Atheist Primer: Did You Know All the Gods Came from the Same Place? (Paperback)

by Madalyn Murray O'Hair (Author), Joe Kirby (Illustrator) "people were like kids..." (more)

Product Details

• Paperback: 30 pages
• Publisher: American Atheist Press (June 1, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0911826106
• ISBN-13: 978-0911826104
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,091,315 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to make an ice cream social riveting!, June 26, 2008

By	Jeremy A. Clawson "arriving anthropologist" (Norman, OK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Holy Cow!! What a little gem! Open the book and you'll find an illustrated story explaining where gods originated. O'Hair takes you on the journey of the gods and how they originated in the minds of people to explain the universe, the world, even the weather. She places the onus of gods squarely on the shoulders of men. Crafted for the open mind of a child, depicting gods throughout history and across the globe, she is explicit in her position about the absurdity of Gods. O'Hair's simple language, coupled with Joe Kirby's wonderful cartoons of deities, keep the work grounded and light. I laughed out loud. I shared it with others standing near me. Then I read it again, and again. (The book is only 30 pages and takes five or ten minutes to read - yet it's so powerful.) The author gets it. She conveys it well and she is unabashed and forthright. She covers gods and war, the anthropomorphic nature of gods, the main gods, and the historic gods, and in the end, wages a strong case for the death of gods. My thoughts after reading the primer turned to my daughter. Should she share this with her Christian friends in her elementary school? The case, so cogently argued in an Atheist Primer, will take her Christian classmates aback. Her friends, unable to respond, will turn to their parents. Oh, I so look forward to our next elementary school ice cream social! Thank you Madalyn Murray O'Hair.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To balance the uneducated reader, December 12, 2000

A Kid's Review

Now that the trial of the murderers of Madalyn are in the news, I am becoming more aware and trying to research this controversial lady. The title couldn't be more accurate. All gods are ideas conjured up in the mind of man. That instinctive insecurity feeling of the unknown has perpetuated myths from the Mayans with the natural gods to modern day where Falun Dafa has become the fastest growing because they don't ask about membership, they just include the unknowing in the East to their role count. It's all part of evolution to realize who is the "higher" in command. With human communication we don't have a source we can learn from. We research everything including other mammals but they don't research us. Thru technology we have mastered dominance. We will continue base our instincts on myths which is what Madalyn is trying to allow humanity to overcome. Insecurity is why men chose to murder her. Fear of challenging their idea of god. Madalyns work, including this book will continue to inspire the ones not afraid of searching for real truth.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TRUTH IN CAPSULE FORM!, March 25, 2009

By	JRTLVR "queni" (Virginia Beach, VA) - See all my reviews

This little book explains the entire rational story of how religion came to be. I am a voracious reader and I do not believe I've ever read a book that said so much in so few words! It's suitable for both adults and children! I LOVED IT AND WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!