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Atheist Answers: Rational Responses to Religious Questions
Whether you’re a non-believer interested in activism or a religious fundamentalist who wants to learn about the “other side,” Atheist Answers is perfect for you. The book contains hundreds of questions frequently asked of atheists, as well as answers from an atheist author and seasoned heathen. Some of the questions David G. McAfee answers “Why did you decide to become an atheist?”“What is the attitude of atheists towards religious people?”“Do you have to dislike religion to be an atheist?”“Why don’t you believe in God?”“If there was a Heaven, would you want to go?”“Can you imagine how the world would be without religion?”“What if there is a God?”“What about my answered prayers? Aren’t those enough proof of God?”“Do you believe in reincarnation?”“Doesn’t it take faith to be an atheist?”… and many, many, more!
116 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 2016
82 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
David G. McAfee
13 books168 followersDavid G. McAfee is a journalist and author of The Curious Person's Guide to Fighting Fake News, No Sacred Cows: Investigating Myths, Cults, and the Supernatural, and other books. He is a former columnist for Canadian Freethinker Magazine and a contributor to American Atheist Magazine. Mr. McAfee attended University of California, Santa Barbara, and graduated with bachelor’s degrees in English and Religious Studies with an emphasis on Christianity and Mediterranean religions. After experiencing discrimination within the American public education system as a result of his secular activism, David G. McAfee sought to help those who fear similar professional or familial consequences to their public non-belief.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 21, 2016
This little book is a gem. If you are open and vocal about your atheism you need to read it. If you are thinking about becoming open and vocal about your atheism then you definitely need to read it. This book is all about starting a dialogue with people who are genuinely interested in understanding how someone approaches life from a secular point of view. This is not to say that all the questions presented exude tact; some do and the responses David gives to those questions are both insightful and respectful. To those questions that are less than tactful the responses are pointed, sometimes humerous, but always leave a path open for subsequent dialogue. I've had plenty of debates and discussions with believers over the decades and I wish I'd have had read this book prior to a number of them. There are times when you want to win an argument and there are plenty of great books out there that can help you do just that. Sometimes, however, winning an argument is not what you want to do. When it is a dear friend or family member who sincerely is wrestling with questions that their religious beliefs provide no satisfactory answers for comes to you to try to understand how one derives meaning and deals with these issues from a secular point of view then this book is the one that you want to read.
June 27, 2019
McAfee succinctly and fair-mindedly lays out the case for his secularism and mild anti-theism. He does continue the somewhat problematic assertion that seems to limit religion to a) theistic belief based systems and then b) tautological to just believe in unsupported beliefs, but this is common to everyone writing about religion who is not an anthropologist and thus pointing out the problems with the entire category historically. His worldview laid out clearly, briefly, fairly, and with a board-minded approach. It can be repetitive given the nature of the questions and often I wish he had developed brief answers into chapters where he may have avoided some of the other problems I mention below.
Beyond repetition, this is not a perfect book, here and there McAfee makes a few minor assertions where he seems to make a few stronger claims that conflate statistics and causes than can that seems problematic for someone who is touting a scientific worldview. for example, pointing out that fairly secular Japan has lower depression rates than West and pointing a correlation to secularism without noting that Japan has a very, very high suicide rate and it is not clear that question is understood in the same way in Japan or that recent studies in 2015 (which he doesn't cite when he says "You can see love on brain scans") shows the effects of hormones linked to "romantic love" but says there is still a lot more study that needs to be done to disaggregate exactly what is happening.
Yet, McAfee is not as strident or bombastic as many who would agree with him, he is consistent in his approach, and where he makes what I see as over-claims (although, if any, few outright errors), these are kind of technical points which are of importance but do not invalidate his other major points. Suggested for those new to debates around secularity.
