Thank God For Atheists

"The greatest authors of atheism did more to push me toward belief in God than any Christian apologist writer." --Timothy Morgan. After a decade of major disappointments, Timothy Morgan was ready to reject God. Atheism offered an escape--an opportunity to dismiss God permanently. But as Morgan delved into the thinking of great atheists past and present, he was stunned. In book after book, he found their reasons for rejecting God to be intellectually unfulfilling. In Thank God for Atheists he candidly shares his journey by letting atheists speak for themselves, examining their logic to see whether it holds up or not. Along the way, deals with these key questions: What are the key elements of the atheist worldview? Who are the leading modern-day atheists, and what are they saying? How can you effectively respond to atheism? You'll find this a personal and thoughtful book on why the evidence for God is much more compelling than the evidence against Him.

Few issues have revealed deeper divisions in our society than the debate between creationism and evolution, between religion and science. Yet from the fray, Reverend Michael Dowd has emerged as a reconciler, finding faith strengthened by the power of reason. With evidence from contemporary astrophysics, geology, biology, anthropology, and evolutionary psychology, Thank God for Evolution lays out a compelling argument for how religion and science can be mutually enriching forces in our lives. Praised by Nobel laureates in the scientific community and religious leaders alike, Thank God for Evolution will expand the horizon of what is possible for self, for relationships, and for our world.

Warning! This book may be dangerous to your faith! This book is not for the faint of heart. This is not a work of Christian apologetics designed to arm the believer with biblical and theological strategies to counter humanist arguments. It is not designed to buttress your Christian faith against attacks from atheists and other unbelievers. On the contrary, this book takes the claims of atheists seriously. It listens to the arguments of atheists against the existence of God, and it comes to the conclusion that in a number of areas, atheists are right and Christians are wrong. For that reason it may actually undermine your faith. So please, if you are a Christian, think twice before you read it. Drawing upon the writings of the 21st century New Atheists, as well as previous generations of atheists, the author explores the most convincing arguments that atheists make against theism. His conclusion is that the New Atheists have important things to say to today's Christians. He goes so far as to say that atheists are God's prophets to the Church today, sent by God to purify the Church by proclaiming hard truths that Christians are not willing to hear. He make a case for nonbelieving prophets in the Bible, and then explains how atheists are playing the prophetic role today by echoing the same themes as the biblical prophets. Old Testament prophets regularly confronted the religious authorities and orthodoxies of their day, often paying for "speaking truth to power" with imprisonment and death. Likewise atheists are among the most mistrusted people today. Davis suggests that instead of instinctively resorting to confrontational, evangelistic or apologetic approaches, Christians should listen to atheists with open minds and hearts. They might just hear a word from God! He examines the New Atheists' arguments against God, with particular emphasis on the atheists' strongest argument: the age-old problem of evil and suffering. Along the way he explores the issues of violence ordered by God in the Bible, scriptural historicity, biblical literalism, creationism, hell, prayer, miracles, resurrection, and the problematic doctrine of substitutionary atonement. This book examines the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of Christianity as exposed by the New Atheism. It also explores the responses of Christian apologists who oppose the New Atheism. In the last section of the book, Davis "reimagines" Christianity in the light of reason, evidence, science and historical criticism. Marshall Davis tests the Christian faith from the viewpoint of skepticism to see if it is worthy of our devotion. His conclusion is that it is, but that the New Atheism can help put Christianity on a stronger footing ... if Christians are willing to listen to God speaking through the New Atheists. "This book transcends the typical atheist-theist debate over the existence of God as a supernatural being. He takes a number of pro-science, pro-future insights from religious skeptics and offers a fresh interpretation of Christianity in light of the Evidential Reformation now emerging throughout the world. I highly recommend it." ~ Rev. Michael Dowd, author of "Thank God for Evolution" and host of "The Future Is Calling Us to Greatness"

Michele Ketzmerick grew up feeling relieved she was a Catholic who belonged to the "best" religion--the one true faith that purportedly offered the only real way to heaven. As a sometimes rebellious teenager, Michele never strayed far from the dark confessional, knowing she would always be forgiven, no matter how grave the transgression. Yet, after four decades of proud Catholicism, a crisis prompted Michele to embark on an enlightening quest into her faith and beliefs in which she soon discovered more about herself than she ever imagined. When Michele found herself facing the possibility of a life-threatening medical diagnosis, she suddenly realized that, for someone with a supposedly sturdy faith, she was terrified of death, of heaven, and of an uncertain afterlife. As she reveals how she began to question her faith and the tenets of her religion, Michele details how she unexpectedly learned more about peace, compassion, and morality from nonbelievers than she had during her entire life as a theist--and subsequently experienced the consequences of maneuvering in territory once forbidden for people of faith. I Married an Atheist--thank God shares the compelling story of one woman's transition from long-held Catholicism to the courageous realization that it is okay to live a cherished, respectful, and loving life without religion.

Caught between the beauty of his grandchildren and grief over a friend's death, Frank Schaeffer finds himself simultaneously believing and not believing in God--an atheist who prays. Schaeffer wrestles with faith and disbelief, sharing his innermost thoughts. He writes as an imperfect son, husband and grandfather whose love for his family, art and life trumps the ugly theologies of an angry God and the atheist vision of a cold, meaningless universe.

What if religions are neither all true nor all nonsense? The long-running and often boring debate between fundamentalist believers and non-believers is finally moved forward by Alain de Botton’s inspiring new book, which boldly argues that the supernatural claims of religion are entirely false—but that it still has some very important things to teach the secular world. Religion for Atheists suggests that rather than mocking religion, agnostics and atheists should instead steal from it—because the world’s religions are packed with good ideas on how we might live and arrange our societies. Blending deep respect with total impiety, de Botton (a non-believer himself) proposes that we look to religion for insights into how to, among other concerns, build a sense of community, make our relationships last, overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy, inspire travel and reconnect with the natural world. For too long non-believers have faced a stark choice between either swallowing some peculiar doctrines or doing away with a range of consoling and beautiful rituals and ideas. At last, in Religion for Atheists, Alain de Botton has fashioned a far more interesting and truly helpful alternative.

This book proves to atheists that they don't exist, reveals to agnostics their true motives, and strengthens the faith of the believers. This book answers questions such as 'Who made God?' and 'Where did Cain get his wife?' The book uses humor, reason, and logic to send a powerful message. Here are some reactions from atheists who read the book . . .

"Thank god For Eve" is unlike any book you have ever read. It is a once-in-a-generation hammer blow against religion and faith and will stand forever as the nonbeliever's bible and comprehensive destruction of religion's claims. Its strong call to maximize our humanity is as full of truth, information and morality as the monotheistic holy books are filled with myths, misconceptions and immorality. No other book blends science and history with reason, penetrating analysis and shrewd satire in such a uniquely informative and entertaining faith-destroying package. Blending current information with new insights and analysis, it describes how and why religions form and persist, proves the danger of unjustified belief, and clearly shows just how much better the world will be after everyone stops believing in fairy tales. If you think truth, reason and critical thinking matter, you absolutely need to read this book.