Dr. Richard Carrier, world renowned philosopher and historian, explains the four reasons he does not accept the Christian religion, describing four facts of the world that, had they been different, he would believe. He is brief, clear, and down to earth, covering the whole topic in under ninety pages of easy-to-read explanation. Those four reasons are God's silence, God's inaction, the lack of evidence, and the way the universe looks exactly like a godless universe would, and not at all like a Christian universe would, even down to its very structure. Dr. Carrier addresses all the usual replies to these claims, in ways you might not have heard before, relying on his wide experience in debating and studying these issues all over the world for more than fifteen years. A perfect book to introduce yourself, or your friends, to why fewer educated people are embracing Christianity than ever before. Ideal for handing out to door-to-door missionaries.
Why I Am Not a Christian
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About the Author
Richard Carrier is the renowned author of Sense and Goodness without God and Not the Impossible Faith, as well as numerous articles online and in print. He received his Ph.D. in ancient history from Columbia University in 2008, and now specializes in the modern philosophy of naturalism, the origins of Christianity, and the intellectual history of Greece and Rome. For more about him and his work visit www.richardcarrier.info.
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Dr. Richard Carrier is a published historian and philosopher, specializing in the philosophy of naturalism and the intellectual history of Greece and Rome. He's a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard with a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley in History and Classical Civilizations, and a Ph.D. in ancient history from Columbia University. He has written extensively for the Secular Web and in various periodicals and books, and discussed his views in public all over the country and on TV.
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69 of 77 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Let me get the snark out of the way: Dr. Carrier has no shortage of ego, from the rather self-congratulatory way he introduces the book to his choice of book title (historically I think more people have been more curious as to why Bertrand Russell was not a Christian: Why I Am Not A Christian And Other Essays On Religion And Related Subjects)
Having said that, Carrier's confidence this time seems very well-placed. Not only is his reasoning sound, but his arguments are forceful. Having been an educated evangelical Christian for a couple of decades, I could hear the still small voice in my head formulating arguments contra some of the things Carrier was stating, but at some point it's all too obvious that those "arguments" amount to little more than fancy rhetorical footwork. Any idea that must be propped up by an ever more Byzantine, bizarre Rube-Goldberg scaffolding of ad hoc speculation should perhaps best be permitted to topple.
Nowhere in the book was I more impressed than when Carrier took what might have been a labored and complex argument about the authorship and credibility of the New Testament and through the skillful use of analogy successfully set aside that entire argument. It was a brilliant conceit that anyone could follow, regardless their state of biblical literacy, and only those hopelessly committed to nonsense could fail to be swayed by it.
Let me praise the book, too, for its admirable brevity. We atheists, being mostly rather (and maybe rather TOO) cerebral, create these often dry, complicated tomes...for each other. There's nothing wrong with that, but there is no doubt a world of Christians being tormented by skepticism and doubt, being too intelligent and having too much integrity to take many of their faith's claims seriously much longer, who would benefit from persuasive information. Carrier here provides a paradigmatic example of what might be accomplished.
Finally, Carrier ends the book on the same wonderfully up-beat and challenging note that he struck in his magnum opus, Sense and Goodness Without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism.
Having said that, Carrier's confidence this time seems very well-placed. Not only is his reasoning sound, but his arguments are forceful. Having been an educated evangelical Christian for a couple of decades, I could hear the still small voice in my head formulating arguments contra some of the things Carrier was stating, but at some point it's all too obvious that those "arguments" amount to little more than fancy rhetorical footwork. Any idea that must be propped up by an ever more Byzantine, bizarre Rube-Goldberg scaffolding of ad hoc speculation should perhaps best be permitted to topple.
Nowhere in the book was I more impressed than when Carrier took what might have been a labored and complex argument about the authorship and credibility of the New Testament and through the skillful use of analogy successfully set aside that entire argument. It was a brilliant conceit that anyone could follow, regardless their state of biblical literacy, and only those hopelessly committed to nonsense could fail to be swayed by it.
Let me praise the book, too, for its admirable brevity. We atheists, being mostly rather (and maybe rather TOO) cerebral, create these often dry, complicated tomes...for each other. There's nothing wrong with that, but there is no doubt a world of Christians being tormented by skepticism and doubt, being too intelligent and having too much integrity to take many of their faith's claims seriously much longer, who would benefit from persuasive information. Carrier here provides a paradigmatic example of what might be accomplished.
Finally, Carrier ends the book on the same wonderfully up-beat and challenging note that he struck in his magnum opus, Sense and Goodness Without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism.
88 of 100 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Why I am Not a Christian by Richard Carrier
Why I am Not a Christian is a fantastic brief account of why Dr. Carrier rejects the Christian religion. His four main reasons are: God's silence, God's inaction, the lack of evidence, and the debunking of the fine tuning argument. This short book of less than 90 pages is composed of the following six chapters: Why This Book, God is Silent, God is Inert, Wrong Evidence, Wrong Universe and a Conclusion.
Positives:
1. It's a book by Dr. Carrier so you know it's well written and well thought out.
2. A brief intellectual appetizer. I like that.
3. A direct logical response to the question, "Why I am not a Christian."
4. Great quotes. One thing that I admire most about Dr. Carrier is his ability to convey his thoughts in a lucid manner. Consider the following thought, "The fact that believers can't agree on the content of God's message or desires also refutes the theory that he wants us to be clear on these things." You see what I mean.
