia Busby, Fenella Cannell, Simon Coleman, Peter Gow, Olivia Harris, Webb Keane, Eva Keller, David Mosse, Danilyn Rutherford, Christina Toren, Harvey Whitehouse