Books about Provoking from Amazon.com

In the tradition of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris's recent bestseller, The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case
against religion With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and
reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope's awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry
of the double helix..
Price: $12.52 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Militant atheism is on the rise. Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens have dominated bestseller lists with books denigrating religious belief as dangerous foolishness. And these authors are merely the leading edge of a far larger movement–one that now includes much of the scientific community.

“The attack on traditional religious thought,” writes David Berlinski in The Devil’s Delusion, “marks the consolidation in our time of science as the single system of belief in which rational men and women might place their faith, and if not their faith, then certainly their devotion.”

A secular Jew, Berlinski nonetheless delivers a biting defense of religious thought. An acclaimed author who has spent his career writing about mathematics and the sciences, he turns the scientific community’s cherished skepticism back on itself, daring to ask and answer some rather embarrassing questions:

Has anyone provided a proof of God’s inexistence?
Not even close.

Has quantum cosmology explained the emergence of the universe or why it is here?
Not even close.

Have the sciences explained why our universe seems to be fine-tuned to allow for the existence of life?
Not even close.

Are physicists and biologists willing to believe in anything so long as it is not religious thought?
Close enough.

Has rationalism in moral thought provided us with an understanding of what is good, what is right, and what is moral?
Not close enough.

Has secularism in the terrible twentieth century been a force for good?
Not even close to being close.

Is there a narrow and oppressive orthodoxy of thought and opinion within the sciences?
Close enough.

Does anything in the sciences or in their philosophy justify the claim that religious belief is irrational?
Not even ballpark.

Is scientific atheism a frivolous exercise in intellectual contempt?
Dead on.

Berlinski does not dismiss the achievements of western science. The great physical theories, he observes, are among the treasures of the human race. But they do nothing to answer the questions that religion asks, and they fail to offer a coherent description of the cosmos or the methods by which it might be investigated.

This brilliant, incisive, and funny book explores the limits of science and the pretensions of those who insist it can be–indeed must be–the ultimate touchstone for understanding our world and ourselves..
Price: $15.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

And God Said, "It's Good!" takes the sport of football and compares this favorite Sunday pastime to the Bible--and it works. Once again, Gary Graf combines his love of sports with the Bible, resulting in an amusing and fun-loving book that delights any sports fan.

Comparisons include Hail Mary passes and answered prayers; immaculate receptions and Immaculate Conceptions; football stadiums and cathedrals; biblical verses and double reverses, plus good books and playbooks. These and many more parallels fill this lively and entertaining 192-page hardcover.

On any Sunday, you can bet some are brought closer to the spirit of the sport while others are more connected to the bible. The twenty chapters in this book compare football and the bible--with remarkable results!

"Forgiveness and good works were just pre-game drills for the Lord's true purpose here on earth."

"God rested on Sunday. Football is mostly played on Sunday. Coincidence? I think not."


Any author who can find similarities between the dazzling colors of a football team and the colorful vestments of a priest--needs to have his book read cover to cover. A delightful read for everyone--even if you're not remotely interested in football..
Price: $12.39 [Notify me when price goes down.]

WHAT WIVES WISHED THEIR HUSBANDS KNEW ABOUT PHYSICAL INTIMACY (Taken from Chapter 2) -- "Physical intimacy has been designed to be a physical expression of what has been going on all day long between a man and a woman. I often tell people that it is the top of the mountain that you begin to climb at the beginning of a day with your spouse. Men, you start that ascent by serving your wife, helping with the housework and the children, organizing a romantic getaway, calling her just for the sake of calling her, and speaking and acting kindly toward her. It should be noted that nothing aggravates a woman more than when her husband comes home and speaks rudely, neglects to connect with her and the children, watches TV for three or four hours, and about 10 P.M. says to his wife, "Hey, how about it?" If your wife is not emotionally involved with you, then she will typically have a difficult time being physically involved . . . As far as anger is concerned, a man cannot speak in a harsh and cutting way toward his wife and expect her to undergo an EMOTIONAL METAMORPHOSIS between 10:30 and 11 PM. Generally speaking, it just doesn't happen. Romance may start for you at 10 P.M., but for her it starts at 10 A.M."*************WHAT MEN WISHED THEIR WIVES KNEW ABOUT MEN (From Chapter 2) --"The woman that ridicules her husband by making sarcastic remarks and subtle inferences to his lack of leadership and abilities is not only hurting her husband, but also herself. She is not only ensuring that he will have a tough time rising above her low view of him, but she will also end up despising him for not being half the man that she has discouraged him to be."*************This Christian / Biblical Anger Management book deals with God's perspective of anger, marriage (counseling), parenting, business relationships, the church, intimacy (sex), hurt, forgiveness, and more. It's not just a book on anger, but your entire life. (Study Guides Available for your next ladies [women's] Bible study).
Price: $19.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

A provocative and compelling book that explores the complex relationship between democracy and avant-garde art, offering a surprising new perspective on the critical role that the arts play in democratic governance at home and abroad.

• Covers a broad range of topics, from disputes over public art, copyright, and obscenity, to the operations of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Cold War
  
• Highlights detailed and at times shocking debates over the role of the rebellious artist within society

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Price: $23.98 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This book is entertaining, fanciful and inspirational. It draws from the lives of Jesus and Yogi Berra, Joseph the carpenter and Joe DiMaggio, Moses and Hank Aaron, St. Peter and Jackie Robinson. And God Said, "Play Ball!" makes the Bible more approachable by relating it to a game loved by both children and adults. It also shows that baseball is not only a game, but a never-ending series of lessons about life, as well..
Price: $41.02 [Notify me when price goes down.]