Your God Is Too Small: 50 Essays on Life, Love & Liberty Without Religion

by Dean Lawrence (Editor), Sage Mauldin (Editor), Carolann Engelhaupt (Editor)

These articles present the real thoughts and feelings of everyday average atheists. We are friends and family. We are doctors and lawyers. We are pharmacists, biologists, and engineers. We are ordinary people who see a universe that is bigger than any god man has ever imagined.
For billions of people around the globe, god and religion are the biggest things in their lives. Even for those not very devout believers, their belief is a part of how they think about themselves and for most of them god is very big. However, for a small minority of people the idea of god is small and pitiful. We look out into the universe and see something so amazing that it could not possibly be the work of these tiny imagined gods of mankind. These gods whom we are given that display such ignoble traits as jealousy and outright hubris.
We see the harm that religion brings to humanity. We see the injustice, inequality, and division amongst men that it causes. We see humanity being stifled by these religions and these tiny gods. We at Atheist Republic have a message we have steadily tried to convey. That message is that we as human beings are bigger than these imaginary gods. We believe that humanity is greater than gods and doctrines.

Genres: Religion, Atheism, Nonfiction

326 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2014

Reviews

[David Batterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the book and the message provided. I am an Oklahoma native as well and I understand completely about the bible belt and how people can be so lost on their so-called faith that they almost seem non human. Your God is Too Small is the perfect way to explain how one sole being couldn't possibly be responsible for all of the good things and the overbearing tragedy that happens on a mud ball in a solar system for according to the bible only about 5,000 years, maybe 6,000 (if we're generous). Science has proven that earth is millions and millions of years old and even older once carbon dating was discovered.

Now the bible: As you so correctly stated, the bible was a message from one person to another, to another and our examples of it that we were taught from were copies of copies of copies. Truth is, the bible project wasn't began until over 320 years after the death of Jesus Christ and was inevitably written by over 40 men and the first finished copy was in the Hebrew language. Our versions were translated from translations. Hebrew to Greek to Western English. The message flying around the room (game of telephone) that you mention in your book is a great way to explain how ridiculous the claims of the bible are. If people were to take the model of how the bible was written and then use that model to create instructions on building a space shuttle, they'd finally see that there is nothing good that can come from over three centuries of conveyed messages and that their space shuttle would never fly and likely cause their demise.

[Udit Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being an atheist myself I dont think there was anything new to discover in this book. But indeed most of the points are worth exploring specially if someone belongs to other side of the aisle. Since everybody has their own journey of coming out of faith system, the intensity also varies. Some of the essays are very combative in nature. While some of them are elegant and a treasure to read.

The most important point is alluded in the title only. That is when I look at the vastness of the cosmos and the universe and glance at the primitive holy books I really pity it. The world in the holy books is indeed too small and hence the title that your god is too small.

As Nietzsche said: “There are two different types of people in the world, those who want to know, and those who want to believe.” I wish to be numbered among the former, and not the latter, both when it comes to religion and when it comes to an understanding of morals and ethics.

Christopher Hitchens once said, “Of all the supposed virtues, faith must be the most overrated.” Faith imprisons the mind, hindering its fullest potential. It forces its victims to accept information blindly, without investigation. We have the ability to be skeptical, to ask for good evidence, but faith convinces us, conveniently, that good evidence not only isn’t necessary, but it should be abandoned immediately. And I think only this one criteria of questioning should makes us sceptical about all the claims of religion or organized faith systems.

There are many more aspects discussed in the book along with these. Overall it's a great read.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently discovered that I'm an atheist and I was confused because my hole family is christian but when I read this book I could understand better what atheism really is.
I truly recommend this book for those who are atheis or just have doubts about their religion because this book show us a great perspective about the world using logical arguments.

Just Loved It.

[Darjeeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essays by Muslim atheists are sad & beautiful. Those by Jewish atheists are incredibly well researched, if a little verbose. Those by Christian atheists?; Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I congratulate the Muslim world on the high quality of it's atheists. We seem to have lost the art here in the west.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings

Some essays a bit ordinary some excellent. Worth. Few dollars as an ebook. See the atheist republic website for more essays

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of thoughtful essays is an opportunity for everyone to learn about why people around the world are rejecting religion. It provides a variety of viewpoints and offers a chance to learn about atheists and our perspectives. While many of these essays point out the damage the religion has done in the world, and the flawed logic promoted by religions around the world, they also serve to provide hope for those of us who often feel alone in our non-belief.

