This thread is for discussing the Introduction to Godless in America.
Introduction: You're too nice
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- Godless in America: Conversations With an Atheist - by George A. Ricker
- Interventions - by Noam Chomsky
- Religious Expression and the American Constitution - by Franklyn S. Haiman
- Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future - by Bill McKibben
- The God Delusion - by Richard Dawkins
- The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal - by Jared Diamond
- The Woman in the Dunes - by Abe Kobo
- Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction - by Eugenie Scott
- The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals - by Michael Pollan
- I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 - by Robert Graves
- Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon - by Daniel Dennett
- A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East - by David Fromkin
- The Time Traveler's Wife - by Audrey Niffenegger
- The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason - by Sam Harris
- Ender's Game - by Orson Scott Card
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - by Mark Haddon
- Value & Virtue in a Godless Universe - by Erik J. Wielenberg
- The March: A Novel - by E.L. Doctorow
- The Ethical Brain - by Michael Gazzaniga
- Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism - by Susan Jacoby
- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed - by Jared Diamond
- The Battle for God - by Karen Armstrong
- The Future of Life - by Edward O. Wilson
- What is Good? The Search for the Best Way to Live - by A.C. Grayling
- Civilization and It's Enemies: The Next Stage of History - by Lee Harris
- Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space - by Carl Sagan
- How We Believe: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God - by Michael Shermer
- Looking For Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain - by Antonio Damasio
- Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them): A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right - by Al Franken
- The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature - by Matt Ridley
- The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature - by Stephen Pinker
- Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder - by Richard Dawkins
- Atheism: A Reader - edited by S. T. Joshi
- Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century - by Howard Bloom
- The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History - by Howard Bloom
- Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies - by Jared Diamond
- Demon-Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark - by Carl Sagan
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West - by Dee Alexander Brown
- Future Shock - by Alvin Toffler
Introduction: You're too nice
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 Chris OConnor |
Introduction: You're too nice |
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Indisputable BookTalk Master
Posts: 9511 07/25/07 23:05:49 BookTalk Owner |
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Frank 013 |
Re: Introduction: You're too nice | #1 | ||
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Indisputable BookTalk Master
Posts: 1457 07/26/07 08:03:49 Moderator |
I just want to say that I think this is a great book choice!
If one of our regular members is published I think it is a good idea to add their work to our discussion group. Later Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well
preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting..."Holy Crap...what a ride!" |
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Chris OConnor |
Re: Introduction: You're too nice | #2 | ||
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Indisputable BookTalk Master
Posts: 9511 07/26/07 22:24:34 BookTalk Owner |
And the book is a damn good read too. George is a talented writer and an asset to the freethinker community. I'm proud to have him as a BookTalk member and now as one of our authors.
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lemmme think |
Re: Introduction: You're too nice | #3 | ||
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Posts: 5 08/05/07 11:51:37 A Breath of Fresh Air |
I really enjoyed the introduction ~ so many things resonate with my own personal journey.
I distinctly remember feeling liberated, downright exhilarated when I decided to quit trying to make myself believe. I was definitely one that "maintain(ed) my faith by suspending my disbelief." What I do lack is people in my life that are comfortable discussing atheism with me, so I look forward to reading more, and perhaps getting to the point that George Ricker is of "volunteer nothing but to answer questions honestly." I'm still at the volunteer nothing part . . . This is a great read! |
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garicker |
Re: Introduction: You're too nice | #4 | ||
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Posts: 262 08/08/07 19:51:06 Smarty Pants |
Author's note
As is the case with most works, my goal in the introduction was to set the stage for what follows. I begin with a true story about an encounter with a co-worker years ago, continue with a discussion of some of the misconceptions that seem prevalent about atheism and atheists and talk briefly about my own background. I spend a good bit of time defining my terms in an effort to avoid any confusion about what I mean when I use the words "god," "religion," and "atheism." I also make crystal clear my own view of gods and religions, a position that, as I explain in the text, goes beyond mere atheism. Finally, I describe my purpose in writing this testimonial for atheism. In the absence of a moderator, I thought I would go ahead and append a brief synopsis of each chapter in the appropriate threads. Needless to say, I'll be happy to answer any questions about the book that are directed my way. George http://www.godlessinamerica.com
"Godlessness is not about denying the existence of nonsensical beings. It is the starting point for living life without them." Godless in America by George A. Ricker |
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MadArchitect |
Re: Introduction: You're too nice | #5 | ||
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Posts: 3169 09/01/07 13:35:19 Indisputable BookTalk Master |
Just so you know, I do intend to contribute to this discussion, but I ordered the book over a week ago, and I'm still waiting for it to arrive. At first I thought there might be a problem with my mailing address, having not-too-recently moved, but a check of the mailing status on Amazon.com reveals that they haven't even shipped it yet, and the estimated arrival time is between the last week of September and the first week of October. If that's just the lot of anyone attempting to order your book through Amazon, then it may be several weeks before this forum gets any new participants. As I mentioned before, I tried to find a copy in several local bookstores, but came up short, so for now at least, this is the best I can do. Sorry.
