Book Review: The Australian Book of Atheism

I've read a few books written by atheists in the last few years and have been mostly unimpressed with them. Some have been so dismissive of theism, often with unnecessary and disrespectful amounts of cheap sarcasm and insults, that they have lost my respect for them. Some have not demonstrated any accurate understanding of theism and others have made poor use of theistic sources in their critiques. But The Australian Book of Atheism is a whole different matter. It is respectful, intelligent, scholarly, and (mostly) objective.

Edited by Warren Bonnett, The Australian Book of Atheism is a collection of papers roughly categorized into themes and written by prominent Australians who are all atheists. The first section presents an overview of atheism in Australia. This section consists of three chapters covering a brief history of atheism/atheists in Australia and discussions of the relationship of atheism to the Australian Constitution and the law.

Part 2 offers the reader six personal perspectives on atheism which make excellent reading for anyone who genuinely wants to understand why many people see theism as impoverished and have chosen to reject claims in god, gods, God, or the supernatural.

Part 3 focuses on education and discusses the role and relationship of religion in education, up to date exploration of the controversial presence of chaplains in public schools, issues around evolution and creationism, whether intelligent design "theory" can be considered science, and a comparison between philosophy and theology.

The next section turns its attention to social and cultural issues such as the challenge of fundamentalism, debates on euthanasia and abortion, an argument for gods being human invention, the rise of "spiritualism" in modern culture, and social attitudes to death and dying. There's a particularly interesting chapter on the so-called Progressive Christianity movement.

Section 5 focuses on the political with an outstanding, wickedly funny, but profoundly serious argument as to why "God is a bloke". There is a highly informative chapter on the role of the Exclusive Brethren sect in Australian politics - something that many readers may know little, if anything, about. There is also some important material on why a secular society would ensure religious (and other) freedom rather than one based on religious grounds.

In Section 6 a number of writers explore philosophical issues including whether there is a basis for morality without God, atheism as a spiritual path, the creation of meaning in the absence of a belief in God, and the relationship between religion and violence.

The final section explores the biological basis of religious experience in a careful and scholarly manner. Finally, there is a brief appendix that outlines the financial cost of promoting religion in Australia through taxes and other government allocations of money.

I've outlined the contents of The Australian Book of Atheism to give an idea of now wide-ranging this collection is. And even then it only scratches the surface of possible topics! In my view, this book is essential reading for theists and atheists alike for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is an excellent example of good quality writing on a highly contentious topic. It is engaging, scholarly, respectful, honest, and stimulatingly provocative.

Secondly, Christians would benefit from hearing atheists speak for themselves rather than, as so many do, consume apologetic material against atheism which frequently casts atheists as evil, "of the Devil", or, at best, completely ignorant. The contributors include those who have always seen themselves as atheist, some who have converted from some form of Christianity, and some who have never been faced with a moment of choice because of their upbringing. A Christian reading this book would be hard pressed to construe atheists negatively. They might even realize that atheists can have a strong sense of moral obligation, and live happy and meaningful lives. So, if nothing else, a Christian who courageously decides to read it despite possible warnings from their spiritual leaders will gain a more accurate picture of what many atheists really think and believe.

Thirdly, I'm sure that many atheists will find much of benefit in reading this volume. For some it will provide reasons for strengthening a commitment to atheism and a framework for developing a moral framework based on rationalist/humanist grounds. It will also provide insights into the status of religion in Australian life and culture. And, perhaps more importantly, it provides a wonderful example of good conversation with others about beliefs.

Christians reading this review will undoubtedly wonder why I haven't criticized the book for its rejection of God as a real being. How can I be so positive about a book that strikes so deeply at the heart of a Christian world view? There are a number reasons in addition to the above:

1. It's a very good read! While some may fond patches of dryness, there's enough variety of writers and writing that everyone will find something of interest. And the writing is good writing.
2. Other (Christian) writers have written tomes of material arguing against atheism and for theism. I direct the reader to those if they wish to read arguments against the ideas in this book. But be careful - apologetic material varies hugely in it's quality and rigor.
3. One of the things I find most offensive is Christians arguing against positions they are ignorant about. In my opinion, a person who wishes to criticize another position should earn that right by demonstrating they fully understand that position. From my perspective, reading The Australian Book of Atheism would be a good start if a Christian wants a good, reliable introduction to atheist thinking.