This is, however, not just a book for atheists. It should also be read by the religious, so they can learn how we see things, and why we don't share their views. While it will probably not change anyone's mind, it may provide insight into the minds of a much hated minority, and perhaps show that we are not nearly the threat believers make us out to be.

[Sancho · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of fifty short essays about different aspects of life and the atheists' approach to them: homosexuality, animal welfare, sex, etc.

I really enjoyed reading them. I think they are easy to read and understand, and the arguments are solid and logic (well, they rely on rationality, what else can one expect?) I also enjoyed realizing that there are so many people out there that think in a similar way as I do, and that reach similar conclusions from probably very different backgrounds.

I can recommend this book to anyone who is willing to discuss/think about such central topics in human life without letting primitive books or puritan thoughts influence them.

[Deepan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and contains some powerful, original ideas. A highly thought provoking read that is not for the faint-hearted. Anyone who reads it with an open mind is bound to come out with a treasure trove of truth and simplicity. The collection of essays spans very interesting topics and controversial areas as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[richard j fuhrmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard fuhrman

I loved this book! It was refreshing not to see people walk on egg shells. It said it all and I am grateful to have found this group and book. I only wish I knew how to get this review to them so I could get the free book. Oh well...I will survive. Love it!!!

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good philosophical discussion about religion but these essays felt too simplistic and left me wanting more. I know all the arguments against belief. I guess I was looking for something deeper.

[Luis Humberto Molinar Márquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

[English review + Reseña en español]

The quality of the essays contained in this volume is irregular, and all of them can be found online, so that for the regulars of the official Atheist Republic site there are few new ideas —if any— to discover in the book.

In general, I think that the ideas and approaches expressed are quite interesting and revealing, and that they can be a good initial point of contact for people who are still in doubt or who have just woken up to reason. I agree with some of the essayists, but I think that there are really few texts (3 or 4 at most) whose quality stands out, while the majority of them are either iterations about discussions already exposed several times in various forums, or too partial and simplistic in their approach.

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La calidad de los ensayos contenidos en este volumen es irregular, y todos ellos pueden ser encontrados en línea, de modo que para los asiduos del sitio oficial de Atheist Republic quedan pocas ideas nuevas —si es que las hay— por descubrir en el libro.

En general, pienso que las ideas y los enfoques vertidos son bastante interesantes y reveladores, y que pueden resultar un buen punto de contacto inicial para la gente que aún duda o que recién ha despertado a la razón. Estoy de acuerdo con algunos de los ensayistas, pero creo que en realidad son pocos los textos (a lo sumo 3 o 4) cuya calidad sobresale, mientras que la mayoría son, o bien iteraciones sobre discusiones ya expuestas con anterioridad en diversos foros, o demasiado parciales y simplistas en su enfoque.

[Louis T. Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding very good read.

It's more than what is on one person his/her mind. I like the book,i myself don't like to draw attention to my feelings. But the truth about what is happening in the name of Religion is really wrong any one with half a brain should be able to see it. The stupidity of the stories in the bible flat jump out at you. Sorry for the mini rant,it's a very good book.

[Wayne Churchill · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're skeptical about religion, this book will appeal to you. Be warned, it is a collection of articles from an atheist website, so it lacked the depth I was seeking. Of course I could've picked this up from the title, but I had to read it to realize I wanted more.

[Tony Anuci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

As a single parent of teenagers in a small town in a Christian conservative area of Michigan, it is always nice to hear voices of reason. I love these pieces.

[Dechen Yoesel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely enjoyed it. I love the thoughts reflected in it.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overall this book ranks as merely ... okay. Not especially bad, and definitely not great. For the most part it’s preaching to the choir and doesn’t contain much that would truly pique a theist’s interest or challenge them beyond the well known typical arguments. It’s more of a literary town square soapbox for various atheists and secularists to get off their chest, issues which they apparently feel have not been addressed correctly or thoroughly enough (they have). The book’s collection of essays/articles ranges from decent entries such as “Dear God You Might Be Psychotic” by Michael Sherlock and Randall Hogan’s “YHWH’s Magnum Opus Deals a Mortal Blow to Pascal’s Wager,” to the woefully ignorant of evolutionary mechanism, fallacy ridden, confirmation bias filled “Atheist Morals? Don’t Read This Unless You Are Brave” by Dean Van Drasek, who seems to either not quite understand, or purposely misrepresents, the philosophies of Nietzsche and Hume, and who is either unaware of or unable to understand the scores of scientific literature supporting what he rails so hard against. Don’t worry about that science, Dean has some Whataboutisms and abracadabra turning specifics into generalities that will dazzle you. (In fairness, he redeems himself with his better entries on the soul, and on science vs religion) And then there is the completely pointless drivel of Steven Lo’s odd entry, “After Weighing Plethora of Options, Bangladeshi Baby Finally Rests on Islam.” It’s honestly just awful and poorly written. His other piece in this book is just as puerile. It feels as though he’s the token edgy teenager chosen to write for the potential edgy teenager audience.

