Changes

The history of atheism and agnosticism are not very well-tread topics, even in the 21st century. To study such things, even in the past 30-40 years, has been seen as reckless and even dangerous, especially for those academics looking for tenured positions. This, however, leaves a lacuna of historic information for those who have the wherewithal to subvert traditional academic restraints. The data on atheism/agnosticism/irreligion is plentiful, but various governmental/religious authorities were unrelenting in their attempts to erase these questions from the historical record.

1. ''A Secular Age'' by Charles Taylor – This book is ''dense'', but worthwhile. It contains phrases that would make even the most senior academic roll their eyes. But, despite Taylor’s somewhat arrogant prose, this work is a must-read for anyone interested in the rise of secularism in the Western world.

4. ''The Cambridge Companion to Atheism'' by Michael Martin – This work is a collection of eighteen essays by the world’s leading scholars on atheism and irreligion. It deals with atheistic beliefs from antiquity to the modern age. The essays contained within present varying perspectives of irreligious beliefs – from philosophical to societal.

6. ''Divided by Faith: Religious Conflict and the Practice of Toleration in Early-Modern Europe'' by Benjamin Kaplan – This work asks a very basic question: After the Protestant Reformation of ~1517 brought into question most of Europe’s religious beliefs, how did people of different/evolving faiths coexist? The answer is not well.