Religion

I like this volume even better than The Children's Book of Virtues. (We checked it out from the library three different times before I finally bought it!) Heroes includes stories of Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Helen Keller, David and Goliath, Father Flanagan and Jackie Robinson. The book is filled with illustrations and stories are generally three to five pages, with a few poems included as well. The biographies are our family's favorites, but there are many other stories including myths and fairy tales which teach some of the same values. You can't miss the Catholic stories included.

This is a lovely story about a gruff woodcarver who is commissioned to make a Nativity Set for a young boy and his mother. The story is beautifully written and lovingly illustrated. This is such a favorite for my children that we keep it out year-round and it has been read over and over and over again. This is simply a can't-miss book - at least check it out from your library. When you buy a copy, I certainly recommend the hardcover for durability. There are many copies available used online - at Amazon.com there were over 50 used copies available - most for well under $10.

This is a fascinating and surprisingly readable (but lengthy) biography of St. John Vianney - the definitive one, carefully researched from the documents produced for the canonization process. It is most suitable for adults, but will be appropriate for teens who enjoy reading - it is particularly beneficial for young men considering the priesthood. Some of the particular stories about St. John Vianney and those whose lives he touched are absolutely amazing.

This book also bears a special recommendation from Pope John Paul II and had a substantial influence on his life. He had this to say about St. John Vianney and this particular book in his own book Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination...

"With great emotion I visited the little old church where Saint John Vianney heard confessions, taught catechism, and gave his homilies. It was an unforgettable experience for me. From my seminary years I had been impressed by the figure of the Cure d'Ars, especially after reading his biography by Monsignor Trochu. Saint John Marie Vianney astonishes us because in him we can see the power of grace working through human limitations. It was his heroic service in the confessional which particularly struck me. That humble priest, who would hear confessions more than ten hours a day, eating little and sleeping only a few hours, was able, at a difficult moment in history, to inspire a kind of spiritual revolution in France..." (pp. 57, Gift and Mystery by Pope John Paul II)

Cogent, concise, and coherent, that is The Dawkins Delusion.

Written as a response to The God Delusion, Alister McGrath takes Richard Dawkins head on. A former atheist, Alister, along with his wife Joanna, convincingly demonstrate the errors of Richard Dawkins's atheism. Equal to the task, Alister received a doctorate in molecular biophysics and presently is a professor of historical theology at Oxford University (where Dawkins also teaches).

An admirer of Dawkins's earlier work, The Selfish Gene, McGrath clearly points out that Dawkins has diverged into new territory with his diatribe against God, resulting in erroneous conclusions.

McGrath considers himself an "evidence-based" thinker (like Dawkins), yet ultimately his conclusions are vastly different than Dawkins.

Ironically, although Dawkins considers himself an evidence-based thinker, The God Delusion is anything but. As McGrath states, . . ."Dawkins simply offers the atheist equivalent of slick hellfire preaching, substituting turbocharged rhetoric and highly selective manipulation of facts for careful, evidence-based thinking."

McGrath goes on to state, "The book [The God Delusion] is often little more than an aggregation of convenient factoids suitably overstated to achieve maximum impact and loosely arranged to suggest that they constitute an argument."

Because of this, McGrath says, "Every one of Dawkins's misrepresentations and overstatements can be challenged and corrected." Rather than correct him point for point, McGrath instead chooses to pick "representative points" to discuss.

Answering Dawkins's flawed argumentation, McGrath demonstrates that God is not a delusion created by a deluded people, science has not disproved God, that science need not be locked in a battle with religion unto death and that they can actually be compatible with one another, God is not based on superstitious beliefs, not all religions are the same, and that Christianity is not evil.

McGrath reminds Dawkins that in our modern times there have already existed societies which have sought to stamp out religion, resulting in great, evil atrocities.

Not a heavy handed treatise, but a highly accessible answer to Dawkins's ranting and raving, The Dawkins Delusion? makes for an enlightening, educating, and entertaining read.