An Easy Approach To Atheistic Arguments
938284
This book was fun to read and full of interesting insights.  I've already read it twice and even underlined favorite quotes.  The quotations collected in this book are in fact short arguments in favor of the atheistic perspective, so reading them is an easy way to absorb a great number of pertinent points.  I would highly recommend this as companion reading for anyone who has read and appreciated The God Delusion, Letter To A Christian Nation, or God Is Not Great.  It fills in many of the cracks by providing more historical background and a wider range of arguments for atheism and freethought.
3691639
One of the most balanced and sophisticated evaluations of theistic arguments I have encountered. The author considers contemporary versions of arguments for the existence of God and demonstrates them to be deeply flawed. The author makes the case that the existence of the tri-omni God has empirically verifiable consequences and that taken together, absence of evidence for God's existence and evidence of God's absence render God's existence highly improbable. Everitt further demonstrates that many of God's traditional attributes (e.g., omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, omnibenevolence) when considered in conjunction, show God's existence to be self-contradictory and hence that God's existence is not only improbable (given evidential considerations), but is impossible (given logical considerations).
Everitt sets up no straw men. He fairly presents what are generally considered to be among the best contemporary theistic arguments available and systematically dismantles them. Throughout he also considers possible theistic rebuttals to atheistic critiques and exposes their impotence. This well-written and carefully argued book is highly recommended to both theists, who wish to challenge their faith by the fire of reason and to non-believers, who will gain greater sophistication in their arguments for the non-existence of God.
2100662
I wasn't quite sure of what to expect from this book, but I delved into it imagining I would become armed with ideas to counter atheist arguments. And, yes, this book definitely delivers on that.

One big take away from this book is that atheism is a religion itself with its own set of beliefs. I had never thought of it in that way, and as I was reading through this book, I began to think of atheists adhering to their religion. As much as they deny it, they can get away from the fact that they do indeed have a set of beliefs.

I enjoyed the stories that begin each chapter, and the humor used to make a point, although the alliteration got to be a bit much for me.  I had to put the book down for a while and then go back to it. I would recommend this book to those who want to learn apologetics and haven't read a great deal on the subject before.

I received this book from the Book Club Network in exchange for an honest review.
2450101
This book explains clearly some good arguments for God's existence. It is easy to study these argument with this book. Additional graphical form helps to memorize those arguments.
2423284
Timothy Kellers popular "The Reason for God" presented a case for belief in God and Christianity, but Keller does not believe it began back far enough for the true skeptic, and thus the reason for this present volume (p. 4).  He wants to demonstrate to secular readers that Christianity is sensible and desirable (p. 216).  More than that:

"My aim from here on through the book is to do just that, and, I hope, to show that Christianity makes the greatest sense in every wayemotionally, culturally, and rationally.  In the process, I hope to show readers that Christianity offers far greater and richer goods for understanding, facing, enjoying, and living life than they had previously imagined."

In order to do this Keller tackles the primary philosophical issues with which modern humans wrestle, devoting a chapter to each:  the delusion that religion is waning, the myth that secularism is not based on faith, the problem of suffering and pain, the futile search for satisfaction and meaning, the emptiness of self-centered freedom, the question of identity, the need for hope, especially facing the reality of death, the problems of morals, and issues concerning justice and rights.

Keller concludes "Making Sense of God" with a chapter presenting and updating the six standard and historical philosophical arguments for God and finally a chapter on the self-revelation of God in Scripture.

"Making Sense of God" is a winsome, thoughtful, well-written philosophic apologetic for the existence of God and the truth of Christianity.  For those looking for such a work this volume would be hard to beat.  However, it is not a biblical apologetic which recognizes that people do not reject God because of lack of evidence of well-reasoned arguments, but because they are depraved and predisposed to deny God His rightful place in the universe and in their lives (Romans 1:18).  As with all evidential-based apologetics this book will mostly encourage the believer rather than convince the non-believer.  For Christians seeking such encouragement they will find it in Making Sense of God.

