Non biased point of view. This book is rich and dense. I gave it to my daughter who has been raised as Christian as I tried to point to her there is another direction on the road. Verified purchase: Yes Condition: Pre-owned. Skip to main content. Loftus , Trade Paperback. Loftus , Trade Paperback 5. About this product. Stock photo. Brand new: Lowest price The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable.
Bob Books First! Paperback or Softback. Helpful Links. See all 3 brand new listings. With three degrees--in philosophy, theology, and philosophy of religion--he was adept at using rational argumentation to defend the faith. But over the years, doubts about the credibility of key Christian tenets began to creep into his thinking. By the late s he experienced a full-blown crisis of faith.
In this honest appraisal of his journey from believer to atheist, the author carefully explains the experiences and the reasoning process that led him to reject religious belief. The original edition of this book was published in and reissued in At the end of the debate he motivated the audience to buy both his and D'Souza's books and "get the information from the horse's mouth".
I'm glad I did, because as a believer, most of what I get are arguments that authors claim are still being used by their opponents followed by their counterargument.
It's a protective shell, full of straw men and outdated information that I find frustrating to I first heard of Loftus after listening to a debate between him and evangelical heavy hitter D'Souza.
It's a protective shell, full of straw men and outdated information that I find frustrating to sift through. All sides are guilty of this, and at times it's unintentional information naturally becomes outdated as discoveries are made and new authors jump in the ring. Loftus is able to present his case, and then brings in the opposing viewpoint and addresses it as well.
This is helpful because I am able to branch out to other resources and add them to my to-read list. There are occasions where I feel like he has misunderstood or misrepresented the opposition, but I won't know for sure until I take his suggestion to heart and "read it from the horse's mouth". He presents some serious Biblical issues that do need to be addressed in great detail, and I wish that my side would take them seriously, instead of explaining them away with structurally flimsy positions or simply ignoring them completely as many inerrantists have done with the Documentary Hypothesis.
The structure of the content is a little off, but it's understandable considering that it's a collection of essays. One thing I do appreciate about Loftus is that his tone is sympathetic to his audience those being the more fundamentalist Christians. Hitchens and Dawkins have an attitude similar to atheist street preachers. Loftus, however is a great deal more respectful.
The general assumption in my circle is that people stop believing because they want to live without any rules or moral limits. This is an absurd assumption and one I usually respond with "if they wanted to change their spiritual rules, they could have just changed denominations! The truth is that most Ex-Christians experienced a lot of pain and depression as they struggled with their faith.
Some of them desperately held on to it until they ran out of resources. Loftus is one of many who really tried to hold on. He was a pastor and one of William Lane Craig's students and pursued his research and studies with the full confidence that "all truth is God's truth". The results of his research are personally troublesome, to say the least. Dec 28, Erika RS rated it liked it Shelves: religion , owned , physical.
An interesting book that tends toward high density, abstract arguments. Norman Geisler, author of A General Introduction to the Bible and The Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics says it "is a thoughtful and intellectually challenging work, presenting arguments that every honest theist and Christian should face.
When reading this book, one should not forg An interesting book that tends toward high density, abstract arguments. When reading this book, one should not forget that this is an explanation of why the author rejected Christianity. The book contains philosophical arguments, but they are the ones that convinced the author that Christianity is false. It is not meant to be an exhaustive catalog.
The arguments generally focus on Christianity. Some of them may generalize to other religions, but arguing the implausibility of other religions was not the author's main goal. In my opinion, the most interesting part of the book is the "Outsider Test For Faith".
In general, what is convincing to an insider is not necessarily convincing to an outsider. Many arguments that seem flawless from the insider are laughable from the outside. This is true for any division of the world into "inside" and "outside". The outsider test for faith asks you to "[t]est your beliefs as if you were an outsider to your faith. First, it would take into account that there are many religions in the world, all of them faithfully believed.
Does the sincere belief of those believers convince you that the religion they follow is true? If not, than the mere existence of your own faith cannot be expected to make a convincing argument. In an similar vein, an outsider viewpoint would take into account that for the vast majority of believers, the religion they follow is determined by their cultural, temporal, and geographic context.