Most of the content however, is in between those extremes and at times not too bad, but generally a somewhat uninspiring, sometimes amateurish (and occasionally outright erroneous) rehashing of well worn atheist/theist issues. Both the good and the really bad entries stand out effortlessly, while the rest is a lukewarm soup; although a few pieces in the middle of that soup, notably Allie Jackson’s entry, “I Call it Faux-Stockholm Syndrome,” J.D. Brucker’s, “Faith: The Most Absurd and Perverse Idea Ever Conceived,” and Vish Carvaka’s “God-Men: Atheism & The Cult of Personality,” do warrant a fair thumbs up. (I also think Karen Loethen’s “What a Skeptical Parent Teaches about Religion” receive an honorable mention for at least being better structured arguments, though I would have liked to see some lines of thought expounded on and followed a little further.)

Unfortunately though, this book is tainted with a bit too much junk to sift through in order to find the good bits. Throughout its pages one will find instances of logical fallacies such a false equivocations, reductio ad absurdum, generalization fallacies, strawmen, and others, as well as a sometimes gross misunderstanding (and ignorance of the literature) on subjects such as evolution, psychology, culture, history of religion, atheism itself, and even simpler subjects like the psychological and physiological effects of pornography. There are simply too many problems like that scattered throughout the book, making it a laborious and sometimes frustrating read that feels as though it needs a good amount of “cleaning up” of the content. It was a "noble attempt" at an anthology from lesser known/unknown atheist/secular voices, but it ends up being an argument for why one is best to stick to "expert" anthologies like those author John Loftus has edited. As mentioned earlier, a significant portion of this book is at times amateurish and often had a feel that it was written by newly converted new atheists, excited and eager to put into writing all they’ve read about in their first few years as an atheist. I get that, but it doesn’t always make for good reading. I had only heard of this group, The Atheist Republic, in name only, but if this book represents the best they have to offer, I doubt I’ll be rushing to their site/blogs anytime soon. The bottom line is that I simply cannot recommend this book, not because it’s completely terrible, but because it’s just not that good, and it’s been done better many times before. A good theist apologist would dismantle a lot of the flaws in the book, and for any long time atheist, it’s just too tedious a chore to constantly find passages that require a notepad at the ready for writing a correction/rebuttal … if for no other reason than one's own sanity. Truth be told, I would best sum up by saying that reading this book felt a lot like sitting down to grade your students’ papers and having to keep that red fine-tip Sharpie in hand constantly. A good effort, but not top quality material at all.

[Onionboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard to write one review about a compilation of 50 different essays. It is quite a mixed bag. Most of them were good. A few really stood out as great. Several just rehashed all the old points in the style of a beginning writer, who seemed to write the essay more for their own therapy than the reader’s benefit, which isn’t a bad thing.
Overall I would recommend this to a newbie atheist, as it can help firm up your thoughts to make them more readily expressed if the need should ever arise. Also, it can help to see that there are many others out there who see things the way you do. In our society, atheism can be a lonely, isolating experience.
Reading this inspires me to write an essay, in order to push myself to consolidate and clarify my thoughts on this, so I could better express them.
If you have read a lot of books about atheism, you might not find much here that you haven’t already read. I don’t mean that to put down this compilation, just to help people have reasonable expectations.
If there is one take-away to get from this book, it is that religion in general should be viewed not just as a harmless belief that some chose to follow, (or more often, don’t bother to reject). We need to see it more for what it is, a harmful system that has injured many people specifically, and more generally harmed and impeded our society as a whole. It is something we need to help society overcome and leave behind before we can truly improve life. I don’t want to call it a call to arms, but an encouragement to be bold. Athiests should not hide in fear of rejection, but instead should lead the discussion. The religious speak boldy when they are confident that truth is on their side. Could we not do the same?