Beyond repetition, this is not a perfect book, here and there McAfee makes a few minor assertions where he seems to make a few stronger claims that conflate statistics and causes than can that seems problematic for someone who is touting a scientific worldview. for example, pointing out that fairly secular Japan has lower depression rates than West and pointing a correlation to secularism without noting that Japan has a very, very high suicide rate and it is not clear that question is understood in the same way in Japan or that recent studies in 2015 (which he doesn't cite when he says "You can see love on brain scans") shows the effects of hormones linked to "romantic love" but says there is still a lot more study that needs to be done to disaggregate exactly what is happening.
Yet, McAfee is not as strident or bombastic as many who would agree with him, he is consistent in his approach, and where he makes what I see as over-claims (although, if any, few outright errors), these are kind of technical points which are of importance but do not invalidate his other major points. Suggested for those new to debates around secularity.
February 4, 2017
The author of Disproving Christianity and Mom, Dad, I’m an Atheist has done it again with another bite-sized tome entitled Atheist Answers: Rational Responses to Religious Questions.
This book is a helpful resource for those needing quick answers to basic questions about atheism.
David G. McAfee is the epitome of Atheism 101 or educational atheism. He writes about introductory topics that can be read in an afternoon. His writing is always instructive, not to be confused with the other David McAfee who writes fantasy about Jesus and vampires. This coincidence has led to some hilarious confusion when I first started looking for all titles under that name.
McAfee’s tools of choice include a rational approach and everyday language that communicates clearly. In Atheist Answers we see the same dialectical purity in which McAfee readers would be familiar. I personally have a great deal of respect for McAfee, his writing and his evidence-based positions. While often to-the-point, he does not come off as robotic. I noticed him preface his answers to distraught people with “I’m sorry,” and when one questioner with cancer asks how they can handle an overly religious oncologist, he begins,
“You’re in a very sensitive position and I would never pretend to be able to understand it entirely.”
Here McAfee shows both empathy and an acknowledgment that what he offers is not the entirety of atheist knowledge and experience.
His responses often reminded me of similar ones from Atheos, an app to help nonbelievers respond to believers with epistemology. Sure enough, upon looking up the list of contributors for that app, there he was.
If you don’t like to read an entire book in italics, this book is not for you. I’ll admit to reading the word “belp” several times before realizing that it was “help” with the italicized “h” curling under itself. My nine year old looked over my shoulder and asked in amazement, “They make books in cursive?” No, not cursive, but close enough without my glasses. I’ve decided to forgive him for it since the subject matter more than makes up for the format. For some, I’d imagine, italics will make the book feel more intimate.
If many of the questions and answers from Atheist Answers sound familiar, they are. The book draws heavily from McAfee’s online interactions—with the spelling, grammar, and fluidity of the questions obviously improved upon for the book, at least from what I remember of the originals. His willingness to continuously engage with reams of queries from curious believers who frequent his pages is an admirable endurance. McAfee’s Facebook author page has over 170,000 likes and averages thousands of comments per post. If I had to sum up McAfee in one word, it would be “patient.” He tends to see a lot of repetition in the questions posed to him:
Why don’t you believe in God? Why do you hate God? What if there is a God and you’re wrong?
If the answers he gives sometimes feel like the same message reworded, I think that reinforces the point that atheism is just a lack a belief in god(s). It really is that simple.
As a formerly religious person, one of the things I love about McAfee is that he does not shy away from looking into religion. He seems intrigued by different belief systems, which naturally led to his academic work in religion studies. He argues that, “Religions are important because people continue to base their lives on religious scriptures and dogmas.”
Like a bright-eyed Steve Irwin holding up a venomous creature and remarking upon the fascinating aspects of it, I sometimes imagine McAfee holding up a religious doctrine that others would find repulsive or dangerous and saying, “Would you look at that four thousand-year-old belief! Isn’t it a beaut! This has inspired millions of people to do a certain behavior! Crikey!”
While recognizing the harm religion has done, McAfee thinks religious ideas need to be reformed for a better society, not necessarily eliminated, which is the traditional anti-theist position. Although I go back and forth on this issue, I tend to disagree with McAfee’s optimism about religion being a social good. In imagining a world without religion, McAfee states his belief that
“There would likely be fewer suicide bombings, but also fewer charities.”
