Away with all Gods! : unchaining the mind and radically changing the world /

Away with all Gods! : unchaining the mind and radically changing the world /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Avakian, Bob.
Edition:1st ed.
Imprint:Chicago : Insight Press, ©2008.
Description:ix, 260 pages ; 23 cm
Language:English
Subject:
Atheism.
Communism.
Atheism.
Communism.
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/12711857
Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:9780976023685
0976023687
9780976023692
0976023695
Notes:Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-248) and index.
Summary:"Bringing a revolutionary communist voice to the current discourse about god, atheism, and morality, this treatise demystifies religious belief and examines how, even in its most progressive interpretations, religion stands in the way of the emancipation of humanity. Addressing numerous questions--such as Is believing in gods actually harmful? How has Christianity served for centuries as an ideology of conquest and subjugation? Why is the "Bible Belt" in the U.S. also the "lynching belt?" and Why is patriarchy and the oppression of women foundational to so many religions?--this critique takes issue with long-established traditions and suggests the necessity to fully rupture with all forms of superstition and embrace a truly scientific approach to understanding and transforming reality. Bringing a unique revolutinary communist voice to the current discourse about god, atheism and morality, Avakian demystifies religious belief and examines how, even in his most progressive interpretations, religion stands in teh way fo the emancipation of humanity"--Publisher's description.
Other form:Online version: Avakian, Bob. Away with all Gods! 1st ed. Chicago : Insight Press, ©2008
Table of Contents:
  • Publisher's Note
  • Part 1. Where Did God Come From... And Who Says We Need God?
  • "God Works in Mysterious Ways"
  • A Cruel and Truly Monstrous God
  • The Bible, Taken Literally, Is a Horror
  • Christian Fundamentalists, Christian Fascists
  • Seeing Jesus in a True Light
  • What About the Ten Commandments?
  • No New Testament Without the Old
  • Fundamentalist and "Salad Bar" Christianity
  • Religion and Oppressive Ruling Classes
  • Evolution, the Scientific Method-and Religious Obscurantism
  • If Gods Do Not Exist, Why Do People Believe in Them?
  • Why Do People Believe in Different Gods?
  • Part 2. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam-Rooted In The Past, Standing In the Way of the Future
  • The Historical Development and Role of Christianity: Doctrines and Power Politics
  • Christianity as a New Religion: The Pivotal Role and Influence of Paul
  • Demystifying Jesus and Christianity
  • Islam Is No Better (and No Worse) Than Christianity
  • Religious Fundamentalism, Imperialism and the "War on Terror"
  • Why Is Religious Fundamentalism Growing in Today's World?
  • Rejecting the "Smug Arrogance of the Enlightened"
  • The Growth of Religion and Religious Fundamentalism: A Peculiar Expression of a Fundamental Contradiction
  • Part 3. Religion-a Heavy, Heavy Chain
  • Religion, Patriarchy, Male Supremacy and Sexual Repression
  • The Bible Belt Is the Lynching Belt: Slavery, White Supremacy and Religion in America
  • Christian Fascism and Genocide
  • Religion, Fundamentalism, and the Slave Mentality
  • Part 4. God Does Not Exist-We Need Liberation Without Gods
  • The "Left Hand of God"-And the Right Way to Go About Winning Liberation
  • The Myth of the Truthfulness and Positive Role of Religious Myth
  • Reason Has Not "Failed Us"-Reason Is Absolutely necessary-Though, In Itself, It Is Not Enough
  • Religious "Faith"-Let's Call It What It Is: Irrational
  • God Does Not Exist-And There Is No Good Reason to Believe In God
  • Religion as an Opiate of the People-And an Obstacle to Emancipation
  • There Is No Such Thing As Unchanging, and Unchangeable, Human Nature
  • Liberation Without Gods
  • Bibliography
  • Index
  • About the Author
  • Praise for Other Works

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