The Autistic Atheist

The Autistic Atheist
Author: Emily Cooper
Publisher: McMillan Book writing
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2024-09-11
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN:

Religion has been a fundamental aspect of human societies throughout history, but is on the decline in the modern scientific era. Simultaneously, Autism rates are on the rise, raising questions about whether this increase is due to improved diagnosis and recognition of the condition or if reflects an actual rise in prevalence. We explore the complexities of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), its potential causes, and the implications it holds for the future of humanity and evolution. Autism is a difference in intuitive thinking and understanding of the world. The differences in thinking from the point of view of the general population are often seen as deficits. Drawing on work from Ara Norenzayan this book explores the hypothesis that the deficits in theory of mind that Autistic people experience constrain their ability to believe in a God and accept religious claims. This book is an exploration of the evolutionary psychology of religion and Autism. What is the future of religion and its place in human evolution?

Theists and Atheists

Theists and Atheists
Author: Thomas Steven Molnar
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Total Pages: 244
Release: 1980
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9789027977885

Sinceits founding by Jacques Waardenburg in 1971, Religion and Reason has been a leading forum for contributions on theories, theoretical issues and agendas related to the phenomenon and the study of religion. Topics include (among others) category formation, comparison, ethnophilosophy, hermeneutics, methodology, myth, phenomenology, philosophy of science, scientific atheism, structuralism, and theories of religion. From time to time the series publishes volumes that map the state of the art and the history of the discipline.

Look Me in the Eye

Look Me in the Eye
Author: John Elder Robison
Publisher: Crown
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2008-09-09
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0307396185

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “As sweet and funny and sad and true and heartfelt a memoir as one could find.” —from the foreword by Augusten Burroughs Ever since he was young, John Robison longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother, Augusten Burroughs, in them)—had earned him the label “social deviant.” It was not until he was forty that he was diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way he saw himself—and the world. A born storyteller, Robison has written a moving, darkly funny memoir about a life that has taken him from developing exploding guitars for KISS to building a family of his own. It’s a strange, sly, indelible account—sometimes alien yet always deeply human.

Heretics Anonymous

Heretics Anonymous
Author: Katie Henry
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2018-08-07
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0062698893

A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year! Put an atheist in a strict Catholic school? Expect comedy, chaos, and an Inquisition. The Breakfast Club meets Saved! in debut author Katie Henry’s hilarious novel about a band of misfits who set out to challenge their school, one nun at a time. Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Robyn Schneider. When Michael walks through the doors of Catholic school, things can’t get much worse. His dad has just made the family move again, and Michael needs a friend. When a girl challenges their teacher in class, Michael thinks he might have found one, and a fellow atheist at that. Only this girl, Lucy, isn’t just Catholic . . . she wants to be a priest. Lucy introduces Michael to other St. Clare’s outcasts, and he officially joins Heretics Anonymous, where he can be an atheist, Lucy can be an outspoken feminist, Avi can be Jewish and gay, Max can wear whatever he wants, and Eden can practice paganism. Michael encourages the Heretics to go from secret society to rebels intent on exposing the school’s hypocrisies one stunt at a time. But when Michael takes one mission too far—putting the other Heretics at risk—he must decide whether to fight for his own freedom or rely on faith, whatever that means, in God, his friends, or himself.

Atheist Delusions

Atheist Delusions
Author: David Bentley Hart
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2009-04-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0300155646

Religious scholar Hart argues that contemporary antireligious polemics are based not only upon conceptual confusions but upon facile simplifications of history and provides a powerful antidote to the New Atheists' misrepresentations of the Christian past.

The Neurology of Religion

The Neurology of Religion
Author: Alasdair Coles
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2019-11-07
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1107082609

Examines what can be learnt about the brain mechanisms underlying religious practice from studying people with neurological disorders.

The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking

The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking
Author: Matthew Hutson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2012-07-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 178074109X

Why do rational people buy notions that seem utterly incredulous? (And that includes you.) Everyone – even the most jaded and sceptical – believes in ‘magic’, in the form of luck, mind over matter, the power of similarities, jinxes, and destiny. In this wonderful exploration of psychology, Matthew Hutson takes us on a fascinating tour of magical thinking in everyday life, revealing the healing power of John Lennon’s piano; the reason gamblers kiss their tickets; and why admitting you have no free will staves off addiction.

Underdogs

Underdogs
Author: Chris Bonnello
Publisher: Unbound Publishing
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2020-06-18
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1789650968

Three weeks have passed since the events of Underdogs. The British population continues its imprisonment in Nicholas Grant's giant walled Citadels, under the watchful eye of innumerable cloned soldiers. The heroes of Oakenfold Special School remain their last chance of freedom. As a result of their last mission, Grant has been forced to speed up his plans for Great Britain and beyond. Ewan, Kate, McCormick and the rest of the Underdogs must face the horrors of his new research, knowing that it raises the stakes as high as they will go. Failing this battle will not merely result in losing soldiers and friends, but in losing the war entirely. According to the odds, the Underdogs are near-certain to fail. But they have spent their whole lives being underestimated and did not survive this long by respecting the odds.

Is the Atheist My Neighbor?

Is the Atheist My Neighbor?
Author: Randal Rauser
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 117
Release: 2015-06-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1498217168

Do atheists hate God? Many Christians seem to think so. For the last three centuries Christians have widely assumed that atheism is always a result of a rebellious, sinful rejection of God. According to this view, at some level atheists really do know there is a God, but they sinfully suppress this knowledge because they want to live independently of God. But what if that is not correct? What if some folks are atheists not because they're sinful and foolish but because they've thought hard, they've looked carefully, and they have simply not found God? What if the common Christian assumptions about atheism are little more than an indefensible prejudice? What if the atheist really is our neighbor?

Faith of the Fatherless

Faith of the Fatherless
Author: Paul C. Vitz
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2013-09-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1681491699

In this updated, expanded edition, starting with Freud's "projection theory" of religion - that belief in God is merely a product of man's desire for security - Professor Vitz argues that psychoanalysis actually provides a more satisfying explanation for atheism. Disappointment in one's earthly father, whether through death, absence, or mistreatment, frequently leads to a rejection of God. A biographical survey of influential atheists of the past four centuries shows that this "defective father hypothesis" provides a consistent explanation of the "intense atheism" of these thinkers. A survey of the leading defenders of Christianity over the same period confirms the hypothesis, finding few defective fathers. Vitz concludes with an intriguing comparison of male and female atheists and a consideration of other psychological factors that can contribute to atheism. Professor Vitz does not argue that atheism is psychologically determined. Each man, whatever his experiences, ultimately chooses to accept God or reject him. Yet the cavalier attribution of religious faith to irrational, psychological needs is so prevalent that an exposition of the psychological factors predisposing one to atheism is necessary.