New Books in Secularism

For the first time in human history, a significant percentage of the world’s population no longer believes in God. While its true that some societies are even seeing nonbelievers outnumber believers, it is extremely unlikely that we will see a total collapse of religion in the foreseeable future. This is why, according to Dr. Ronald A. Lindsay, countries across the globe must learn to carefully manage the societal mix of religious and irreligious in order to meet the challenge of this unprecedented demographic shift and new form of sectarian discord. In his book, The Necessity of Secularism: Why God Can’t Tell Us What to Do (Pitchstone Publishing, 2014), Lindsay makes the case for the necessity of a discourse for morality and ethics that does not rely on the competing narratives of the world’s religions. He joins us today to explain how such a language of common morality can be found and why it’s so important. Dr. Ronald A. Lindsay was until very recently the president and CEO of the Centre for Inquiry and its affiliates, the Council for Secular Humanism and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, where he continues on as a senior research fellow. He has a PhD in philosophy from Georgetown University, with a concentration in bioethics, and a JD from the University of Virginia. He also has a background in law and policy related to the exercise or abstention from religious practices in government funded contexts. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Universite Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

There are many fronts in the argument against the existence of a god or gods and veracity of religious narratives. Some familiar approaches are to critique the philosophical underpinnings of religious ideology or to make a case from the perspective of scientific evidence and the physical laws of reality. Inventing God: Psychology of Belief and the Rise of Secular Spirituality (Routledge, 2016), written by Dr. Jon Mills, argues from the perspective of psychology and posits that god is a psychological creation signifying ultimate ideality. In other words, He is the ultimate wish fulfillment, the forgiving all-powerful father you always wanted, the absolution of all your fears, the antidote to death. Mills writes that the conception of god is the manifestation of humanity’s denial and response to natural deprivation. He promotes secular humanism and a personal search for the numinous as a positive, life-affirming alternative. Dr. Jon Mills is a philosopher, psychoanalyst, active clinical psychologist, as well as Professor of Psychology & Psychoanalysis at the Adler Graduate Professional School in Toronto. He is the author and editor of many books and recipient of awards, including the the Otto Weininger Memorial Award for lifetime achievement in 2015, given by the Canadian Psychological Association. Carrie Lynn Evans is a PhD student at Universite Laval in Quebec City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

Coming out atheist isn’t always easy, but Greta Christina, atheist activist and blogger, has tips to make it easier for those who struggle. After scouring hundreds of coming-out-atheist stories, she comes to the conclusion that difficult as it may be, very few atheists regret coming out. Most people report feeling happier and more liberated after telling their social circle that they don’t believe in God – even if, in the beginning, that may cause strains in important relationships. In addition, coming out can help other atheists by letting them know that they are not alone and that it is possible to live a good godless life. Greta does make the important caveat that coming out is not feasible or even safe for everyone – those who might lost their jobs, custody of their children, or even their lives may have very good reasons for staying in the closet. Coming Out Atheist: How to do it, How to Help Each Other, and Why (Pitchstone Publishing, 2014) is divided into chapters describing how people came out to specific people in their lives: parents, extended family, friends, and even bosses. Greta advocates being patient and giving those around you some credit – often times, their reactions aren’t as bad as you thought they would be. Greta also stresses the importance of encouraging diversity in the atheist movement, so that coming out and staying out becomes comfortable for those in all walks of life who choose to be godless. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

In the depths of the internet there is many an article discussing the infinity of God. Its authors argue that God is infinite and endless and knows no bounds (what the difference is among those attributes is not usually explained). Imputing infinity to God is nothing new – one rarely (if ever) hears of a god that is deemed finite. In his new book, Dot, Dot, Dot: Infinity Plus God Equals Folly (Onus Books, 2013), James Lindsay argues that declaring God to be infinite is no help to the arguments of believers. Infinity is a concept that almost everyone except mathematicians misunderstands, which doesn’t stop apologists from using the adjective to label their god. Arguing against Platonism, Lindsay explains that infinity is an abstraction, and that abstractions are not equal to reality. He has no objection to the notion of God as an abstraction, but decries the point of view that this necessarily implies existence. Words and numbers are abstractions which we use every day, but no one would argue that they are real they way that a table is real. Human beings, Lindsay argues, invented these abstractions in order to make sense of the universe, and they are limited to the human mind. Apologists who use the concept of infinity as a way to argue for their god are, as the author puts it, “confuse the map for the terrain.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

