Tag Archives: religion

On Desire

Posted on March 13, 2014 by smellincoffee

On Desire: Why We Want What We Want© 2007 William Irvine337 pages Why do we want what we want? William Irvine’s On Desire examines the nature of desire, exploring first how profoundly it affects our lives, then surveying psychological inquiries … Continue reading →

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What’s Wrong with the World

Posted on February 20, 2014 by smellincoffee

What’s Wrong with the World© 1910 G. K. Chesterton200 pages What’s wrong with the world? Too many people are proposing answers to the wrong questions.  What’s Wrong is a curious collection of thoughts, voiced at the turn of the 20thcentury, … Continue reading →

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And Then There Were Nuns

Posted on February 13, 2014 by smellincoffee

And Then There Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life© 2013 Jane Christmas292 pages When Jane Christmas’ boyfriend proposed to her, she gave him the most obvious reply: she said she wanted to join a nunnery.  It wasn’t that he … Continue reading →

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The Bonobo and the Atheist

Posted on January 22, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Bonobo and the Atheist: in Search of Humanism Among the Primates © 2013 Frans de Waal313 pages  Frans de Waal has written extensively on moral instincts within the great apes, in books like Good natured and Primates and Philosophers. In The … Continue reading →

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The Other Side of Western Civilization

Posted on December 15, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Other Side of Western Civilization: Readings in Everyday Life,© 1979 ed. Stanley Chodorow363 pages The Other Side of Western Civilization collects readings in social history ranging from antiquity to the Renaissance. Its subtitle Readings in Everyday Life is largely … Continue reading →

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The Origin of Satan

Posted on October 26, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Origin of Satan: How Christianity Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics© 1996 Elaine Pagels240 pages Although Christianity sprang from Judaism, the two religions have sharply different conceptions of Satan. Christians view him as the prince of evil, the enemy of … Continue reading →

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Misquoting Jesus

Posted on October 18, 2013 by smellincoffee

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why© 2005 Bart Ehrman256 pages Contrary to popular belief, the King James Bible did not fall out of the sky, a gift from a loving deity to his people below. … Continue reading →

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The New Faithful

Posted on October 5, 2013 by smellincoffee

The New Faithful: Why Young Adults are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy© 2002 Colleen Caroll320 pages  Every action produces its reaction, and to Colleen Carroll decades of religious liberalism have born their fruit in the form of young people flocking back to … Continue reading →

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The Righteous Mind

Posted on August 26, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion© 2013 Jonathan Haidt528 pages The Righteous Mind begins with a question, seriously posed: why  can’t we all get along? To find the answer, Jonathan Haidt delves into the … Continue reading →

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Religion for Atheists

Posted on August 18, 2013 by smellincoffee

Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion© 2012 Alain de Botton320 pages What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving? Away from all suns? … Continue reading →

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