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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I thought I was pretty good at articulating my atheism, but Greta Christina does a terrific job of filling in all of the gaps in my objections and logic.
Definitely recommended, not just for atheists, but for the religious and semi-religious who want a clear, cogent explanation of why we get all fired up.
Definitely recommended, not just for atheists, but for the religious and semi-religious who want a clear, cogent explanation of why we get all fired up.
I enjoyed the blog-like format that comes so naturally to Greta used in book form. Her thoughts are elegantly organized and the doesn't leave any guilty party out in her chapters broad coverage. The majority of the book describes several atrocities done by religion or directly due to a religious mindset, which should be an issue to and appall all but is already known to those in-tune with their skepticism and critical thinking. Where I seemed to touch home with this book was towards the ending chapters where Greta discusses staying motivated when everything seems grim and to keep going with secular activism, that we have moral justification to be angry, and that there is a light on the end of the tunnel because although it may seem dim at times, times are changing and it lies with us putting our anger to positive use.
“So atheists need to do more than just pry people out of religion.
We need to give them a safe place to land when they fall. We need to develop secular and atheist communities, to replace the ones people often lose when they let go of their religion.” – bottom of page 140 (Chapter 12: Is Atheism Activism Effective?).
“But making atheism more visible, and projecting a positive public image of atheism, and creating fun, supportive atheist community... these also help dismantle religion. They refuse the social consent that religion lies on the perpetuate itself. They let people know that atheism is an option—and not only an option, but a valid and satisfying option, with joy and meaning. They give people a safe to land when and if they leave their faith. (Chapter 14: What Now?).
This is my first non-blog piece of literature I have read by Greta. It will not be the last.
“So atheists need to do more than just pry people out of religion.
We need to give them a safe place to land when they fall. We need to develop secular and atheist communities, to replace the ones people often lose when they let go of their religion.” – bottom of page 140 (Chapter 12: Is Atheism Activism Effective?).
“But making atheism more visible, and projecting a positive public image of atheism, and creating fun, supportive atheist community... these also help dismantle religion. They refuse the social consent that religion lies on the perpetuate itself. They let people know that atheism is an option—and not only an option, but a valid and satisfying option, with joy and meaning. They give people a safe to land when and if they leave their faith. (Chapter 14: What Now?).
This is my first non-blog piece of literature I have read by Greta. It will not be the last.
A book that probably needed to be written, though the folks who really need to read it probably won't bother. Christina can be a little repetitive, which may be due to the fact that's a blogger, but for someone seeing this material for the first time the repetition may also help the material stick better.
The opening chapter gets my blood boiling! Thanks to the author for getting into print things that have been bothering me about religion for years. Good job. The rest of the book is a more logical debate with various questions about why Atheists are angry.
If you've questioned religion in the past, this is a good book for you. If you are a religious believer, this book will probably piss you off!
If you've questioned religion in the past, this is a good book for you. If you are a religious believer, this book will probably piss you off!
Concise overview of what is wrong with religion, the most common arguments, their deconstruction and more. Pretty useful little book for those who are on the fence, believers who want put their faith to test or atheists who will probably nod their head throughout.
The book is a quick read and has a MASSIVE amount of links to atheist resources!
The book: Why Are You Atheists So Angry?: 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless
The author: Greta Christina, American atheist blogger, speaker, and author.
The subject: A debunking of the idea that atheists are all hateful and joyless, along with an expose of the destructive nature of religion.
Why I chose it: I used to read Greta Christina's blog and downloaded this book based on that.
The rating: Three and a half out of five stars
What I thought of it: First of all, I'm an atheist who feels that religion gets too much of a free pass to do bad things; in other words, I came to this book already agreeing with what the author has to say. I try not to always read things that confirm my existing point of view, but this book definitely did. I found it really informative and convincingly argued, though obviously that's coloured by my own beliefs. I had some issues with it, but my overall impression was positive.
