Should Christians buy Books by Atheist Authors?

Godstone

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Hi,

Here are some quotes from atheist author Philip Pullman:


'There is no doubt in my mind that (Narnia) is one of the most ugly and poisonous things I've ever read' - Philip Pullman

Philip Pullman, the winner of this year's Whitbread Prize, is unconcerned. 'If there is a God,' he tells Helena de Bertodano, 'then he deserves to be put down and rebelled against'


Pullman says cheerfully: "Blake said Milton was a true poet and of the Devil's party without knowing it. I am of the Devil's party and know it."


My question is: Should we buy books by Pullman, Pratchet, Dan Brown, etc? However good they maybe isn't this anti-evangelism? Although some christians may ignore the atheist overtones, these writers will influence many. The more successful these books are, the more there will be.

I'm not saying that people should only read christian books, but I believe
we should not buy (and thus support) those that are deliberately aimed at undermining faith in Jesus.
:)


 

Chance Of Rain

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I personally like reading authors who have a different outlook and beliefs than my, both theological and political. I don't find that they influence me as such, but sometimes an outsiders view can make you see things in a new light, question why you believe something, I find that this actually deepens my faith rather than diminishes it.

As for Phillip Pullman, I really enjoyed the dark Materials Trilogy and consider Northern Lights to be my favourite childhood book. But as for his personal quotes I don't agree with him, and personally find him distasteful.
 
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Agonaces of Susa

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That's fine but maybe it's best to get them from the library rather than buy them! :)

Buying atheist books guarantees that lots more will be published.
I agree with this.

It's ok to read their drivel (I'm clueless as to why anyone would want to) but immoral to buy it.
 
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JCFantasy23

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I typically read fiction anyway and never know of the authors religion. I don't focus on that stuff with art, which is what I consider writing to be, particularly in the realms of fiction. Likewise I don't care about music artists religion, or painters, etc.
 
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Captivated

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That's fine but maybe it's best to get them from the library rather than buy them! :)

Buying atheist books guarantees that lots more will be published.


Inclined to agree. Charity shops are another good source. The charity gets the financial beneft and the writer doesn't get any more royalties other than the original sale. I did that with 'The God Delusion' which I was reading for a module at Uni. I couldn't bear the idea that Dawkins would get any money out of me.

Despite being an avid reader I don't buy many books. I'm a big fan of libraries, charity shops and swapping between friends. Writers probably hate me.
 
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MacFall

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I think it's naive to expect that those who entertain you will always be on your side of any major issue. I personally dislike Pullman's stuff and his personality is grating enough to scare me off from his writing, and I think Dan Brown is a just plain crappy writer. But I have enjoyed everything Terry Pratchett ever wrote, and Robert Heinlein is probably my second-favorite author after C.S. Lewis. And in fact, my favorite fiction book of all time is one of Heinlein's: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I also own all of Ayn Rand's fiction and some of her philosophy writing.

I think that all truth is God's truth, even if it is spoken by an atheist. So if an atheist says on one hand that religion is always a tool of power-hungry people but later in the same book says that love requires a person to lay their life down for others (Heinlein), or denounces the Church but also denounces humanist arguments for tyranny (Rand), or uses a deity to lampoon bureaucracy (Pratchett), I'll read it and appreciate it for the truth that it contains.

Besides, it is doubtful that their works affect people spiritually as they are meant to engage the intellect. I know many people who have been swayed to the Truth by a well-told Christian allegory, but I have never met nor heard of a single person who believes that God is evil because Phil Pullman says so in His Dark Materials.
 
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Captivated

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I think it's naive to expect that those who entertain you will always be on your side of any major issue. I personally dislike Pullman's stuff and his personality is grating enough to scare me off from his writing, and I think Dan Brown is a just plain crappy writer. But I have enjoyed everything Terry Pratchett ever wrote, and Robert Heinlein is probably my second-favorite author after C.S. Lewis. And in fact, my favorite fiction book of all time is one of Heinlein's: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I also own all of Ayn Rand's fiction and some of her philosophy writing.

