Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

  Handbook of the Psychology       of Religion and Spirituality      2nd Ed. By    Raymond F. Paloutzian     & Crystal L. Parks, Eds. Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton As I write this review, world leaders, both secular and religious, have attempted to separate the heinous actions of murderous groups identifying with religion from the majority of people who practice their religion in peaceful ways. As the editors observe, the importance of religion and  spirituality hardly needs justification. The editors and authors of the thirty-three chapters clearly focus their attention on a psychological perspective without ignoring the contribution of sociologists and anthropologists. They accomplish this by focusing on two meta-themes, which the editors propose will take scholars beyond the endless attempts at formulating definitions of the terms religion and spirituality.  The first meta-theme views the study of religion in the context of meaning systems, which enable people to integrate th

  Why I became an Atheist :       A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity  By   John W. Loftus   Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton John Loftus explains his reasons for becoming an atheist in a way that’s quite different from the likes of Dawkins (2006) and Harris (2004). Loftus knows Christianity from the inside and the outside. He graduated from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and served as a pastor. The text reveals his familiarity with Christian theologies and apologetics. The author covers some familiar territory by reviewing the problems with the classic arguments for the existence of God. These arguments are commonly presented in philosophy of religion courses. As is commonly known, the arguments do not offer a pathway to belief in the God of the Bible or another god. Loftus presentation is even-handed and not belligerent. He also challenges Christian views of the Bible. As might be expected, he points out problems with the texts and the associated difficulty of

My introduction to atheism occurred at a Christian college where I was required to read Bertrand Russell's classic work, Why I am not a Christian. " Thoughtful atheists offer people who identify as religious or spiritual  an opportunity to examine their beliefs, practices, and experiences. And I hope, thoughtful religious and spiritual leaders offer meaningful challenges for thoughtful atheists. I have reviewed some of the major books in this list. Some reviews are based on academic essays published in psychology journals. ********** Breaking the Spell by Daniel Dennett         Book REVIEW   BUY on AMAZON UK AMAZON   BUY on  GOOGLE Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Faith Behind by Daniel C. Dennett & Linda LaScola     Book REVIEW   BUY on AMAZON UK  AMAZON   BUY on GOOGLE The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris      

  Unbelievable                                  Why Neither Ancient Creeds     Nor the Reformation Can Produce a Living Faith Today By   John Shelby Spong Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton ( suttong.com ) Spong provides examples of Unbelievable doctrines of the church and calls for a second reformation. He presents 12 challenging theses as foundational to building a new understanding of the Bible by relying on a more rational appreciation of the metaphorical and meaningful truths of the scriptures rather than the implausible literal interpretations that obscure a meaningful spiritual life. His presentation appears focused on educated adults who have not lost their interest in Christian spirituality but are not satisfied with current presentations of Christianity found in Protestant or Catholic pulpits. He is particularly concerned with the distortion of faith found in those who present simplistic and literal, or near literal, views of creation, biblical violence, and

WHY DARWIN MATTERS:  THE CASE AGAINST INTELLIGENT DESIGN By    Michael Shermer Reviewed by    Geoffrey W. Sutton My answer to Shermer's book title framed as a question, Why Darwin Matters? , is that it matters a great deal. Psychological scientists often refer to evolutionary theory in their articles and textbooks thus psychologists, and those in similar professions, need to know the basics of evolutionary theory to understand and critique the way the theory is employed in the understanding of human behaviour. Shermer begins his work with a biographical event. "I became a creationist shortly after I became a born-again evangelical Christian in high school ..." (p. xx).  Those interested in the integration of Christian faith and science will find this book a quick and useful review of the major points involved in the evolution-intelligent design (ID) controversy that has primarily involved biologists perhaps because the evolutionary psychology section