- AUTHOR / SCREENWRITER -
ALEX SHELBY
THE BOOKS
Recent debates on the existence of God have revived one of my dormant obsessions: religion. Since social media has begun to flourish there's a wave of theological information available, but not everyone knows the best places to look. my goal is to consolidate this information for my readers to enjoy, as well as share some of my own theories and observations in an attempt to answer the eternal question "Is there a God".
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Below are my four most recent books on the subject of theology, philosophy, politics, and psychology - contextualized through the lens of atheism and agnosticism - accompanied by some book trailers to get you in the mood. All books are available in paperback and e-book.
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The Evolution of Religion
How Religions Originate, Change, and Die
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“The Evolution of Religion” is exactly what the title suggests, and beyond. It traces religion’s origins back to the first instincts of morality, through the archaic blossoming of polytheism, to the modern branching of creeds from the agnostic East to the monotheistic West. It also conducts an in-depth analysis of religion’s organic and synthetic qualities. The organic aspect is demonstrated through consistencies between biology and theology, ranging from similarities in their ‘tree-of-life’ diagrams to specific phylogenetic characteristics. The synthetic facet is showcased through coinciding patterns with such manmade conventions as government, culture, economics, and technology.
Understanding God
Does it really surprise any of us that over the millennia our desires and survival methods are what we base our religious beliefs on? The patterns are pretty obvious when we step back and compare.
Where Did Pentecostals Come From?
I'm actually not picking on the Pentecostals -- their "tree of life" just happens to have a lot of branches. Yes, the "butterfly effect" also applies to religion. In other words, when religious leaders get upset religious dogma will change, and religious leaders can be quite sensitive.
Your Mind on God
Hooked on a Placebo
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Morality, free will, consciousness, religion - the topics that have fueled endless philosophical discourse take on new life once we permeate their source: the human mind. Reality is often complex, and truth does not always bring security - the decision to confront these obstacles can be the most important decision a person will make. Guarding the gates, protecting us from fear, complexity, and the unknown is the toughest opponent you'll never meet: God. "Your Mind on God" explores why and how religion can simultaneously leverage and abandon our worldview on nature, society, and ourselves. But perhaps most important is posing and addressing the ultimately question that can no longer be ignored: Is religion just a byproduct of flawed thinking?
Supernormal Stimulus
How is religion like fast food? If you rely on "happiness" to serve as your guide for survival, you could be headed down a dangerous path. When a neolithic brain is exposed to a post-modern environment, true survival can be a bit tricky.
Debunking America's Christian Heritage
This is certainly not the first video to address this topic, but hopefully it's the most thorough. Rather than simply focusing on the people and documents associated with American heritage, let's investigate the values themselves.
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The Shared Religion Project
And the Futility of Christian Sharia
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“The Shared Religion Project” presents its readers with three unique approaches to the Bible. First, it contextualizes biblical scripture in an objective and straight-forward manner with apologetic responses and historical perspective. Second, it reveals textual evidence from alternative cultures who conceived of the Bible’s values centuries – sometimes millennia – before the Bible was written. And third, it compares the values of Islam with those of the Bible, demonstrating how these two seemingly opposing faiths are actually cultural twins.
How I Debunked the Bible: The Goal
How I Debunked the Bible (and the Quran)... Which biblical values were conceived before the Bible was written, and which values do Islam and Christianity have in common? (Part 1 of 6).
How I Debunked the Bible: The Revelation
Time to take stock of what we’ve discussed thus far. Let’s recap the unique principles the Bible has contributed to society. You’re going to want to write these down. Got a napkin handy? (Part 5 of 6).
The Politics of the Bible
What Would Jesus Do?
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Christians often lean on the Bible to support their politics. Based on scripture it would appear that most if not all platforms – both Republican and Democrat – are supported as well as opposed to some extent. In other words, you can find a biblical verse to support just about anything. THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH! I broke down the Bible, verse by verse, as well as our most pertinent political issues, and determined irrefutably which side the Bible comes down on.
The Politics of the Bible
Which side of the scale does the Bible fall on in terms of Right vs. Left? Not only will the direction the scale leans surprise you, but the country that currently and most accurately represents the actual politics of the Bible will blow your Mind!