Help me help a friend

nbar12

sorry to butt in here but the world is going to end in less than 6 months...

Sonics2k

What, again?

coffee_cake

How inconvenient

magicbastarder

nbar12 wrote: »

sorry to butt in here but the world is going to end in less than 6 months...

great news, she should get the book from a library instead and won't have to worry about late return fees.

Gumbi

+1 on Bill Bryson.

18AD

I hope you end up giving your friend a book you haven't read. That'd be kind of funny.

My top recommends would be:
The Satanic Bible - Anton LaVey
The Pyschopath's Bible - Chris Hyatt
The Antichrist - Friedrich Nietzsche

I haven't read one of those.

Tea_Bag

Hey.

thanks for all the suggestions. I really didn't want this to turn into a flame war.

I've watched loads of creationist and religious programs/books etc and its become time for me to return the favour. nothing more really.

I'm actually insulted by some of the replies. I'm not shoving it down her throat, and she's not an idiot, just misinformed. christ.

I'm also not trying to insult her. I thought I made that clear in the OP, hence avoiding Dawkins style books.

anyway, why shouldn't religion be challenged? its the only way we move forward in life. if you're afraid to defend it, what does that say about its integrity?

and whatever your religious beliefs, creationism is factually wrong.

robindch

philologos wrote: »

I wanted to be a part of it because I was convinced it was true.

You thought that the stuff in Leviticus about murdering mothers with their children is fine; the bit in Psalms about smashing kids against rocks is ok; murdering "witches", condemning gays, excusing rape, etc, etc, etc, etc?

Does it never occur to you that this delinquent savagery is nothing more than a set of turgid, barbaric stories from the intellectual and moral childhood of our species?

philologos wrote: »

As far as I'm concerned I had no other choice but to accept Jesus as Lord because there is no good case against it and quite a strong one for it and for the veracity of the source material.

We've been over this innumerable times before, so no point in rehashing it, other than to say that if you think that there is no alternative to the bible being fully true then, sheesh, man, you have no imagination - and I really mean that.

Tea_Bag

I'm gonna buy Cosmos too. something that I never got around to reading and its probably going to be a more enjoyable read than history of the universe.

I'll only refer her onto a book that isn't going to make a complete mockery of religion. challenge sure, but I don't intend to lose a close friend here.

pauldla

Well even if she only reads the first ten pages of whatever you give her, fair play to her for giving it a go.

She's a good example for us all!

Pushtrak

humanji wrote: »

She's being badgered by someone with an agenda to read that one extra thing.

And you're missing the point. The book is a McGuffin. It's not the issue. The OP is trying to force his beliefs onto his friend. If it was a Catholic forcing their beliefs on an atheist, there'd be uproar here.

Actually, I was asked to read that C.S Lewis book Mere Christianity. And me, an anti-theist, did so. I didn't even stipulate the other person must read a book of my choosing. Wasted opportunity to be honest.

humanji

Hey.

thanks for all the suggestions. I really didn't want this to turn into a flame war.

I've watched loads of creationist and religious programs/books etc and its become time for me to return the favour. nothing more really.

I'm actually insulted by some of the replies. I'm not shoving it down her throat, and she's not an idiot, just misinformed. christ.

I'm also not trying to insult her. I thought I made that clear in the OP, hence avoiding Dawkins style books.

anyway, why shouldn't religion be challenged? its the only way we move forward in life. if you're afraid to defend it, what does that say about its integrity?

and whatever your religious beliefs, creationism is factually wrong.

Right, I had written a huge long post explaining in detail how I came to my conclusions, but after reading the above it seems irrelevant (which is a pity, because it was rather well written and took ages ).

I'm sorry if I insulted you. I made assumptions based on what you had posted and how you had posted it. The extra information that you had also read/viewed religious stuff for her, changes how the OP reads and shows I was completely wrong in these assumptions.

So again, I'm sorry and was 100% wrong.

Although:

I'm gonna buy Cosmos too.

Let's not go crazy.

Dades

nbar12 wrote: »

...

nbar12 - your posts here have nothing to do with this thread. Please don't post in it again.

Feel free to contribute to another thread, as long as your contribution is relevant.

branie

How about Origin of The Species by Darwin?

nbar12

Dades wrote: »

nbar12 - your posts here have nothing to do with this thread. Please don't post in it again.

