Atheist Universe [Paperback]

David Mills (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2003

Is there really a God? Or does God exist only in our heads? Is the Bible truly God’s Word, or a jumble of fanciful myths? THE WORLD'S BEST-SELLING BOOK ON ATHEISM is your front-row ticket to mankind’s most enthralling debate. An atheist for thirty years, David Mills argues that God is unnecessary to explain the universe and life’s diversity, organization and beauty.

This unique and captivating book rebuts every argument ever offered to "prove" God’s existence and the Bible’s credibility — arguments from logic, common sense, Christian apologetics, philosophy, ethics, history, and up-to-the-minute science.

Among the intriguing questions addressed in this all-inclusive volume:

* What, precisely, is atheism, and why is it misunderstood so thoroughly?

* If God is a myth, then did the universe appear from nothing?

* Does the meticulous clockwork of planetary motion result from mindless random forces?

* Do atheists believe that human beings evolved through blind accident from lifeless matter?

* Do the splendor and intricacy of life on Earth reveal evidence of intelligent design by a supernatural Creator?

* Can atheists prove that God does NOT exist?

* What about Creation Science, and the popular new movement to reconcile Scripture and science?

* Have recent scientific discoveries pointed to God’s governance of the cosmos?

* Did Albert Einstein believe in God?

* Does the fact that energy cannot be destroyed lend credibility to a belief in eternal life?

* Without God, can there be a valid system of ethics or an objective "right" and "wrong"?

* Does religion encourage moral conduct and civilized behavior? Is the Golden Rule really such a bad idea?

* What is the meaning of life without God?

* When we die, are we simply dead like dogs?

* Did atheists suffer a trauma in childhood that warped them into blasphemous rebellion?

* Because of ubiquitous injustice on Earth, is an afterlife required to redress the imbalance, where evil is ultimately punished and virtue rewarded?

* Is atheism just another crackpot religion?

* What’s the harm in a person’s private spirituality? Does humanity have everything to gain, and nothing to lose, through belief in God (even if He’s only imaginary)?

* Apart from the Bible, is there secular historical evidence of Jesus’ miracles and resurrection?

* How do atheists explain "near death" experiences and medical miracles which amaze even skeptical doctors?

* Why should a tiny minority of atheists be able to force their opinions on everyone else by banning prayer in public schools?

* Since "there are no atheists in foxholes," have famous nonbelievers recanted on their deathbeds?

* Did Old and New Testament prophecies correctly predict events which actually unfolded during our own lifetimes?

* What about the Shroud of Turin and the discovery of wood fragments from Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat in Turkey?

* Does the Law of Entropy (or the "running down" of the universe) contradict evolutionary theory, which asserts that Nature’s complexity is increasing?

* Is there absolute proof that man evolved from a lower form of life?

* Even if you believe that all life evolved from a single cell, how could complex cellular life originate without a Creator?

* Is atheism a totally negative philosophy, leading only to cynicism and despair?

* Does communism’s past embrace of atheism prove that atheism is an evil and failed philosophy?

* Was America really founded upon Christian principles by Christian believers?

* What is the true, behind-the-scenes relationship between politics and religion in 21st-century America?

All of these questions — and hundreds of others — are fully confronted and methodically answered in the riveting pages of Atheist Universe. It’s all here for you in one richly entertaining, comprehensive, and easy-to-read volume. Few other books provide such spellbinding inquiry and arrive at such a controversial and well-documented conclusion.

JUST UPDATED FOR 2006!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"David’s work will be very useful for anyone combating harmful religious beliefs. Honest, frank, and right to the point!" -- Albert Ellis, Ph.D., father of modern psychotherapy, author of 'A Guide to Rational Living' and 54 other books.

From the Publisher

I’m pleased and excited that your search on Amazon.com has beamed you to this page, showcasing my new book, Atheist Universe. I want to thank you personally for your interest in this title. Many years of painstaking work, research, and thought were devoted to this project. I am delighted with the finished volume.

Compared to most authors, I write slowly. I could never crank out five or six books a year as Isaac Asimov did so brilliantly throughout his incredible life and career. I like to believe, however, that my unhurried pace permits fine attention to detail and to precise use of language. One of my favorite quotations is that of 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." Jefferson meant that a skillful writer uses as few words as possible to communicate his message. If I can successfully convey my thoughts to you using a 12-word sentence, then I am watering down my own message — and wasting your limited time — by stretching my sentence to 13 words or to 30. Concise writing saves time and effort for the reader, but demands more time and effort of the writer, as Jefferson pointed out. In writing this book, I did devote the time necessary to shorten each sentence to its minimum length.