Do I have any criticisms of the book? Not really. I'm a bit uncomfortable with the contribution by Tanya Levin, the author of People in Glass Houses, who seems to have a chip on her shoulder (judging by her own book and interviews I have seen of her). Sometimes emotion seems to overshadow objectivity. But this is a very minor criticism. And for some readers outside of Australia, there may be some irrelevancy given that much of it addresses the Australian context. Overall, The Australian Book of Atheism is an excellent addition to the dialogue on religion and atheism.

Thieves, Bandits and Shiftas

My uncle, Emanuel J. Sorenson, was a missionary in Ethiopia and Jamaica before and after World War II. Once a week there will be story that provides a glimpse of what missionary life was like for his family, as related by his daughter and my cousin, Jane Spear.

“A thief has been here and stolen from me.”

Dad was sitting on the couch in his office, slightly bent forward with his hands clasped together in his lap. He sounded very tired when he told me this. He said he knew who it was. The trusted neighbor boy who had attended to the yard while my mother was alive had continued his weekly job. He was the one who knew my Dad’s habit of a daily nap in his office. He even knew where my Dad kept the money in his desk. That fifty dollars hurt Dad because he felt betrayed. While we sat side by side, our hands intertwined as he related the following.

“I am eighty-six years old and have traveled and lived all over the world. No one has ever stolen from me before.”

Then he related some of his experiences with bandits and “shiftas.”

“In the early days, trekking in Ethiopia, I was at the home of Eric Palm in Northern Ethiopia. The first night there were loud cries from the servants, “Shiftas! Shiftas!” Eric Palm dressed quickly and made the much-regretted decision to run outside. The “Shiftas” were very visible in the bright moonlight. They had decided to steal the tires from the Model T that was such a novelty in Ethiopia. They changed directions from the car to run after Eric Palm. He made it inside the house, where his wife was hiding. The shiftas made it as far as the bedroom where Dad had been sleeping. The men were pushing against the flimsy door and Dad had braced his shoulders against the door and his feet on the bed. With every shove he prayed for help. The help came, not from the servants, but from the barking dogs. The bandits knew the alarm would arouse the neighbors.

Read more at Adventist Perspective.

Endurance at Sea

No food. No water. Sharks everywhere. In this excerpt from Laura Hillenbrand’s new book, "Unbroken," three U.S. airmen refuse to surrender.

ALL HE COULD see, in every direction, was water. It was June 23, 1943. Somewhere on the endless expanse of the Pacific Ocean, Army Air Forces bombardier Louie Zamperini lay across a small raft, drifting westward. Beside him lay his tail gunner, Francis “Mac” McNamara. On a separate raft, tethered to the first, lay a third crewman, pilot Russell Phillips, known by the others as Phil. Their bodies, burned by the sun and stained yellow from the raft dye, had winnowed to skeletons. Sharks glided in lazy loops around them, dragging their backs along the rafts, waiting.

http://theweek.com/article/index/210432/the-last-word-endurance-at-sea

The Rich Man and Lazarus

This is a book first posted on Grace Connection, the Magazine. There is no printed edition. All 30 chapters will appear on the Wheel in the following weeks.

CHAPTER 20

Luke 16:19-31

In the parable, The Rich Man and Lazarus, Jesus adapted a well-known folktale to illustrate an important spiritual truth. This familiar story may have had its source in an Egyptian folk-tale of the journey of Si-Osiris to the underworld. It concludes with the words: "He who has been good on earth, will be blessed in the kingdom of the dead, and he who has been evil on earth, will suffer in the kingdom of the dead." (His listeners clearly understood that this "story" did not describe the reality of life after death.)

