Free PDF 50 Great Myths About Atheism

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50 Great Myths About Atheism

Free PDF 50 Great Myths About Atheism

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Review

“Overall, Blackford and Schu¨ klenk’s work is a valuable contribution to the debate between believers and non-believers.”  (Journal of Contemporary Religion, 1 August 2014) Review appeared in Times Higher Education - 2 January 2014 “I recommend it as useful reading both to those who are freethinkers (whatever they call themselves, be it atheists, agnostics or secularists) and to "believers", particularly the hard-core religious ones, though it might prove "heavy-going" for them at times, and they are unlikely to be able to suspend belief and permit scepticism to intrude into their "blind faith".”  (New Nurturing Potential, 1 September 2013) "I am happy to report that Blackford and Schüklenk’s collaboration has given us an intellectually rigorous yet compositionally relaxed book. It is clearly written, clear-headed, and amusing on occasion (especially with the inclusion of comics from the Jesus & Mo website). It is simply organized, as the title indicates, with the authors taking on the 50 Myths one by one." (Neworld Review, Vol 6. No. 46)

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Review

“It has been my lot to have encountered all but three of the 50 Great Myths about Atheism listed by Blackford and Schüklenk, most of them many times. It is useful to have them all listed in one book – and so readably and authoritatively refuted. The long final chapter treats theological arguments with more respect than I would have bothered with, but the refutation is all the more convincing for that. The whole book builds inexorably to its conclusion: the Reasonableness of Atheism.” —Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion “With humor, wisdom and sound philosophy, Blackford and Schüklenk dismantle 50 important myths about atheism.  In doing so, they have done atheists and religious believers a great service, for putting aside the myths enables us to see where real differences remain.” —Peter Singer, Princeton University "Atheists are routinely called ‘aggressive,’ but their strong values include a tolerance rarely shown them by the religious. This book's calm ripostes defend atheists everywhere against unreasoned assaults from the dwindling faithful. "  —Polly Toynbee, The Guardian “Busted! Fifty times over! So say Blackford and Schüklenk — the New Mythbusters—with reason, conviction and style. I enjoyed this book immensely.” —Graham Oppy, Monash University “A brilliantly wide-ranging exploration of misconceptions about atheism and their relationship to our ideas about minds, human nature, morality – for pretty much everything we care about.” —Ophelia Benson, co-author of Does God Hate Women? “This is a book that’s as enjoyable to read as it is informative. Sharp, clever, and witty, it systematically dismantles misconceptions about atheism. Even God could learn something from it!” —Ronald A. Lindsay, President, Center for Inquiry

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Product details

Paperback: 288 pages

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (October 28, 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0470674059

ISBN-13: 978-0470674055

Product Dimensions:

6.8 x 0.6 x 9.8 inches

Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review:

4.7 out of 5 stars

13 customer reviews

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#1,094,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

This book is just plain fun. It is very well arranged and the information is enjoyable and professional to read. If you consider yourself to be a philosophical naturalist or anything near that category, you will enjoy reading this both for its information, logic and sanity.

Very smart book that explains (and destroys) most popular opinions against atheism. Quite illustrative, the author make his points with clarity and knowledge.

After hearing the same tired, long-debunked claims about atheists and atheism repeatedly over the course of many years, I found myself longing for a single book that directly tackles these misconceptions chapter by chapter.At long last, such a book has arrived. Blackford and Schuklenk deliver with unparalleled clarity and honesty. The writing style is clear and concise, with an element of humor here and there--including "Jesus & Mo" strips found throughout the book. Because skeptics are often accused of fabricating straw men, I appreciate Blackford and Schuklenk going to great lengths to cite their sources in detail.Now, whenever I hear "atheism is a religion," "atheism depends on faith," or "logic depends on God" again, I'll point to this book and say, "That's myth number X."My hope is that the people making these accusations will be open-minded enough to read it.