[Shubhada · Rating 4 out of 5]

This read was definitely thought provoking and satisfying. The book contains 50 essays divided under 10 topics that cover main tenets in an atheist's life.
It talks ,with all the proofs ; about the vile, abhorrent and disgusting traditions that the ancient books promote.
Atheism is addressed beautifully and in a positive light. Mostly people look towards atheism in a negative light and believe that an atheist CANNOT be moral and virtuous, which is an outright lie. Atheists believe in finding the truth and rationale. Religion opposes rational approach and wants people to blindly have 'Faith', which promotes ignorance...(and ignorance is NOT a bliss).
What I liked about the book is that it covered main topics that an atheist has to encounter in his life. It also addresses issues like dealing with deaths and grief, morality, parenting skills as an atheist, etc.
What I think the book is lacking is addressing the evils within religions other than Christianity, Islam and Judaism. There are only modicum and scattered references of other religions except the ones mentioned above.
If you are looking for a read that will thoroughly introduce and educate you with the concept of atheism ... go for it.

[Peter McGinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an atheist, I did not obtain this book to help make up my mind what to believe. That is not surprising as most of the reviews I saw were written by people whose opinions didn't change a bit after reading it. They don’t call it faith for nothing. I read it because of the apparent diversity of topics and viewpoints I saw in the table of contents. And I also thought it might be interesting because the essays are not written by the bestselling atheist writers but by people who write blogs, or who are writing for a personal reason.

Still, I can't say I enjoyed every essay.. A few I ended up skimming or skipping, but not because the were poorly written but rather because the topic didn't appeal to me. But I am sure other readers read those essays and skipped ones that I liked. Another feature of the Kindle edition is that it provides links at the end of the essays in case you want to dig a little deeper. I recommend this book to the perpetually curious and critical thinkers who want to broaden their awareness.

[Ayon Bit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. At age 21 I decided I had to know for sure, so I started an intense year of study and prayer with the result being I became an atheist.

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind Opening

Everyone should read this collection of essays and then evaluate the relevance of religion in the world we live today. Religion definitely never should be used as a moral compass for society. This book will explain why more and more people are seeing religion as the source of wars, division within community, hate crimes justified by a god claiming to be loving and a self inflicted burden about prospects of life which religion has no business trying to regulate. Of course if you consider the time frame you live in as "CAVEMEN and NOMADIC HUNTER GATHERERS", perhaps religion will still be valid in your life. Earthquakes were considered a sign that Odin was displeased in some way.

Open your mind and be a realist about science. Science asks mankind to evaluate the world we live in. Religion tells you what to think, what to believe and who you may hate and who your god wants you to kill.

All of these premises of religion are evaluated in this book.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading these essays, I agree with many sentiments, but question or outright disagree with others. However, I like that everything discussed allows for exploration and the seeking of truth and knowledge based on facts and doesn’t say you must agree with my opinion just because. Near the end there was a bit of redundancy, but since it is a collection of essays from a group of like minded people I suppose that is to be expected to some degree.

[eddie street · Rating 1 out of 5]

Same old lazy thinking.

I haven't read all the essays in this book but the ones I have show a total lack of reasoned and rational thought. It's the same old lazy thinking that I've come to expect from atheists. O and by the way mr writer who's name I forget, don't confuse humanism with atheism again. They are not the same. I give it 1 star because I'm not allowed to give it none!

[Amit Durgapal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some essays are very learned and scintillating. I liked essays by dean van drasek and Dean Lawrence and a couple others. There is a good coverage of history and science relevant to the subject and a heady dose of common sense that's the hallmark of atheism. My only issue is that they are all centered on Abrahamic religions.

[Jeff Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed several things about this book. The essays were just the right size to read and then think about. I seldom use the note function on my kindle, but I highlighted several quotes in this book. I would recommend to anyone, believer or not.

[James Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short essays

Great little essays from a multitude of points of view on the matter. Normal people just getting their word out.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a very powerful read! I was raised Christian (church EVERY Sunday kind) and never questioned any teaching until taking catechism classes. During college I took a course on comparative religions (very interesting and thought provoking). At age 25 I decided I had to know for sure, so I started an intense year of study and prayer with the result being I became an athiest.

I have spent the last 50 years saying thank you when ever some one said they would pray for me. I listened to others religious rants and nodded my head in seeming agreement. Now I read these essays and feel guilt that I did not speak up. I live in a Christian society, so had no desire to make my life more difficult than it was.

Read these essays (with an open mind). There is a lot said that makes you question! Religion, be it Buddhism, Christianity or Islamic has a lot to answer for!

[Anand Perla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Atheist

Thank you for the book about atheism. This book makes me understand myself and more about an atheist. Than you.

[Mahr Mohsn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad information

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a variety of essays from the general public, evidently taken from submissions to the "Atheist Republic" Facebook group. Read a few, scanned through, didn't really enjoy it.