Is Religion Irrational?

by Keith Ward

Is Religion Irrational? "In the early twenty-first century atheism seems to have taken on a new lease of life. Buses in London carry the slogan, `There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.` In the United States and Britain there seems to be a concerted campaign to persuade people that atheism is the only reasonable form of belief." But is it? In Is Religion Irrational? , best-selling author Keith Ward confronts the new atheists' charges head-on, arguing that belief in God is actually more reasonable than atheism. Starting with the question of why belief in God matters in the first place, Ward guides us through some of the biggest conundrums of today's "big questions": What is God? Does God cause evil? Is the universe intelligently designed? Are faith and reason incompatible? How does God act in the world? Is there a future for religion? Whatever your opinion about God, this is a book that will challenge and inform.

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2010

About the author

Keith Ward was formerly the Regius Professor of Divinity and Head of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Oxford. A priest of the Church of England and Canon of Christ Church, Oxford, he holds Doctor of Divinity degrees from Cambridge and Oxford Universities. He has lectured at the universities of Glasgow, St. Andrew's and Cambridge.

Reviews

[Ric]

This book was suggested by a newly-found theist friend who seems to be more intelligent than your run-of-the-mill religious person. So I tried to read the book to see if it can give me some good arguments that can really make me think. However, it immediately lost me on the first chapter.

The first chapter tried to disconnect "objective knowledge" with "subjective/personal knowledge" in an attempt to box the knowledge of god/s or religion into the personal knowledge realm only and separate it from the objective. From hereon, I already knew that this book will not be able to give me good arguments for believing in god/s and subscribing to a religion.

Personal knowledge is not separate from objective knowledge. The foundations of your personal knowledge should stem from the objective. If a subject fails the objective criteria of being true or even just being probably true, then IT IS IRRATIONAL to still subject that piece of knowledge into philosophical ramblings to extract useful personal knowledge.

[Neo]

great starting point for skeptics.

[Chris Hargreaves]

1 start for the format and layout

What a jumble! I don't know of any evidence based god and this book has no evidence.

Full of obscure concepts and twisting rambles. Would be a good example on how to not to write a book on any side of an argument.