Atheists: Do You Read Books On Religion, And, If So, Do You Try To Hide Them From Friends?

The last book I read that had anything to do with religion was "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig. I used to read everything I could get my hands on, but as of late, no, it is simply flogging a dead horse. Would I hide them from my friends? No.

I have the following books (not exhaustive, just going on memory) :

Letters From a Skeptic

The Case for Christ

The Case for Faith

The Case for a Creator

Seven translations of the Bible

The Bhagavad Gita

Supposed Discrepancies in the Bible

Bible Answers to Almost Any Question

Nelson's Illustrated Bible Commentary

The Qur'an

Something or other about Zen, can't remember the title

That's all I can remember right now. I have lots of books. And no, I feel no need to hide any of them.

I'm currently reading "The Way of Zen", actually. I also have some "Law of Attraction" books and some on "How meditation Heals" (which some people consider spiritual for some reason and tie closely to religion), propped right up next to my "Parenting Beyond Belief" book. lol

The thing is, I think my friends stopped trying to figure me out a long time ago. I'm all over the place, and they're used to it!

I don't think there's anything specifically theistic about Zen. I was always under the impression you could be an atheist and a Buddhist at the same time. I have an old bible given me by a friend. I keep it on top of one of my bookcases both because it is a beautiful object, and to refer to. There are great poetic passages in the Bible that do not conflict with my atheistic belief system.

Depends on how one defines Atheism. Buddhism is considered an Atheists philosophy because it does not depend on a creator God, it focuses more on developing the mind and heart, using its logic and not fully on blind faith.

I am Buddhist and I do not hide the books I read from people I know. I read Christian books which always good to uplift my spirit when I am down, I read Islamic commentaries to get a wider understanding of their teachings and also the books on the Ramayana epics as it is connected with my work when I have to perform cultural/ethnic dances.

An atheist doesnt always have to be anti-religion, having knowledge of others' faith can help us be around them without getting both feathers flustered. Nothing wrong or ghastly with agreeing to points of teachings that are benevolent like being Kind, Caring and Helpful... which we dont need religion to teach us, but most religions do, just agree to disagree that they believe in God and atheists believe in non-God.

Arguing and Fighting just wastes time ...hehe

I'm an atheist, and I absolutely read books about religion. It's important to educate yourself, and besides... it's interesting!

I can see why you'd hide them from your friends if they talk to you that way, but you're better than that for being willing to expand your thinking. At least no one can claim you're an atheist out of pure ignorance! :)

As much as I don't want to seem like a confrontational "angry atheist," we also get picked on a lot more than other religious sects, so it's nice to know what you're up against, so to speak (although I doubt you'll get much conflict out of Zen Buddhists).

I have a book called "Is there an Afterlife" and I actually hide it from everyone, especially when I am on the train. I don't want anyone coming up to me either trying to save me from hell or making fun of me for even entertaining the idea. One of my Atheist friends saw it and just laughed, so I definitely do my best to read it on the down low.

I don't read books on religion because frankly their beliefs are too asenine and absurd to even consider intellectually. Zen Buddhism is more of a moral religion than a theistic one so it's not entirely a waste of time to learn about.

Know thine enemy!

Seriously though, I've found myself reading the bible when there are no other books or magasines available and I really need to go to the toilet.

Seriously though, yes, I've read quite a few different books, the Tao Te Ching was really quite insightful. Also, there is a great book on Tibetan bhuddism, check one of those out when you're done.

No, I don't really read books on religions. I do have a bible and I have read through it because I was a catholic and a christian before I became an atheist. However, I do read about the general meaning of some of these religions on wikipedia :)