Reviewed by Gary E. Gilley, Southern View Chapel
3990309
Very easy reading, and there are no wild claims to disturb rational thinking. Very good treatment of religious issues - issues related to cause and effects probably occurring to everyone. While beginnings are left for a different analysis, development of what is knowable fairly covers the broad span of human existence. Not as supportive of present religious thinking being pantheistic, personally, but good perspective for those inclined to take up the issue from contemporary awareness of life. Interesting to consider that what is believed is less important than understanding that a need to believe pre-exists.
3090299
Very simple and direct arguments refuting the error that is atheism. A wonderful read. I recommend this book to all seeking good arguments.
3009220
Mills' book is an outstanding book that looks at the Atheistic universe. The book, which will be a smorgasbord of information for the beginning Atheist, a delight to read for the lifetime Atheist, and a resource for the questioning theist, has it all. Mills' book dives in full-tilt into subjects like "fine tuning," the "god of the gaps," the "miracle" of life, creationism, Hell, miracles, and many others. Mills' creative writing style, which doesn't require a PhD to understand, mixed with his use of humor and witty sarcasm (where appropriate) makes the book fun to read. Mills also leaves nothing to be desired when tackling the issues in his book. Mills does not hold back in discrediting creationism's claim to be scientific and says what needs to be said. In other words, Mills gets straight to the point. The book includes an "Interview with an Atheist" that covers a lot of the questions that people have when they first meet an Atheist. Mills then goes into chapter after chapter breaking these questions down further and expanding greatly on the answers to give the reader a greater idea of what Atheism is, what Atheism is not, and why Atheism is a justified and rational position for anyone to hold. You may or may not agree with everything that Mills has to say in his book, but you will not be lacking when it comes to a read that is both thought provoking and entertaining.

Blair Scott

Alabama State Director, American Atheists

Director, Alabama Atheist

Creator, Atheism Awareness

Columnist, Bible Belt Blasphemy
2532876
This is a clear and concise effort to treat the existence of God, specifically in the form of the God of the major Abrahamic religions, as a scientific hypothesis.  The epistemic standard is the conventional scientific one of weight of evidence/probability.  Stenger has a solid concise discussion of scientific criteria for proof and disproof.  Stenger examines a number of conventional theistic arguments and finds them wanting.  He also specifies that the existence of God, in the sense that he has defined, would result in several observable features.  These are lacking, so the existence of God is falsified. This is essentially an argument that the existence of God is very, very unlikely, which by conventional scientific criteria makes it a failed hypothesis.
I find Stenger generally fair to theistic positions.  He is very good on scientific arguments, and solid on philosophic arguments.
Stenger is happy to concede that his arguments may not apply to deist arguments or some variant theist positions, such as the "hidden God" argument.  While Stenger is solid on scientific arguments and logic, his knowledge of history is not outstanding, and like many atheists, he is a bit too eager to declare religion a negative force in human life.
4000280
I thought this book was very interesting.  I have not studied the works of leading atheist authors before.  I learned a lot about Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, John Loftus, and others.

Chuck Edwards, David Marshall, Peter Grice, and the other Christian authors did such a wonderful job of presenting the information that lay-people and scholars alike will be able to learn a lot from their essays.

I was very surprised when I read the quotes from Loftus, and others on how weak their arguments were.  They seemed to have nothing to base their arguments on and they contradicted what they were saying.  The Christian authors had facts and history to support their ideas.  It shows me that the New Atheists claim of reason is truly a weakness.  Christianity has a lot more going for it.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the New Atheist's view of reason verses the Christian view of Reason.

