If There Is No God: The Battle Over Who Defines Good and Evil

by Dennis Prager

One of the most important conservative voices of the last century takes on the dangers of secularism in this, the most important book of his life.

Your beloved dog and a stranger are drowning. Who do you try to save first?

Every time famed radio host, New York Times bestselling author, and Co-founder of PragerU, Dennis Prager, has asked this question, one-third of the audience voted for the dog, one-third for the stranger, and one-third was not sure. We live in an era when people increasingly make moral judgments based on their emotions. But if feelings determine what is right and wrong, then whether murder, rape, and theft are wrong is no more than an opinion. Why are those who riot and destroy property wrong, especially if they feel their behavior is justified? Prager explains that without objective morality, the world will descend into chaos, with every individual engaging in any behavior they feel is right.

For fifty years, Dennis Prager, one of the best-known public intellectuals in the Western world, has explored the vital role Judeo-Christian values play in shaping individual lives and entire societies. In If There Is No God, he engages in provocative and sometimes heated exchanges with questioners who offer some of the greatest challenges he has faced concerning how one determines good and evil and why one’s feelings can be life-enhancing yet morally unimportant.

If God exists, why doesn’t He punish the unjust? Why does He allow the innocent to suffer? How can religion better the human condition when so many of the religious are often immoral? These timeless questions are in urgent need of answers. The reader need not be religious or even believe in God to find the arguments and debates in this book compelling and meaningful. All one needs is reason to appreciate the ideas Prager presents.

Thought-provoking, important, and accessible for the devout and the skeptic, If There Is No God is a guide for anyone seeking clarity in a morally troubled age.

Genres: Religion, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Christianity

251 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 24, 2026

About the author

Dennis Prager is a best-selling author, columnist and nationally syndicated radio talk show host based in Los Angeles and heard on 150 stations across the country.

A Fellow at Columbia University’s School of International Affairs, where he did graduate work at the Middle East and Russian Institutes, he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Delegation to the Vienna Review Conference on the Helsinki Accords, and by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. He holds an honorary doctorate of law from Pepperdine University.

A highly sought-after speaker and frequent cable news show guest, Dennis has lectured all over the world. His New York Times best-selling books include Think a Second Time, Happiness is a Serious Problem and Still the Best Hope: Why American Values Must Triumph. His newest book is The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code.

Reviews

[Troy D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed with this title. Normally, Dennis has such groundbreaking ideas that are worthy of being in a book.
For example, his one book Still the Best Hope is a must read for all Americans. The problem with this book is it was basically a lecture that he put into a book.

Lectures read very different from books because books are much more well thought and can incorporate much grander ideas in my opinion. I’m always impressed with Dennis‘s lecture skills and his ability to think on the fly, but I was really expecting something thought-provoking instead of just listening to him debate with ignorant college students.

This was a copy-paste book which I really think was a waste of my time. I absolutely adore and love Dennis Prager, but you could listen to his fireside chat and make better use of your time than to read this book

[Christopher · Rating 1 out of 5]

These takes come off childlike. In his own words, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and right to teach… but I think readers should consider Prager’s only relevant merit is creating a short-form conservative media organization. He has a lot to say about other people’s lack of wisdom and morality when his own lacks perspective and experience.

[Mary K. Hyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clarity in assessing values vs feelings & other guiding subjects

Brilliant, straight talk about the importance of Values upon the stability of society: not just values, but where they are derived & how they impact behavior. I intend to reread portions to better grasp its concepts so I can share them.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not familiar with Dennis Prager before this book but I loved his logic and his easy to understand examples. Rather than a book, this was more of a transcript from Q&A with teenagers over a several day period. I look forward to reading more of his work.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC READ

I wish that this book could be required reading in every Christian college in America! It would be a great read in secular colleges as well.