Customer Reviews

50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God

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In 2007 I left evangelical Christianity after twenty-four years of deep involvement. Early that year I'd read a number of the "new atheist" books on the market with the intent of challenging and strengthening my walk with God. Instead, I ended up realizing I was on the wrong track, that what I'd heard and saw in church all those years didn't gel with my experiences away from the pulpit. Many of the reasons why I parted from my faith are in this excellent and necessary book.

"50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God" is exactly that. Each chapter's title is a common statement made by a religious person to justify his or her belief, such as "I want eternal life," "some very smart people believe in God," and "atheism is a negative and empty philosophy." The author responds to these and forty-seven other faith-based pronouncements in a reasonable, logical, and easy-to-read manner. The chapters are fairly short, so you won't be overwhelmed by minutiae, and they end with a bibliography and recommended reading list that enables further topical exploration.

Many folks are turned off by the polemic tone displayed by atheist authors such as Dawkins, Hitchens, and Harris. I think that their books should be read by everyone, but they are probably too harsh for most people of faith to start with. Guy Harrison rebuts religion and makes his case for atheism in a much more gentle and respectful fashion. Yes, one can tell that Mr. Harrison prefers rationality over faith, and sometimes his frustration with the latter shows. But on the whole his attitude is much easier to swallow than the aforementioned trio, so believers or people on the fence should feel more comfortable exploring atheist thought with this book.

If you've put off reading the "new atheist" books because you didn't want to feel patronized or insulted, then I recommend checking out "50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God." You'll find much food for thought within its pages, and be better prepared to tackle the harder atheist tomes if you so desire. Even so, the material here may still be a bitter pill to swallow, and it may lead you down some difficult trails. But it's a necessary dosage for anyone seeking to understand the fundamentals of atheism or evaluate their current belief system.

Harrison is an anthropologist. He studies Man's cultures, including the thousands of religions that have been invented. Yes, he is of the mind that Man made it all up without even knowing it, but he does not discriminate, insult, or otherwise abuse believers. He likes them and frequently attends religious services with them. Harrison has made it a habit to ask believers why they believe in their god or gods. In this book he has compiled essays built around the fifty most common answers to that question.

His essays are not formally philosophical and are not about splitting theological hairs. Instead, each essay is conversational common sense with statistics about religion thrown in. He does not capitalize god or gods, since he rarely talks about any specific deity, among the thousands that have existed. Several themes recur: He emphasizes that every believer is an atheist about every god other than their own preferred god. Which god a person believes in is almost always an accident of birth. Atheists don't choose to be atheists - they just end up not believing. They are the fourth most plentiful group, after Christians, Muslims, and Hindus - and that only counts the ones out of the closet. The fifth most plentiful group is animism. Various religions make irreconcilable claims that can't all be right, despite the zeal of their believers. This most likely suggests that none of them are true and that humans are good at inventing gods. The countries highest in atheism are the most peaceful and the countries highest in religiosity are the most violent. The same picture shows up in blue versus red states in the US. Although religions are capable of good things, on balance, they are bad for society.

Harrison gives religion some direct hits, usually with a bit of humor:

"...atheism is not a conscious act of turning away from all gods. It is simply the final destination for those who think...you will be pleased to discover that the sky does not fall down on your head...if you still want to pray, you can (the success rate of your prayers is unlikely to change)."

"...it can be a wonderful life without gods...wise choices, hard work, being born somewhere other than an impoverished hellhole, good health, and a little luck can add up to a fine existence for just about anyone."

"...couldn't natural disasters such as tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts, and tornados be unintelligent and indifferent events that can strike down anyone anywhere, regardless of which gods are prayed to? ...it matches the reality we see in our world."

A fine addition to the recent surge of non-believer books. This one is a kinder, gentler version, and fun to read - with this disclaimer from the author: "No gods were harmed in the writing of this book."

DB

We are living in a golden age for books about freethought, atheism, agnosticism and the like. Guy Harrison's book stands out for a couple of reasons.