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garicker |
Re: Introduction: You're too nice | #6 | ||
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Posts: 262 09/02/07 17:32:17 Smarty Pants |
I don't understand why Amazon would take that long to ship it, but I'll be here whenever it arrives. We may have most of the discussion during the last quarter. As long as there's interest, we can just go ahead. Amazon does seem to be a bit spotty in the service area. I've always had pretty good luck with them. But I've had a few other people tell me it took a while for them to receive their copies. I don't think it's because the book is a POD because they seem to have it in stock.
George http://www.godlessinamerica.com
"Godlessness is not about denying the existence of nonsensical beings. It is the starting point for living life without them." Godless in America by George A. Ricker |
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MadArchitect |
Re: Introduction: You're too nice | #7 | ||
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Posts: 3169 09/04/07 17:29:04 Indisputable BookTalk Master |
Not sure what the problem is, really. I ordered two other books along with it, so maybe one of those is the hold up. Or maybe the estimated delivery date is wrong. Either way, I still haven't gotten the books yet.
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Niall001 |
Re: Introduction: You're too nice | #8 | ||
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Posts: 897 09/06/07 14:22:02 Smarty Pants |
Got my book today, it was delayed but the company had an "unexpected shortage", so you must be doing something right George.
So far I've just read the introduction. And so far so good. The tone is perfect for your stated intentions. I have to say though that I think you should really change the cover-art at some point in the future George. It reminds me a little bit of something I'd fine advertised at Newsmax, which is kind of funny all things considered. |
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garicker |
Re: Introduction: You're too nice | #9 | ||
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Posts: 262 09/11/07 17:23:15 Smarty Pants |
Niall,
Glad to hear you got the book and liked the introduction. With Chris planning to move this board in a few days, I'm thinking we probably should table any discussion of the book until after the move is made. Maybe by then Mad will have his copy and a few others will join in as well. I know a some other members either have read it or are in the process. George http://www.godlessinamerica.com
"Godlessness is not about denying the existence of nonsensical beings. It is the starting point for living life without them." Godless in America by George A. Ricker |
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Chris OConnor |
Re: Introduction: You're too nice | #10 | ||
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Indisputable BookTalk Master
Posts: 9511 09/11/07 23:14:33 BookTalk Owner |
We can keep this book out of the Archives and in the limelight beyond the end of the quarter. Things have been slow around here and they always are this time of the year. With a couple quick edits I will extend this book discussion for another month. Yes, we'll still pick new books and start those discussions.
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Add Reply
- Member Introductions & Journals
- BookTalk News & Development
- Religion, Philosophy & the Arts
- Politics, Current Events & History
- Science, Nature & Technology
- General Discussion & Miscellaneous Topics
- Book Suggestions, Polls, & Reviews
- Additional Book Discussions
- Godless in America: Conversations With an Atheist - by George A. Ricker
- Interventions - by Noam Chomsky
- Religious Expression and the American Constitution - by Franklyn S. Haiman
- Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future - by Bill McKibben
- The God Delusion - by Richard Dawkins
- The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal - by Jared Diamond
- The Woman in the Dunes - by Abe Kobo
- Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction - by Eugenie Scott
- The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals - by Michael Pollan
- I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 - by Robert Graves
- Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon - by Daniel Dennett
- A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East - by David Fromkin
- The Time Traveler's Wife - by Audrey Niffenegger
- The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason - by Sam Harris
- Ender's Game - by Orson Scott Card
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - by Mark Haddon
- Value & Virtue in a Godless Universe - by Erik J. Wielenberg
- The March: A Novel - by E.L. Doctorow
- The Ethical Brain - by Michael Gazzaniga
- Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism - by Susan Jacoby
- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed - by Jared Diamond
- The Battle for God - by Karen Armstrong
- The Future of Life - by Edward O. Wilson
- What is Good? The Search for the Best Way to Live - by A.C. Grayling
- Civilization and It's Enemies: The Next Stage of History - by Lee Harris
- Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space - by Carl Sagan
- How We Believe: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God - by Michael Shermer
- Looking For Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain - by Antonio Damasio
- Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them): A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right - by Al Franken
- The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature - by Matt Ridley
- The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature - by Stephen Pinker
- Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder - by Richard Dawkins
- Atheism: A Reader - edited by S. T. Joshi
- Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century - by Howard Bloom
- The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History - by Howard Bloom
- Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies - by Jared Diamond
- Demon-Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark - by Carl Sagan
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West - by Dee Alexander Brown
- Future Shock - by Alvin Toffler