I think that having fewer charities is a fair statement. Similarly, if we eliminated the idea of Santa Claus there would likely be fewer gifts given in December. But do the ends justify the means? In other words, in order to praise the good done by hospitals and charities, we must first overlook the countless people silenced, terrorized, tortured, and killed throughout history by those religions until they dominated systems of power and expanded to the point of prosperity enough to invest in those institutions. Does that diminish the good done today? I’m not sure, but if I had a TARDIS
I would prevent it if I could.
A discussion on the social good of religion is a complicated issue, and I realize I’m converting a simple statement taken from a pithy reply into a full-blown debate. Atheist Answers never promises in-depth answers, or a treatise on the entirety of the author’s opinions, but instead offers starting-off points for investigation. In that way, this book has been successfully engaging. I’m ready for McAfee to write a new book for every answer he gives here. In the next several decades, he just might.
I would recommend Atheist Answers to those just discovering they are no longer religious and wondering what rational responses to give to the questions they are encountering. I would also recommend it to religious folks who are looking to understand their atheist friends and neighbors. Apparently, there are thousands of them online, asking questions.
This book is a helpful resource for those needing quick answers to basic questions about atheism.
David G. McAfee is the epitome of Atheism 101 or educational atheism. He writes about introductory topics that can be read in an afternoon. His writing is always instructive, not to be confused with the other David McAfee who writes fantasy about Jesus and vampires. This coincidence has led to some hilarious confusion when I first started looking for all titles under that name.
McAfee’s tools of choice include a rational approach and everyday language that communicates clearly. In Atheist Answers we see the same dialectical purity in which McAfee readers would be familiar. I personally have a great deal of respect for McAfee, his writing and his evidence-based positions. While often to-the-point, he does not come off as robotic. I noticed him preface his answers to distraught people with “I’m sorry,” and when one questioner with cancer asks how they can handle an overly religious oncologist, he begins,
“You’re in a very sensitive position and I would never pretend to be able to understand it entirely.”
Here McAfee shows both empathy and an acknowledgment that what he offers is not the entirety of atheist knowledge and experience.
His responses often reminded me of similar ones from Atheos, an app to help nonbelievers respond to believers with epistemology. Sure enough, upon looking up the list of contributors for that app, there he was.
If you don’t like to read an entire book in italics, this book is not for you. I’ll admit to reading the word “belp” several times before realizing that it was “help” with the italicized “h” curling under itself. My nine year old looked over my shoulder and asked in amazement, “They make books in cursive?” No, not cursive, but close enough without my glasses. I’ve decided to forgive him for it since the subject matter more than makes up for the format. For some, I’d imagine, italics will make the book feel more intimate.
If many of the questions and answers from Atheist Answers sound familiar, they are. The book draws heavily from McAfee’s online interactions—with the spelling, grammar, and fluidity of the questions obviously improved upon for the book, at least from what I remember of the originals. His willingness to continuously engage with reams of queries from curious believers who frequent his pages is an admirable endurance. McAfee’s Facebook author page has over 170,000 likes and averages thousands of comments per post. If I had to sum up McAfee in one word, it would be “patient.” He tends to see a lot of repetition in the questions posed to him:
Why don’t you believe in God? Why do you hate God? What if there is a God and you’re wrong?
If the answers he gives sometimes feel like the same message reworded, I think that reinforces the point that atheism is just a lack a belief in god(s). It really is that simple.
As a formerly religious person, one of the things I love about McAfee is that he does not shy away from looking into religion. He seems intrigued by different belief systems, which naturally led to his academic work in religion studies. He argues that, “Religions are important because people continue to base their lives on religious scriptures and dogmas.”
Like a bright-eyed Steve Irwin holding up a venomous creature and remarking upon the fascinating aspects of it, I sometimes imagine McAfee holding up a religious doctrine that others would find repulsive or dangerous and saying, “Would you look at that four thousand-year-old belief! Isn’t it a beaut! This has inspired millions of people to do a certain behavior! Crikey!”
