Synopses & Reviews
Founding father Thomas Jefferson believed that “religion is a matter which lies solely between Man and his God,” but these days many people seem to have forgotten this ideal. Conservatives claim America is a “Christian nation” and urge that laws be structured around religious convictions. Hardcore atheists, meanwhile, seek to undermine and attack religion at all levels. Surely there must be a middle ground.
In How to Be Secular, Jacques Berlinerblau issues a call to the moderates—those who are tired of the belligerence on the fringes—that we return to America’s long tradition of secularism, which seeks to protect both freedom from and for religion. He looks at the roots of secularism and examines how it should be bolstered and strengthened so that Americans of all stripes can live together peacefully.
“Jacques Berlinerblau mounts a careful, judicious, and compelling argument that America needs more secularists . . . The author’s argument merits a wide hearing and will change the way we think and talk about religious freedom.” —Randall Balmer, author of Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts Faith and Threatens America
Synopsis
A provocative and positive response to Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and other New Atheists,
Good Without God makes a bold claim for what nonbelievers do share and believe. Author Greg Epstein, the Humanist chaplain at Harvard, offers a world view for nonbelievers that dispenses with the hostility and intolerance of religion prevalent in national bestsellers like
God is Not Great and
The God Delusion. Epstein s
Good Without God provides a constructive, challenging response to these manifestos by getting to the heart of Humanism and its positive belief in tolerance, community, morality, and good without having to rely on the guidance of a higher being.
"
Synopsis
Recent bestsellers about atheism have featured intelligent, well-reasoned arguments against the existence of God, but delivered them in a hostile and sometimes intolerant way. In Good Without God, Harvard chaplain and Humanist Greg Epstein delivers a constructive, challenging response to these manifestos. Rather than seeking to destroy religion, Humanists strive to live well, build community, and be good ... without God.
Epstein argues that, at a time when debates over faith and morality rage more fiercely than ever, and when millions are searching for something they can put their faith in, Humanism offers comfort and hope. It affirms our ability to live ethical lives of personal fulfillment, and to work together for the greater good.
Greg Epstein holds a B.A. (Religion and Chinese) and an M.A. (Judaic Studies) from the University of Michigan, and a Masters of Theological Studies from the Harvard Divinity School. He was the primary organizer of "The New Humanism" international conference at Harvard. Epstein is a regular contributor to "On Faith," an online forum on religion produced by Newsweek magazine and The Washington Post, and his work has been featured by National Public Radio, BBC Radio, Newsweek, The Boston Globe, and others. For more information, visit www.GoodWithoutGod.com.
"Good Without God is not just a brilliant book title but an indispensable and humane ideal. Greg Epstein's wise and warm explanation of the humanist world view goes beyond the recent atheist bestsellers and speaks to the moral and spiritual impulses that have traditionally attracted people to religion." -- Steven Pinker, bestselling author of The Language Instinct and How the Mind Works
Synopsis
An inspiring and provocative exploration of an alternative to traditional religion
Questions about the role of God and religion in today's world have never been more relevant or felt more powerfully. Many of us are searching for a place where we can find not only facts and scientific reason but also hope and moral courage. For some, answers are found in the divine. For others, including the New Atheists, religion is an "enemy."
But in Good Without God, Greg Epstein presents another, more balanced and inclusive response: Humanism. He highlights humanity's potential for goodness and the ways in which Humanists lead lives of purpose and compassion. Humanism can offer the sense of community we want and often need in good times and bad—and it teaches us that we can lead good and moral lives without the supernatural, without higher powers . . . without God.
About the Author
The Humanist chaplain at Harvard University, Greg M. Epstein holds a B.A. in religion and Chinese and an M.A. in Judaic studies from the University of Michigan, and an M.A. in theological studies from the Harvard Divinity School. He is a regular contributor to "On Faith," an online forum on religion produced by Newsweek and the Washington Post.