In the preface of There was no Jesus, There is no God (Amazon Digital Services, 2013),Raphael Lataster states that “it is not my job to disprove Christianity or any other religion. It is not my intention to destroy the fait of the faithful; nor do I desire to offend or upset believers in any way.” His new book is, in fact, meant to be an objective analysis of the evidence available for the existence of Jesus and of God. He details, for example, the evidence present for the two different “Jesuses” people believe in, categorized as the “Biblical Jesus” (the son of God who performed miracles and died for our sins) and the “Historical Jesus” (a non-divine but cool guy who preached and helped others). He relates how many people who fail to find evidence for a divine Jesus tend to fall back on the position that at least a historical Jesus existed, but Lataster thoroughly examines the evidence and finds it lacking for either version. By using Bayesian methodology and the mindset that history is a study of probabilities, Lataster points out the problems in the arguments of apologists and Biblical scholars. In the second portion of this book, the author focuses on God and monotheism, sorting through the arguments used to support God’s existence. He concludes that even if one gives each argument considerable leeway, they all still ultimately fail to providence evidence for any god – least of all the monotheistic Christian god. Though Lataster is a skeptic, his book is one focused on evidence, not on the pros or cons of religious faith. As he states in his preface, “the truth is not a democracy, and certainly does not care about our feelings.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

“And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:9-11, NASB). The story of the Star of Bethlehem leading the Wise Men to the birthplace of Jesus is one that has spawned movies, books and even beloved Christmas carols. But did this star ever really exist, and was it really a star? Aaron Adair probes this question in his new book The Star of Bethlehem: A Skeptical View (Onus Books, 2013). Coming from a physics and astronomy background, Adair investigates whether the object described in Matthew’s narrative could have actually been a star, and combs other possible theories, such as that it could have been a supernova, comet, or the product of a conjunction of planets. Adair also explains the reasons why conjuring a scientific explanation for a “miraculous” star has been important to theologians since the 1800s, though his conclusions do not bode well for their theories. The Star of Bethlehem: A Skeptical View brings a scientific view to a story that is often told but rarely questioned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

With so many religions in the world, how can you tell which one is correct? John W. Loftus tackles this question in his new book, The Outsider Test for Faith: How to Know Which Religion Is True (Prometheus Books, 2013). In order to take on this perplexing question, John Loftus argues for a simple test called the Outsider Test for Faith, where believers – even if hypothetically – try to consider what their faith looks like to someone from the outside. There may be similar strands running through many religions, but there are also irreconcilable differences. It is easy for a Christian to explain why they do not believe in Vishnu, for example, and Loftus utilizes this approach to try to get believers to analyze their own faith as easily as they do others’. Loftus also deals with the Religious Dependency Thesis, which points out that what religion one holds is usually the result of where and to whom you were born. By applying the skepticism that many already have toward most gods, Loftus hopes that the OTF will aid those to let go of one more. Loftus’ blog can be found at here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

Why does it seem like everyone in the atheist movement is white and male? Are African-American women less interested in secularism? In her book, Godless Americana: Race and Religious Rebels (Infidel Books, 2013), Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson critiques the mainstream atheist movement’s lack of diversity and uncovers some of the reasons why African-Americans seem so connected to religion. She reveals that racism and social and economic disadvantage has led to a dearth of resources in black communities – a gap that churches often end up filling. Though there is a strong tradition of African-American secular humanism, it has focused on social justice issues and the intersection of racism, classism, capitalism and religion, topics usually ignored by the media and the mainstream secular movement. Dr. Hutchinson also criticizes the new atheism’s singularfocus on science and reason to the detriment of social justice and anti-racist consciousness. Sikivu’s blog can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

The perception of the United States as a Christian nation is one that is prevalent and persistent. It is difficult to conceive of a time when the term Christian America was not bandied about in the media, but as David Niose argues in his book Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans(Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), the last thing the founding fathers wished for America was for it to be a space where religion and politics were intertwined. In fact, it’s time the myth of a Christian America be challenged, as nonbelievers are coming out of the shadows to proclaim their nontheism and their place in American society. Niose chronicles the history of the Religious Right and the many covert and overt ways in which they have appropriated the public discourse in the past 30 years. Despite their astounding success, secular Americans can, and should, fight back. Niose helps us to learn how. AUDIO INTERVIEW BELOW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

Are science and religion compatible, or are they fundamentally different ways of viewing the world? In the book,God and the Folly of Faith: The Incompatibility of Science and Religion(Prometheus, 2012), physicist Victor Stenger uses his knowledge of science to argue that the latter option is the case. Though acknowledging that some (though not many) prominent scientists are theists, Stenger argues that, fundamentally, science and religion not only clash, but that religion has historically impeded the progress of science. Stenger argues that despite the common apologistic argument that science cannot prove the non-existence of God, we can take the absence of evidence as evidence of absence – particularly when the evidence should be there. Distinguishing faith from trust, conflict from incompatibility, and religion from unreason, Dr. Stenger firmly stands science’s ground in attempting to explain both our outer and inner worlds. He also emphasizes the efficiency of the scientific method, and the importance of realizing that “the plural of anecdote is not data.” Dr. Stenger’s newest book, which just came out in April 2013, is called God and the Atom (Prometheus, 2013). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism