Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion - A wonderful resource for secular parents

Foreword by Michael Shermer, Ph.D.

Contributors include Richard Dawkins, Penn Jillette, Julia Sweeney, and Dr. Donald B. Ardell

It's hard enough to live a secular life in a religious world. And bringing up children without religious influence can be even more daunting. Despite the difficulties, a large and growing number of parents are choosing to raise their kids without religion.

In Parenting Beyond Belief, Dale McGowan celebrates the freedom that comes with raising kids without formal indoctrination and advises parents on the most effective way to raise freethinking children. With advice from educators, doctors, psychologists, and philosophers as well as wisdom from everyday parents, the book offers tips and insights on a variety of topics, from mixed marriages to coping with death and loss, and from morality and ethics to dealing with holidays. Sensitive and timely, Parenting Beyond Belief features reflections from such freethinkers as Mark Twain, Richard Dawkins, Bertrand Russell, and wellness guru Dr. Don Ardell that will empower every parent to raise both caring and independent children without constraints.

A wonderful resource for secular parents
Parenting Beyond Belief is a wonderful resource for secular parents. It combines personal reflections and practical advice, while exploring the values and virtues behind morality. Especially helpful are the sections on raising secular children in the midst of religious neighbors and on the value found in wondering and questioning.

In our society, it is helpful for non-believers to become religiously literate. Ideas are given for exploring various religions with children to understand both the good and the harm that can come from religious institutions. There is also a wonderful section exploring holidays, including the pros and cons of teaching children to believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

The book is not entirely focused on religion or philosophy, but rather on raising free thinking children. For example, chapter eight, Jaw-Dropping, Mind-Buzzing Science, explores the wonder and meaning that is found through scientific discovery. Also in this chapter, an essay on evolution clears up some popular misconceptions and puts evolution into terms that are easy for anyone to understand.

The heart of the book discusses morality as it applies to both being and doing good. There are explorations of the process for developing emotional empathy and moral reasoning, as well as discussions about what values are at the core of human ethics. While this book is largely a collection of essays from contributing authors, the editor, Dale McGowan, introduces each section and weaves the themes into an enjoyable and thoughtful read.

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The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon - Absolutely unforgettable!

Sei Shonagon was a contemporary and erstwhile rival of Lady Murasaki, whose novel fictionalizes the court life Shonagon describes. is a collection of anecdotes, memories of court and religious ceremonies, character sketches, lists of things the author enjoyed or loathed, places that interested her, diary entries, descriptions of nature, pilgrimages, conversations, poetry exchanges--indeed, almost everything that made up daily life for the upper classes in japan during the Heian period. Her style is so eloquent, her observations so skillfully chosen, and her wit so sharp that even the smallest detail she records can attract and hold the attention of any modern reader.

Absolutely unforgettable!
Even after 1000 years, Sei Shonagon lives & breathes & fascinates in the pages of her pillow book. And what a memorable woman! Witty, infuriating, a sensitive observer of lifes little surprises & disappointments, an appalling snob -- but theres no ignoring her. Personally, I love the random nature of her entries, as the mood & occasion catch her, from her delightful lists to her often cutting comments about the other court ladies. Beneath all the precise & delicate form, there was obviously quite a hothouse of personal politics!

And she has a real eye for the telling detail, the revealing incident. Depending on the circumstances, she can evoke empathy, spit fire & venom, or make you want to shake her furiously. A perfect window into another time & way of life, and always a pleasure to dip into, this is an excellent edition. The translation is clear & lyrical without being artificially poetic, and ample notes are provided for the Western reader.

Most highly recommended!

