Rating: 
Summary: A worthy addition to the library of every freethinker.
Review: Smith does a fine job in adding to the resources available to those who are unwilling to accept superstitions as reality. His writing style is concise and occasionally breezy without ever losing its dignity. My copy of The Case Against God has been useful many times for sharpening my understanding of theist mental laxity and the rigors required of skepticism. A note on definitions: an atheist is one who lacks belief in gods, nothing more. "Strong atheism" asserts that it is possible to disprove the existence of any alleged deity, given enough information. "Weak atheism" asserts that it is not possible to disprove the existence of gods, but that there is no credible reason to believe. NEITHER SORT OF ATHEISM IS A "FAITH". As a point of fact, monotheists such as Christians, Muslims and Jews are themselves atheists of a sort, since they lack belief in any of the hundreds of other deities that are claimed to exist. There is no more reason to accept the claims of Jehovah than those of Vishnu or Zeus. I would suggest that every person with an interest in the subject of theism read Smith's book. I would further suggest that each theist ask themselves these questions: "what reliable, objective evidence have I obtained to demonstrate the credibility of the supernatural claims of my deity?" and - "why is similar evidence supporting the supernatural claims of other deities not credible?"
Rating: 
Summary: God is a big meanie and I can't see him so nyeah
Review: Imagine Lucy Van Pelt arguing with Charlie Brown about why there can’t be more than two dimensions, why their comic strip world has always existed and was not drawn, and why an animator named Charles Schulz cannot be real, and you have a fair summary of what you will find in this philosophically inept book. I rate it three stars solely for entertainment value. As a self styled philosopher who has studied many aspects of metaphysics, belief systems and life philosophies in general, “the case for atheism” made me laugh. If you are looking for guidance on whether or not to purchase and read this book, know this: the book will probably not do much more than reflect the beliefs you already have. If you believe in God, you will see the huge, gaping holes in Smith’s arguments, and you will either be amused or angered by his personal vendetta against Christianity (I was amused). However, if you are an atheist or a fence sitter who has grown up in an oppressive religious environment and want to get out, then you will see this book as a temporary key to freedom from the doubts or struggles you have had and a blessing of autonomy, and you will be grateful to Smith for intellectually legitimizing your desires. When it gets right down to it, these arguments are grade school level. He makes so many false assumptions and relies so heavily on semantics and straw men that trying to point out the nonsense points would be like stomping cockroaches in a filth ridden house- there are too many to count. During my junior year in college I was overjoyed when I came across this book, thinking it would give me some heavy roadblocks of opposing thought to sink my teeth into, and really shake my foundations and make me think. I was looking for a good, no holds barred slug fest. Instead it was a chuckle fest. It ended up being pathetic whining that boiled down to kindergarten level questions like “why should I believe in God if he’s a meanie” and “why should I have to believe what I can’t see?” ...P>To end my review of this book, let me say this: in the end it doesn’t really matter whether you come to God or not. What matters is whether He comes to You.
Rating: 
Summary: Lean Not To Your Own Understanding
Review: There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12 The LORD confides in those who fear Him, He makes his covenant known to them. Psalms 25:14
Rating:
Summary: Rising Above Atheism
Review: This book undermines extreme religious fundamentalism, and in doing so, Smith has an easy ride. It deserves 5 stars because Smith makes such a strong and worthy case against the narrow and intolerant attitudes and perspectives of fundamentalism. Yet undermining extreme fundamentalism and Biblical literalism, is by no mean the same as undermining the deeper Spirit and message of Christianity. Smith comes nowhere near achieving this, and as it happens, Smith's perspective, attitudes and tone are no less narrow and intolerant than the fundamentalists which he persecutes. Smith compares belief in God with belief in Santa Claus, he denies the necessity of human faith, and he concludes that the existence of God is "impossible". Belief in Santa Claus is very different to belief in the nature of the Infinite and the Sustaining Reality of Being. Smith's denial of the necessity of faith is fallacious because faith is inherent to the human condition. Smith is not in the position to answer the significant question: "Why is there something, rather than nothing at all?" He also does not 'know' that the nature of the Infinite is inherently meaningless and purposeless, because such knowledge transcends the finite capacity of the human mind. Atheists simply believe it, so their perspective is grounded in faith. Even though atheists have no faith in God, the only way anyone could possess a faith-free understanding at all is to have an infallible knowledge of everything - which is an attribute given only to God. It soon becomes apparent that Smith cannot discern the difference between the cleverness of the head and wisdom of the heart. Religious faith is grounded in the belief that there is inherent purpose and meaning to the Universe, that we are spiritual beings with a sacred purpose, and that the nature of the Infinite is Spirit with purpose. In principle, Smith is unable to refute these deeper Christian convictions, and the foundation of Smith's argument crumbles here. Ultimately, his entire case against God becomes negligible. Just as darkness cannot survive in the presence of Light, so can nothing thwart the ultimate Truth of God. While Smith nit-picks at the surface principles of dogma, the religious 'framework' of Christianity and Biblical literalism, (the Bible is the map - fallible, rather than the Territory Itself - infallible), he completely ignores the profound depths of spirituality and the greater meaning of cultivating a sound spiritual life in Christ. Smith says, "Scratch the surface of a Christian, and you find a dishonest agnostic." This is not so, and the truth is, if you scratch the surface of an atheist who denies possessing faith, such as Smith, you find a misguided agnostic. Overall, Smith fails to open his mind to the fact there is a great deal more to theism and Christianity than extreme fundamentalism and Biblical literalism. An interesting attempt, but fails in its ultimate goal.