In a popular version of this story the setting was Palestine. The characters were a poor scholar, and a rich publican. When the poor scholar died, no one noticed; no one came to his funeral. But when the publican died, it was a splendid funeral with many in attendance because, although he was a great sinner, he had done one good deed just before he died. A friend of the poor scholar had a dream in which he saw his friend in paradise, enjoying the water from cool flowing streams. The rich publican was standing on a riverbank unable to reach the flowing water no matter how hard he tried.

Read more at Adventist Perspective.

Summer Veggie Pasta with Goat Cheese and Pesto-Crusted Tofu

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/summer-veggie-pasta-with-goat-cheese-and-pesto-crusted-tofu.html#ixzz1RkeWLi6J

Carrotmob Makes It Rain

How Organized Consumer Purchasing Can Change Business.

http://vimeo.com/925729

The Waiting Scanner

My uncle, Emanuel J. Sorenson, was a missionary in Ethiopia and Jamaica before and after World War II. Once a week there will be story that provides a glimpse of what missionary life was like for his family, as related by his daughter and my cousin, Jane Spear.

The books are stacked together neatly. They are piling higher and higher. On top is the book Ocean of Grass, a documentary on the Florida Everglades. It is half open to the place where I put it aside coming back on the airplane from Florida. The enemy had taken over. The small battle was lost. But the war for reading becomes intensified.

Who can say when the love of books began, because it has always been there. Seeking refuge from annoyance of any kind, there was the kindly old tree limb, which spread out over the wall of Kabana. Having found it, I climbed up to the curve where the limb joined the trunk and, hidden from view, this was one of my favorite places of refuge. From here came alive the entire world: The crusaders on their way to Jerusalem, Pollyanna in efforts to bring love, beautiful rich stories from the Bible, even Aesop’s fables. My father, who knew of my books, approved of them. This surprised me when it came to fables. But in his wisdom, he knew that our history and culture has such fables and myths to be discerned as such. So, hidden up high in the tree in Africa, I spent many happy hours, never discovered.

Read more at Adventist Perspective.

Concrete Canvas Shelters

Tents that turn into concrete in less than 24 hours.

http://www.wimp.com/concretetents/

The Rich Fool

This is a book first posted on Grace Connection, the Magazine. There is no printed edition. All 30 chapters will appear on the Wheel in the following weeks.

CHAPTER 19

Luke 12:13-21

I want to be rich. If I were rich I could help talented but financially disadvantaged students receive a college education; advance the work of needy mission fields by building churches, hospitals, and schools; and support Seventh-day Adventist colleges in the United States with funds that could be used to attract outstanding teachers and provide them with the finest equipment available.

There is nothing wrong with being wealthy. The Bible mentions several wealthy saints. Abraham was one of them. So were Job and Joseph of Arimathea. Being rich however, does not denote a virtuous life; neither does poverty. What is important is how one becomes rich and how one spends those riches.

Read more at Adventist Perspective.

The 10 Dirtiest Foods You're Eating

Bill Phillips and the Editors of Men's Health

Monday, June 6, 2011

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/menshealth/photos/10-dirtiest-foods-youre-eating

Joshua Walters: On being just crazy enough

Comedian Joshua Walters, who's bipolar, walks the line between mental illness and mental "skillness." In this funny, thought-provoking talk, he asks: What's the right balance between medicating craziness away and riding the manic edge of creativity and drive?

The Wallet

My uncle, Emanuel J. Sorenson, was a missionary in Ethiopia and Jamaica before and after World War II. Once a week there will be story that provides a glimpse of what missionary life was like for his family, as related by his daughter and my cousin, Jane Spear.

