Atheist Debater's Handbook

Rating:
Summary: Swiss cheese--lots of holes.
Review: Bad title, bad book. It leaves great black holes in logic and fails to include basic ideas. The reader is left wondering why the author has left one subject unfinished and leapt on to another. If one actually wants to debate, one is likely to come off poorly using this work.

An excellent work that actually provides all the ammunition one could want is George Smith's "Atheism : the case against God."



Rating:
Summary: Short of it's Goal
Review: For the more philosophically unsophisticated, which is most everyone, this is an excellent way to get to the heart of the main objections to the traditional belief in the Judeo-Xian God. The main arguments/issues should be filled in with further reading, since this is just an intro-duction. Objections that the book is "thin" in content, or "philosophically naive" are unfair, since this book is at attempt to take the beginner right to the most serious (and in most cases, sound) objections to the existence of the traditional Judeo-Christian God.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Introductory Book
Review: I can't say much more than the previous reviewers have said, except that Chapter XIV alone is worth the price of the book. "God and Jesus" will hit you like a hammer.

Rating:
Summary: A Theist's Evaluation
Review: I have quickly "skimmed" this book several times. As a Christian and a Theists (I qualify my statement because some people claim Christianity but are not theists: ex., Bishop Spong), I am always interested on the writings of those individuals I happen to disagree. Especially those authors who write books for the average-everyday person. This is what Johnson has done.

Further, he has written this introductory book on atheism in a very easy to read, yet somewhat thorough text. Now, I do completely disagree with his assumptions and conclusions. There are good and solid refutations to his premises. This, however, doesn't negate the point of my review. He accomplishes what his thesis is set out to do; inform the average atheist on the arguments used against theism.

His only weakness in this text ( besides being an atheist)is that he should have avoid speaking on Christianity. It detracts from the reading and the subject needs more than just a couple of small chapters. He should have written another book dealing with this subject altogether.

All in all, I highly think he is wrong, however, he did do his view justice in this book. For individuals who what to read a book from both perpectives, read "Does God Exist?"

Rating:
Summary: Debaters will find not much of use here.
Review: The book is a collection of refutations of ways of concluding from philosophical propositions that God exists. To this writer, an old math professor with no special training in traditional philosophy, the book might have been more useful for debates in the 14th century than it is today. I find much of it hard to follow. I am also suspicious of arguments based on vague generalities.

As a typical example, 9 pages are devoted to refuting the proposition that God exists because the Universe must have been created by someone. To me it suffices to say that at some level we must suspend our anthropomorphic notion that every sophisticated thing must be the work of a person, otherwise we would need to postulate an infinite sequence of ever more powerful creators. The theists accept that God exists without a person having created Him. All that needs to be said then is that it is just as reasonable, and much simpler, to accept that the Universe exists without a person having created it.

Rating:
Summary: Scholarly but not useful in everyday debate
Review: This book provides an excellent bird's eye view of atheistic philosophy, but falls remarkably short of being remotely useful when arguing with the average zealot.

I bought this book pumped about getting those fantastic barbs that one can plant quickly and effectively. What I got was a rehash of the month we spent on atheistic/theistic arguments in my freshman Philosophy 101 course. In being a quick rehash, it does a commendable job. The arguments are well spelled out in simple terms and frequent examples are given. The book is a very quick read. There are only 124 pages.

For quick shots in for an argument with your born-again cousin, I recommend you look elsewhere. I highly recommend From Preacher To Atheist and the Jesus Puzzle.

However there are some interesting tid-bits that I managed to file away in the Useful In An Argument file. The chapter on the problem of evil is quite well done. And as every casual atheist debater knows, the first thing you have to establish is that the burden of proof is on the theistic point of view. You will find lots of ammo on this topic. The chapters on God and the Mind and God on the Universe are useful, but you will find more good information elsewhere.

All in all, I would contend that this book provides an excellent introduction to scholarly study of theistic/atheistic arguments, but lacks the punch and brevity of argument required for more casual debate.

Three stars -HawkeyeGK

Rating:
Summary: Dull, poorly organized, pathetic, and unclarified
Review: This book was perhaps the most dreadful, drawn out, and simply pathetic book I have ever read. The book appears to be written only so that they author can have some sort of prestige. I think Peter Singer describes him perfectly, "Publishing papers in the appropriate journals is an important element in the rise up the ladder of promotion and increased prestige. This happens in every field, in philosophyr or history as much as in psychology or medicine, and it is entirely understandable and in itself hardly worth criticizing. The philosophers and historians who publish to improve their career prospects do little harm beyond wasting paper and boring their colleagues;" ["Animal Liberation," page 74.] Perhaps if Mr. Singer had read this book first, he would then find it more detestable.
There are no new tricks to be had in this book. I had learned nothing at all. The author spends 22 pages quoting different articles on the Design Argument. There is the Analogical Design Argument, the Life Design Argument, the Everything-Works-Towards-An-End Argument, etc., etc.. Surely, these arguments could have been answered in a concise and refuting manner, but not in this book. The author starts entirely new paragraphs to create drawn-out and monotonous examples. Some examples carry on for 10 sentences, where the author continuously restates everything. By the time the author has made an example, you forget what the point of the example was. Along side the Design Arguments, there is a chapter about the argument from religious experience, which spans a pathetic 3 pages which could have more easily been summed up with: "Primitive man held that headaches were caused by demons. I believe all religious experiences can be worked from this point." The chapter of "God and Existence" is three paragraphs of droning on tirelessly. The chapter of "God and Christianity" is, in no surprise at all, pathetic. It examines a few verses of the Bible where the Gospels stated that Jesus died earlier than normal, and then concludes that it is because Jesus was faking his death (all within two chapters and 13 pages). The conclusion to the book apparently was written while the author was drunk and thoroughly drugged on LSD. It drones on and completely misses the primary points of the book (which, in themselves, are far too apart with far too many pages). The book was written incoherently and with thick tone of monotony. If you are seeking expensive toilet paper, then you have found your product. Those who are looking for an interesting read in regards to the debate of Atheism are better suited to reading the speeches of Ingersoll or the essays by McCabe. BC Johnson has contributed nothing new, unless monotony should be an accepted factor into the field of Atheism.

Rating:
Summary: Never Judge a Book by it's Cover...
Review: WOW, am I dissapointed? I had more fun reading the begats. I don't think there was enough information here to allow me to debate with kids in a bible study class. Extremely repetative on every topic. Examples abound when one or two would suffice. The only reference to biblical scripture is in chapter fourteen. When a theist debates, they bring the bible. If you want to join the debate, you MUST have bible references as well. I suspect the author attempted to turn a two-page brochure into a 134 page book through over-justification. This book, in my opinion, does not live up to it's title. Even the reviewers on the reverse of the book do not speak of their new found debating skills. As for me, I'm an Atheist and believe that if there were a god, he would not live in the shadows of a mans mind. Do youself a favor, get a bible and a highlighter. First off, read 2Kings19 and Isaiah37 both at the same time. You'll be amazed at what two different writers, in different years, had to say about the same topic. Is that a major typo or what? Then get the "Book of Enoch" by Ron Brown and wonder why it was left out of the cannonized bible by the "Council of Laodicea" in the year 364AD, one of over 40 scriptures (books)banned by the council (the holy fathers). nuf said...