Another feature of the outsider's viewpoint is that purely internal evidence is not convincing. For example, if one claims, without other arguments, that the Bible is true because it is authenticated by the Holy Spirit and that the feeling that you call the Holy Spirit is true and trustworthy because the Bible says it is, your claim will not pass the outsider test. Similarly, if you say that one should give their life over to Jesus because he is the son of God who died for our sins according to the Bible , your claim also does not pass the outsider test.
In both of these cases, the statement has nothing to stand on if one does not already accept the premises that would make them an insider. The outsider test may sound like a harsh stance to take, but it is the stance you take toward every religion where you are an outsider. If you follow a certain faith, you are just applying the same standards to your own beliefs that you are applying to the beliefs of others. Of course, no one can truly take on an outsider's perspective.
Human beings are almost not capable of fully abandoning their own beliefs. Even so, the exercise can still lead to insights. And even if you are not willing to try the outsider's test for faith, acknowledging the difference between an insider's perspective and an outsider's perspective can, hopefully, help you understand why something that is so convincing to you is completely unconvincing to someone else.
Oct 28, Chad rated it it was amazing. Well-researched book mostly written toward a Christian and Christian Apologist audience. Every Christian should read this book and answer at least some of the questions it raises. As an aside -I grew up in the church and went to a Christian school through high school and it answers a LOT of questions I had about "extra-Bible" dogma as well as questions I had about situations in the Bible itself.
I always felt that some explanations were lacking in depth, and this book provides a perspective be Well-researched book mostly written toward a Christian and Christian Apologist audience. I always felt that some explanations were lacking in depth, and this book provides a perspective behind a lot of non-Catholic dogma.
Nov 29, Matthew rated it it was amazing. It was very thorough and thought provoking and most importantly, written in a non-inflammatory tone making it digestible for those who come from an opposing perspective. It definitely confirmed my beliefs and changed my life. Apr 14, Stephie Williams rated it really liked it. A very good journey from Christianity to Atheism. He's also has editor a number of books that show why Christianity is not true.
Aug 15, Sarah rated it really liked it Shelves: memoir-biography , religion-critique. While lengthy and repetitive in some areas, John Loftus makes an excellent case against the belief in a deity; specifically with regards to Christianity.
A former preacher, Loftus is familiarized with the Bible and religious teachings in ways that many are not. In this book, he begins by listing the multitude of arguments in defense of Christianity ranging from philosophical, to evidential, to historical; and beyond from which he systematically refutes their plausibility. Brilliantly executed, While lengthy and repetitive in some areas, John Loftus makes an excellent case against the belief in a deity; specifically with regards to Christianity.
This book is not for religious beginners and requires extensive background knowledge of the Bible and Christian history for complete understanding. While Loftus makes incredible and irrefutable points, the discussion is held on a more advanced level than, say, the discussions of Sam Harris or Dan Barker. While all equally credible and remarkable, Loftus requires a dedication of the reader and speaks to an audience already familiarized with the intricacies of religious debate.
The detail and absolute thoroughness with which Loftus executes his arguments makes this book an informational gold mine. I was extremely impressed and would recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in the intricacies of the evidence; or lack thereof.
I have mixed feelings about this book. To be honest, if I cared more about arguing Biblical issues, I might take issue with a few of Loftus' conclusions, but on the whole, I found his thorough treatment of evangelical and fundamentalist arguments to be entertaining. I felt like John was a little out of his element trying to thoroughly deal with more philosophical issues like the cosmological, teleological, and ontological arguments for god.
Apr 19, Julie Snider rated it really liked it. I read this book for a Christian apologetics course I took this Spring, and I will start by saying that this is a very heavy book, and slow to slough through. It is also one of the most challenging books I have ever read. He definitely left me with some things to think through and a bibliography a mile high to read in order to more thoroughly understand my faith.
All Chri I read this book for a Christian apologetics course I took this Spring, and I will start by saying that this is a very heavy book, and slow to slough through. All Christians who want to understand the arguments against Christianity and some of the roots of the intellectual side of atheism should grapple with many of the questions this book raises. Nov 14, Wardell4three rated it it was amazing. I first read it in when I was 18 years old. I had been doubting my faith for awhile and came across a lot of different resources debating atheism vs theism.