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Organic Chemistry (7th Edition) by Leroy G. Wade - Excellent Intro Book

  Organized around functional groups, this book incorporates problem-solving help, orientation features, and complete discussions of mechanisms. Wade explains concepts without taking the unnecessary short cuts that often lead to misconceptions—his hallmark problem-solving approach includes unique strategies and hints to help readers focus on the individual steps of each reaction and how they contribute to the overall reaction. Wade also employs the most  efficient method of mechanism boxes with its two-tiered approach: Mechanism and Key Mechanism Boxes. He delineates the 20 "Key" mechanisms that comprise nearly all of the mechanisms students will encounter. Therefore, the book takes one additional and important step in helping readers identify and grapple with the smallest number of the most important concepts to understand.
Acid-Base Chemistry, Lewis Structures, Bronsted, Electron Structure (shell, orbitals, magnetic shielding), Bonding (formation, patterns, polarity, MO), Resonance, Stereochemistry, MO Theory, Conformational analysis, Thermodynamics, Kinetics, Reaction Coordinate diagrams, Chirality, Regioselectivity, Synthesis, Aromaticity, Carbonyl chemistry.
A comprehensive reference for chemistry professionals.

Excellent Intro Book
Dr. Skip Wade has written a great intro book. He is very clear on all his explanations, and covers the chapter material with wonderful simplicity. He has a well balanced mix of theory, synthesis and mechanisms. The book is one of my personal favorites. Dr. Jim Romano Orgoman.com CEO

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The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Churchs Conservative Icon by John Dominic Crossan - The First Paul

Bestselling authors of The Last Week and The First Christmas, Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan join once again to present a new understanding of early Christianity—this time to reveal a radical Paul who has been suppressed by the church.

Paul is second only to Jesus as the most important person in the birth of Christianity, and yet he continues to be controversial, even among Christians. How could the letters of Paul be used both to inspire radical grace and to endorse systems of oppression—condoning slavery, subordinating women, condemning homosexual behavior? Borg and Crossan use the best of biblical and historical scholarship to explain the reasons for Pauls mixed reputation and reveal to us what scholars have known for decades: that the later letters of Paul were created by the early church to dilute Pauls egalitarian message and transform him into something more acceptable. They argue there are actually Three Pauls in the New Testament: The Radical Paul (of the seven genuine letters), The Conservative Paul (of the three disputed epistles), and The Reactionary Paul (of the three inauthentic letters). By closely examining this progression of Pauls letters—from the authentic to the inauthentic—the authors show how the apostle was slowly but steadily deradicalized to fit Roman social norms in regards to slavery, patriarchy, and patronage. In truth, Paul was an appealing apostle of Jesus whose vision of life in Christ—one of his favored phrases—is remarkably faithful to the message of Jesus himself.

The First Paul
I am a Christian seeking to know more regarding scripture. I wanted to know more about the apostle Paul. Marcas Borg provided wonderful insight into the personality, and character of Paul. His explanations included why did he address the issues he did to the churches he helped establish. Also, Marcas Borg explained the culture of the day of Paul, the accepted religions, and the role of women. I have a better understanding of how to approach scripture when reading my bible and studying scripture.

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The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2007 (World Almanac and Book of Facts) by World Almanac Books - World Almanac and Book of Facts

Book Description: Since its debut in 1868, The World Almanac and Book of Facts has become the bestselling American reference book of all time, with more than 80 million copies in print. This essential household and workplace desk reference is the most useful reference book known to modern man, according to the L.A. Times. Renowned New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz calls it his #1 reference work for facts.

Plus, this year, for the first time ever, The World Almanac offers readers free bonus content online at www.worldalmanac.com, through a password provided with the book. World Almanac buyers can peruse classic World Almanac essays, facts and figures from past presidential elections, sports biographies, and cover art from The World Almanacs 139-year history. Below youll find exclusive examples of some of the bonus content youll find online.

1868 Edition
1889 Edition
1953 Edition

Wimpy Mascot Names

Advertisement from 1933 Edition

World Almanac and Book of Facts
This is a Christmas staple for my husband. I had forgotten that I bought one through Amazon in 2007.
I have never had a problem with any book that came directly from Amazon.com. I would be careful about
ones that come from other sources!

