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In this new anthology critiquing Christianity, John Loftus--a
former minister and now a leading atheist--has brought together an
outstanding group of respected scholars who focus on the harms
caused by the world's leading religion.
For about two decades John W. Loftus was a devout evangelical
Christian, an ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and an
ardent apologist for Christianity. 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 1990s he experienced a
full-blown crisis of faith.
Fostering mutual understanding by viewing religion from an outsider perspective Depending on how one defines religion, there are at least thousands of religions in the world. Given such religious diversity, how can any one religion claim to know the truth? Nothing proposed so far has helped us settle which of these religions, if any, are true--until now. Author John W. Loftus, a former minister turned atheist, argues we would all be better off if we viewed any religion--including our own--from the informed skepticism of an outsider, a nonbeliever. For this reason he has devised "the outsider test for faith." He describes it as a variation on the Golden Rule: "Do unto your own faith what you do to other faiths." Essentially, this means applying the same skepticism to our own beliefs as we do to the beliefs of other faiths. Loftus notes that research from psychology, anthropology, sociology, and neuroscience goes a long way toward explaining why the human race has produced so many belief systems, why religion is culturally dependent, and how religion evolved in the first place. It's important that people understand these findings to escape the dangerous delusion that any one religion represents the only truth. At a time when the vast diversity of human belief systems is accessible to all, the outsider test for faith offers a rational means for fostering mutual understanding.
Perhaps the most persistent question in human history is whether or
not there is a God. Intelligent people on both sides of the issue
have argued, sometimes with deep rancor and bitterness, for
generations. The issue can't be decided by another apologetics
book, but the conversation can continue and help each side
understand the perspectives of the other.
In this anthology of recent criticisms aimed at the reasonableness of Christian belief, a former evangelical minister and apologist, author of the critically acclaimed Why I Became an Atheist, has assembled fifteen outstanding articles by leading skeptics, expanding on themes introduced in his first book. Central is a defense of his "outsider test of faith," arguing that believers should test their faith with the same skeptical standards they use to evaluate the other faiths they reject, as if they were outsiders. Experts in medicine, psychology, and anthropology join Loftus to show why, when this test is applied to Christianity, it becomes very difficult to rationally defend. The book then demonstrates errors and superstitions throughout the Bible, exposes the immorality of the biblical God, and focuses on why it is unreasonable to believe that Jesus is the risen son of God. Finally, three popular Christian claims are dispatched. The contributors show why Christianity does not provide the basis for morality, atheism was not the reason Hitler murdered so many, and Christianity was not responsible for modern science. Collectively, these articles reveal that popular Christian beliefs tend to rely on ignorance of the facts. Drawing together experts in diverse fields, including Hector Avalos, Richard Carrier, David Eller, and Robert Price, this book deals a powerful blow against Christian faith.
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