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Why There Is No God: Simple Responses to 20 Common Arguments for the Existence of God - Armin Navabi |
This book is written for atheists, believers and the undecided who find the concept of God an important one to examine critically and worth discussing. This book acts as a basic introduction to the debate about God, proving a springboard for new ideas to be formed and discussed.
For the already-convinced atheist, this book can help you better articulate your point of view in discussions, giving you guidance for how the reasoning behind your disbelief in God can be discussed. As an atheist, you're bound to encounter some or all of these arguments eventually when interacting with believers; understanding these arguments and seeing how others have approached them in logical ways can help you handle the same discussions.
As a believer, you may find that you disagree with much of what is said here, and that's okay. Reading this book will allow you to see what many atheists believe and how some people may question the beliefs that you hold. If you plan to defend your faith in discussions, this book can help you understand the reasoning behind the lack of belief in your opponents. Knowing this will help you debate from a more informed position, and the atheists you talk to may appreciate the fact that you've taken time to understand and consider their arguments. Knowing and appreciating the opponent's point of view can help you start a productive discussion regarding God and religion in a more constructive way.
For people who are yet undecided on the subject of God, the arguments in this book can help provide a baseline for discussion or further research about the existence of God. By reviewing many of the common arguments for the existence of God and rebuttals to them, you will have a solid foundation to use as the base of your own analysis, research and reflection.
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Because theists can't provide evidence one exists.
I am an atheist, but from the fact I cannot provide evidence that aliens exist does not conclusively follow that there are no aliens, so, unfortunately, your answer is wrong :)
Yea the title sucks and is wrong, even on the problem of generalizing about what type of god he is referring too.
It is proven that the theistic type of god cannot possibly exist logically in this universe, but the title is too generic to reflect correctly this point.
I have not read the book, mainly because of the title.
@Jeffe Vella Leone
"It is proven that the theistic type of god cannot possibly exist logically in this universe,---- "
Not as far as I know, although I may be wrong. In any case, you have just made a positive claim. That means you have the burden of proof.Let's see it.
As far as I'm aware, claims about the existence of god(s) are unfalsifiable . IE {so far] nobody has been able to prove or disprove either, by logic or by empirical evidence.
I understand that it is possible to reach a logically sound inference from a false premise. That is why I don't trust logic as a reliable tool for arriving at truth.
I have no interest in a book with such a title, because I do not believe the claim 'there is no god' . At this point in my life I do not believe god (s) can be argued into or out of existence. I demand empirical evidence.
I remain an agnostic atheist. IE I do not believe in god(s) due to an absence of proof. Nor can I (or anyone else so far ) prove god(s) do not exist. Consequently, I can't claim to know. That makes me an agnostic atheist. From the Greek a=not/without . gnosis= knowledge.
I am willing, even eager to change my position immediately anyone provides some empirical evidence either way.
It is going to be an iTunes version?
Added to iTunes. Here is the link: http://bit.ly/15Kc3sl
Link Added above as well :)
I am reading this book now. I love it so far!
Great job, Armin!
I do accept the argument from guitar mastery, which concludes that Eric Clapton is a god. :D
DEAR ADMIN , MY GOVERMENT BANNED YOUR BOOK , I CANT BUY YOUR BOOK IN MY REGION .
I NEED SOME HELP
Loved this book, the focus on fallacy's made a guy like me who loved debating just shake from happiness. It was an absolutely excellent book! Thanks for the great read Armin!
Loved this book, the focus on fallacy's made a guy like me who loved debating just shake from happiness. It was an absolutely excellent book! Thanks for the great read Armin!
Another book I found that I enjoyed was "Atheism and the Case Against Christ" by Matthew S. McCormick. Just finished it. Now I can definitely give reasons why the explanation of Christ is not plausible and if theist realized this themselves, they'd know they already don't believe; they just don't know it yet.
I have just finished Why there is no god, and I thourghly enjoyed it. I am not a very good debaterand have a hard time communicating to believers how I feel about my atheism. You book has given me a lot of things to use in a discussion and I will read it over to get those things firmly in my mind. Your book is written very simply and easy to understand. I will offer it to my believer friends to help them understand me a little better, and maybe themselves too.
Most atheists know the concept of a god was created in the minds of pre-literate beings, trying to understand where the sun goes at night. It became common practice to assign everything that could not be explained, by pre-literate minds, to be works of god.
The bible was authored by those who assumed their random thoughts were words from god. This can explain the comedy of conflicting information in the bible.
Why do we continually fault the words and deeds of gods who never existed, except in pre-literate minds? Let’s move on. If and when someone produces irrefutable evidence of god's existence, we can re-open the subject.