I think that all truth is God's truth, even if it is spoken by an atheist. So if an atheist says on one hand that religion is always a tool of power-hungry people but later in the same book says that love requires a person to lay their life down for others (Heinlein), or denounces the Church but also denounces humanist arguments for tyranny (Rand), or uses a deity to lampoon bureaucracy (Pratchett), I'll read it and appreciate it for the truth that it contains.

Besides, it is doubtful that their works affect people spiritually as they are meant to engage the intellect. I know many people who have been swayed to the Truth by a well-told Christian allegory, but I have never met nor heard of a single person who believes that God is evil because Phil Pullman says so in His Dark Materials.

:thumbsup:
 
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keith99

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That's fine but maybe it's best to get them from the library rather than buy them! :)

Buying atheist books guarantees that lots more will be published.

So? If the writing is good you seek to keep the author from writing more? Or is it that you seek to keep athiest authors from making a decent living? Perhaps we should extend that to all professions. Yea that's it and make it so non Christians can not buy or sell. But I guess enforcemetn of that would be difficult unless we did somethign like putting a mark on their hand or forehead.
 
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MacFall

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So? If the writing is good you seek to keep the author from writing more? Or is it that you seek to keep athiest authors from making a decent living? Perhaps we should extend that to all professions. Yea that's it and make it so non Christians can not buy or sell. But I guess enforcemetn of that would be difficult unless we did somethign like putting a mark on their hand or forehead.

Nice reductio ad absurdum. Yeah somehow I don't think that boycotting heathens lines up with the whole gospel thing.
 
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Autumnleaf

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I don't know if atheist authors getting paid for their work is really a bad thing. I've never heard of an atheist person going out of their way to determine the religion of an author of a book they wanted to read. Life is too short to concern ourselves with such minor things, unless you really do have the time and burning desire to find out. In that case, knock yourself out.
 
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Captivated

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Perhaps we need to distinguish between atheist authors writing fiction and specifically atheist books, such as 'The God Delusion' for instance. I certainly don't have the time or inclination to check out the belief system of every author I read, and even if I did know that they were an atheist it wouldn't stop me reading their work. I'd probably have missed out on a lot of great reading that way. But when it comes to something like 'The God Delusion' - a very specifically anti-Christian work - I was much happier getting it from a charity shop and passing it back there when I no longer needed it. (TBH, I probably wouldn't have read it at all if it wasn't part of a course I was taking. I know enough about Richard Dawkins to know that it wasn't likely to be my kind of book. And it wasn't.) I guess some people would suggest that I destroyed it rather than pass it back into potential circulation but destroying books goes against the grain, IMO.

So, atheist authors: yes. Atheist books: not usually.
 
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MacFall

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Boycotting the books would not serve to stamp out the idea. Atheism is not out for your money.

Well said. But following Captivated's commet above, I should point out that my previous comments apply to fiction. I wouldn't give Richard Dawkins a penny for his work. That's not a practical issue of boycott; it's just a line I won't cross.
 
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Spirit_Star

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I don’t think there is anything wrong with reading a book by someone who is atheist or of a different faith. When I read I am looking for a good story the author’s personnel beliefs be they religious or anything else are not going to make me not read (try) their books if they are good. I have never read anything of Pullmans but I’m sure I will get around to eventually reading Dark Materials Trilogy.
 
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Cynthia85

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So? If the writing is good you seek to keep the author from writing more? Or is it that you seek to keep athiest authors from making a decent living? Perhaps we should extend that to all professions. Yea that's it and make it so non Christians can not buy or sell. But I guess enforcemetn of that would be difficult unless we did somethign like putting a mark on their hand or forehead.

:thumbsup:


It doesn't make sense that it's okay to read their books, but not buy them. Even if you're not buying them, you're still supporting them by reading them. Authors want their books read.

If you read a good story and like it enough to read it again, why not buy it? In the end, I know what the Truth is. I personally love sci-fi and fantasy books and in almost all of them there are multiple gods and goddesses. And it doesn't bother me because it's FICTION. It's not real, it's made up and I know that. When I'm done reading the book, I come back to real life and know that there's one true God.

As for reading things against the Gospel and God, what better way to understand what a person's thinking? If we don't understand where a person is coming from and why they don't believe in God, how can we effectively communicate the Gospel to them?
 
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