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Tethered: A Novel by Amy MacKinnon - A beautifully rich read!

Clara Marsh is an undertaker who doesn't believe in God. She spends her solitary life among the dead, preparing their last baths and bidding them farewell with a bouquet from her own garden. Her carefully structured life shifts when she discovers a neglected little girl, Trecie, playing in the funeral parlor, desperate for a friend.

It changes even more when Detective Mike Sullivan starts questioning her again about a body she prepared three years ago, an unidentified girl found murdered in a nearby strip of woods. Unclaimed by family, the community christened her Precious Doe. When Clara and Mike learn Trecie may be involved with the same people who killed Precious Doe, Clara must choose between the stead-fast existence of loneliness and the perils of binding one's life to another.


From the Hardcover edition.

A beautifully rich read!
Reading Amy MacKinnon's novel, "Tethered", has been a joy! I curled up next to the fire and drank up
every sentence, often reading a line twice because I had never heard a particular description sound so
true. The story is well paced, the characters rich and appealing. The sense of warmth in a world of cold pulled
me in. I highly recommend this read!

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Critique of Pure Reason, Abridged (Hackett Publishing Co.) by Immanuel Kant - Incredibly Difficult, but Highly Rewarding

Eric Watkins abridgement of Werner Pluhars masterful translation makes an ideal introduction to Kants Critique of Pure Reason. Key selections include the Preface in B, the introduction, the Transcendental Aesthetic, the Second Analogy, the Refutation of Idealism, the first three Antinomies, the Transcendental Deduction in B, and the Canin of Pure Reason. A concise introduction provides biographical information and describes the nature of Kants projects and the contribution of each major section of the Critique to it.

Incredibly Difficult, but Highly Rewarding
I have only finished reading the book for the second time about a week ago. I read the opening seventy pages or so perhaps four times to get a clear grasp of what Kant was saying. Even now I am not able to debate on specific details of how he arrives at his conclusions, but I can more or less grasp the conclusions themselves. This isn't something I do regularly, this is something very few writers merit at all. The reason you will end up rereading large sections in minute detail is twofold. The first part is that Kant's philosophy is very complex. This in and of itself isn't such a bad thing, after all he is reconciling empiricism with rationalism and does a superb job of doing so. He was highly effective in closing most of the philosophical schism that had arisen over the issue. The one major complaint I have, and the second reason the book is so difficult, is that Kant is rather trigger-happy with the archaic terms and the use of academic jargon in his work. You won't be able to dive right into this, though I will say that after about page 250-300 the work gets much, much easier to understand.

Having said that, there are huge redeeming features in the book. One is that despite his painfully dull writing style, his points are concise and he often repeats and rephrases them in addition to using countless examples. In that respect, this beating of dead horses is akin to reading Aristotle, but unlike Aristotle you won't grasp what is being said right off the bat. So even a layman like I am can understand this work if they are dedicated enough.

The aim of this Critique is stated in the title. It is a critique of pure reason. One of Kant's main aims in this book is to establish what we can know. He criticizes pure rationalism as not answering any of its own questions and in fact producing nothing but unanswerable paradoxes and he criticizes pure empiricism as being unable to support its claims. He works toward a synthesis of the two philosophies by examining what we can know and concludes that rational thought is perfectly acceptable as long as it remains withinthe confines of possible experience. As such, questions about God or about the universe being infinite or finite are unanswerable as we cannot experience these things.

Additionally, take what he says about space and time with a grain of salt. His writings on these subjects made up my one major qualm with his philosophy.

Still, this is considered to be possibly the greatest work of philosophy in the modern age, and it deserves to be read. Fortunately he isn't one of those type of people who can just be quoted out of context.

My final suggestion, ultimately, is that you start with something else. The Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics was Kant's own attempt to condense and simplify his philosophy, and although I (arguably) made the mistake of delving head first into this book not everyone should approach his work without a friendly suggestion to pick up a thinner and simpler treatise first.

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