This book was written by two philosophers and it deals with 50 claims they believe are myths. Most of the myths are discussed in 1-3 pages so each myth only gets a very limited treatment. This books does carry a bit of mixed ideas that do not always flow well. For instance the way they talk about atheists and atheism is not always consistent. In some places they say atheists do not believe gods or the supernatural and are secular and in other sections they contradict this by saying that atheists simply lack belief in god and everything else is optional including religion and the supernatural. In reality the latter is true since both theism and atheism are merely 'components' of both secular and religion, are in and of themselves not equivalent to religion or secular automatically. There is crisscrossing, Myth 1, 8, and 9 mention atheism is not a religion itself, however, atheists can be either religious or secular. The same can be argued for theism since theism is not a religion either (no religion is called "theism") and theists can be either religious or secular also. None of these 4 terms are mutually exclusive inherently. Deists and Taoists are examples of the crisscross and overlap of identities/concepts.Other things that were noticed were that some of the entries deviate quite a lot from the original claim and sometimes irrelevant material is discussed, while other entries are not really myths (they admit to core parts of some claims as being true) and some myths are redundant, obvious, or repeated. One thing I found to be very pointless was that there are many cartoons of Jesus and Mohammad "Jesus and Mo" throughout the book, that really serve no intellectual purpose at all but to waste space that could have been used to enhance the myth busting. These cartoons have the exact same images of Jesus and Mohammad in the same dull positions most of the time and looks like the cartoonists simply did not put in any real effort, plus the dialogues are not really helpful or enlightening at all. Also, another thing to know is that this book has a Christian bias, probably due to most of the objections to atheism coming from Christians writers and they do not really consider non-Christian criticisms. Nonetheless, despite all this, the book does look ambitious one can tolerate some of the structural shortcomings. It is informative to a good degree.In terms of how the authors selected the myths, they say, "But there was nothing scientific about this, and we cannot claim that we were able to conduct representative surveys of people's most favored or widely held myths about atheism and atheists across the globe. In the end, we chose the myths that we have come across most frequently since we became involved in debates about God." They anticipate that some will say that this book does not really refute all possible versions of a criticism and that some will say they chose easy targets, but they have tried to make a general attempt at addressing what they see fit. They specify that this book does not prove theism wrong or prove atheism right, only that some claims are myths or misconceptions.Here is a list of ALL the myths in the book including some of the stuff one will find there. (This list is not exhaustive and since some of the myths are pretty straight forward or incredibly obvious, some did not really need a summary at all. My comments, if any, are in [ ].)Myth 1 - Atheism is Just Another Type of ReligionThere are no clear or uncontroversial definitions of "religion"; in other societies a distinction between the religious or the secular does not exist; based on Charles Taylor's criteria of religion having 1) relation to the beyond, 2) possibility of personal transformation to higher good, 3) a sense of human life extending beyond "this life", atheism would not qualify as a religion because atheism is not a way of life and simply is a lack of belief in deities [it should also be noted that theism would also not qualify as religion because there is no religion called "theism" and theism is not a way of life either - it is merely a belief in the existence of a class of entities]; however, they admit that one can be an atheist and be religious since Theravada Buddhism is used as an example, but that atheism itself is not a religionMyth 2 - But the Courts Recognize Atheism as a ReligionSome courts have treated atheism as a religion for legal purposes; "Secular Humanism" has been listed among religions that do not teach the existence of God in one case, but Secular Humanism is more of a comprehensive worldview than atheism alone; in other court cases Secular Humanism has not been included as being relevant to the Establishment Clause; one case of an atheist study group by an inmate in prison treated atheism as a religion; the authors admit that part of the myth is true since nonreligious viewpoints sometimes get the same protections as religious ones do; however, a lack of belief is not simply the same as a form of belief and atheism requires only lacking a belief in deitiesMyth 3 - Atheists Believe in God but are in DenialSome have argued that everyone believes in God and that some are in denial; rejection of beliefs does not equate to denial; a significant number of people, globally, are estimated to be atheists; if everyone believed in God, there would be no need for proofs of God (which some have labored endlessly in throughout history)Myth 4 - Atheists are Certain There is No GodNot all religious people have such high certainties in their beliefs - many experience uncertainties and have hope instead; the desire for certainty is a very deep human thing; atheism is not based on high certainty, but that does not mean that some atheists are not confident - some feel very confident in their beliefs and some are upfront about itMyth 5 - Atheists Hate or are Angry with GodAtheists cannot hate what they don't believe exists; sometimes expressions of unsatisfaction of theistic justifications tend to be interpreted as hatred or anger; some theists also have felt anger towards their deitiesMyth 6 - Atheism is a Rebellion Against