I used to minister to youth groups in high school. So, seeing someone like Loftus who was once all in for Jesus, become an atheist intrigued me. Out of curiosity, I decided to purchase WBA. I grew up in a Pentecostal Church. My faith in Jesus meant the world to me. I was a genuine believer at heart. I had never seen anything like it before. I believe that this is his best work.
If anyone comes across this that knows me personally or a Christian who may scoff at the idea of atheism , then I ask that you read this book with an open mind. That is all. At least that way you have a better understanding of why I and others have left the Christian Faith for good. That means your faith should come out stronger than before. However, if you come out and no longer believe or have serious doubts then you will know that your faith was either a lie or you can understand why people like Loftus, myself, and others no longer believe.
In this review I will give a brief summary of every chapter with some personal thoughts of my own. I hope this encourages you to read the book, or at least share it with someone else. Foreword This is by Edward T. Babinski who has written chapters in other Loftus books before. This was a good way to get people thinking before Loftus starts! Introduction Every Loftus book that I have read has had a great introduction. In this one he encourages Christians to read this book with an open mind to see if what they were taught to believe is actually true.
He also gives some background information about his education and former Christian ministry. I think he does a great job of being respectful and encouraging the reader to give the book a chance.
I believe everyone reading this should as well! What I respect the most about it is his honesty. He tells it like it like it is, faults and all. I think this will be an eye opener for Christians. Loftus is setting the tone for what is to come. I like how he differentiates between viewing Christianity from the outside vs the inside. The specifics of this become more apparent later.
Chapter 2 goes into the philosophy of religion and the many defenses used by apologists to defend the faith. Loftus argues that faith is never a good position to take and that we should always have good evidence for our beliefs. This creates a lot of momentum going into the arguments that follow.
Chapter 4: Does God Exist? Loftus takes the challenge head on and pokes holes in some of the most popular theistic arguments. Chapter 5: Does Morality Come from God? This is one of the most important chapters in the book. Loftus starts off by showing the philosophical issues of a God based morality. The next major portion of the chapter addresses Christian responses to a godless ethic.
Loftus first shows how secular societies today perform better than religious ones in areas such as crime, healthcare, poverty, and so on. A common objection theists have is to point to 20th century regimes led by atheist dictators such as Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot.
Loftus does a great job of responding to these concerns. Finally, the chapter is concluded with some great arguments and examples of secular ethics making the world a better place. Loftus starts us off with a history lesson on the trial of Galileo and shows how the church was impeding on scientific progress. He shows how the Bible is anti-science. This is a great read for showing what science has accomplished that the Christian religion has not been able to do.
Loftus then builds on this by talking about the alleged miracles in the Bible and the historical evidence behind it. The evidence is not strong and honestly God if he exists did not provide great evidence. These factors make God seem either incompetent or uncaring to provide the best evidence of Christianity possible for people especially since Hell is a serious threat.
Finally, the chapter concludes by mentioning some historical moral failures of the church. Chapter 8: The Question of Miracles Miracles are brought up so often in religious contexts. Not only in the Bible but in everyday life as well.
Most people probably know someone who has claimed to experience a miracle in their life. This chapter does a great job of arguing against the likelihood of miracles occurring.
Loftus dedicates this chapter to refuting that claim. This is a great read to know how to respond to believers when they shift the conversation from evidence to faith based reasoning. Chapter The Problem of Unanswered Prayer I think that unanswered prayer is one of the best arguments against Christianity.
This chapter nails the argument. Loftus responds to several of the justifications Christians use to explain unanswered prayer. None of these rationalizations make sense and this chapter ends the debate. Towards the end of the chapter there is an interesting test for prayer that every Christian should try! Loftus goes through the many examples of horrendous suffering seen in the world all throughout history to the present.
Chapter The Problem of Suffering: Objections Answered Loftus builds on the previous chapter by responding to the Christian apologetic answers to the problem of suffering. He goes in great detail to refute their claims. Both chapters 11 and 12 are intellectual juggernauts and something new can be learned every time they are read.
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