While recognizing the harm religion has done, McAfee thinks religious ideas need to be reformed for a better society, not necessarily eliminated, which is the traditional anti-theist position. Although I go back and forth on this issue, I tend to disagree with McAfee’s optimism about religion being a social good. In imagining a world without religion, McAfee states his belief that
“There would likely be fewer suicide bombings, but also fewer charities.”
I think that having fewer charities is a fair statement. Similarly, if we eliminated the idea of Santa Claus there would likely be fewer gifts given in December. But do the ends justify the means? In other words, in order to praise the good done by hospitals and charities, we must first overlook the countless people silenced, terrorized, tortured, and killed throughout history by those religions until they dominated systems of power and expanded to the point of prosperity enough to invest in those institutions. Does that diminish the good done today? I’m not sure, but if I had a TARDIS
I would prevent it if I could.
A discussion on the social good of religion is a complicated issue, and I realize I’m converting a simple statement taken from a pithy reply into a full-blown debate. Atheist Answers never promises in-depth answers, or a treatise on the entirety of the author’s opinions, but instead offers starting-off points for investigation. In that way, this book has been successfully engaging. I’m ready for McAfee to write a new book for every answer he gives here. In the next several decades, he just might.
I would recommend Atheist Answers to those just discovering they are no longer religious and wondering what rational responses to give to the questions they are encountering. I would also recommend it to religious folks who are looking to understand their atheist friends and neighbors. Apparently, there are thousands of them online, asking questions.
August 8, 2024
AN ATHEIST WRITER ANSWERS MANY QUESTIONS HE HAS RECEIVED
David G. McAfee wrote in the Introduction to this 2016 book, “I’ve been an atheist as long as I can remember, and I’ve been inundated with questions about it for almost as long… In college, I majored in Religious Studies and began writing about secular issues for American Atheist magazine and other non-conventional outlets. Needless to say, the questions continued and multiplied… These aren’t just questions that have been posed to me, but queries with which any non-believer will eventually be presented if they are exposed to people with opposing ideas. Religious fundamentalists often instruct their flocks to avoid atheists and writings by atheists… For me, this presents an amazing opportunity to educate them. With this book, I hope to present some of the most relevant (and interesting) questions I’ve received over the years.”
Later, he recalls, “When I was around six years old I went to a Christian at the discretion of my grandparents; this was my first experience with a religious institution… I was not moved by the experience and didn’t take the idea of church seriously… I always had questions about [these doctrines’] veracity---questions which, I quickly learned, were considered inappropriate to ask…” (Pg. 8)
He begins the first chapter with the statement, “The word ‘atheist’ breaks down into two parts: A (without) Theism (belief in deities). I don’t believe in gods, so I’m definitely an atheist. However, I’m also AGNOSTIC. I don’t claim to know, without a doubt, whether or not deities exist. In fact, that’s exactly why I don’t believe in them and why I won’t believe in them without hard evidence for their existence.” (Pg. 1)
In response to the question ‘Isn’t Atheism a religion?” he replied, “What are the organized collection of beliefs associated with Atheism? Can one position (I don’t believe in gods) be an organized ‘collection’? I think a lot of people want to call worldviews with which they disagree ‘religions,’ but definitions don’t work that way. Atheism itself has never been, and cannot be, a religion. It is an opinion on a single topic... Atheism is not the exact opposite of ‘religion’ because some atheists (such as some Buddhists, Taoists, Satanists, Pagans, etc.) can be religious.” (Pg. 3)
He continues, “There are atheists that believe in ghosts, in magic, in psychics, in astrology, in reincarnation, in karma, and more… I personally reject all supernatural and spiritual assertions for one simple reason: they’ve never been shown to exist. Spiritual presumes the presence of a ‘soul’; something that is indefinable, unprovable, and separate from the material, physical and natural world. And, to date, everything that has been discovered can be linked to a natural cause---with ideas like the supernatural and gods rendered completely unnecessary and speculative, at best. This is not to say I’m devoid of appreciation for the natural wonders. In fact, realizing the natural beauty of the world around us---and the interconnectedness of every living and non-living particle in the universe---is something that a scientific and naturalistic worldview fosters.” (Pg. 4-5)