God's AuthorityDeals with D'Souza's claims of moral rebellion as a reason for being an atheist; individuals can and do simply reason about important issues like sex, abortion, euthanasia all the time irrespective of religious beliefsMyth 7 - Atheists See No Good in ReligionAtheists acknowledge good things about religion such as community building, charity, peace of mind, but there are also some negative things too; there is always a "but" to religious activities; religious people should not be judged based only on their beliefs in other worldly agencies - everyone, including atheists, are much more complex than thatMyth 8 - No Atheist Believes in Anything SupernaturalAtheists are diverse; some atheists do believe in supernatural or scientifically anomalous phenomena of various sorts; the authors have met atheists that believe in ghosts and astrology; some religions are atheistic; being an atheist only means one lacks belief in deities, not that one lacks belief in the supernatural or otherworldly claimsMyth 9 - It Makes No Sense for an Atheist to Practice Any Kind of ReligionSome religions are atheistic (i.e. Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism) and as such some forms of atheism are religious, however, that does no mean that atheism itself is a religion; atheists sometimes partake in religious practices or identify with a religion (i.e. secular Jews) for diverse reasons without personally believing the tenants; some atheists participate in religion for raising up children in a moral training ground, family tradition, or to help develop discipline; cites Elaine Howard Ecklund's study on atheist scientists on how very few of these "actively work against religion"Myth 10 - Atheists Worship False Gods (Satan, Money, Materialism, etc.)Atheists do not worship Satan; atheism does not require worship of anything; "worshiping involves a distinct set of actions with a uniquely theistic character" [I think this understanding of what worship is, is erroneous since there is worship involves in non-theistic contexts too like in Buddhism]; in a metaphorical sense money and material goods can be "worshiped" (they suppose); however materialism in the economic senses is usually championed by political conservatives so materialism is worshiped by them too; the modern consumer culture was created by the US, which is quite a religious country;Myth 11 - Atheism Robs Life of Meaning and Purpose"Meaning" and "purpose" are not that clear when people use it; Life is what we make of it; one need not have in immortal or timeless purpose to live; we make our own purpose; some distinguish between cosmic and terrestrial meaning or purpose; joy and happiness are sometimes mixed into what makes a purpose, though this maybe an issue tooMyth 12 - Atheism is DepressingPretty self explanatoryMyth 13 - Atheists Have No Sense of HumorPretty self explanatoryMyth 14 - Atheists Don't Appreciate Some of the Greatest Works of ArtPretty self explanatoryMyth 15 - There is No Christmas in Atheist FamiliesMany non-Christians including atheists enjoy ChristmasMyth 16 - Atheists Don't Appreciate the Beauty and Perfection of God's CreationThere are less than perfect things about the world too [though design is still observable and is never perfect at all in reality]; suffering is mentionedMyth 17 - Atheists Fear Death (More than Others)Though few studies have been done, but so far both religious believers and atheists who are strong in their convictions can cope with death well and can experience similar psychological benefits; one study "...matched groups of people over 60, roughly half of whom held either strong atheistic views or strong religious views. They concluded that "a strong atheistic belief system can fulfill the same role as a strong religious belief system in providing support, explanation, consolation and inspiration"; "Strong religious beliefs have the potential, much like strong atheistic views, to provide us with solace in times of need."; secularization is associated with more acceptance of euthanasia; [This section blurs the line on atheism as religion or not]Myth 18 - Atheists Turn to God When Death is NearDeathbed conversions have surely occurred, but some famous cases can be dubiousMyth 19 - There are no Atheists in FoxholesThere are military personnel that are atheistsMyth 20 - Without God There is No MoralityThere are ethics that are universal, without inherent reliance or grounding on theism or religion; authority and morality discussedMyth 21 - Atheists are Moral RelativistsDiscusses that most people, atheist or not, are not pure absolutists and that pretty much everyone has some flexibility in moralsMyth 22 - Atheists Don't Give to CharityThe authors argue that though theists and the religious give more to charity, they do so because of peer pressure, whereas any charity given by atheists is more based on compassion; religious people may be more prone to give to religious charities than secular ones; religious conservatives prefer private giving and are resistant to government spending on social programs [this may reflect the economic and personal freedom that many religious conservatives think should exist in everyone's lives. Private giving reflects personal character on compassion for their fellow man.]; "Nonetheless, all of this suggests that there is an element of truth in the suggestion that more religious people give more to the needy than do less religious people, including atheists."Myth 23 - Atheists Deny the Sanctity of Human LifePretty self evident - everyone, including atheists, do not think that human life is valueless or expendableMyth 24 - If There is No God We are Soulless CreaturesLacking belief in God does not equate to lack of belief in souls; discusses issues of mind and selfMyth 25 - Atheists are all Communists, Left-Wing, Liberal. . .Atheism is not a political doctrine; some topics like same sex marriage may make some atheists speak out their political views; demographically atheists tend to be male, younger, highly educated, concentrated in some areas, and less likely to be republicans [however, religious people also tend to be highly educated demographically also]; despite all this, atheists can be found in all demographicsMyth 26 - Atheists Can't be TrustedPretty self explanatory; interesting fact: "Indeed, explicit and committed atheism - atheism as thoughtful disbelief in the existence of any god or gods - was virtually unknown in Europe in 1689."Myth 27 - Many Atrocities Have Been Committed in the Name of AtheismComments on Hitler; genocides by Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot etc, though twisted and horrific, were not done for the sake of atheism, but for massive economic gambles and politics; comprehensive worldviews and apocalyptic thinking may cause the overriding of human sympathyMyth 28 - Adolf Hitler was an AtheistPretty self explanatory on the ambiguities of his viewsMyth 29 - Atheists Give a Free Pass to Non-Christian ReligionsMany atheists only know about Christianity since it the only local religion they are familiar with (many atheists that complain about religion are from historically Christian nations); in Islamic countries atheists focus on Islam; some Western atheists have also criticized Islam; Asian religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism do not seem to be seen as immediate threats in the West so they often are given a free passMyth 30 - Atheists are ArrogantPretty self explanatory; talks about the awkward atheist identity called "Brights" by DennettMyth 31 - Atheists are IntolerantPretty self explanatory; atheists are no more intolerant than other members of societyMyth 32 - Atheists Want to Ban Teaching Religion to ChildrenDiscusses a bit on creationismMyth 33 - Atheists Want to Strip People of Their BeliefsPretty self explanatoryMyth 34 - Atheists Want to Ban Religion from the Public SquarePretty self explanatoryMyth 35 - Atheists Don't Understand Moderate ReligionPretty self explanatory; some religious tenants are not moderateMyth 36 - We Should Fear a "Fundamentalist" or "Militant" AtheismMilitancy is usually activism of some sort or harsh opinions lashed out; holding a firmly held belief does not mean it is dogmatic or fundamentalist [this is difficult to distinguish because some atheists do have immovable beliefs and it is impossible for some to change their minds]Myth 37 - Atheists are to Blame for Religious FundamentalismFundamentalists are not stupid, irrational, driven by emotion, or read everything in the Bible literally - many have really sophisticated justifications for their beliefs; awkward discussion on evolution-creation debateMyth 38 - Atheists Don't Understand the Nature of FaithTheologians and philosophers have different understandings of the term making the situation problematicMyth 39 - Atheism Depends on Faith, Just the Same as ReligionPretty self explanatory [confuses atheism, science, and faith]Myth 40 - Atheism is Self-refuting, as Rational Argument Presumes the Existence of GodPretty self explanatoryMyth 41 - There is No Conflict Between Religion and ScienceThe relationship between science and religion is complex; the National Academy of Sciences and American Association for the Advancement of Science have argued that both are compatible; modification of religious doctrines waters them down either way; both have different epistemologiesMyth 42 - Atheists Confuse Two Forms of NaturalismConfusing methodological naturalism with metaphysical naturalism (philosophical naturalism)Myth 43 - Atheism Implies ScientismScientism may be self contradictory since it is a philosophical position not a scientific oneMyth 44 - Evolutionary Theory is a Form of Atheistic ReligionPretty self explanatoryMyth 45 - Albert Einstein Professed a Belief in GodPretty self explanatoryMyth 46 - Atheists Can't Explain MiraclesPretty self explanatoryMyth 47 - Atheists Can't Explain the ResurrectionPretty self explanatoryMyth 48 - Atheism is a Bad Bet (Pascal's Wager)Pretty self explanatoryMyth 49 - Atheism is Only for an Educated ElitePretty self explanatoryMyth 50 - Atheism is Doomed in a Postsecular AgePretty self explanatoryThe Rise of Modern AtheismInteresting facts: the term "atheist" emerged in the 1600s and the earliest adherents of atheism as we know it today was from that period; discusses many other issues like secularity, theistic arguments, science and religion (mainly on contemporary views), evilInternational Atheist and Related OrganizationsOverall, it's pretty good because it does touch upon some subtleties that need to be addressed about atheism and atheists. The book probably won't convince most or change minds, but at least it's a good start on many interesting topics.For those interested in further reading on related topics mentioned in the book one can check out:Edited by Barry Kosmin and Ariela Keysar. 2007. "Secularism & Secularity: Contemporary International Perspectives". Hartford, CT: Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture (ISSSC). (its free online - global sociological studies on diversity of atheism and non-religion)Varieties of Unbelief: Atheists and Agnostics in English Society, 1850-1960Religion without God (50 Great Myths does touch upon this reality, but does not really investigate it. This books adds another dimension to the diversity within atheism)The Oxford Handbook of Atheism (Oxford Handbooks) (has many entries on many dimensions of atheism including myths that atheists believe about atheism)Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism (on charity by religious and nonreligious folk including international comparisons)Exposing Myths About Christianity: A Guide to Answering 145 Viral Lies and LegendsChristians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites...and Other Lies You've Been Told: A Sociologist Shatters Myths From the Secular and Christian MediaWho Speaks For Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really ThinkThe Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern ConflictDeath by Government (on genocides by religious/secular and atheist/secular governments)Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about Science and Religion