There were a number of points that particularly resonated with me. One of these was the oddness of certain religious people calling atheists arrogant when they believe the whole universe was created specifically for humans. Another one that I'd never considered before was addressed to both moderate and conservative believers: how do you know that whatever interpretation of your religious book you adhere to is the correct one, the one your deity (or deities) wants you to follow? The author also talks about Jesus and how (if he existed at all) he wasn't necessarily the benign presence some people believe him to be, linking to a relevant post on her blog to avoid the narrative getting derailed. Finally, there was this quote:
One issue with this book is that it's very America-centric, which is understandable because the author is American and atheists are generally viewed quite negatively over there, but there are a lot of points that just don't apply in the UK. The writing style is also very blog-like and could have done with some tightening up. There was a fair amount of repetition as well. This book was self-published, which shows; a bit of editing and the writing could have matched the content.
Overall, though, I thought this book was really good. Some other reviewers have complained that the author employs an angry tone, but after reading what she has to say and all the examples of bad things religion has done, I have to say any anger is more than justified. For me it was preaching to the choir (pun intended) and I'm not sure if a believer would get anything out of it besides confirmation that we're a bunch of hateful ranters, but it's given me plenty more fuel for debating the value of belief.
Just one more thing: I haven't read Greta Christina's blog in ages, but went there today. I really enjoyed this post, about humanism and depression, in particular.
Also, I found this image on the Skeptic's Annotated Bible website and couldn't not share it.
The author: Greta Christina, American atheist blogger, speaker, and author.
The subject: A debunking of the idea that atheists are all hateful and joyless, along with an expose of the destructive nature of religion.
Why I chose it: I used to read Greta Christina's blog and downloaded this book based on that.
The rating: Three and a half out of five stars
What I thought of it: First of all, I'm an atheist who feels that religion gets too much of a free pass to do bad things; in other words, I came to this book already agreeing with what the author has to say. I try not to always read things that confirm my existing point of view, but this book definitely did. I found it really informative and convincingly argued, though obviously that's coloured by my own beliefs. I had some issues with it, but my overall impression was positive.
There were a number of points that particularly resonated with me. One of these was the oddness of certain religious people calling atheists arrogant when they believe the whole universe was created specifically for humans. Another one that I'd never considered before was addressed to both moderate and conservative believers: how do you know that whatever interpretation of your religious book you adhere to is the correct one, the one your deity (or deities) wants you to follow? The author also talks about Jesus and how (if he existed at all) he wasn't necessarily the benign presence some people believe him to be, linking to a relevant post on her blog to avoid the narrative getting derailed. Finally, there was this quote:
If there’s an argument for religion that’s convincing — actually convincing, convincing by means of something other than authority, tradition, personal intuition, confirmation bias, fear and intimidation, wishful thinking, or some combination of the above — wouldn’t we all know about it?
One issue with this book is that it's very America-centric, which is understandable because the author is American and atheists are generally viewed quite negatively over there, but there are a lot of points that just don't apply in the UK. The writing style is also very blog-like and could have done with some tightening up. There was a fair amount of repetition as well. This book was self-published, which shows; a bit of editing and the writing could have matched the content.
Overall, though, I thought this book was really good. Some other reviewers have complained that the author employs an angry tone, but after reading what she has to say and all the examples of bad things religion has done, I have to say any anger is more than justified. For me it was preaching to the choir (pun intended) and I'm not sure if a believer would get anything out of it besides confirmation that we're a bunch of hateful ranters, but it's given me plenty more fuel for debating the value of belief.
Just one more thing: I haven't read Greta Christina's blog in ages, but went there today. I really enjoyed this post, about humanism and depression, in particular.
Also, I found this image on the Skeptic's Annotated Bible website and couldn't not share it.
This is a terrible book. Written in the style that is much more suited to ranty blog posts and responses to commenters, the entire book belongs on the internet, not in print. I identify as both a feminist and an atheist, but this is the sort of ranty feminist manifesto that makes me wish I was neither. The author is clearly intelligent, but the entire book comes off as petty and pointless. I suspect that the first chapter, in which the author lays out 99 reasons why she's pissed off, is the original blog post. Each of the chapters that follow strike me as responses she has developed in arguments on and offline. I didn't find many pearls of wisdom in this book, and I wouldn't recommend this to either atheists or those who are curious about why atheists feel the way they do. She certainly doesn't speak to me, and there are much more well-reasoned books out there.
