{"product_id":"a-friendly-letter-to-skeptics-and-atheists-isbn-9780470290279","title":"A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists","description":"\u003ci\u003eA Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists\u003c\/i\u003e helps readers—both secular and religious—appreciate their common ground. For those whose thinking has moved from the religious thesis to the skeptical antithesis (or vice versa), Myers offers pointers to a science-respecting Christian synthesis. He shows how skeptics and people of faith can share a commitment to reason, evidence, and critical thinking, while also embracing a faith that supports human flourishing—by making sense of the universe, giving meaning to life, connecting us in supportive communities, mandating altruism, and offering hope in the face of adversity and death. \u003cp\u003ePreface v\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFalse and Dangerous? 1\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMy Assumptions 4\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMea Culpa 8\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Dance of Fanatics and Infidels 11\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimplistic Stereotypes 14\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Heart of Science and Religion 17\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Skeptics’ Boys Club 22\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInseparable Body and Soul 26\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDoes Prayer “Work”? 33\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Benevolent, Fine-Tuned Universe 44\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBig Ideas and Biblical Wisdom 54\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecularism and Civility 64\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGod and Gays 74\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(Nominal) Religion Feeds Prejudice 82\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGodliness and Goodliness 87\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHappy Faith-Heads 107\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealthy Faith-Heads 116\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDoes Explaining Religion Explain It Away? 121\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Leap of Faith 128\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAppendix: International Society for Science and Religion Statement on Intelligent Design 133\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 137\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments 150\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Author 152\u003c\/p\u003e  \"As a scientist, open-minded skeptic (who cheers on challenges to irrationalism), and a man of faith, [Myers] seeks to transcend the skeptic\/believer divide by suggesting how faith can be reasonable, science-affirming, and humane.\"\u003cbr\u003e –Skeptical Inquirer (January\/February 2009)  \u003cp\u003e\"Reading Myers will not set to rest all the incongruities or failures of Christianity; but it will demonstrate, in a thoughtful and readable format, that God is good and that to follow in the steps of Jesus your soul will become bigger, better and more gracious.\"\u003cbr\u003e – Youth Worker Journal\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"The humility with which Myers writes and the intelligence with which he composes his arguments could disarm the most jaded cynic.\"\u003cbr\u003e – \u003ci\u003eWorship Leader\u003c\/i\u003e Magazine\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Believers and skeptics could learn much from each other, and the author’s willingness to build a bridge between two sometimes hostile territories is what makes his work so welcome. Myers’s psychological training enables him to grasp the human person in a unique way, and he is able to introduce an intellectual element into the God debate.\"\u003cbr\u003e –\u003ci\u003e(Sept.)\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly,\u003c\/i\u003e July 7, 2008)\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Author\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid G. Myers\u003c\/b\u003e is a communicator of psychological science to college students and the general public. His writings, supported by National Science Foundation fellowships and grants and recognized by the Gordon Allport Prize, have appeared in three dozen scientific periodicals, from \u003ci\u003eScience\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003ePsychological Science,\u003c\/i\u003e and in dozens of magazines and newspapers. His seventeen books include best-selling texts and general audience books on happiness, intuition, and hearing loss.   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn response to recent atheist manifestos declaring that religion is \"dangerous,\" social psychologist David G. Myers transcends the skeptic\/believer divide by suggesting how faith can be reasonable, science-affirming, and humane. As a respected behavioral scientist and a person of faith, Myers shows how an educated and engaged faith is associated with happiness, health, tolerance, generosity, and volunteerism, and does \u003ci\u003enot\u003c\/i\u003e imply gay bashing, magical ideas about prayer, or a division of body and soul. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists\u003c\/i\u003e helps readers—both secular and religious—appreciate their common ground. For those whose thinking has moved from the religious thesis to the skeptical antithesis (or vice versa), Myers offers pointers to a science-respecting Christian synthesis. He shows how skeptics and people of faith can share a commitment to reason, evidence, and critical thinking, while also embracing a faith that supports human flourishing by making sense of the universe, giving meaning to life, connecting us in supportive communities, mandating altruism, and offering hope in the face of adversity and death.   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn response to recent atheist manifestos declaring that religion is \"dangerous,\" social psychologist David G. Myers transcends the skeptic\/believer divide by suggesting how faith can be reasonable, science-affirming, and humane. As a respected behavioral scientist and a person of faith, Myers shows how an educated and engaged faith is associated with happiness, health, tolerance, generosity, and volunteerism, and does \u003ci\u003enot\u003c\/i\u003e imply gay bashing, magical ideas about prayer, or a division of body and soul. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists\u003c\/i\u003e helps readers—both secular and religious—appreciate their common ground. For those whose thinking has moved from the religious thesis to the skeptical antithesis (or vice versa), Myers offers pointers to a science-respecting Christian synthesis. He shows how skeptics and people of faith can share a commitment to reason, evidence, and critical thinking, while also embracing a faith that supports human flourishing by making sense of the universe, giving meaning to life, connecting us in supportive communities, mandating altruism, and offering hope in the face of adversity and death.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jossey-Bass","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47988627898597,"sku":"NP9780470290279","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780470290279.jpg?v=1761781032","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/a-friendly-letter-to-skeptics-and-atheists-isbn-9780470290279","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}