Another priceless tip for good writing — a tip which I strive to follow — was articulated by the 20th-century philosopher, Mortimer Adler. Adler taught that "writing should be clear without being plain, and elevated without being obscure." By contrast, much writing in contemporary circles is plain without being clear, and obscure without being elevated. I will leave to your personal judgment whether I have successfully followed Adler’s prescription for good writing in Atheist Universe.

Since you have honored me by visiting this page, I will share a secret with you that is closely guarded by authors and publishers. Even Amazon.com keeps this privileged information tightly under wraps. Most books, you should know, contain a maximum of two or three meaningful ideas. Authors and publishers sell you mammoth volumes, however, by cleverly reiterating their two or three ideas throughout the entirety of the book. Authors sometimes write as if they are being paid a penny a word. Yet, substantively, they say little. After reading Atheist Universe, you may find yourself in complete disagreement with every word. You may be offended by some material. You may question my very sanity. But you will not believe that Atheist Universe had little to say.

At the end of the book, readers are given my private email address, available only to those who possess physical copies of the title. I carefully read each message sent to me, whether it’s laudatory or scornful. I hope that your purchase of Atheist Universe will open a fruitful and pleasurable dialog between us.

David Mills,
Atheist Universe
Publisher: Xlibris Books

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corporation (April 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413434819
• ISBN-13: 978-1413434811
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (235 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,152,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Mills is an atheist and an author who argues that science and religion cannot be successfully reconciled. Mills' best-known book, Atheist Universe, was among the flagship titles, first appearing in 2004, later dubbed the "new atheism." Mills' book was Amazon.com's best-selling atheist volume from August 2004 through October 2006, when its sales were superseded by The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Dawkins cites Mills' writings as "admirable work." Mills claims in his books to rebut both young- and old-earth creation science, as well as Intelligent design.

David Mills has also written best-selling psychology and self-help literature for the Albert Ellis Institute in New York and for psychotherapy clients worldwide. During the 1980s, David worked as a journalist covering NASA's Space Shuttle program at the Kennedy Space Center, and has himself flown aboard NASA's Zero G training craft.

Born in 1959, David Mills is single, lives in Huntington, West Virginia, and has one 16-year-old daughter, Sophia. His website is http://www.DavidMills.Net and his email is [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

635 of 675 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most convincing case for Atheism out there, a great read, September 9, 2004

By 

eric_f (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Atheist Universe (Paperback)

I came across "The Atheist Universe" completely by accident and it turned out to be one of the best books on the subject of Atheism I've ever read. What sets it apart from the others is the accessibility of David Mills' writing style. While other books such as George Smith's "Atheism: The Case Against God" are informative and thought-provoking, they aren't exactly too much fun to read, the tone often being dry and sterile. They come across more as a lecture rather than a discussion. But "The Atheist Universe" is a refreshing change. This is a book you can enjoy reading.

In a nutshell, David Mills sets out to challenge all the common arguments for the existence of God using methods pertaining to Atheism such as reason and logic. This book is a perfect tool to gain some "ammo" for any Atheist in a discussion with a Theist. While I've always thought that it's pointless to argue over an issue so complex as to God's existence or non-existence, it never hurts to have some convincing arguments under one's belt if they don't believe that God exists.

I would strongly recommend this book to any Atheist, skeptic, Agnostic, or even Theist who's open-minded enough to welcome a challenge to their beliefs. While I doubt it will convert any Theists to Atheism, it will at least help to hopefully break down some of the misconceptions about Atheism.

551 of 601 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brain Candy for the Non-Believer, May 8, 2005

By 

The Spinozanator "Spinozanator" (Harlingen, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Atheist Universe (Paperback)

This is simply an excellent book for those who share its views; or for anyone who has doubts and wonders what the "infidels" are thinking. I don't think I noticed any negative reviews (I bought this book based on the reviews), but I really wouldn't expect any. Most people wouldn't be caught dead reading a book with the word "atheist" in the title. If any devout believer actually condescended to try it (like they were stranded on a desert island and there was nothing else to do), they would likely be quickly offended by the contents on any random page. I'll bet not 1 out of 100 devout believers would finish this book.

