Letters to Doubting Thomas: A Case for the Existence of God

by C. Stephen Layman

Arguments for or against God's existence can be intense, complex, and disconcerting; in fact, they often raise more questions than they answer. In Letters to Doubting A Case for the Existence of God, C. Stephen Layman offers an innovative approach to the debate--a way to organize a seeming multitude of related claims and ideas--bringing clarity to a discussion that is often mired in confusion.
Letters to Doubting Thomas explores the evidence for the existence of God through an exchange of fictionalized letters between two characters--Zachary, a philosopher (and believer), and Thomas, a layperson (and doubter) who appeals to Zachary for help in sorting out his own thoughts about God. Point by point, Zachary leads Thomas through a highly readable comparison of Naturalism (the belief that there is no God and that ultimate reality is physical reality) and Theism (the idea that there is an almighty, perfectly good God). Incorporating recent developments in philosophy, each exchange of letters addresses one complex philosophical issue, breaking it down into manageable units. Topics covered include free will, religious experience, the cosmological argument, the fine-tuning design argument, the problem of evil, divine foreknowledge and human freedom, the ontological argument, the divine command theory of ethics, and a moral argument for God's existence. As the dialogue
proceeds, Zachary develops a cogent, cumulative case for Theism over Naturalism, while Thomas raises critical questions all along the way.
Featuring a unique format and lucid writing style, Letters to Doubting Thomas is ideal for courses in the philosophy of religion and accessible to students with little or no background in philosophy. It is also engaging reading for professors, theologians, and anyone interested in the question of the existence of God.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Christianity

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2006

Reviews

[Amora]

I really wish more philosophy books would adopt the “letter exchange” format. This format made reading this especially enjoyable. Layman begins the book by looking at both naturalism and theism and says that, while naturalism has higher probability because it is a simpler hypothesis, theism should be taken as seriously as a rival because of reports of religious experience.

From here, he presents arguments from cosmology, fine-tuning, and free will. He says that theism is able to explain the existence of contingent things, fine-tuning, and feee will with ease while a naturalist hypothesis needs additional complexity to account for these, thus reducing the prior probability of naturalism.

I love these worldview comparison arguments, and I find it fascinating that Layman’s argument doesn’t depend on theism being a simpler hypothesis than naturalism.

[Jaxson Houghton]

Great Book!!!!!
I really enjoyed it. It was very precise and technical while also easier for a layman (no pun intended) to understand.

[Jake]

All things considered, this was a respectable case for the existence of God. A perk of the book is that Layman defends the broad theistic conception of God, so it is not bogged down by doctrinal messages as many other books on God's existence tend to be. Layman's discussion of basic principles of logic and the inference to the best explanation were pretty good, as well.

Also, Layman's writing style is very clear and entertaining.

One downside, for me, was the book's layout. The structure is essentially, as the title suggests, a letter between two friends. While this style was charming at first, it quickly got annoying as the conversational banter distracted from Layman's presentation of the arguments.

Overall, a very good introductory book on arguments in favor of theism,and one I would recommend to atheists and theists alike.