In the summer of 1950 I left for Collegedale, Tennessee, after graduating from Loma Linda School of Nursing. My parents would be in Tennessee for nine months where my father was finishing his Master’s Thesis while teaching at Southern College. He would return to the British West Indies College as President. While living in Collegedale I worked in the Barroness Erlanger Hospital in surgery. During this time several Registered Nurses drove together, enjoying the lovely fall colors and later struggling sometimes through dazzlingly white banks of deep snow. The following story is true. Told long ago by a dark-haired, brown-eyed, nurse in the spring of 1951. This nurse we will name Neosa, she had come from Brazil with her husband and two small boys. She worked so her husband could finish his college degree. We will call him Thomas. Although over forty years have gone by, the story has remained, although the names have not.

Read more at Adventist Perspective.

Emiliano Salinas: A civil response to violence

In this passionate talk from TEDxSanMigueldeAllende that's already caused a sensation in Mexico, Emiliano Salinas, son of former president Carlos Salinas de Gortari, confronts the current climate of violence in Mexico -- or rather, how Mexican society responds to it. He calls on ordinary citizens to move from denial and fear to peaceful, community-based action.

The Two Sons

This is a book first posted on Grace Connection, the Magazine. There is no printed edition. All 30 chapters will appear on the Wheel in the following weeks.

CHAPTER 18

Mathew 21:28-32

This parable belongs to a trio of parables describing how the Jewish nation failed God. They were the recipients of God's solicitude, care, and cultivation. They made lofty professions but failed to act. They refused to listen to God's messengers, the prophets. These parables come after the triumphal entry and the cleansing of the temple during the last week of Jesus' ministry. Jesus had been teaching and preaching to the Jewish nation for over three years and things were now coming to a head. The Jewish leaders had not responded to his message and plans were underfoot now to discredit Jesus and kill him. These parables are a last attempt by Jesus to lead them away from their destructive course.

Read more at Adventist Perspective.

Rajesh Rao: A Rosetta Stone for the Indus script

Rajesh Rao is fascinated by "the mother of all crossword puzzles": How to decipher the 4000 year old Indus script. At TED 2011 he tells how he is enlisting modern computational techniques to read the Indus language, the key piece to understanding this ancient civilization.

"It is Better to Give Than Go"

My uncle, Emanuel J. Sorenson, was a missionary in Ethiopia and Jamaica before and after World War II. Once a week there will be story that provides a glimpse of what missionary life was like for his family, as related by his daughter and my cousin, Jane Spear.

We were at the Kingston Airport in Jamaica. This was a tearful goodbye for our family. Daddy had, under much pressure, decided to leave for New York, then by convoy to Africa. It was evident that his experiences in Ethiopian affairs were more important than his replacement as president of the college in Mandeville.

There were other logistics to consider. Mother, Shirley and I would have to pack and leave for America. Once in America we would have to locate near a college and, as it turned out, not have our father with us for three years. The solution to the packing and moving was made easier by the knowledge that one of Mother’s sisters would come to help. Mother’s sister, Dollie, was chosen. Of all the efficient Danish sisters, she was the most efficient. Unmarried at the time, she had lived on both east and west coasts and had volunteered her services. By the time she arrived in Miami she had followed all of Mother’s suggestions. “You will have to come on standby,” Mother had written. “It is wartime, so you will not be allowed to bring any American money. We will be in Mandeville, so let us know when you get to Kingston.”

Read more at Adventist Perspective.

Deepak Chopra "The Wonder of You"

In this video, Deepak Chopra explores the mystery of your body in its growth from a single cell to a symphony of activities guided by an inner intelligence that mirrors the wisdom of the universe.

The Good Samaritan

This is a book first posted on Grace Connection, the Magazine. There is no printed edition. All 30 chapters will appear on the Wheel in the following weeks.

CHAPTER 17

Luke 10:25-37

A lawyer came to Jesus and asked the question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Typically when Jesus was asked a question, he asked a question in return. "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" The lawyer's answer was a surprising one for someone well acquainted with the myriad rules and regulations of Jewish law. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." In Mark 12:28-34 Jesus had summarized the law in the same way. Jesus answered, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."

The lawyer seems to have expected just such an answer. He was really more interested in the answer to his next question. (This question seems to imply that he already knew how to love God.) And so he asks, "And who is my neighbor?"

Read more at Adventist Perspective.