I received an e-version of this book to review.  I was not required to write a positive review.
344034
This time Strobel covers some of the major claims against faith in God, and in particular, arguments against Christianity. He starts by talking to skeptic Charles Templeton, and from there proceeds to question several scholars.  My criticism to "Case for Christ" still applies here; Strobel did not directly interview many sceptics, but simply mentioned some of their claims to Christian scholars, who tried to refute the problems. If the reader keeps in mind that this title clearly isn't intended to be a debate, it's not a problem. Strobel tries to defend his faith as well as he can, and that's what you probably will be reading the book for. Anyone wanting more arguments from the other side will have to read separate titles (Strobel mentions many skeptic works).
Strobel interviews Peter Kreeft (problem of evil and suffering), William Lane Craig (Miracles and science), Walter L Bradley (attacking evolution), Norman Geisler (God's violence on innocents), Ravi Zacharias (Problems on Jesus being the only way to God), J.P. Moreland (Eternal torture in Hell), John D. Woodbridge (Church History and violence) and Lynn Anderson (Belief while in doubt). My favorite expert was definitely William Lane Craig, showing once again all his knowledge while dealing with such a hard subject. I expected better from Geisler, who needs no introduction but left me feeling that the subject was not as well defended as it could have been. Woodbridge's interview was good. Strobel did focus the book on the toughest intellectual obstacles to belief, missing a few, but hitting the major ones. Unfortunately, this book will be somewhat unsatisfying for anyone looking for more depth and rigor then dealing with the most difficult questions about God and the divine.  Beginners will value the brevity and plain language of the interviews, but it will limit its power to make hardcore skeptics feel in trouble; I can't blame Strobel on this however, that's the price to pay for having such complexity reduced to accessible answers, and one should keep in mind that each one of the 8 problems covered is complex enough to fill a whole fat book, or a pile of them. Anyone who finds this title interesting should also take a look at "Letters From a Skeptic" by Gregory Boyd, which covers many similar questions and supplies more satisfying answers in a few aspects. And of if you want to balance it with something from the other side, "What is Atheism?" by Krueger is a easy way to start.
While "The Case for Faith" compiles many good arguments against questions made by doubters, it doesn't have as much impact as "The Case for Christ" and will probably take more fire from skeptics, but this is still a good contribution, almost always captivating no matter if you believe or not.  (Reviewer Bill Hays from Tustin did a good job showing some of the problematic issues covered, but didn't mention that the point of this book is precisely defusing some of those claims; Also, Strobel can hardly be considered dishonest for not mentioning he's a pastor, since anyone can easily see all that simply by...Reading the back cover)  You might also like to know that this title is well organized, includes a nice compact Summary of his previous book (TCFC), useful for those who missed it, supplies references to both pro and against books and also a includes a good Index.
2326623
It had a good range of basic questions about core Christian beliefs.  It was written at an easy level to understand.  You can read this first, and then read something like "I don't have enough faith to be an atheist" to develop some of the ideas further.
4418467
"Why is there something and not, nothing?"
"If God is completely good, why is there evil in the world?"
"Why do Wintergreen LifeSavers spark and flicker when you chew them
in the dark?"
Skeptics and cynics always pose the most stimulating questions.
You'd have to ask keen Christian philosophers about the first two.
And the reader came to the right place: "A Sceptic's Guide to Atheism:
God is Not Dead" by Peter Williams.

Williams' volume is both a readable and fascinating critique of the New Atheism.  Williams is a patient philosopher and he confronts the recent works of
present-day atheistic exhorters as he refutes their primary ideas,
analyses their assertions, and offers a potent and convincing refutation of atheism. Herein the reader finds an intellectually substantial rejoinder to skeptical thought.

Chapters include:

-  Long live the New Atheism
-  Is Faith the root of all evil?
-  Does science explain everything?
-  Natural Theology
-  Evidence for Christianity
-  Williams notes many, I mean many, helpful resources at the back of
each chapter.

Williams discusses the well-known professional atheists and reveals
that they are strict fundamentalists who are stuck in a self-stultifying
worldview. This skeptical worldview is one built upon shifting epistemic sand
and is propagated by inane and illogical argumentation. Williams
provides numerous quotes from the pens of the New Atheists to
demonstrate the weakness and incongruous structure of their
contentions.

He proves that the New Atheism doesn't "cut the philosophical
mustard." His analysis is lucid and powerful as he combats atheism at
its ground and fount. Since Williams reveals the numerous fallacies
that the New Atheists routinely fall into, this is one of the best
philosophical anti-atheist books written for popular readers.

Williams exposes the anti-logical works of:
-  Dennett
-  Hitchens
-  Dawkins
-  Harris and many other fashionable atheist fundamentalists.

In the section "Does Science Explain Everything?" Professor Williams
opposes the irrational notion that modern science can explain
everything. He helps the reader understand the significant distinction
between science and "Scientism." He then discusses teleology,
contingency, evolution, and chance. Can all the contingency and order
be explained by time and chance acting upon matter? Williams furnishes
compelling answers that point to the necessity of the Creator. He clearly argues that the thinking person should reject the "presumption of atheism."

This work is littered with interesting quotes and many compelling
arguments based on reason and the truth of the Christian worldview.
In Sceptic's Guide," Mr. Williams surveys a stunning amount of pertinent
literature and skillfully connects theistic truth to reason, common sense, and
everyday thinking. The lessons he draws are astute and intuitive, but
reader friendly. Unlike the pugnacious new atheists, Williams is
philosophically modest and gets a lot right. I recommend "A Sceptic's
Guide to Atheism" for all open skeptics as well as believers who
desire rightful arguments that roundly defeat the New Atheism.

Endorsed by William Dembski, Angus Menuge, and Gary Habermas.

Also see the New Apologetic book:
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Truth-Knowledge-and-the-Reason-for-God-The-Defense-of-the-Rational-Assurance-of-Christianity/dp/1432765914/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Truth, Knowledge and the Reason for God: The Defense of the Rational Assurance of Christianity</a>
4028748
The following review of Atheist Universe was written by R. Leland Waldrip and posted on the website of the Washington Area Secular Humanists:

The book lives up to Mills' promise in the introduction to challenge conventional wisdom and use extreme conciseness and clarity for his message. He describes his writing style as slow and deliberate, taking years to complete the book. He quotes Thomas Jefferson, who, in a letter to John Adams, wrote "I apologize to you for the lengthiness of this letter; but I had no time for shortening it."

