50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God

314 Pages·2008·1.83 MB·English

by  Guy P. Harrison

50
reasons people give
for believing in a god
50
reasons people give
for believing in a god
Guy P Harrison
Visit www.guyharrison.info for essays, book reviews, and more by Guy P.
Harrison.
For Natasha, Jared, and Marissa. May your minds be curious and free forever
CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR
50 REASONS PEOPLE GIVE
FOR BELIEVING IN A GOD
"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but now Guy Harrison has given us
50 ways to believe in God, or not if you care to read this engaging and
enlightening book in light of what it says about the cultural and psychological
power of belief. If the number one predictor of which God someone believes in
is what culture and time period they happened to have been born in, what does
that say about the actual existence (or not) of a deity? Read this book to explore
the many and diverse reasons for belief."
-Michael Shermer Publisher of Skeptic magazine, monthly
columnist for Scientific American, and author of Why
Darwin Matters
"Guy P. Harrison does a splendid job of critically examining the many reasons
people offer in support of their religious beliefs. He shares the exhilaration of
moving beyond religion, but Harrison doesn't bully or condescend. Rather, he
approaches the reader gently. Reading Harrison's book is like having an amiable
chat with a wise old friend."
-Cameron M. Smith and Charles Sullivan Authors of The
Top 10 Myths about Evolution
"Religion is as universal as language, which hints at a biological basis. Why did
our ancestors evolve an attraction to the supernatural? The fundamental question
is not whether this attraction is rational or notwhich is the subject of a dozen
recent provocative books-but what exactly faith delivers to those who possess it.
The present book treats this question respectfully, listening to the answer of the
believers themselves, which seems an excellent place to start."
-Frans de Waal Leading primatologist, author of Our Inner
Ape

Acknowledgments
thank editors Steven L. Mitchell and Jacinta Meyers, and Prometheus
Books for helping to make this book a reality. I am deeply grateful to my wife,
Sheree, for her consistent encouragement and my son, Jared, for his helpful
advice. I also thank Andrea Roach for her invaluable comments and criticism.
My greatest debt of all, however, is to the many people around the world who
openly shared with me their reasons for believing.
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 7
INTRODUCTION 13
1. My god is obvious. 17
2. Almost everybody on Earth is religious. 23
3. Faith is a good thing. 27
4. Archaeological discoveries prove that my god exists. 37
5. Only my god can make me feel significant. 45
6. Atheism is just another religion. 49
7. Evolution is bad. 57
8. Our world is too beautiful to be an accident. 65
9. My god created the universe. 71
10. Believing in my god makes me happy. 77
11. Better safe than sorry. 85
12. A sacred book proves my god is real. 91
13. Divine justice proves my god is real. 101
14. My god answers prayers. 107
15. I would rather worship my god than the devil. 117
16. My god heals sick people. 123
17. Anything is better than being an atheist. 131
18. My god made the human body. 139
19. My god sacrificed his only son for me. 147
20. Atheists are jerks who think they know everything. 153
21. I don't lose anything by believing in my god. 161
22. I didn't come from a monkey. 169
23. I don't want to go to hell. 175
24. I feel my god when I pray. 179
25. I need my god to protect me. 183
26. I want eternal life. 191
27. Without my god we would have no sense of right and wrong. 197
28. My god makes me feel like I am part of something bigger than myself. 207
29. My religion makes more sense than all the others. 213
30. My god changes lives. 221
31. Intelligent design proves my god is real. 225
32. Millions of people can't be wrong about my religion. 231
33. Miracles prove my god is real. 235
34. Religion is beautiful. 241