50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
Guy P. Harrison
Language: English
Pages: 354
ISBN: 1591025672
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Many books that challenge religious belief from a skeptical point of view take a combative tone that is almost guaranteed to alienate believers or they present complex philosophical or scientific arguments that fail to reach the average reader. This is undoubtably an ineffective way of encouraging people to develop critical thinking about religion.
This unique approach to skepticism presents fifty commonly heard reasons people often give for believing in a God and then raises legitimate questions regarding these reasons, showing in each case that there is much room for doubt. Whether you're a believer, a complete skeptic, or somewhere in between, you'll find this review of traditional and more recent arguments for the existence of God refreshing, approachable, and enlightening.
From religion as the foundation of morality to the authority of sacred books, the compelling religious testimony of influential people, near-death experiences, arguments from Intelligent Design, and much more, Harrison respectfully describes each rationale for belief and then politely shows the deficiencies that any good skeptic would point out.
As a journalist who has traveled widely and interviewed many highly accomplished people, quite a number of whom are believers, the author appreciates the variety of belief and the ways in which people seek to make religion compatible with scientific thought. Nonetheless, he shows that, despite the prevalence of belief in God or religious belief in intelligent people, in the end there are no unassailable reasons for believing in a God.
For skeptics looking for appealing ways to approach their believing friends or believers who are not afraid to consider a skeptical challenge, this book makes for very stimulating reading.
violence. When a Christian murders an abortion doctor or a Muslim blows up a building, it's not religious terrorism; it's just terrorism. When believers block the progress of medical science at the expense of suffering people, it's not a problem generated by religion; it's "bioethics." Following the media's lead, most people have taken up the habit of calling many of those who commit violence in the name of their religion "extremists" or "fanatics." While these popular labels may or may not be
possibly be wrong with that? Skepticism is a positive attitude and being a skeptic is a smart way to navigate through life. It should never be confused with cynicism. A cynic may drip with negativity and scorn but a skeptic merely questions claims before believing. There's nothing negative about that. Despite what believers say, religion seems to cost believers a lot from the atheist's perspective. This is not to say there are not real and significant benefits to believing. For example, a
Singularity Is Near, details his case for the rapid approach of this moment when computers and other technologies accelerate to a point where unpredictable changes may occur and we are able to become something far beyond human. If the Singularity does come, and if it delivers even a fraction of what Kurzweil imagines, life and death will never be the same. Religious leaders have been selling the idea of an existence beyond death for as long as there has been religion. It's a powerful lure and
clause, then try out the Singularity. I am highly skeptical about the Singularity creating a secular heaven for us in this century, but no one can deny that we are heading somewhere very unusual very fast. It took about a million years to progress from stone tools to the Wright brothers' airplane, for example. But then it took less than seventy years after that to land humans on the moon. Computers recently filled large rooms, now we carry more powerful ones in our pockets. The next few decades
different patterns of moral judgments than people who are atheists? So far, the answer is a resounding no" (Glausiusz, May 2007). CHAPTER 27 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RECOMMENDED READING Ellerbe, Helen. The Dark Side of Christian History. San Rafael, CA: Morningstar Books, 1995. Glausiusz, Josie. "The Discover Interview: Marc Hauser." Discover, May 2007. http://discovermagazine.com/2007/may/the-discover-interview -marc-hauser. Harris, Sam. "10 Myths-and 10 Truths-About Atheism." Los Angeles