Feel free to contribute to another thread, as long as your contribution is relevant.

ok smarty pants, I was just clearly stating that GOD IS REAL AND THAT ATHEISM IS COMPLETE bollocks and ur all complete hippies

robindch

Dades wrote: »

your posts here have nothing to do with this thread. Please don't post in it again.

nbar12 wrote: »

ok smarty pants, I was just clearly stating that GOD IS REAL AND THAT ATHEISM IS COMPLETE bollocks and ur all complete hippies

Plonk.

pauldla

humanji wrote: »

:Let's not go crazy.

You won't find much craziness in Cosmos.

Dare you to read it

bren2001

robindch wrote: »

Plonk.

He's new to the boards, cut him some slack!

pauldla

nbar12 wrote: »

ok smarty pants, I was just clearly stating that GOD IS REAL AND THAT ATHEISM IS COMPLETE bollocks and ur all complete hippies

He must be right, he's using Caps.

The jig is up, boys and girls. Let's drop this atheism nonsense and get back to believing in a god. Any god, doesn't matter.

Dibs on Dionysius....

Dades

bren2001 wrote: »

He's new to the boards, cut him some slack!

I'll cut you some some slack and not card you for dragging this thread off topic and questioning mod decisions (you really didn't back a winner).

Moving on, people!

Turtwig

pauldla wrote: »

Dibs on Dionysius....

No! Lord Enceladus. He's our beloved creator and saviour.

humanji

pauldla wrote: »

You won't find much craziness in Cosmos.

Dare you to read it

Lol, I read it as "Cosmo". I can't get anything right on this thread.

bren2001

Dades wrote: »

I'll cut you some some slack and not card you for dragging this thread off topic and questioning mod decisions (you really didn't back a winner).

Moving on, people!

Read the bible, there you go, not off topic!

pauldla

humanji wrote: »

Lol, I read it as "Cosmo". I can't get anything right on this thread.

You really should read it, though, it's a great read. Or watch the TV show if you can, I believe it's on youtube.

Fair is fair: can you make a recommendation for me?

humanji

pauldla wrote: »

You really should read it, though, it's a great read. Or watch the TV show if you can, I believe it's on youtube.

Fair is fair: can you make a recommendation for me?

I'm an atheist, so I'd only be recommending the same stuff

magicbastarder

branie wrote: »

How about Origin of The Species by Darwin?

it's not an easy book to read; it was written for a different audience.

pauldla

humanji wrote: »

I'm an atheist, so I'd only be recommending the same stuff

That IS a relief, I half-feared committing myself to reading Left Behind.

Still, though, make a few recommendations. I've nothing to read at the moment, so I'd appreciate a few suggestions for my wishlist. It's hard to get good books here, and when I do get into a half-decent bookshop I'm usually so overcome I don't know what to get.

sbsquarepants

humanji wrote: »

The OP and their friend aren't in a discussion forum. As I've said, the purpose of the OP giving their friend the book is to attack her beliefs.

If there is any basis to her beliefs, they should witstand the vicous attack that is reading a book

humanji wrote: »

She is a creationist. She believes everything in the Bible is true. Trying to prove that the Bible isn't all true is attack her core belief.

So what.
Beliefs are nothing, beliefs aren't people, or property, or great whales or fluffy bunnies, beliefs don't deserve any respect whatsoever. They are not, and should not be, free from criticism or question. If the op's friend believes everything in the bible literally, then she believes some amount of bollox. Cleary the girls "core beliefs" need questioning.
Should racists for example, be left alone to their core beliefs? Homophobes? Serial killers? Some peoples beliefs are clearly fúcked up. Luckily, they are only beliefs and not in any way protected or enshrined!!

Burt Lancaster

nbar12 wrote: »

sorry to butt in here but the world is going to end in less than 6 months...

Good. I should have everything finished and ready by then anyway.

Tea_Bag

humanji wrote: »

I'm an atheist, so I'd only be recommending the same stuff

its really interesting that youre an atheist and you were defending her here. respect.

for fairness, she's given me:

In Defense of the Faith- Dave Hunt

the Evidence Bible

and a couple of CS Lewis books. "The problem of Pain" is an interesting one.

oh and a Tourist guide to South Africa. that's the most disgusting one. I get violently sick reading it. ugh.