The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails

520 Pages·2010·3.42 MB·English

by  John W. Loftus

ADDITIONAL PRAISE FOR THE
CHRISTIANDELUSION
"If John Loftus never wrote anything else, he will be remembered a century from
now for his Outsider Test for Faith, which figures prominently in this book."
-Frank Zindler, PhD, former president of American Atheists and editor of
American Atheist Magazine
"I'm quoted in this book as saying that treating the arguments of others fairly is
simply an application of the Golden Rule. Christians regularly ask atheists to
listen to their arguments and read their books. If a Christian wishes to return the
favor, this volume offers atheist views on a range of subjects, presented
respectfully (for the most part) yet with conviction. Christians who wish to
critically examine and reflect on their beliefs will benefit from the outsider
perspectives offered here. I join with its authors in encouraging you to dare to
doubt. If you follow that courageous path, you may at times draw the wrong
conclusions. If you do not, you will certainly be wrong at least as often."
James F. McGrath, PhD, associate professor of religion at Butler University
and author of The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its
Jewish Context
"For nearly two thousand years apologists have striven mightily to show that the
dogmas of Christianity are rationally defensible. For much of the Christian era
critics have sought to debunk those apologetic claims. In that long tradition of
criticism, there have been few works as effective as The Christian Delusion. The
essays are incisive, rigorous, and original, shedding new light on old issues and
boldly exploring new paths of argument. The selection of topics is outstanding-at
once both comprehensive and innovative. For fresh insights into an old debate,
The Christian Delusion is strongly recommended."
-Keith Parsons, PhD, professor of philosophy, University of Houston, Clear
Lake, and author of God and the Burden of Proof
"John Loftus is to be congratulated for assembling such a fine collection of
papers from such a diversity of fields. This book is not simply an anthology of
atheist thought, but a wide-sweeping attack on the basis of Christianity. Using
these various approaches, the authors subject Christianity to a rigorous critique:
challenging it from the psychology of belief to the origins of morality, the
historical Jesus, Christian exceptionalism, and claims of eternal truth despite the
constant evolution of that religion. The end result is that Christianity is
demonstrated to be just one of the many religions humans have invented for
themselves."
James Linville, PhD, associate professor of religious studies, University of
Lethbridge, Lethbridge Alberta, Canada
"The culture of Christianity has dominated the US, and to some extent the world,
for so long that even the act of asking questions or raising doubts is scorned. But
with Christian doctrine so far out of whack with scientific, moral, philosophical,
and political realities, we cannot afford to leave it unanalyzed. When we do cast
an objective and critical eye toward it, its ideas, arguments, and justifications
unravel. The thinkers in this volume, who have the courage, the will, and the
expertise to conduct that critical evaluation, have made a valuable contribution
to the sea change."
-Matt McCormick, PhD, professor of philosophy, California State
University, Sacramento
`John Loftus cut his Christian apologetic teeth at our seminary, and I believe that
he has since exchanged them for a false set. Nevertheless, in this book he has
prepared a buffet with other notable atheistic chefs that `honest Christians' dare
not ignore. Many will simply refuse the menu because of its perceived poisonous
entrees. But Christians need to chew on what these cooks are serving, even
though much may be hard to swallow or difficult to digest. I say, `Let the
banquet begin!"'
-Rich Knopp, PhD, professor of philosophy and apologetics at Lincoln
Christian University, Lincoln, Illinois
"The Christian Delusion is an incredibly powerful book that's a must read for
anyone who's ever had a doubt about God-believers and nonbelievers alike. I
wish a book like this was around when I first had my doubts about Christianity.
It would have saved me many years in getting to the truth." -William Lobdell,
author of Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith
Reporting on Religion in America-and Found Unexpected Peace
"This book systematically undermines the pillars of evangelical Christianity. It
shows the arguments for the divine inspiration of the Bible, the resurrection of
Jesus, a supernatural conversion experience, the necessity of the Bible for a
proper system of ethics, and so on to be frill of holes. It demonstrates that those
who believe in the tenets of evangelical Christianity truly are deluded."
-Ken Pulliam, PhD, who taught Greek, theology, and apologetics for nine
years before becoming an agnostic
"The Christian Delusion is a comprehensive and representative presentation of
contemporary skeptical thought. Anyone who wants to understand the position
of contemporary freethinkers could not do much better than to read this book."
-Matthew Flannagan, PhD, Christian philosopher and adjunct lecturer in
philosophy for Laidlaw College and Bethlehem Tertiary Institute

EDITED BY JOHN W . LOFTUS
FOREWORD BYDAN BARKER
Foreword 9
Dan Barker
Introduction 15