“The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture” by Darrel Ray

"Dr. Darrel Ray, psychologist and lifelong student of religion, discusses religious infection from the inside out. How does guilt play into religious infection? Why is sexual control so important to so many religions? What causes the anxiety and neuroticism around death and dying? How does religion inject itself into so many areas of life, culture, and politics? The author explores this and much more in his book The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture. This second-generation book takes the reader several steps beyond previous offerings and into the realm of the personal and emotional mechanisms that affect anyone who lives in a culture steeped in religion. Examples are used that anyone...>>

“Killing for God: An Analysis of Conflict in the Abrahamic Religions” by Stephen Schwalbe

"Given the extremely high cost of overseas military operations today, the author offers readers scholarly insights as to what motivates kingdoms, countries, and groups to engage in religious conflict, beginning with those found in the Hebrew Bible. To do this, he analyzes three related religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, to determine their similarities and differences regarding the killing of people. The areas of conflict analysis include Fundamentalism, Proselytization, Sacrifice (to include martyrdom), and Revenge (to include genocide). The insights of preeminent religious and political scholars are integrated into this comprehensive analysis of conflict involving religion, leading to an answer to the ultimate question: Is the killing worth it?"...>>

“Decoding Maori Cosmology: The Ancient Origins of New Zealand’s Indigenous Culture” by Laird Scranton

"An exploration of New Zealand’s Maori cosmology and how it relates to classic ancient symbolic traditions around the world • Shows how Maori myths, symbols, cosmological concepts, and words reflect symbolic elements found at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey • Demonstrates parallels between the Maori cosmological tradition and those of ancient Egypt, China, India, Scotland, and the Dogon of Mali in Africa • Explores the pygmy tradition associated with Maori cosmology, which shares elements of the Little People mythology of Ireland, including matching mound structures and common folk traditions It is generally accepted that the Maori people arrived in New Zealand quite recently, sometime after 1200 AD. However, new evidence suggests that their culture is most likely centuries older...>>

“The Velikovsky Heresies: Worlds in Collision and Ancient Catastrophes Revisited” by Laird Scranton

"A reexamination of Immanuel Velikovsky’s controversial Venus theories in light of new astronomical and archaeological findings: • Provides new evidence from recent space probe missions to support Velikovsky’s theories on the formation of Venus • Presents recently translated ancient texts from China, Korea, and Japan that uphold the cometlike descriptions of Venus cited by Velikovsky • Examines evidence of major geomagnetic events in 1500 BCE and 750 BCE that correspond with close passes of the comet Venus and its impact with Mars • Offers scientific explanations for many disputed aspects of Velikovsky’s theories, such as how Venus could have transformed from a comet into an orbiting planet Surrounded by controversy even before its publication in 1950, Immanuel Velikovsky’s Worlds...>>

“Making Evil: The Science Behind Humanity’s Dark Side” by Julia Shaw

"Are you evil? In Making Evil, Julia Shaw uses a mix of science, popular culture and real-life examples to investigate the darker side of human nature. How similar is your brain to a psychopath's? How many people have murder fantasies? Can AI be evil? Do your sexual proclivities make you a bad person? Who becomes a terrorist? This is a surprising and wickedly entertaining exploration of a darkly compelling subject."...>>