To start off, I'm an atheist, but more open minded about things than some others. What someone believes is their business and while I'd prefer it if they were rational about things, I realize that not everyone is going to be that way.
That said, I downloaded this e-book in the hopes that "hard evidence" was, in fact, evidence. I don't know everything in the world and if someone thinks they have real proof, facts and "evidence", I'll be happy to see if they're right.
Sadly, they weren't. Nor was the book presented in a fashion that would convince anyone other than a true believer of the veracity of the claim. One of the first things the author does is tell the reader that they have to believe in the possibility of a deity to understand the evidence. On an evidentiary level, this is like a prosecutor asking a jury to believe in the guilt of the accused before presenting evidence. The point is to PROVE the guilt using the evidence, not have the jury believe in it all along.
The scientific method is to seek out the evidence and make a conclusion from it. Most of those of faith don't understand the superiority of this method in determining truth. They tend to have a conclusion, then race off to find "evidence" to support it because this is how science presents information to the public. But science first gathers the evidence, then forms theories, based on the evidence that may, or may not, lead to a conclusion. The conclusion isn't the starting point in science.
Further, because those of faith already have a conclusion they HAVE to prove, they tend to ignore, gloss over or rationalize facts and logic that don't support their conclusion. Facts that don't support a conclusion may be inconvenient, but they're still facts that undermine the conclusion and have to be included. Explanations and rationalizations for some things for which "evidence" is a matter of interpretation are subjected to Occam's Razor - where the most likely thing is most likely the explanation. In this book, the least likely thing is taken as the explanation and the "proof" ignoring other more likely explanations.
This is what the author has done. Started with a conclusion and presented things which support it, ignoring the more rational, mundane Occam's Razor explanations for them. For example, the author uses select prophesy from the Bible as "proof" a deity exists. Never mind that given enough time, something that was once predicted may happen, not because of any deity but because of people trying specifically to make it happen. It's the self-fulfilling prophesy fallacy which those of faith ascribe to a deity's influence while those with more reasonable approaches see only human will and no hand of the divine in it at all.
Much of the rest of this book involves another fallacy used by many "believers" - the apocryphal "personal anecdotes" where the individual relays their experiences and then presents them as the norm. Never mind that human physiology reacts in mostly the same way from individual to individual for a given stimuli, and that some things can be replicated in the lab (like the Near Death Experiences). It's subjective evidence, not objective and easily refuted by replication in other, totally non-divine circumstances. The subjective nature of the "evidence" further undermined any legitimacy of it being "hard", let alone definitively attributable to a divine entity.
The only reason why this got two stars instead of one is that it's actually relatively well written. The author is obviously sincere in his beliefs and that's fine for him. But sadly, as I said, this doesn't rise to the level of "hard evidence" by any definition. As a testament to his faith, it's certainly well researched to support a predetermined conclusion. As science, it supports nothing and presents no real evidence that supports the conclusion because the evidence can be readily, and more rationally, explained by mundane, non-divine things.
Enjoy fast, FREE delivery, exclusive deals and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery
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.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
Popular titles by this author
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