Rating:
Summary: This book snuffs out the idea of god like a cheap cigar.
Review: This book is the best I've read on the arguments against the existence of supernatural beings. While Smith concentrates mostly on the christian god, his beautifully impenetrable logic applies to any sort of ghost, booger, haint, etc. The book is extremely well written and the arguments made by Smith, while brilliant, don't require a PhD to comprehend. Great read.
Rating:
Summary: In response to the Neanderthals
Review: This is a great book of reference for any one interested in a logical breakdown of the "God" concept. I've read many of the negative reviews and as always these fundamentalists make no sense. Being a Mathematician and a Professor of Philosophy it is very easy to see that fundamentally believing in a "God" concept is without intellectual merit to a most volumous decree. In life as in Mathematics there are rarely any 100% absolute certainties, but as Mr. Smith explains, because something isn't 100% certain doesn't mean it won't ever come to light, and people very often make up fantastic stories to give them solace and peace of mind. The proof of a "God" concept also is not 100% certain and therefore open to examination. Who knows maybe it will be proved one day, but until then one must accept things i.e., evolution, chaos, string theory all based on certain degrees of certainty. Mr. Smith merely asks what is the degree of certainty of the "God" concept? When Mr. Smith states "clearly" one must only read on to understand "clearly," as it is very "clearly" explained. If we were in a court of law then I suppose terminology would make a difference, yet Mr. Smith is only applying logic to an otheriwise illogical stance from fundamentalists.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent critique of skepticism and a great resource
Review: I read this book thinking that I was an open-minded agnostic. In the end, Smith convinced me that logicly a supernatural being can not follow. The book has 3 main values to it: its critique of skepticism; its clarity in showing that faith and reason are not compatible; and its resource value. This book will not necessarily convince any theist who reads it, but they will have to conclude that their religion is based on faith, and not reason. Smith brings up many of the arguments against the possibility of a supernatural being - and in this way, the book is great for reference. On the other hand, he brings up so many of the objections that sometimes he does not give them the justification that they need. GREAT BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: okay as far as it goes
Review: Smith does a good job of attacking the more naive forms of theism. After reading his book, it is difficult to see how one could believe in an anthropomorphic god who rewards his friends and punishes his enemies. Unfortunately, Smith is not content to savor this victory, but presses forward to occupy less stable ground by claiming that naturalistic materialism does away with the need for any god concept. When I was in law school, I learned that one should not use words like "clearly" to bolster an argument. Use of such words is a dead give-away that the point is anything but clear. But that is exactly what Smith all too often does here. When he comes to a point where he wants to press forward far beyond what his argument will support, he begins using vituperative language and hand-waving to imply that anyone who disagrees with him is dishonest or an idiot. There is nothing intellectually dishonest with believing in a god, so long as your god concept is not internally incoherent or inconsistent with itself or other evidence. And there is ample warrant to employ a god-concept to account for certain unexplained features of the universe. What is intellectually dishonest, in my mind, is to pretend that there CAN BE no ultimately unexplained features in the universe because atheistic materialism MUST account for all of them. I have read dozens of science and philosophy books by authors like Dawkins, Dennett, Blackmore, etc. and while they are useful as far as they go, it is very dishonest to pretend that Darwinism has resolved such problems as the origin of life, the existence of human consciousness, the existence of human traits that cannot reasonably be attributed solely to survival value, and the surprising ability of the human mind to understand features of the universe far beyond anything encountered in our long march out of the warm pond where we began billions of years ago. Perhaps some day these things will be explained, and I mean CREDIBLY explained, without the need for a god concept at all. Until that day, however, and it may never come, it is dishonest to pretend that there is no warrant for belief in some sort of unexplained force other than the "atomic swerve" so dear to atomists from the time of Lucretius onwards.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much focus on Christianity
Review: George Smith is one of the more popular modern writers to cover the topic of Atheism. This book actually makes for a great introduction to the basics of Atheism and Atheistic criticism of Christianity. Smith does an excellent job of explaining the basic theist arguments for God's existence, and then explaining why these arguments are not acceptable. Surely this makes for a great present to give to a loved one at Christmas or any other respective Pagan holiday that includes gift-giving as one of its rituals. While Smith's book is a great read, a jaded kaafir such as myself was a bit sour with the fact that the book never acknowledges Islam. Smith himself says that his book is a criticism of the God of Christianity, and that is perfectly fine considering that Jesusism is the most dominant religion in the west. Still, one gets the feeling that much of Smith's work could already be found online. A highly recommended book, but a little redundant for those of us who are seeking to move beyond the basic Christian-bashing techniques.
Rating:
Summary: Atheism:the case against god
Review: This book is not an examination of all possible arguments for religion. It is simply a refutation of a few of the more common arguments for the existence of a god based on reason. That's all it is, and all it was ever intended to be, as Smith himself said. That's what he set out to do, and he accomplished it. In my opinion, that makes it a good book. Stop reaching so much, grow up, and take something for what it is and nothing more.
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