The minor characteristic that makes this book a standout is its organization. You can dip into it anywhere, no need to read it straight through. Each chapter deals with one of the fifty questions, but the content in #50 is not built on anything in #5. Each discussion is a discreet stand-alone.

The advantage of this may not be immediately apparent. Because it deals with some of our most deeply cherished beliefs, this is a book to be pondered and considered carefully. It's not a good idea to whip through it on the beach between naps. The ability to read a single chapter and digest it for a while, and consider the relative strength of the argument, is the way to get the most out of the book.

But the major characteristic upon which this book is recommended is its tone. Having had the opportunity to compare many such works on atheism and its related -isms, I find the absence of anger or impatience in the author refreshing. He is very kind to believers. One could certainly never say this about another atheist luminary like Christopher Hitchens or Richard Dawkins, both of whom I admire enormously, and both of whom probably have alienated more believers already than they can ever hope to persuade. %0 Reasons is a book that will engage both the freethinker and the theist, without boring the one or insulting the other.

50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God, by Guy P. Harrison, is one of the newest free thought books to come out on the market. Unlike many others, such as Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion and Christopher Hitchens' God Is Not Great, among others, this book takes a much milder tone. Harrison refrains from insulting, or talking down to believers, and instead tries to clearly explain why each of the fifty reasons for belief in god that he lays out are misguided. Instead of insults, Harrison tries to reason with his reader, and I found his arguments to be very persuasive. Depending on the person, I think this book might actually get through to some believers.

The book is exceptionally well written, in my opinion, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to a religious friend because of the milder tone. As it's been said before, many other atheistic books can be very insulting which can distract the reader from getting the core message. Harrison's book doesn't have this flaw.

A few of the reasons covered are the following: My god changes lives, Intelligent Design proves my god is real, some very smart people believe in my god, and many others. As I mentioned, each claim is responded to very eloquently and in an honest and sincere manner.

Unfortunately, as some reviews here have shown, no matter how kind someone is in explaining the irrationality of belief some people are just too closed minded to want to understand.

For a clear and reasonable response to many reasons people give for believing in god I highly recommend this book.

Most of what I'd like to say about this engaging and easy-to-read book has already been said in previous comments. I appreciate Harrison's gentle yet penetrating approach, as well as his ability to level the playing field of all religions by referring to the "gods" of each using the same terms: Jesus, Allah, Shiva and Zeus are all "gods" worshipped by people in various cultures. I also commend him for his use of an approachable, non-academic style. Though apologists and sophisticated believers would likely look down on this approach, it's a book I could give to my Christian friends and family without having to worry about their ability to process the theological jargon common to most works of this nature.

That's the upside. The downside of treating all religions as equals in the same book is that for certain believers (I think of my Christian friends who are well-versed in apologetics), the meager attention given to biblical prophecies and the Resurrection of Jesus will give them reason to dismiss the book as uninformed about a number of important reasons for believing. For example, on page 260 Harrison discounts fulfilled biblical prophecies by saying the fulfillments are found in the same book (i.e., the Bible) as the prophecies:

"What about Jesus? His appearance on Earth was 'prophesized' and then he came, right? Well, not exactly. Where was it predicted and where was it fulfilled? It all happens in the Bible, one book. There are no historical records that verify the events of Jesus's life beyond the Bible. No other sources corroborate the story of his virgin birth and resurrection. The Bible is the only source we have for predictions of Jesus' life so it is not sensible that the same book can be cited as proof that the predictions it makes came true. Suppose I handed you a book and said it was obviously a true story because something is predicted in chapter 1 that later comes true in chapter 25. Based on that alone, would you be convinced that the book is factual? Of course you wouldn't. You would be more likely to conclude that the author wrote in that way in order to make the story work like he or she wanted it to."

I am certain that Harrison understands the Bible was written over many centuries by various authors. That being the case, it would have been preferable to state that later biblical authors supported previous authors' prophecies by supplying details to make it appear that the earlier writings were being fulfilled. Otherwise, some readers may think Harrison considers the Bible to have been penned by a single author. Apart from the need to be more precise about the authorship question, Harrison does a good job of presenting other reasons not to accept biblical prophecies as supernatural, particularly their Nostradamus-like vagueness.

