Customer Reviews

Greater Than You Think: A Theologian Answers the Atheists About God

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Having read another of Father Williams' books, I ordered this one on a whim. I ended up reading it all in one night! He refutes the atheists' arguments against God and religion with solid logic and a sense of humor to boot! I really enjoyed it, and stored up some of his wisdom for my own encounters with non-believers. This is a truly great book.

Starting with the clever title with multiple meanings (as the font size decreases to form separate phrases), Father Thomas presents a well reasoned rebuttal to Hitchens, Dawkins et al. This book explains what the nouveau-atheists cannot admit to themselves -- that they cling to their beliefs through a "faith" they claim to rise above. Father Thomas explains his views with love for all, using a quiet voice that best proclaims the value of his foundations.

I enjoyed 'Greater Than You Think'. I really did. I found it a better book than the other rebuttal type book I purchased at the same time - Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins' Case Against God. The author, Thomas D. Williams is simply a better writer than the other authors are.

With that said, I offer the opinion that the Atheist Hitchens was too much of the focus. It is obvious that Atheist Hitchens hates God, which distracts from his arguments especially considering he hates something he claims does not exist. In the same manner, I was distracted in my reading by the author's continual reference and scathing comments to Atheist Hitchens. The reader would have been better served without a personal agenda. At least the author got it off his chest.

In addition, I would submit that the book is too broad in scope. That is, too many chapters/topics with too little said about each one. It would have been better for me to have just a few major topics and then to really dig deep and provide us the answers we deserve. The topics presented are very important and very complex. A two or three page cursory address is neither sufficient nor compelling.

Nevertheless, I believe the author did a commendable job overall and will be recommending this book to my friends.

I hope you find this review helpful

Michael L. Gooch - Author of Wingtips with Spurs

There appears no editorial review of this book anywhere I looked, and in my eyes reviewers miss a little book whose author really did his homework and presents the result in a most concise and readable manner.

The book's title (and its cover design) is a takeoff on Christopher Hitchens's "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything", but is, as "Greater Than You Think", instead ingratiating, leaving to the reader to "think" to whom it refers and whom it addresses, compared to the crude, absolutist, and indeed poison-spewing title by Hitchens. It makes me wonder whence his reputation as a wordsmith.

The reviewed author of course counters the recent atheist "bestsellers...accompanied by reams of lesser works, attesting to the power of atheism as the newest cottage industry" (p.xii). He takes these wonderfully apart and supplies cogent arguments against them. This may be the more rewarding considering that he is a clergyman, of whom usually is no more expected than a defense of his religion as compatible with scientific contentions, for an approach that might be exemplified in the book I last reviewed here.

To be sure, author Williams and myself strongly part company in that I am of Jewish birth and, though a theist, am not an adherent of any organized religion. This means I am decidedly in disagreement with him about his justifications for his persuasions. He offers reasonable arguments for the historicity of Jesus and to some extent of the events associated with him. Perhaps not surprisingly, although he mentions the atheist complaint regarding inconsistencies in the Gospels, he doesn't respond to it. The accuracy of those writings then is doubtful, let alone a proof of the divinity in question. As indicated, he doesn't shy away from reason in demonstrating the validity of one's position, defending for instance (p.92) the attempted proofs by Aquinas. But he is less than logical when defending proselytizing as "believers' insistence on trying to share their beliefs with others and to convince them of their truth" (p.57), using as example (p.59) the possible discovery of "a cure for cancer or AIDS", which one "would be negligent not to" inform others about.

One can hardly speak in the same breath of "believers", "their beliefs", and correspondingly "their truth" without inconsistency. A medical discovery must be well substantiated before even attempted to be applied to patients. Plausibly the author writes, regarding God's existence, (p.89), "The difference between belief and nonbelief...often reflects a deeper willingness or unwillingness to venture into a domain where we do not hold all the cards in our hands" or (p.94), "A simple analysis of the facts cannot compel a person to belief or unbelief". I happen to dispute this impossibility of a proof, finding one in fact quite simple, but go into the matter elsewhere.

Now I just want to add congratulations to the author for his praiseworthy elucidation of his stand.

When my 18-yr. old nephew, whom I am very close to, started telling me he was an atheistGreater Than You Think: A Theologian Answers the Atheists About God after he read books by the new athiests on the market, I found that I needed help in countering all of his new arguments. I accidentally found this book which answered each and every one of his objections. We agreed that I would read one of his atheistic books if he would read "Greater Than You Think"--which was an easy read. After he read it, he was able to see both sides of the theological debate much more clearly, and respect me as well. Thank goodness for this book!

This book caught my eye in the grocery store. I got it on a whim and read it in two hours.

I found it very easy to understand and concise. It was extremely simple to see the logic in each answer to various questions that have been raised by athiests over the past few years. I found myself wondering if those athiests would feel likewise; or if they would even give this book a chance.

As a former non-believer, I do appreciate someone taking the time to answer these authors. I only hope that those for whom the book was intended are seeing it too.

Though this is a short book (can be read in a day), it presents a well-thought out rebuttal to the "new atheists" and their claims. I used to be an agnostic (am now a Christian), so I myself used to think in many of the same ways as Harris, Hitchens, Dawkins, et al. Now I can see the holes in their arguments and the fallacy of the way I used to think.

I like how Williams points out that, since science has never disproved God's existence, atheism itself is a form of belief, a type of faith. (How do the atheists KNOW God doesn't exist? They just think so, with no real evidence...the same thing they bash religious people for).

Though some chapters seem too short/incomplete (I think the chapter on Christianity and sex, for example, really glosses over a lot of very real problems), mostly the book is well-researched, intelligent and worth the read. I especially loved his call to Christians at the end of the book, that we should ensure that our behavior is consistent with our beliefs and an example of good in the world. That will be the best argument of all against the claims of the atheists.

"Greater Than You Think" by Thomas D. Williams, LC, ThD systematically and intellectually refutes several objections to the Christian faith, God and organized religion voiced by well-known atheists. These 27 questions are comprehensively grouped by topic: Religion; Religion and Society; Faith - Science - Reason; Christianity; and Atheism. The questions and answers offer food for thought and opportunity to formulate our own responses to these questions so that we may "always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence." (1 Peter 3:15-16) The author beautifully ends this book with that very scripture verse and the same Biblical advice, making this a worthwhile read, although I would have appreciated Biblical references in the answers to the questions, themselves.

Fr. William's book is a quick read. He handles a very complicated subject in a well organized and thoughtful manner. I recommend it highly

Aikman's book came as a very pleasant surprise, being greater than I expected! A very sensible, interesting and informative answer to the "new atheists."