He explains why he doesn’t believe in God: “for the same reason I don’t believe in any other supernatural forces or entities: they have never been shown to exist… I just haven’t seen any compelling evidence for the existence of any deity… you could say I don’t believe in god(s) because of their failure to live up to claims made about them by believers…. I don’t see the value in worship and I don’t think a deity who demands worship deserves it.” (Pg. 10)
He states, “Infinite torture [in Hell] for any trespass on earth is not justifiable. I no more fear the Christian Hell than a Christian fears the Muslim Hell. However, if Heaven and Hell are real and belief in Jesus is the only determining factor as to who is ‘saved,’ then Heaven would be a haven for repented rapists and murderers. Not only would Heaven be home to some of the worst criminals in human history, but it would also be an eternity of deity-worship apart from every person who [has] differing religious beliefs, even those you loved deeply for your entire life. I don’t want any part of that paradise.” (Pg. 13)
About Free Will, he suggests, “I think Sam Harris, in his efforts to dispute the Judeo-Christian concept of ‘free will,’ has muddied the waters for many people. To an extent our actions are of course influenced by genetics and personal experience, but we can also choose… to defy that in many cases… I’ve also seen a number of people claiming that, because our brains often make subconscious decisions, tat ‘we’ aren’t making those decisions. However, last I checked, our brains are (the most important) part of us. So, if we ignore the buzz phrase and deal with facts, it’s pretty clear that we can choose many of our actions on a day-to-day basis…” (Pg. 39-40)
If God revealed his existence to him, he would say, “Why did you feel the need to commit mass genocides, condone slavery, and promote the subjugation of women? And why does your inspired book indicate that the world is less than 10,000 years old … when common sense and scientific facts tell us otherwise? Why do you have to rely on ‘faith’ to believe in you[?]… Why did you used to perform grandiose miracles but, since the inception of modern recording devices, absolutely stop?... Why would you cause more than two-thirds of your creation… to burn for eternity simply for being unconvinced of your existence of being born in a culture that worships a ‘false’ God?... Why would you create evil in the first place? Why didn’t you need a creator?” (Pg. 48)
About celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas, he explains, “Each non-believer might treat these days differently… Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday that is inherently religious in its nature. It … began as a way to celebrate the previous season’s successful harvest… some people… might choose to spend the day in any way they wish. Christmas is the same in many respects… it has been adapted by Christianity from pre-Christian Pagan traditions. Some non-believers choose to participate in the secular aspects of the holiday, including gift-giving, but not everyone treats the holiday the same---nor should they… An atheist can be thankful, just not to gods.” (Pg. 63)
He acknowledges, “I know some are able to ‘ignore religion’ if it doesn’t affect them, but I can’t As long as organized faiths are responsible for hindering scientific advancement and minorities’ civil rights, promoting religious instruction in public schools, and using gods to justify violence, I’ll be advocating for secularism.” (Pg. 90)
He concludes, “This book doesn’t contain every question I’ve ever received… but I hope this small sampling will help you see what kinds of questions are asked of non-believers who find themselves in the public eye… My goal is not to debate or cause arguments, but to convey my personal perspectives in an accessible way.” (Pg. 103)
This is an excellent, basically non-polemical book that will be of great interest not just to atheists, but to anyone interesting in learning more about the atheist perspective.
David G. McAfee wrote in the Introduction to this 2016 book, “I’ve been an atheist as long as I can remember, and I’ve been inundated with questions about it for almost as long… In college, I majored in Religious Studies and began writing about secular issues for American Atheist magazine and other non-conventional outlets. Needless to say, the questions continued and multiplied… These aren’t just questions that have been posed to me, but queries with which any non-believer will eventually be presented if they are exposed to people with opposing ideas. Religious fundamentalists often instruct their flocks to avoid atheists and writings by atheists… For me, this presents an amazing opportunity to educate them. With this book, I hope to present some of the most relevant (and interesting) questions I’ve received over the years.”
