IIS,

The hardest hardcore atheist I know is my wife. I am primarily agnostic myself Since the reason I discount religions is that it is not possible to know the things they claim are true. So how could you know with certainty there is no god, gods, etc of any kind either?

Faced with that, the Mrs says, "Don't be such a *****."

Hi Lynann,

I love librarians. My cousins are both librarians. They always know the best places for info and the best internet cartoons. Plus librarians stood up to the FBI back when no one even knew we were being spied on.

Excellent list. I'm only missing two:

The Federalist Papers X (Wrote an analysis of them as propaganda.)

1984 X

Welcome to the Monkey House X

Fahrenheit 451 X

Animal Farm X

The Bible X

Of Mice and Men X

The Age of Reason

Lady Chatterley's Lover X

Origin of Species X

To Kill a Mockingbird X

Tom Sawyer X

Siddhartha

Catch-22 X


I'd suggest a couple of others:

War is a Racket, Smedley Butler (very short but rich)

Anything (short story, novel, column, napkin scrawl, literally anything) by Harlan Ellison

I always invite them in and open the discussion.
My favorite is the Mormons. First get them to tell you the tenets of Mormonism. After they get to the avoidance of stimulants like caffeine (since the body is God's temple) ask them why members of the Church of LDS have controlling inters in PepsiCo, one of the largers purveyors of caffeine in the world.

Also it's fun to ask about the hat of prophecy and the golden plates.

Whatever the flavor of prosthelyzer shows up at your door just ask the questions that cut at the core of all religions.

How do you know you are right?
Why are there so many conflicting religions?
What about dinosaurs? (evolution)

The goal isn't to win the argument at the door. It is to sow doubt. If they doubt then they might actually think for a change.