Among the author's offerings are: "Americans believe 58% to 40% that it is necessary to believe in God to be moral. By contrast, only 13% of Europeans agree with the US view...I don't believe in God because I don't believe in Mother Goose (from Clarence Darrow)...I've always considered atheism to be a very positive philosophy in that, by eliminating a very burdensome obligation to appease a non-existent God, an individual thereby gains maximum freedom to choose his own goals and ideals for a satisfying life...(about public prayer in school) Let's remember that Jesus warned the Pharisees NOT to pray publicly because such prayers were usually pretentious, insincere efforts to showboat...My own observation is that those most terrified of death are not atheists, but believers, uncertain whether they are going to Heaven or Hell...Historically, whenever primitive man lacked scientific understanding of an observed event, he created a 'God of the Gaps' to fill the intellectual vacuum...The wider the gaps in scientific understanding, the greater the historic need for a miracle working 'GOTG'...As a general historic observation, each step forward taken by science has further distanced the hand of God from perceived intervention into natural events. As humanity's gaps of knowledge were slowly replaced by scientific understanding, a GOTG found fewer and fewer caverns of intellectual darkness in which to live...Believers create the illusion of answered prayer by systematically employing the fallacy known as 'Selective Observation,' a perceptual error also referred to as 'Counting the hits and ignoring the misses.'...The more tragic the event - and the higher the body count - the more inclined are the media to feature 'Miracle Survivors' on the six o'clock news...When, however, everyone dies in a catastrophe, such as a Jumbo Jet crash, the newspaper headline never reads 'Jehovah Out To Lunch During Doomed Flight.'...In plain English, we don't know why specific individuals live or die in disasters. We know that Christians are no more likely to survive than non-Christians; and the virtuous are just as likely to perish as thy corrupt...The Christian Church wholeheartedly believes this 'Divine' biblical prophecy, which announces that the vast majority of humanity will follow the wrong road in life and will, as a result end up in Hell instead of Heaven. God - in his infinite wisdom - would have known in advance that most of humanity would have fallen victim to the gruesome torture chamber...a truely benevolent and omnipotent God would let bygones be bygones and forgive 'sinners' even though they adopted mistaken religious beliefs...But, Christians respond, 'without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sin. And God only asks that we accept the blood sacrifice that Jesus offered for us on the cross.' And who, may I ask, established this rule that 'without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sin'? The answer, again, is God....The fact that God supposedly demands blood before He offers forgiveness is indicative of the bestial mindset of the primitive cultures extant when the Bible was written...The myth of Hell represents all the meanness, all the revenge, all the selfishness, all the cruelty, all the hatred, all the infamy of which the heart of man is capable...God was indeed created in man's own image...The two documents upon which our country was founded - ie, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States contain not a single word about Christianity, Christian principles, the Bible, or Jesus Christ...The Christian clergy of the Revolutionary period tried again and again to have references to Christianity inserted directly into the US Constitution, but they were refused every time by the Founders. Two 'Christian principles' may have indeed influenced the Founding Fathers. One was the Puritan practice of executing witches, the other was King George III's absolute mandate that his subjects worship in a manner approved by the Church of England...Witch burning and mandatory church affiliation are only 2 of many issues which led the Founding Fathers to establish a 'Wall of Separation between Church and State,' allowing, at each citizen's discretion, freedom of religion or freedom FROM religion...The National Motto was not changed to 'In God We Trust' until 1956. Likewise, the phrase 'under God' was not added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954."

Please forgive all the quotes making this a long review, but there is so much here to agree with, it's hard to stop. This book gives you a 50 yard line ticket to a comprehensive discussion of belief vs non-belief, yet is fun to read. The chapter on Hell is great; the chapter on the origin of the universe and solar systems is among the best explanations I've ever read; the "Interview With an Atheist" chapter should become a classic; the quotes by famous men who are atheists are priceless; I LOVED the short chapter about the Founding Fathers, etc.

A very well deserved 5 stars for this book.

79 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review by R. Leland Waldrip, September 20, 2005

By 

WASHline - See all my reviews

This review is from: Atheist Universe (Paperback)

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 dont 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.