Left out altogether was any mention of the events surrounding Jesus' Resurrection that convince millions of faithful Christians that something supernatural happened on Easter Sunday morning. This is a cornerstone of Christian apologetics for authors like William Lane Craig, N. T. Wright, and Frank Morrison. I understand it was probably left out because the book attempts to address all religions equally, but this omission will be perceived as a major oversight by many Christian readers.

One of the most powerful of Guy's arguments is his exposition of the well-documented inverse relationship between religiosity and societal health (measured by homicide rates, number of abortions, quality of healthcare, and prosperity) throughout the world. This revelation must be profoundly unsettling for believers who are convinced that the god of their religion is the wellspring of virtue. On the basis of my discussion with believers, the moral argument is appealed to perhaps more than any other to support religion. If this is taken away, it represents a major setback to the legitimacy of religious belief. Unfortunately many believers will respond, "Well, if you look at people who believe and practice their faith just like I do (e.g., those who read the Bible and pray daily with their family), you will find that divorce and crime rates are much lower than average for the population at large. Others may say they're Christians, but their failure to practice it like I do means they cannot be thrown into the same statistical pot as true believers." Much could be said to counter this sort of special pleading, but it's simply hard to pin down anyone with arguments like these. We can always hope that some proportion of Harrison's thoughtful religious readers will take his engaging arguments to heart without persistently exempting themselves from their force.

Don't let my small criticisms of the book discourage you from reading it. It deserves to be read by every believer of every stripe. It will serve as a gentle "jolt" to everyone who believes their religion is special.

I have to confess that when I finished reading this book, I felt this inner freedom and joy. I actually started crying and I felt like this is what I've been looking for all my life. It was a weird feeling that is hard to explain and put in words. It was like seeing a born again Christian when they claim they feel the "holy ghost"...which I tried, but never experienced in my life. I think this book has a passive tone and it should be read by all, especially those that have a passionate thirst for wonder, reason, and what I feel is common sense. I heard about this book one morning while listening to NPR, and I am so glad I decided to buy it. I usually carry the book in my car...it's like a bible to me. I also bought Dan Barker's "Godless"...which was also an awesome book to me.

Being labeled as an atheist in our American society isn't always peachy...I know I get judged alot. I tell people that I am a realist before an atheist. My wife told me that she feels sorry for me...probably because she thinks I'm not going to be there in heaven with her. I sure hope that future generations will part from this primitive way of thinking...but we can only hope. I think that our worst enemies is ourselves, our minds, and our ignorance. Are we truly the most intelligent animals on earth? Sometimes we don't act that way. I wonder what the rest of the animal kingdom thinks of us humans...especially when they see us talking to imaginary gods, and killing each other to please these gods. If all living things were created by some intelligent designer, why are humans the ONLY species that are required to believe, praise, worship, obey, and be judged by this creator? I use to feel that being human was more of a curse than a gift. I now look up at the night sky and think of how AWESOME it is to be a part of a greater thing- the universe, life, and existence. This book honestly changed my life, and I am so glad that I decided to challege what my parents told me was "the truth".

"LEARN as if you're going to live forever and LIVE as if you're going to die tomorrow"- Soulfly.

I was raised in a religious home, on a scale of 1 to 10 I would say we were about a 7 or 8. But as the author points out for many people, during my formative years I never questioned why "my" religion was right while the vast majority of humanity remains either confused, maliciously misled, or simply enjoys believing a lie. Also, while being religiously educated, I was never shown a comparison of "my" beliefs against other belief systems, instead my education included contrasting my beliefs with non-belief, which I was taught was a bad bet, more or less. There is supposedly no harm in being religious, being devout, even if you are on the wrong path. But such reasoning is just burying your head in the sand...

