I first heard of this book in an article, "Unreasonable Doubt," in the magazine, Christianity Today ([...] Fascinated by the premise, and having previously read "Saved by an Atheist" ([...]) in the same magazine a few months prior, I determined I would one day read this book.
Upon locating the now-out-of-print book on Amazon.com, I was stunned to see a book originally listed for $12.95 to be selling for around $45. Secondly, I was struck by the fact that it seems to be a "love it or hate it" book, judging by a glance at the reviews. It averages three stars with a scant 41 reviews now, with 13 being five-star and 13 being one-star. Perusing the critical reviews shows a group of angry and bitter individuals who fit the profile of intense atheist, mostly making straw man arguments about the premise of the book, then knocking down said straw man. Most of them seem entirely unaware of Dr. Vitz's standing in the academic community and specializations, and re-frame his arguments in fashions that do not accurately synopsize his directly stated intentions. That a minor (based on the number of reviews) volume such as this should provoke such vitriol from such a small percentage of the population is, in itself, fascinating.
Atheism has likely existed nearly as long as theism. In my years of reading a variety of Christian apologetics works, I have mostly seen the subject matter experts note that atheism is usually caused either by a traumatic incident that leads one to reject God as a proxy for rejecting certain people who claim to follow Him, or by a strong desire to escape accountability for libertine lifestyles. Other than being aware of Nietzsche's infamous "God is dead" quip, I had little awareness of the early origins of the New Atheist movement, where people go from simply lacking faith in the supernatural to actively opposing same. I had presumed it to be a natural outgrowth of the Enlightenment and pseudoscience like neo-Darwinism (not to be confused with legitimate scientific study of evolutionary ideas).
Similarly, I was unaware of the Vetter-Green (1932) and Caplovitz-Sherrow (1977) studies referenced in a textbook,
Psychology of Religion: Classic and Contemporary
. It would seem to me that Vitz built on a history of similar findings, though his failure to reference the earlier studies could indicate a lack of awareness of said. Given the dearth of material available on the subject of the causes of atheism, it is not entirely surprising that Vitz mentions nothing of earlier studies. In these aforementioned studies, it was discovered that members of an atheism advocacy group had "exceptionally prevalent ... [d]isturbances in childhood and adolescence" and that an increasingly poor relationship with one's parents correlates directly with increasing tendencies to reject religion. These findings, coupled with those in Faith of the Fatherless, match a statement made by a secular psychiatrist of my acquaintance: "Rejection of God is the ultimate father rejection."
But what to do with all this information? One might be tempted to pedantically declare atheism to be a symptom of some sort of mental illness. Indeed, it may be, but we also have plenty of examples of mentally ill who not only believe in God but believe they are Jesus or Moses. Given that, one might be tempted to surmise that extreme positions, like atheism or delusions of being Jesus, could indicate a tendency in mental illness to gravitate toward something related to the supernatural, either in extremes of affirmation or rejection. Likewise, though, that would be needlessly speculative.
So, again, what good is this information? I think the author puts it best when he says: "Since both believers and nonbelievers in God have psychological reasons for their positions, one important conclusion is that in any debate as to the truth of the existence of God, psychology should be irrelevant. A genuine search for evidence supporting, or opposing, the existence of God should be based on the evidence and arguments found in philosophy, theology, science, history, and other relevant disciplines."
In the cases where psychological disturbances have led to atheism, I again defer to the author's words: "[W]e must not forget or oversimplify the pain and the complex causes that lie behind individual cases. And for those whose atheism was conditioned by a father who rejected, or denied, or hated, or manipulated, or physically or sexually abused, or abandoned them, there must be understanding and compassion."
I believe it would be safe to say that while this book is an important analysis of the historical bases for the New Atheist movement, and while it demonstrates how a father's influence on his children has far-reaching consequences, we should not dismiss atheism out of hand as nothing more than a mental disorder, or a symptom of a disorder. Just like with any sort of study, we should not get bogged down in the details, but look at the big picture that came from an analysis of those details. If we are to take anything from this in the light of Christian apologetics and evangelism, it should be that we have open hearts to the hurting, some of whom may be atheists due to some sort of tragedy or trauma.
Read this book. Read it with an open mind, an open heart, and--above all--an open line of prayer to God.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from other countries
Andrew L'Heureux
Amazing Thoughtful book to expose the lies of the wounded ...
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on July 5, 2018Henrica deVries
Culture without a Father
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 23, 2013
