We of Little Faith
Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (and Maybe You Should Too)
Boston, Massachusetts : Godine, 2023, ©2023.
Format: Book
Description: xv, 221 pages ; 24 cm
"An impassioned atheist's rallying cry to inspire nonbelievers to be honest with themselves and their families about their true beliefs--and in so doing change the American cultural conversation. American society often reflexively defers to religion and belief in God as a baseline starting point of human thought and morality. Many were raised with that assumption and therefore pass it down to their children. But the truth is, a rapidly growing number of American don't actually believe in God. In her exuberant dive into the essential and always touchy debate about how we should raise our children, Washington Post contributing columnist Kate Cohen does not attempt to convince the reader there is no God or argue that all religion is evil. As to the former, that's a given; as to the latter, many religions offer enticing shortcuts to some admirable endeavors, such as charity, community, comfort, and gratitude. Rather than dismissing all religion as evil and ridiculous, Cohen investigates religion's appeal in order to explain the ways we can thrive without it. Americans who don't believe in God call themselves agnostics, humanists, skeptics, spirituals, and freethinkers. Sometimes they are called 'nones,' based on the box they checked on a survey identifying their religion. Anything but the toxic word atheist. Cohen argues it's not only time for those of little faith to proudly announce themselves, it's crucial to our country's future"-- Provided by publisher.
Contents:
Prologue: actually an atheist -- Part One: The making of an atheist. Shenandoah Valley Jew -- Passing -- An atheist is born -- Thunderbolt -- The truth, the partial truth, and nothing like the truth -- The halloween parade of 2006 -- Why I don't call myself an agnostic -- We are not alone -- Sorry, honey, God's just pretend -- Hubris. Part Two: what we lose and what we gain. Life with no after -- How to start your own holiday -- How will we know right from wrong? -- Take me to church -- Are you there, not me? It's me -- Rite of passage -- Unplugging from the higher power. Epilogue: coming out with the truth -- Notes -- Selected bibliography -- Acknowledgments.
ISBN:
9781567927368
Availability | |||
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Call Number | Location | Shelf Location | Status |
RELIGION Coh | Main (Downtown) | Nonfiction | Out (Due: 5/24/2024) |
More Formats
Includes bibliographical references.