The book has definitely been my go-to guide for quick arguments. I actually had the idea of writing a similar book before I knew this one existed. When I found out, I had to buy it and wasn't disappointed. Definitely not the most in-depth analysis on apologetics, but its perfect for an efficient reference guide.
Just read about half of the book. Great reading. I am a an atheist who is African American. I am 68 years of age and have been an atheist for 48years. I have a website "blackandatheisttoo.com . I don't try to change people, just encourage them to think and not accept myth, superstition, and ignorance.
Dr. Arthur R. Byrd
I just published a book, Black and Atheist Too: My Journey Living Through Discovery of the Non-existence of God. I am thoroughly enjoying reading Armin Navabi's book, "Why There Is No God". I encourage everyone to purchase it and read it.
I am dying to read your book. Thanks for the post. I am familiar with the significance of religion in the black community and am always amazed when someone pops up and says "I'm and atheist." Wow! Good for you! Thanks for the book. I will add it to my collection and am looking forward to the read.
Sound great Dr. Byrd.
I love this book!
What about setting up a taskforce to translate the book into other languages?
I disagree with the whole notion of arguing about if God exists. God exists as a fantasy of the mind and ego. Every fantasy and delusion exists for the believer, but just no repeatable evidence in reality. So yes Virginia God, Santa Claus, and the Tooth Fairy exist as stories and fantasies and not much more until there is repeatable evidence of these stories.
@LuvnBeast: "I disagree with the whole notion of arguing about if God exists." What I see implied in that is a debate between the atheist (anti-theist) and the Christian apologist. Very few Atheists tackle the anti-theist position (God does not exist.) There is no reason at all to go there. There is no reason to argue that position.
The atheist position, put quite simply, is nothing more than non-belief. There is no reason to believe in a god or gods until such time as the evidence for that god or gods has been clearly shown. There is no reason to engage in any sort of debate over the existence of god. The Theist is making the assertion and all the atheist need do in the event he or she wishes to engage the theist is merely ask, "How do you know that and what is your evidence?" There is no argument.
I don't need to read this book, I was guided by holy spirit to realize he's not real.
It is still a good read.
rmfr
what are the properties of the god we are rejecting?
We may as well read a massive weighty book titled 'Why the Earth is not Flat' though. It's not really for us to present the in-depth case and arguments for the Earths roundness. It's really for the other side who claims something spectacularly outside the ordinary, as supernatural religious claims generally are, to make the pitch.
2 Cents
The existence of God is unfalsifiable. IE it cannot be proved nor disproved.
The theist who claims "there is a god" or"I believe there is a god" is making a positive claim and attracts the burden of proof. So too does the atheist who claims "there is no god" or" I believe there is no god"
That the theist cannot prove god exists, does not prove there is no god. An absence of proof does not prove absence ,although it may be implied(suggested).
I have no said absence of evidence; because 'evidence' 'is not a synonym for 'proof'. " Evidence" is anything provided in support of a claim.
God cannot be argued into or out of existence. The reason is logic; ALL logical arguments begin with the implied IF A----. Hence a valid logical conclusion is true IF AND ONLY IF the premise is also true. AS far as I'm aware, this is not the case in any argument for or against the existence of god.
ME? I'm an agnostic atheist. I do not believe in gods due to lack of evidence. I make no claims, so need prove nothing
My position to the theist: "You believe in God? How wonderful for you! You want me to believe as you do? No problem . Be thrilled to do that the minute you prove to me your god exists. In the meantime , stop wasting my time and bugger off"
2 CENTS My use of '2 cents' at the beginning of a post indicates I'm simply making a comment, and am not interested in a debate on the topic. I've been an atheist for over 25 years . No longer interested in arguments about the existence of god. such arguments are not only futile, I find them tedious.
@Cranky: RE: The existence of God is unfalsifiable. IE it cannot be proved nor disproved.
You are just wrong. All a theist has to do is present their god. The claim that god is real is totally verifiable. It just has not been verified yet and most of the attempts to validate the existence of god or gods are woefully inadequate to the task.
The claim that there is no god is an unfalsifiable claim. The best argument I have for this one is the simple fact that absence of evidence does in fact equal evidence of absence. But all I have is 6000 years or more of evidence of absence. All I have is the evidence of absence on this planet and on the parts of the universe we have explored. There is no way for me to search the entire universe, therefore, the claim is unfalsifiable. Even so, I am completely justified in my belief in the non-existence of god based on the absence of evidence. Absence of evidence is a legitimate way of doing science. If it were not, we would repeat the same experiments over and over and over while expecting different results. When there is no evidence there, then there is no evidence there and we move on to another hypothesis. The god hypothesis has failed for 6000 years or more.
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