The problems I perceive with this book have more to do with my Master's in English than anything else. I found myself throughout the book cringing and wishing I had been the editor. I found more than a handful of typos in the book, sometimes more than one per page. This is frustrating for me because as an English teacher, typos and other surface level errors take away from the message of the book, which I thought was actually quite compelling. So, instead of focusing on the content, I found myself focusing on the errors. Besides the typos, the author tends to repeat himself, which again is something that distracts from the content. There were also sections of the book that could have been edited down. There is no need for the author to spend two pages trying to convince the reader of his argument by reiterating the same points in a different way. Again, I feel that this takes away from the content of the book. If the reader is not going to be convinced with one good logical argument, there is no reason to believe he or she is going to be convinced with three arguments - the only difference between them being the examples used to demonstrate the point. Additionally, there were several times when the author said he would "not bore" me with the details of some particular argument. As someone who is looking for these kinds of details to help me on my journey of non-belief, these details are incredibly important. Granted, the author did point me towards many sources where I could find the information myself, and the Bibliography is rather extensive. One last thing I was bothered by was the author's reliance on websites and forums. For someone who puts so much stock in the scientific method and peer-reviewed journals, the author spent an awful lot of time referencing websites, online articles and forums, etc.
This is not to say that I didn't like the book. I found the author's candidness refreshing and hearing about his own struggles with Christianity was likewise very useful for me in my own journey. The author makes several really good points, especially in Chapter 6, where he spends most of his time debunking Christianity. The author reminded me several times of Bible verses that I had completely forgotten about. In the second to last chapter of the book, the author mentions brain chemistry and how it can produce a euphoria that most Christians would attribute to the Holy Spirit. I was so glad to see him mention this, as this was the exact same "a-ha!" moment that I had over a year ago. The author suggests reading The God Delusion, which I also purchased at the same time as this book, so it will be next on my reading list. I'm hoping that The God Delusion gives me more of the details that Mr. Mark glossed over.
This book is not an "intellectual" book and the author's writing style leaves something to be desired. However, it was a quick read (it took me less than 2 days to finish, including the time spent referencing my Bible) and a useful one. I would suggest it to others just beginning their journey towards non-belief.
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An outstanding book of skepticism, science and freethought
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2008
Jeffrey Mark's engaging new book, Christian No More, is sure to make a lasting impact on every believer who reads it. This powerful work is an intellectual broadside to the world's most popular religion. One wonders how any honest and thinking Christian can confront the material contained in this remarkable book and not come away with a very different view of their religion.Hard hitting but never bitter or mean, this book addresses a broad range of topics. So much ground is covered, in fact, that I recommend it for nonbelievers as well as believers. Every reader, regardless of perspective, is sure to learn and benefit.Ultimately, the greatest value of Christian No More may be that it can serve as the perfect manual or guidebook for people who sense that they might enjoy vastly improved lives if only they could break free from the dogmatic belief imposed on them by family and society. Christian No More offers an escape route.--Guy P. Harrison, author ofRace and Reality: What Everyone Should Know About Our Biological Diversityand50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2008
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