Away with All Gods!: Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World »

Bob Avakian is the leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. He is the author of From Ike to Mao and Beyond and Observations on Art and Culture, Science and Philosophy and the coauthor of Marxism and the Call of the Future.

Bringing a revolutionary communist voice to the current discourse about god, atheism, and morality, this treatise demystifies religious belief and examines how, even in its most progressive interpretations, religion stands in the way of the emancipation of humanity. Addressing numerous questions—such as Is believing in gods actually harmful? How has Christianity served for centuries as an ideology of conquest and subjugation? Why is the "Bible Belt" in the U.S. also the "lynching belt?" and Why is patriarchy and the oppression of women foundational to so many religions?—this critique takes issue with long-established traditions and suggests the necessity to fully rupture with all forms of superstition and embrace a truly scientific approach to understanding and transforming reality.

Publisher's Note     ix
Where Did God Come From... And Who Says We Need God?     1
"God Works in Mysterious Ways"     3
A Cruel and Truly Monstrous God     4
The Bible, Taken Literally, Is a Horror     15
Christian Fundamentalists, Christian Fascists     16
Seeing Jesus in a True Light     18
What About the Ten Commandments?     28
No New Testament Without the Old     31
Fundamentalist and "Salad Bar" Christianity     32
Religion and Oppressive Ruling Classes     38
Evolution, the Scientific Method-and Religious Obscurantism     43
If Gods Do Not Exist, Why Do People Believe in Them?     46
Why Do People Believe in Different Gods?     52
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam-Rooted In The Past, Standing In the Way of the Future     59
The Historical Development and Role of Christianity: Doctrines and Power Politics     61
Christianity as a New Religion: The Pivotal Role and Influence of Paul     72
Demystifying Jesus and Christianity     81
Islam Is No Better (and No Worse) Than Christianity     84
Religious Fundamentalism, Imperialism and the "War on Terror"     96
Why Is Religious Fundamentalism Growing in Today's World?     102
Rejecting the "Smug Arrogance of the Enlightened"     113
The Growth of Religion and Religious Fundamentalism: A Peculiar Expression of a Fundamental Contradiction     114
Religion-a Heavy, Heavy Chain     119
Religion, Patriarchy, Male Supremacy and Sexual Repression     121
The Bible Belt Is the Lynching Belt: Slavery, White Supremacy and Religion in America     136
Christian Fascism and Genocide     150
Religion, Fundamentalism, and the Slave Mentality     152
God Does Not Exist-We Need Liberation Without Gods     155
The "Left Hand of God"-And the Right Way to Go About Winning Liberation     157
The Myth of the Truthfulness and Positive Role of Religious Myth     199
Reason Has Not "Failed Us"-Reason Is Absolutely Necessary-Though, In Itself, It Is Not Enough     211
Religious "Faith"-Let's Call It What It Is: Irrational     216
God Does Not Exist-And There Is No Good Reason to Believe In God     217
Religion as an Opiate of the People-And an Obstacle to Emancipation     222
There Is No Such Thing As Unchanging, and Unchangeable, Human Nature     226
Liberation Without Gods     234
Bibliography     239
Index     249
About The Author     257
Praise for Other Works   Bob Avakian     259