Later, he recalls, “When I was around six years old I went to a Christian at the discretion of my grandparents; this was my first experience with a religious institution… I was not moved by the experience and didn’t take the idea of church seriously… I always had questions about [these doctrines’] veracity---questions which, I quickly learned, were considered inappropriate to ask…” (Pg. 8)
He begins the first chapter with the statement, “The word ‘atheist’ breaks down into two parts: A (without) Theism (belief in deities). I don’t believe in gods, so I’m definitely an atheist. However, I’m also AGNOSTIC. I don’t claim to know, without a doubt, whether or not deities exist. In fact, that’s exactly why I don’t believe in them and why I won’t believe in them without hard evidence for their existence.” (Pg. 1)
In response to the question ‘Isn’t Atheism a religion?” he replied, “What are the organized collection of beliefs associated with Atheism? Can one position (I don’t believe in gods) be an organized ‘collection’? I think a lot of people want to call worldviews with which they disagree ‘religions,’ but definitions don’t work that way. Atheism itself has never been, and cannot be, a religion. It is an opinion on a single topic... Atheism is not the exact opposite of ‘religion’ because some atheists (such as some Buddhists, Taoists, Satanists, Pagans, etc.) can be religious.” (Pg. 3)
He continues, “There are atheists that believe in ghosts, in magic, in psychics, in astrology, in reincarnation, in karma, and more… I personally reject all supernatural and spiritual assertions for one simple reason: they’ve never been shown to exist. Spiritual presumes the presence of a ‘soul’; something that is indefinable, unprovable, and separate from the material, physical and natural world. And, to date, everything that has been discovered can be linked to a natural cause---with ideas like the supernatural and gods rendered completely unnecessary and speculative, at best. This is not to say I’m devoid of appreciation for the natural wonders. In fact, realizing the natural beauty of the world around us---and the interconnectedness of every living and non-living particle in the universe---is something that a scientific and naturalistic worldview fosters.” (Pg. 4-5)
He explains why he doesn’t believe in God: “for the same reason I don’t believe in any other supernatural forces or entities: they have never been shown to exist… I just haven’t seen any compelling evidence for the existence of any deity… you could say I don’t believe in god(s) because of their failure to live up to claims made about them by believers…. I don’t see the value in worship and I don’t think a deity who demands worship deserves it.” (Pg. 10)
He states, “Infinite torture [in Hell] for any trespass on earth is not justifiable. I no more fear the Christian Hell than a Christian fears the Muslim Hell. However, if Heaven and Hell are real and belief in Jesus is the only determining factor as to who is ‘saved,’ then Heaven would be a haven for repented rapists and murderers. Not only would Heaven be home to some of the worst criminals in human history, but it would also be an eternity of deity-worship apart from every person who [has] differing religious beliefs, even those you loved deeply for your entire life. I don’t want any part of that paradise.” (Pg. 13)
About Free Will, he suggests, “I think Sam Harris, in his efforts to dispute the Judeo-Christian concept of ‘free will,’ has muddied the waters for many people. To an extent our actions are of course influenced by genetics and personal experience, but we can also choose… to defy that in many cases… I’ve also seen a number of people claiming that, because our brains often make subconscious decisions, tat ‘we’ aren’t making those decisions. However, last I checked, our brains are (the most important) part of us. So, if we ignore the buzz phrase and deal with facts, it’s pretty clear that we can choose many of our actions on a day-to-day basis…” (Pg. 39-40)
If God revealed his existence to him, he would say, “Why did you feel the need to commit mass genocides, condone slavery, and promote the subjugation of women? And why does your inspired book indicate that the world is less than 10,000 years old … when common sense and scientific facts tell us otherwise? Why do you have to rely on ‘faith’ to believe in you[?]… Why did you used to perform grandiose miracles but, since the inception of modern recording devices, absolutely stop?... Why would you cause more than two-thirds of your creation… to burn for eternity simply for being unconvinced of your existence of being born in a culture that worships a ‘false’ God?... Why would you create evil in the first place? Why didn’t you need a creator?” (Pg. 48)
About celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas, he explains, “Each non-believer might treat these days differently… Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday that is inherently religious in its nature. It … began as a way to celebrate the previous season’s successful harvest… some people… might choose to spend the day in any way they wish. Christmas is the same in many respects… it has been adapted by Christianity from pre-Christian Pagan traditions. Some non-believers choose to participate in the secular aspects of the holiday, including gift-giving, but not everyone treats the holiday the same---nor should they… An atheist can be thankful, just not to gods.” (Pg. 63)
He acknowledges, “I know some are able to ‘ignore religion’ if it doesn’t affect them, but I can’t As long as organized faiths are responsible for hindering scientific advancement and minorities’ civil rights, promoting religious instruction in public schools, and using gods to justify violence, I’ll be advocating for secularism.” (Pg. 90)
He concludes, “This book doesn’t contain every question I’ve ever received… but I hope this small sampling will help you see what kinds of questions are asked of non-believers who find themselves in the public eye… My goal is not to debate or cause arguments, but to convey my personal perspectives in an accessible way.” (Pg. 103)
This is an excellent, basically non-polemical book that will be of great interest not just to atheists, but to anyone interesting in learning more about the atheist perspective.
October 20, 2022
Loved it
This book was not only easy to read, but very relatable for me, who as an atheist since forever, in a very religious country, have encountered so many of this same questions, performed by the religious people. And I mean, since chilhood! Many of them, I have answeres similarly, just by using common sense and thanks to my very well ilustrated atheist father and not very religious mother. Other were new and brilliant answers that show David's knowledge of religions. I have read the books (bible, coran, tora), and about many other religions for fun, but I have not STUDIED them, so this was a great source of "on point" information. Light recomended lecture for everyone.
This book was not only easy to read, but very relatable for me, who as an atheist since forever, in a very religious country, have encountered so many of this same questions, performed by the religious people. And I mean, since chilhood! Many of them, I have answeres similarly, just by using common sense and thanks to my very well ilustrated atheist father and not very religious mother. Other were new and brilliant answers that show David's knowledge of religions. I have read the books (bible, coran, tora), and about many other religions for fun, but I have not STUDIED them, so this was a great source of "on point" information. Light recomended lecture for everyone.
March 8, 2020
A beautifully concise piece of literature. This shows you how to defend your stance.
January 23, 2022
Can’t believe some of the questions people asked the author. Depressing.
November 3, 2022
A really good book with some great answers that not only explains how to answer but what religious people mindsets are about their phony baloney gods.
March 8, 2022
You know, this was literally an agnostic answering questions! And good ones at that, with really deep answers. Was not expecting that. 😏 I've got to say I can see things in new ways. Some of the thought experiments, logics and reasoning would be intriguing to anyone having an open mind. Made me feel so many things about myself as a human and part of the universe.
PS: I just came up with premise for 3 different sci-fi/fantasy stories while listening to this book.
Narrator is good. Was a nice break between the fantasy series entries on my reading shelf.
PS: I just came up with premise for 3 different sci-fi/fantasy stories while listening to this book.
Narrator is good. Was a nice break between the fantasy series entries on my reading shelf.
April 5, 2023
The book is an excellent resource for anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of the atheistic perspective and its place in the ongoing debate over the existence of God. It answers the major arguments posed by religious believers. It is a compelling read that will undoubtedly challenge readers' preconceptions and encourage them to think critically about their beliefs. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in exploring the complexities of the religious and philosophical landscape.
January 4, 2017
Easy and useful resource
The author is very good at addressing a basic rational overview of non-belief vs belief. Written in Q&A form. Recommended for those looking for material in support of atheism.
The author is very good at addressing a basic rational overview of non-belief vs belief. Written in Q&A form. Recommended for those looking for material in support of atheism.
Read
February 7, 2017Very informative. It is a good book to start with if you want quick responses to commonly asked questions (and many a snide statement) regarding atheistic beliefs. I think anyone can stand his or her ground by reading this book as a primer.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews