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 Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:32 pm
I noticed on another thread that people were bemoaning the lack of an atheist equivalent to the Bible. Now, we may not have a Bible, but we certainly have some very poetic and very smart literature, both from our present day and from past epochs. I'm interested in hearing what everyone's favorites are. I'll start off the discussion by suggesting two of my favorite philosophers, both of whom were atheists and dealt heavily with how to live absent God: Albert Camus and Friedrich Nietzsche. Camus is an existentialist who essentially asks us how we live in a world without objective meaning and objective truth. He deals with how we live and what we mean without a God to dictate our meaning. A few favorite Camus quotes (yes, this is shameless promotion, but I think everyone should read him): Albert Camus I chose justice in order to remain faithful to the world. I continue to believe that this world has no ultimate meaning. But I know that something in it has meaning and that is man, because he is the only creature to insist on having one. This world has at least the truth of man, and our task is to provide justification against fate itself. And it has no justification but man; hence he must be saved if we want to save the idea we have of life. " (From Resistance, Rebellion, and Death, which is a collection of things written by Camus during the Nazi occupation of France [Camus is French]) Albert Camus ...Certainty is not gaiety of heart. We know what we lost on that long detour; we know that we are paying for the bitter joy of fighting in agreement with ourselves. And because we have a strong sense of the irreparable, there is as much bitterness as confindence in our struggle. The war didn't satisfy us. We had not yet assembled our reasons for fighting...This war is the one they chose for themselves, instead of accepting it from idiotic or cowardly governments, a war in which they recognize themselves and are fighting for a certain idea they have formed of themselves. But this luxury they permitted themselves costs a dreadful price." (Also from Resistance, Rebellion, and Death) Nietzsche is an old favorite, too. He's the one famous for proclaiming that God is dead. Indeed, one of his characters goes on to say that not only is God dead, but we are the ones who have killed him... (Of course he means it metaphorically, to say that the old order of Christian morality is finished, not that God used to exist and then we killed him.) Nietzsche primarily writes about the affirmation of suffering and the affirmation of life, but the passionate rejection of religion and religious moral systems are a huge part of his writings. Agree or disagree with him, he's an interesting read... Thoughts?
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 10:04 pm
Those sound like some good picks.
I don't think there is too much to bemoan, even if it isn't specifically atheist literature I think a lot of books that are religious or philisophical can be very interesting.
I'm one of those people who has a huge list of things to read, so I don't get around to much of it. I must admit I really need to get to the university library again and get something not for a research paper this time. :0
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 10:09 pm
Soy un hombre muy honrado,
que me gusta lo mejor I'll tell you what isn't my favorite. The Stranger. He makes atheists look like assholes in that. Las mujeres no me faltan,
ni el dinero ni el amor
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:35 am
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I love that book, but I've never actually read any of the sequels. I probably should.
Read it, and you'll see what I mean by "atheist literature". It presents the reader with a view of the universe that, contrary to what we'd all like to believe about existence, is extraordinarily silly and nonsensical. Douglas Adams himself was a self-described "radical atheist".
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 8:37 pm
Baron von Turkeypants Soy un hombre muy honrado,
que me gusta lo mejor I'll tell you what isn't my favorite. The Stranger. He makes atheists look like assholes in that. Las mujeres no me faltan,
ni el dinero ni el amor The Stranger? Isn't that when you sit on your hand until it falls asleep, then you... Oh, right. I'm really enjoying The Necessity of Atheism.
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 8:42 pm
Theophrastus The Stranger? Isn't that when you sit on your hand until it falls asleep, then you... Oh, right.  Approves.Just so this post has some substance, I suppose I should mention the fact that at a local Border's, they had a little subsection with atheist books (those displays on the end of a shelf). They had The God Delusion, Letter to a Christian Nation, and God is Not Great. I was short of cash that day, so I didn't get any, but what would you guys recommend?
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:56 pm
Read God Is Not Great for me. I think I may not always be up for such acerbic with as Hitchens offers. Tell me if I can handle it, as I consider you more a gentleman than I.
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 1:18 am
Yes, those are some great choices. Honestly, I think if someone proclaims themself an atheist, they have some general idea of what they're talking about. We don't need a bible. That's what Science class is for. wink
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 4:46 pm
My mom went through barnes n nobel and came back with diffrent
"Atheist bibles"
Honestly....there may be atheist bibles....but does that really cover everyuthing we think/ believe in....No i don't think so. Im insulted shje did though.........
Sorry...mini rant...
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:48 pm
Soy un hombre muy honrado,
que me gusta lo mejor Everyone needs to see this, by the way:
Las]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4195292285541019804&q=lil+jon+chappelle&total=354&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=2Las mujeres no me faltan,
ni el dinero ni el amor
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:42 am
Baron von Turkeypants Soy un hombre muy honrado,
que me gusta lo mejor Everyone needs to see this, by the way:
Las]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4195292285541019804&q=lil+jon+chappelle&total=354&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=2Las mujeres no me faltan,
ni el dinero ni el amor I KNEW someone would get that. smile
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:15 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:46 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:56 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2007 2:37 pm
wow that vid was freakin funny. Well now I know what a stranger is I guess
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