This is a list of Atheist books I have read, and a short summary of each:
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
This book is very articulate, addresses many of the common arguments for God, and is even humorous at times! It is very rational; This is a must read for anyone interested in atheism or religion.
Breaking the Spell by Daniel C. Dennett
This book focuses on the roots of religion, and argues that it should be studied more to find out what its future will be, and how it will influence humanity. I can't find the words to express how fascinating it is, so allow me to quote it:
"Many years ago, the behaviorist psychologist B.F. Skinner showed a striking 'superstition' effect in pigeons that were put on a random schedule of reinforcement. Every so often, no matter what the pigeon was doing at the moment, a click and a food pellet reward were delivered. Soon the pigeons put on this random schedule were doing elaborate 'dances,' bobbing their heads and craning their necks. It's hard to resist putting a soliloquoy into these birds' brains: 'Now, let's see: the last time I got a reward, I'd just spun around once and crained my neck.'"
Maybe this phenomenon is where the raindance came from? Who knows what superstitious practices it has created?
Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman
This book is a must for history buffs. It explains the history of the bible; how the original manuscripts were copied again and again, and the differences between older and newer manuscripts: Changes were made in the "holy" scripture, and what motivated these changes (theology or a simple copying error?). I found it very revealing that the last several verses are missing from the earliest copy of Mark, and that the original gospels did not have the names Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John: Those names were added later by the church.
The God Who Wasn't There Directed by Brian Flemming
Okay, this isn't a book; it's a film. But I think it should be reviewed. It is entertaining, to say the least, but not factually correct at all, and atheists must not use it as some kind of accurate historical source. In fact, don't trust anything you see or hear in this movie. The film misquotes the bible, using the passage of Hebrews 8:4 "If Jesus had been on earth, he would not even have been a priest" as if it meant that Paul did not believe Jesus was on earth. However, a careful reading of Hebrews 8 reveals that Paul meant that if Jesus were still alive, he would not serve the role of a priest, as Jesus had done away with the old system of using a high priest that acted as a medium to god. But it gets even worse: the film tries to tie the legend of Jesus to old pagan myths by saying that it is so similar to the stories of Mithras and Dionysus, for instance, that Jesus must have been derived from them. However, as Richard Carrier has explained, the link between pagan gods and Jesus is too weak for their to be any definite connections. I do not deny that christianity may have started as other cults did. Nor do I pretend that christianity is some how much different from the other cults which people have started over the ages (The legend of John Frum bears striking resemblence to the legend of Jesus). But I do deny that christianity was just a rip off of old pagan myths. There is simply no evidence to support that position.
GOD: The Failed Hypothesis by Victor Stenger
Victor Stenger argues that the idea of God is a scientific hypothesis, and, contrary to public opinion, it is testable. All we must do is find a single example of the laws of physics being broken. One might think that the beginning of the universe would do it: After all, creation of matter and energy would violate the laws of conservation! Not so, says Stenger. He reveals that the total energy of the universe is zero, and that plausible mechanisms like quantum fluctuation or quantum tunneling fully explain the origin of our universe. Stenger ruthlessly knocks down every single argument for god ever put forward, and even shows how god not existing makes more sense of the observable universe. The chapters on the laws of physics can be a little unclear at times. Some passages even deserve a second or third reading for clarification, but overall this book is a rewarding read.