With this book David Mills has delivered a coup d'etat to any thought of reconciling religion and science. Post-modernist apologies and attempts to bridge the gap between religion and science he gives no quarter. He very carefully and methodically attacks every religious argument outside the realm of human invention for the existence of a god. His favorite target is the irrationality of Christian belief and the Bible's contention of a young earth, Noah's flood, Genesis genealogies, etc. One rather interesting point he made in an almost casual manner was an observation that the genealogies in Matthew and Luke of the New Testament describe (contradictory) detailed male lineages of Jesus back to King David, and thereby create a trap for the writers of those books: the virgin birth would preclude any blood relationship through Joseph, so how could there be a lineage between Jesus and David? In debunking the prophesy of the Bible, Mills describes an absence of accuracy, noting that as far as accuracy is concerned, the Bible is a non-prophet organization.

He clarifies a number of scientific terms abused by religionists. For example, Physical Laws he defines as human descriptions of observed phenomena, rather than universal truths, and therefore subject to revision as new observations warrant. He tackles head-on the idea that the universe was created from nothing into something at the Big Bang. Rather, he offers proof through the Laws of Thermodynamics (conservation of mass/energy) that the universe was always here in one form or another. This argument had a particular resonance with me, as I have long had problems with the something from nothing idea of a single Big Bang jump-starting the universe.

Mills says he wrote this book for the forty percent of Americans "... open-minded readers who are not afraid to learn - in fact who are eager and fascinated to learn - about the many conflicts and controversies between science and the Christian Bible." My atheist and freethought friends will highly appreciate his hard-hitting candor and rock-solid enthusiasm for the scientific method, and will put this book at the very top of their arsenal of argument material for combat with religionists. Many of my theist friends who accidentally are exposed to it will probably have major heartburn and relegate it to the trash bin, if they don't outright burn it. But perhaps a few of them will be swayed by Mills flawless logic and lucidity of expression. I will cherish this book and keep it with my major reference works.
3580766
As a devout born-again Christian who converted to atheism after much open-minded inquiry, I have seen both sides of this argument.  I like the humorous vibe much better than the condescending tone of many atheist authors.  Although Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and others argue brilliantly, I worry that religious people who read their work will think all atheists are arrogant and angry.  I agree with most of the points covered by this author, although a few could stand further exposition to address the likely Christian counter-arguments.  The Garden of Eden "moral choice" question is an example:

Atheist argument: Adam and Eve were not capable of choosing right and wrong when they ate the apple, so they are not liable for that choice.
Christian argument:  Small children may not know moral right and wrong or understand the consequences of their actions, but they do know that they should trust and obey their parents, who have always taken care of them.  When God told Adam and Eve not to eat that fruit, he was testing whether they trusted and would obey him.  What God was asking them to do was make the choice to stay with Him or go out on their own, looking to their own knowledge for guidance instead of seeking His take on everything.  This is a choice they HAD to have in order to be agents with free will.

The author might have addressed this by mentioning that at some point children turn into adults, and expect their parents to treat them with enough respect to deal with them on an adult level.  That means God should be willing to explain things, prove things, and answer pertinent questions.  This is something the God of the bible refuses to do.  Even Jesus says we have to be like little children to enter the kingdom of God.  So we have a God who gives us critical thinking skills, a human nature that is insatiably curious about the unknown, an innate knowledge of right and wrong that requires no direction from a book, and life experience that teaches us to be distrustful of faith which often leads to wrong conclusions and bad behavior, while logical reasoning repeatedly proves itself as the best way to determine the truth and improve lives.  Then He expects me to discard all that.  What???  Is this not a point worth mentioning?

Perhaps he didn't want to delve that deeply into the arguments, but if you are dealing with some of the more intelligent apologists out there, you will need more ammunition.  If the author simply wanted to entertain atheists and agnostics, he certainly does that well.  A delightful read.
2313758
A very good assessment of the various arguments for and against the existence of free will.  The material was very up to date at the time of publication.  The philosophical, religious, and scientific views are all addressed in an even handed way.  The best feature was the willingness of the author to point out the flaws or weaknesses in various arguments.  The book is easy to read and engaging, but not trivial.
2838526
This is a quick and easy read that runs through the most common arguments you hear from people claiming there is a god. It uses language that is easily understood, so no need to keep a glossary close by. Sources of information given are well documented which make it easy to follow up on those you're interested in learning more. Recommend this for sure.