The Impossibility of God

Rating:
Summary: Reasons to Buy This Book...
Review: The thing I love the most about books like this is that it brings out the best examples of both sides of the arguments. If you really want to know who's on the side of truth (as has been the case since time began) just look at the reviews on this site.

The truly rational arguments come from those who found this book as fascinating as I did. The irrational ranting (replete with scriptural notation, because that's the only book they've ever read...not that they understood that one either) comes from the crazies who hate this book. The latter have never been big fans of truth, however. Remember when we told them that the Earth revolves around the Sun? Remember when we told them to stop burning women at the stake? Remember when we tried to explain that the planet is spherical, not flat? Remember when we tried to explain that Tinky Winky carries a BAG, not a purse (and that it's okay to be gay anyway)? They're stomping their feet and threatening a good old fashioned book burning over this one for the same reason, kids.

That's exactly why you should buy this book. Then get every Harry Potter novel, and set them up on display around your house. It really makes them jumpin' mad.

Amen.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant brain candy!
Review: This is one of those rare philosophy books that must be read with a highlight pen in hand. I had a hard time putting it down, reading it rather incongruously through my Christmas holiday. While savoring it, thoughtful readers will no doubt also be inspired to create their own parallel arguments.

The arguments are mainly applicable to an omniscient, omnipotent, all-loving God. Most Christians will simply retrench into a watered down version of God rather than truly be swayed against belief per se, without worrying about if such a tepid deity is worthy of belief and devotion anyway. Nevertheless, as an exercise in logic- of the rather ultimate sort- The Impossibility of God is undeniably fascinating and thought provoking.

Rating:
Summary: The Impossibility of Impossibility
Review: You've all heard of Oxymorons: Jumbo shrimp. Absolutely relative. Unintelligent Design, etc. Now here's another one: Limited Omniscience.

In order to even suggest let alone pontificate that God is impossible, one would have to be on the verge of deification to say for sure, one way or another.

Like the guy who adamantly said "There are no absolutes! Absolutes are impossible!" You want to suddenly and politely add the rejoinder, "Are you absolutely sure?" If the guy says No, then you thank him for his useless opinion of which he is not even sure himself. If he says Yes, you dismiss him as a logic-challenged crackpot who doesn't know a non sequitur from a sine qua non.

Come on. Only an Omniscient being could say for sure God is not even possible (.0000000000001% chance). All one can really opine is "I doubt it. I just don't believe it. Any evidence to the contrary is just not in my view credible. Bah humbug."

This book rated one * because it is a statement of faith, a declaration of the Atheistic Creed (vs. Apostle's Creed): "I believe in nonGod, creator of heaven and earth." Substitute 'nature', 'nothing', 'evolution', 'Big Banging', 'natural selection' for 'nonGod' and one is still left with some sort of causal deity (Ultimate Possibility) taken by what is tantamount to a religious faith.

If our 48oz.thinking capacity came from Absolute Zero as the result of accidental, random, blind, mindless, dumb, unnecessary, unpurposeful, irrational selections over time, then so is their modern day output: no less accidental, random, unpurposeful, irrational, blind, dumb, senseless. When one such 3-lb piece of meaningless tissue issues proclamations, they are equally as meaningful as "nothing is impossible with God" from another 3-lb brain owned by a Gentleman named Jesus Christ.

Take your pick as to which pronouncement is more or less worthy to stake heaven or hell vs. cosmic nothingness on.

If there is no heaven/hell and you make the mistake of buying into it, no harm done. Welcome to cosmic nothingness when you die which you were destined for anyway.

But if there is a heaven/hell and you make the ultimate mistake of opting out of heaven, there will be 'you-know-what' to pay of your own choice and forfeiture to no one else's fault but your own deliberate default.(For those choosing estrangement and non-speaking terms with their Creator in nowlife, why would they want or miss relational opportunity in a forever-afterlife?)

Before it is taken as absolute on faith to stake one's life and death on "Impossibility of God" as this book preaches, check out what the Preacher of Preachers says to get a historical, eyewitness account of what others took as absolute faith to stake their martyred lives on: the impossibility of the Absurd notion that there cannot be God proven beyond doubt as absolutely sure (0% chance).

Read this book if you must. But in all fairness, check out C.S.Lewis Mere Christianity, Lee Strobel Case for Creator, both from ex-atheists. What evidence or tomfoolery persuaded them there were other possibilities to honestly reconsider?

Remember what the physics professor warned his graduate students: beware of P I C O ... Preclusions In, Conclusions Out.