A Christian, a Muslim, a Jew, and an atheist are involved in a murder.

[Synnical]

Larry Beinhart spoke at an American Atheists convention a few years back. I hosted his book signing and though I didn't find him personally very appealing, he writes a good story.

http://www.chronogram.com/issue/2008/9/Books/Book-Review-Heartless-and-Salvation-Boulevard

Book Review: Heartless and Salvation Boulevard
by Alison Gaylin and Larry Beinhart
by Kim Wozencraft, August 25, 2008

A Christian, a Muslim, a Jew, and an atheist are involved in a murder. Waiting for the punch line? It’s called Salvation Boulevard, Woodstock resident and Chronogram columnist Larry Beinhart’s latest novel. And yes, it packs a punch.

Beinhart’s 1994 political novel American Hero became the film Wag the Dog, starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, and Anne Heche. Mandalay Independent Pictures has already acquired the screen rights to Salvation Boulevard.

Nathaniel MacLeod, avowed atheist and professor of philosophy at the University of the Southwest, is discovered dead from a single bullet through his head. Pastor Plowright, the founder, minister, and CEO of the Cathedral of the Third Millennium (and as such, a man who knows the value of publicity in calling lambs to the shepherd), asks the six o’clock news anchor, “Is anyone surprised that an atheist committed suicide?”

(snippage)

Heavy stuff, that, but Beinhart embeds the religious and political issues in a brisk narrative that tackles the big questions with acerbic humor and good storytelling, building toward a climax that will pull readers to the edges of their seats. (Don’t miss his note to the reader, revealing real-world sources and inviting readers to his website to participate in an “ongoing dialogue about religion, irreligion, faith, belief, and their intersection with politics, war, money, life, and death.”)

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[Az]

1. Seems its been picked up for a movie deal too

Hmmmm... part of the plot involves a missing manuscript proving god doesn't exist.

Also apparently the author has a website with a forum inviting discussions on matters of religion and such. Could be interesting... if I could just find the website... grrr. Got Link?

[Synnical]

2. Sorry, you know as much as I do

Presumably the site would be larrybeinhart.com or salvationboulevard.com But as of now both sites are empty except for a link to amazon to purchase the book. He has a blog on HuffPo, but nothing new there, either. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-beinhart

-Cindy

[Synnical]

3. salvationboulevard.com is now up

http://salvationboulevard.com/

[Az]

4. Cool.

New hunting grounds. :D

[Az]

5. Oog... no forum there yet.

Sigh.

[Synnical]

6. No, it's up, but you have to register to post comments

http://salvationboulevard.com/articles/?q=taxonomy/term/19

As I recall from the brief time I spent with Mr. Beinhart, he's an agnostic/soft atheist, not a hard/positive atheist. Just FYI.

I don't see any comments, but I also have not registered as of yet.
-Cindy

Why We Need To Study God - The God Series #1

Islamic warriors martyr themselves in order to kill infidels.

The man with the most military power in the history of the world is reported to have said,

“I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me,
‘George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan.’
And I did, and then God would tell me,
‘George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq …’
And I did.”



Looking At God - The God Series #2

There are three basic positions from which to view God.

Belief
Agnosticism
Atheisism

Each position forces certain questions and does not permit others. BELIEF: If we start with belief, this the big question Why won’t God make himself clear?

I’m a writer. If I had divine powers, believe me, I would get it right the first time and never need a rewrite.

So why is there an Old Testament and then a New? Why is there the Koran, the Book of Mormon, the Vedas, Guru Granth Sahib, Zhuan Falun, the Avesta, the Tattvartha Sutra?

Belief & False Beliefs - The God Series #3

BELIEF

When we hear or use the words “belief” and “believe,” we tend to jump to the top of the chain of complexity. The home of grand cathedrals, ornate mosques, colorful rituals and long, sacred texts.
However, belief, as a psychological mechanism, is much simpler.

We need to make decisions in order to act.
We seek information in order to do so. Food/not food. Safe/dangerous. Easy/hard. Friend/foe. Pretty drapes that go with our color scheme/ugly ones that don’t.
We never know 100% about anything. There’s always an information gap between ourselves and certainty.


Why We Believe In God - The God Series #4

WHY WE BELIEVE IN GOD

Our working hypothesis is that God doesn’t exist.

There are other false beliefs for which the evidence is stronger and more easily seen, that people have readily given up.

Such beliefs include: the earth is standing still (it certainly looks like it), that the sun rises and sets (you see it every day), the earth is solid (it has a hard crust over a molten center), that the earth is flat and you can fall of the edge, that matter is solid (atoms are mostly empty space), that something can’t be both a wave and a particle (electrons are apparently both), that all the species were created separately and simultaneously (give or take a day).

So a theory about belief in God – as a false belief - has to account for its strength and tenacity when compared to false beliefs that have fallen.

It also has to deal with The Atheist’s Dilemma.