5. Great defense of all his positions.
6. I always learn something new from Dr. Carrier. Always thought-provoking.
7. Priced right, an eloquent essay at a fair price. Worth it!
Negatives:
1. Having to wait for Dr. Carrier's next book, " On the Historicity of Jesus Christ."
In summary, I enjoyed this short book. It should be placed at every hotel and motel room. I think people would get a lot more out of it. Dr. Carrier proposes four reasons why he is not a Christian and they all hit the mark. A short but satisfactory book as every great appetizer should be.
Further suggestions: "Sense and Goodness Without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism" by the same author is fantastic, "Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists..." by Dan Barker, "Decoding the Language of God: Can a Scientist Really Be a Believer?..." by George C. Cunningham, "Christian No More: On Leaving Christianity, Debunking Christianity, And Embracing Atheism And Freethinking..." by Jeffrey Mark, and "Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity..." by John Loftus.
Why I am Not a Christian is a fantastic brief account of why Dr. Carrier rejects the Christian religion. His four main reasons are: God's silence, God's inaction, the lack of evidence, and the debunking of the fine tuning argument. This short book of less than 90 pages is composed of the following six chapters: Why This Book, God is Silent, God is Inert, Wrong Evidence, Wrong Universe and a Conclusion.
Positives:
1. It's a book by Dr. Carrier so you know it's well written and well thought out.
2. A brief intellectual appetizer. I like that.
3. A direct logical response to the question, "Why I am not a Christian."
4. Great quotes. One thing that I admire most about Dr. Carrier is his ability to convey his thoughts in a lucid manner. Consider the following thought, "The fact that believers can't agree on the content of God's message or desires also refutes the theory that he wants us to be clear on these things." You see what I mean.
5. Great defense of all his positions.
6. I always learn something new from Dr. Carrier. Always thought-provoking.
7. Priced right, an eloquent essay at a fair price. Worth it!
Negatives:
1. Having to wait for Dr. Carrier's next book, " On the Historicity of Jesus Christ."
In summary, I enjoyed this short book. It should be placed at every hotel and motel room. I think people would get a lot more out of it. Dr. Carrier proposes four reasons why he is not a Christian and they all hit the mark. A short but satisfactory book as every great appetizer should be.
Further suggestions: "Sense and Goodness Without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism" by the same author is fantastic, "Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists..." by Dan Barker, "Decoding the Language of God: Can a Scientist Really Be a Believer?..." by George C. Cunningham, "Christian No More: On Leaving Christianity, Debunking Christianity, And Embracing Atheism And Freethinking..." by Jeffrey Mark, and "Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity..." by John Loftus.
48 of 53 people found the following review helpful
By ken
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a former believer, i wondered how much bang Mr. Carrier could deliver in under a hundred pages. Apparently, quite a bit! The first chapter is a concise and unique distillation of the arguments from nonbelief and the hiddenness of god. The second is a fresh restatement of the problem of evil, and the strangely obvious conclusion that god never appears to do anything...ever! The third gives some excellent reasons to be skeptical of the accounts of Jesus' miracles, and the fourth shows how different our universe would look if Christian theism were, in fact, true. The breezy style of this book, at first reading, belies the power of these arguments, but, man, they sneak up on you! Since deconverting, I've been looking for the theological "killing joke" - that thing you could say to a believer that would slowly but ineluctably open their eyes about their beliefs. This book might just be it!!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intelligent Reasoning!
If you've ever had any doubts about the Christian faith and the existence of a higher being, this book will answer your questions. Very intuitive and realistic. Read more
Published 2 days ago by M. J. Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fairly ironclad
No, it's still possible to shove a knife blade between a few of the stones in Carrier's wall. But that's a far cry from being able to pry out those stones. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Michael D. Speir
4.0 out of 5 stars
Why I am not a Christian by richard carrier
This book was easy to read. Covered many topics, on religion, humanity, and the universe. Look forward to reading more of his books.
Published 12 days ago by christine curry russell
4.0 out of 5 stars
A bit wordy....
Not as easy a read as some, but nevertheless interesting - Carrier presents some different angles on the subject matter, and follows them through.
Published 1 month ago by Rennyrij
2.0 out of 5 stars
Some great ideas buried in weak writing
I'm not put off by arrogance when it comes from a true expert, and I've been impressed by many of Mr. Carrier's speeches. Read more
Published 2 months ago by St. Nick Name
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very informative!!! It is good to learn the "Truth"!!!
Very informative!!! It is good to learn the "Truth"!!! It make more sense than the Fanatic Christians!!! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Israel Rivera
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well Written, Yet Unexpectedly Brief
This is a very well written book (more of a position paper). I like it so much I'm getting more from the same author. The only shock for me was how short it is. Read more
Published 3 months ago by V. Watson
4.0 out of 5 stars
'going beyond armchair atheism...
I chose this book by mistake because it has half the same title as Bertrand Russell's "why I am not a Christian". Read more
Published 3 months ago by michael bossons
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gets right to the heart of the argument
This is a simple and easy to read book without the verbiage of other books. Page 21 even has an example of how god would be able to do nothing to stop a school shooting, whereas a... Read more
Published 4 months ago by secular guy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Careful - Good Arguements
The book boils down to not only why the author isn't a Christian but also that there is no God. He makes a very good case, much like reading the anti-thesis of "Watch... Read more
Published 4 months ago by netsirk77
