In the 1950s, a group of social psychologists infiltrated a doomsday cult—a religious group that believed the world was coming to an end—and studied how its members sustained their beliefs when the prophecy failed.How are major religions different from cults? My argument is that they persist through political fiat rather than the evidence provided for their central dogma. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all quote private conversations that were never recorded until decades, someti...

SHRUNK: Crime and Disorders of the Mind is a collection of powerful stories by Canadian and international forensic psychologists and psychiatrists who write about the many complex mental health issues they face and the care involved in dealing with them.Unlike any other book within the genre of True Crime, Shrunk forms a unique bridge between mental health and law. Chapters focus on cases where judges and juries call upon the opinions of forensic experts when dealing with the menta...

Take an updated approach to treating partner violence!Intimate Violence: Contemporary Treatment Innovations examines new and innovative approaches to treating domestic violence, de-emphasizing the unilateral, psychoeducational approach in favor of treatment modalities that focus on the offenders' individual characteristics. The book presents up-to-date information on techniques for working with men and women who commit intimate partner violence, moving past a one size fits all ment...

As the pastor of an inner-city church in New York City, Timothy Keller has compiled a list of the most frequently voiced ‘doubts’ sceptics bring to his church, as well as the most important reasons for faith. In THE REASON FOR GOD, he addresses each doubt and explains each reason.Keller uses literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and reasoning to explain how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief, held by thoughtful people of intellectual integrity with a deep comp...

The New York Times bestselling author explains why any attempt to make religion compatible with science is doomed to fail.What we read in the news today is full of subjectivity, half-truths, and blatant falsehoods; and thus it is more necessary now than ever to safeguard the truth with facts. In his provocative new book, evolutionary biologist Jerry A. Coyne aims to do exactly that in the arena of religion. In clear, dispassionate detail he explai...

A rigorous, provocative exploration of faith, reason, and morality - unpacking the claims of New Atheism with sharp logic, historical insight, and the kind of evidence that makes for lively debate and lasting impact.Is faith nothing more than blind allegiance, or is it grounded in evidence and reason? Does morality depend on God, or can it stand alone in a secular age? In this robust challenge to the modern "Bright Brigade," John Lennox takes the arguments of Dawki...

Religion is increasingly seen as a dangerous source of violence in the world, breeding a fear of faith in a very vocal group of critics. Most Christians are blissfully unaware of the litany of allegations being brought against religion, including that it is the cause of intolerance, imperialism, irrationality, bigotry, and war, to name a few. But ignorance is not the answer.In Why People Don't Believe, Paul Chamberlain strives to represent the concerns and challenges raise...

Writing with his usual grace and fluency, Jonathan Sacks moves beyond the tired arguments of militant atheists such as Dawkins and Hitchens, to explore how religion has always played a valuable part in human culture and far from being dismissed as redundant, must be allowed to temper and develop scientific understanding in order for us to be fully human. Ranging around the world to draw comparisons from different cultures, and delving deep into the history of language and of western civili...

In the twenty-first century, religion is making a comeback, bringing in its wake extremism of all kinds. From Christian anti-abortion campaigns to suicide bombers claiming the righteousness of Islam, we are witnessing a resurgence of fundamentalism. Michel Onfray's response to the threat of a post-modern theocracy is to lay down the principles of an authentic atheism: exposing the fiction that is God, he proposes instead a new philosophy of reason that celebrates life and humanity....

A brilliant dissection and reconstruction of the three major faith-based systems of belief in the world today, from one of the world's most articulate intellectuals, Slavoj Zizek, in conversation with Croatian philosopher Boris Gunjévic. In six chapters that describe Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in fresh ways using the tools of Hegelian and Lacanian analysis, God in Pain: Inversions of Apocalypse shows how each faith understands humanity and divinity—and how the differences be...

Come Let Us Reason is the third book in a series on modern Christian apologetics that began with the popular Passionate Conviction and Contending with Christianity’s Critics. The nineteen essays here raise classical philosophical questions in fresh ways, address contemporary challenges for the church, and will deepen the thinking of the next generation of apologists. Packed with dynamic topical discussions and informed by the latest scholarship, the book’s major ...

From the tiniest microchip to the information superhighway, the modern world is dominated by and dependent upon science. Yet whether we realize it or not, we live in an age where faith is still an important influence in our lives. The majority of Americans profess a belief in a Christian God and Islam acts as a unifying, energizing force for many of the world's most dispossessed people. In the UK congregations may be shrinking, but popular belief in the supernatural - ghosts and spirits, f...