I spent a little time mulling over whether this should be a four- or a five-star review. In truth, I'd have liked to award a 4.5 star rating, because the book is perhaps slightly too ambitious, with the authors setting a standard that was always going to be difficult to full satisfy. The main concern I have can perhaps be summarized in saying that it's sometimes unclear who the audience of the book is intended to be, and the tone and content of various chapters ends up seeming slightly inconsistent as a result. Sometimes one gets the impression that the book is "arming" atheists against the caricatures of theists, and at other times, that theists are being addressed in an attempt to dispel their confusions. This gives rise to an unevenness in the level of detail, and also the tone, of various chapters.As for the reasons why I'd want to award at least 4, and ideally 4.5 stars, the book is enormously instructive. For the patient reader, the level of detail in many of the chapters is superb, and even for "myths" that you're already very familiar with, you'll often find a citation or example you didn't yet know about. The book begins by asking you to consider what are quite tricky questions, even before proceeding with discussing the myths - namely in discussions of who "counts" as an atheist, and what should count as myths. In my view, this could be described as one of the more challenging elements of the book to write, in that there are all sorts of opportunities for readers to take issue even at that early stage, rejecting the authors' definitions, and choosing to adopt an uncharitable attitude to the rest of the book as a result.However, Blackford and Schüklenk set the tone for the rest of the book in those introductory sections, explaining with great clarity and to good persuasive effect that certain questions can be set aside, or at least resolved to a sufficient extent to make the myths that are dealt with worth focusing on. As I say, that rhetorical and argumentative skill is then carried throughout the book, leaving the reader feeling both enlightened and entertained in the reading of it.I'd highly recommend this book for (at least) two sets of readers: first, the honestly curious theist, who is suspicious of the easy dismissals that some of his or her kind deploy against atheists. Second, the atheist who wants to develop a thoughtful, well-reasoned set of defenses against some of the stereotypes that are assigned to atheists - not only by theists, but also in popular culture.(Disclosure: I am personally acquainted with both of the authors, and one is a colleague of mine. I do not however regard that as having influenced my comments unduly.)

Great book. A lot o research was put into it. It did give some logical explanation of myths in the bible and a logical person is able to make decision .

Excellent thinking about this important topic. Some good ideas that are new to me. I have changed some views after reading this.

Excellent analyses and execution of thoughts, the book explained Atheism and the new challenges of the modern society in an unprecedented way. There's a 50 reason to buy this book.

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