This is a little bit different of a type of book than what I typically read, being that I am still a “card-carrying Christian man of faith”, but I do notice the world around me, and I have noticed the influence of the church waning especially in today’s social climate. And also, in looking around the world at the different religions, for some reason or another, religions that are supposed to promote peace and love, are constantly at each other, with huge followings of people who don’t do a lot of “critical thinking”.
So, I wanted to read this book today about “Why Are You Atheists so Angry?” because I thought it would be very interesting to get another take and perspective on the world around me.
Overall, I thought this book was excellent in the way that the author, Greta Christina, puts forth arguments from the atheist point of view they can neither be “proved nor disproved” (arguments that either go beyond or stop short of scientific evidence anyway), and points out in the same vein, how a lot of the arguments for religion, can neither be “proved nor disproved” as well. There are still a lot of “creationist” among us, that continued to dispute the scientific evidence, even though virtually all the scientific community tends to agree on things such as the age of the universe, the age of the earth, when dinosaurs disappeared, the evolution of humans, and so many other things.
I like to consider myself as a fairly educated person, and so I do except scientific data and research (especially when it’s in a double-blind test study), so the older I get, and the more informed I become, the more reason I have to doubt the true reason for religion other than as a controlling mechanism over humanity, for nearly as long as we have been literate.
I don’t know, I still have a lot of “unanswered questions” myself, but I tend to lean towards the scientific findings and technology that we continue to rapidly advance, and until something comes about to disprove all of that, personally, that’s where I am.
The author, Greta Christina, starts at the opening chapter of her book, listing 99 reasons why atheists are so angry. That in itself is an eye-opener, because she (and atheist herself) and speaking for the atheist community, feel that religion has been the bane of society, coming about when very few people were literate, and we still can find her activities to the daylight hours, and things that went bump in the night, we attributed them to spirits, or to God, and how religion is been used as a very controlling mechanism over people who don’t know better, such as the uninformed, undereducated or children.
The author says that religion is implausible at best and ridiculous worse.
Chapter 8: The top 10 reasons the author doesn’t believe in God
– The consistent replacement of supernatural occurrences of the world with natural/scientific ones
– The inconsistencies of world religions
– The weakness of religious arguments by their wrist, apologist etc.
– The increasing diminishment of God
– The physical causes of everything we think of as the soul
– The complete failure of any supernatural claim standing up to rigorous scientific testing-
– The slippery mess of religious and spiritual beliefs
– The failure of religion to improve or clarify overtime
– The complete lack of solid evidence for God’s existence
The author stresses the main point of her desire being that she hopes of religious people come to the conclusion that religion is just a hypothesis. The hypothesis of how and why the way the world works based on supernatural beliefs.
I present this book review, not to try to influence anybody one way or the other, but if you want to different perspectives then one that you typically hear or grew up with, listen to what the atheist community has to say about religion as well. People can be and will be, “good or bad, honest or evil” with or without religion. So that’s the question the atheist community is asking, what is the proper role, if there is any, for religion?
Enjoy a good read!
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
