Either (dont) because the author injects their own religious beliefs inadvertently, or (do read) because the book makes perfect sense from an atheist perspective..
I’ve been running into a million undercover religious books lately and it’s killing me.
by TheMassesOpiate
18 Comments
Read works on game theory. Try Hofstadter’s works like “Godel, Escher, Bach”, “I am a Strange Loop” etc.
[https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3034502.Douglas_R_Hofstadter](https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/3034502.Douglas_R_Hofstadter)
I’m so curious about what undercover religious books you’ve run into. I’d love a list. House of Leaves would be good for you, I think. I don’t know exactly what you mean, so maybe stay away from To Kill a Mockingbird
Off topic, but I am curious…are you so insecure in your atheism that reading religious themes unsettles you?
You can only read things that support your views?
You should definitely read *How to Read Lacan* by Zizek to understand how atheism actually interacts with society at large.
I feel the same way about books that thinly veil the author’s political views. Sometimes it’s obvious to the point he might as well name his characters after the politicians he is referring to. Those books get DNF’d pretty quickly.
Much better books out there.
No book suggestions for you.
Why not ask for whatever type genre you enjoy that doesn’t have religious undertones?
It’s one thing to covertly proselytise and write religious misogyny. it’s another thing to use religious themes in creative expression.
Which do you not want?
It could be argued that it’s actually a good idea to read books written from different perspectives. I’m an atheist but I read books so I can experience the world through other people’s eyes and stories and cultures. I won’t melt it I accidentally read a book that contains Christian beliefs, or Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, etc etc, for that matter. It would be a boring world if I stuck only to books that replicate my own lived experience and echo my own ideas. And when it comes to political views, how am I supposed to argue against a perspective if I don’t have a clue what it consists of? I’m not saying I love reading Christian fiction but I would have a hard time suggesting anything you *should* or *should not* read.
Edit: typo.
Read Brother’s Karamazov by Dostojevskij. You’ll have a ride
Being agnostic allows me to read the most outrageous writings and still enjoy them. Are you sure you can define yourself atheist?
I went through a phase like that, noticing the religious bias of a lot of authors. I do find it mildly irritating, but not as irritating as noticing the socialist tendencies in some peoples’ writing.
I get what you’re asking for. Overt religious themes in the plot is no big deal, I think of It like any other fantasy or mythology. But when the author trys to sneak in some preachy message that’s a red flag.
I suggest some books that plainly include religion but show the absurdity of it.
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
Good Omens by Pratchett & Gaiman
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I also have this problem. Meaning, it’s one thing to have religious elements in a book, but if I feel like the goal of the book is to witness christ to me? Sorry, that crosses a boundary.
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A good book series I think you’d like would be the Bobiverse series.
Lamb by Christopher Moore. It’s the story of Jesus’ first 30 years, which the Bible leaves out, as told by his best friend, Biff. You should definitely read this book, even though God, angels and Jesus exist in it. It’s both critical of main stream religion and tender to the very heart of why people seek it. It’s also hilarious.
You might want to give a try to « the sparrow » by MD Russel. It is supposed to be a (light) SF novel, but someone said it is really « a philosophical novel about the nature of good and evil and what happens when a man tries to do the right thing, for the right reasons and ends up causing incalculable harm »
A Jesuit in space story with réflexions on widespread of Christianity, advantages of being atheist or faithful… not in a boring way.
Being atheist myself, with concerns for religions, I enjoyed it a lot.
Book earned a lot of prizes, legitimately.
Alive by Piers Paul Read. Not the author religious perspective but it’s a true story so the people the book is about have strong religious beliefs. Some might argue it is what kept them Alive while it would be interesting to see what you would think from an Atheist perspective.
I thought it was a fantastic read, I am not religious but not atheist so to me it was just a part of the story. Great book.
Visions of Glory
Lessons in Chemistry has strong atheist themes.. if you want something a little different than the other recommendations 🙂