Five years ago I became a father for the first time and at that time I started some deep soul searching on what values I would pass down to my children, and in doing so I could not reconcile the OT god with a role model that I would want my son to follow. Many other issues arose as well, especially in terms of what I would teach my son using his mind and reasoning faculties rather than expect him to just flatly accept certain beliefs on 'faith' solely because of family heritage or tradition.

Slowly, over the course of the last five years, what I call my own personal 'organic atheism' began to grow. In order to keep all arguments balanced, I have read many books on the topic, including those from believers turned atheist and vice versa. In all my reading I have found '50 Reasons' to be the perfect 'pocket guide' to explain to my loved ones why my beliefs have changed over time. As alluded to in this book, all believers reject various gods and belief systems, non-believers simply reject one more god (or belief system) than believers do.

I would not recommend this book if you want potent 'ammunition' to argue or debate with Bible thumpers. But then again I don't recommend arguing or debating these topics in a combative way anyway. But if you are looking for a book that is written in a spirit of helping those you care about accept your non-belief, then I wish I could give this book 10 stars. PERFECTLY DONE!

I don't think I can say much more about the book than what's already been said, I just wanted to thank Guy for helping me see the light (or lack thereof?) and recommend it to others who are seeking a deeper sense of truth.

I read Guy's book over a year ago after hearing him on Point of Inquiry. I'd been a Christian for over 30 years and read numerous books on apologetics and Intelligent Design. Looking to challenge my faith a bit, I turned to "50 Reasons" for an alternative point of view.

50 Reasons was the first book I'd read on the subject of atheism. By the end of chapter 1 I was already formulating my Amazon rebuttal - Guy's logic was obviously flawed. Midway through the book I stopped rebutting and started seeing the logic in what he had to say. His arguments were easy to understand and often difficult to refute. By the end I was still very much a believer, but reading Guy's book was a definate turning point.

Fast forward a year and I'm now agnostic. I'll admit the transition was very difficult, but I now feel a strong sense of having discovered the REAL truth, which I value more than any comforting delusion.

Still, I'd agree with others that Guy's book lacked information specific to Christianity. Perhaps we need "50 Reasons People Give for Believing in Jesus".

I stumbled across this book while perusing a dark, tucked away corner of my local Barnes and Noble. This is the "Atheist" section as I call it, although they won't even label it that. You almost feel naughty traveling back there, to that quiet corner, as if someone has tried to put these books in a place no one will likely go looking for them.

Harrison writes his book with a modest triumph in spite of society's animosity for the topic. You open it up and find that the raving atheist looney author simply isn't there (not to say that Hitchens, Dawkins, and like are insane, but their tactics are at times a bit tact-less). No, instead what we find ourselves with is an incredibly intelligent conversation with people's beliefs. Its a straight forward, intellectual hard-ball approach, don't get me wrong. However, instead of slaughtering the village in his crusade, Harrison sits them down for tea and thoroughly explains himself in their native tongue before sending the villagers on their way.

I've used this book in just about every religious conversation I've found myself in. Its a high recommendation for believers and non, and I truly wish more people would have a go at it. I couldn't help but underline and write in the margins while reading it.

If you have read this review you are clearly interested enough in the topic that I would definitely recommend you to BUY THIS BOOK! :)

I have read this book cover to cover twice and referenced it many more times in the months that I have had it. It is even-handed, thorough and concise without being derogatory or belligerent. The author does an excellent job of showing how each of the 50 common arguments used by lay people to support their belief in god are either illogical or could be used to support ANY belief in ANY god or ANYTHING for that matter. I have given out 2 copies of it to people that have a very fundamental interpretation of their faith but are still willing to listen to conflicting viewpoints. The unfortunate thing about this book is that the vast majority of those that would benefit the most from it will refuse categorically to read it.

Reading this should not turn anybody into an atheist, so no need to worry if that is your fear. What it can do and should do is help the reader to develop a deeper understanding of why they believe what they do and even more importantly, why others believe what they do. If everybody on Earth read this book with an open mind, there would be significantly less conflict over details of belief in the world. Then again, if everybody was willing to read a book like this, they most likely would already be open-minded enough to not need it.