New Books in 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

Atheist blogger extraordinaire Adam Lee has published his first book, Daylight Atheism (Big Think, 2012), where he makes the case that religion is harmful and that secular humanism is a much better option. He demolishes many myths about atheism, such as that atheists don’t have a moral compass, or that morality for nonbelievers is always relative. He describes the incredible privilege that Christianity enjoys in American life, where it’s deemed so normal that if anyone criticizes religious belief, it is immediately seen as an attack. He argues that the fundamental problem with religious belief is that it is not based on human needs or concerns, but on an idea of God’s will, and the obedience to that will. Sometimes, that so-called will matches the needs of people, and good actions can result. However, as is also the case, that interpreted will of God can clash with the needs and desires of people, and disastrous consequences can result. Lee, by rebuking common stereotypes about atheism, also presents secular humanism as a mentality leading to a better appreciation of this one and only life. Essentially, he argues, life as an atheist can be a life full of meaning and wonder. 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

In December of 1975, Agnes Bojaxhiu, also known as Mother Teresa, appeared on the cover of TIME magazine with a caption that read: “Living Saints.” Mary Johnson, a teenage girl at the time, saw this cover and was drawn in by what she saw as a wonderful life of meaning, love, and service. Two years later, she had joined the Missionaries of Charity, the religious community that Mother Teresa started in 1948, and there remained for 20 years. Though she fervently wanted to be a good nun, she found that the rules imposed upon the Sisters were often oppressive, unkind and unnecessary. In her memoir, An Unquenchable Thirst: Following Mother Teresa in Search of Love, Service and an Authentic Life (Spiegel and Grau, 2011), Mary takes us on her journey as a Missionary of Charity, judging kindly but not failing to criticize the community – and the Church – that was her life for many years. Though now a humanist and writer in the secular world, Mary shares with us what it was like to be a nun in what she calls the “Marines” of the Catholic Church, and how, far from the idolized saintly image most have of her, Mother Teresa was indeed as human as the rest of us. You can find out more about Mary and the Missionaries of Charity at her website. 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

In our very first fiction-book interview on New Books in Secularism, we chat with Alyson Miers, author of Charlinder’s Walk (CreateSpace, 2011). In this adventure secularism-themed novel, Miers introduces us to Charlinder, a curious and daring young man who lives in the year 2130. The world he lives in is vastly different from the one we know today. Due to a plague that swept the earth and killed most of its inhabitants in 2010, Charlinder lives in a time where modern technology is gone, communities are isolated from each other, and surviving winter is once again a struggle. Why the earth succumbed to such a devastating plague over 100 years because is a cause for tension in his village of Paleola. On one hand there are those called the Faithful, who argue that the plague was God’s punishment for the evil deeds of human beings, whereas the rest of their small population is skeptical. Worried about rising disagreements and what it means for his village – Charlinder sets out on a world trek to find out the truth, with very surprising consequences. It is difficult to put this book down once you start reading it, as Miers is very adept at transporting us into a world that is hard to imagine – a world without most of us in it. Miers’ blog is called The Monster’s Ink, and she is also on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

In her shocking new book, The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children (Public Affairs, 2012), Katherine Stewart describes how factions of the Christian Right, through groups such as the Good News Club, are seeking to indoctrinate children in public schools with their brand of fundamentalism. When a Good News Club came to a public school in her community, Stewart decided to investigate. The Club, under the umbrella of the Child Evangelism Fellowship, manages to find loopholes in state/church separation and find their way into public schools under the guise of being a non-denominational Bible studies program. Once there, they seek to build roots in order to reach as many children as possible. In her research, Stewart visited communities all over the United States where Good News Clubs had been present, and found that they had caused nothing but strife and divisiveness among kids, teachers and parents. She also followed the missionaries of the Good News Club on their training sessions and found that far from promoting a non-denominational view of the Bible, their real mission was to get kids “saved” (meaning converting kids to their brand of fundamentalism). She also discovered that the club promoted and pushed peer-to-peer proselytizing, usually targeting very small children. Most shocking of all, she found that beyond wanting to grow their church, the Club’s ultimate goal was the erosion of the public secular school system altogether. This eye-opening book urges us to wake up and pay attention to what is happening in America’s public schools. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

Popular atheist blogger Greta Christina has now written a book Why Are you Atheists so Angry? 99 Things that Piss off the Godless (Dirty Heathen, 2012) counters the widespread view (at least in America) that atheists are snarky and perpetually angry people, and explains the legitimate reasons why atheists should be rightfully angry (99 of them, to be precise). Greta cites a wide list of malpractices endorsed, caused, or perpetuated by religion, from the teaching of creationism in schools to female mutilation to the Catholic church’s stance on condoms. However, she goes beyond the usual criticisms of religion: she also speaks out against the way some theists perceive atheists, such as the belief that nonbelievers are immoral, ignorant, or simply sad. he protests the flaws in logic and disregard for truth which she perceives to be present in all supernatural beliefs, from organized religions like Islam and Christianity to less structured but equally unvalidated forms of woo. She denounces the cherry-picking that both fundamentalist and progressive Christians engage in when interpreting the Bible, and explains how religion’s lack of an external reality check contributes to the unique harm it can inflict. An entire chapter is devoted to the questions that she knows she’ll get asked, and she provides clear and in-depth answers. Greta also explains in the book why she’s an atheist to begin with. Those who follow her blog will already be familiar with most of the content in this book, but it is useful to have it in a condensed format and for handy access. Even for those who disagree with her, Greta’s impeccably clear and direct writing makes it a great read nonetheless. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism