Jump to content

Menu

Has anyone used "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist?


Recommended Posts

XPOST

Hi,

I am considering using "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist" both the book and the curriculum-which is like a workbook.  Has anyone used this?  If so, what were the ages of your children.  I want my 13 year olds to start this, or maybe use it next year for 8th grade.  Is this an appropriate age for the curriculum?(workbook?)

 

Thanks

pam

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never heard of it.  Do you have a link?  It sounds interesting. 

 

 

 

 

"I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist" convincingly shows why atheism and other non-Christian views require a lot more faith than Christianity. Geisler and Turek build their case from the question of truth all the way to truth of the Bible. Along the way, in a readable and often entertaining way, they debunk relativism, agnosticism, atheism, Darwinism and New Testament liberalism. Their explanations of how the big bang, the design found in both the Universe and living organisms (like humans!), and morality point to God are worth the price of the book.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Amazon one-star reviews are worth a read to get a sense of the possible weaknesses of the book.  

 

This one seems quite thoughtful and well-reasoned:

 

 

I have studied many perspectives on the topic of God & religion, ranging from Christian apologists like William Lane Craig, Dinesh D'Souza and C.S. Lewis to ardent atheists like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Lawrence Krauss, as well as others from Islamic persuasions, agnostic viewpoints, etc. I have heard good arguments from each perspective, but also some very bad arguments from each.

Unfortunately, this book is comprised of almost entirely bad arguments. Even worse, in the process of presenting their bad arguments they manage to misrepresent and undermine science, philosophy, historical studies and critical thinking. In short, Frank and Norman have never met a straw man they couldn't knock down. The authors fail to address almost any actual concerns of non-believers, and instead create imaginary and easily dispensed counter-arguments to their own perspective. It seems the authors tried to write the book at a very low reading level to make it accessible to the widest audience (an admirable aim), but in doing so they failed to adequately or honestly address even a single topic. Below are just two examples.

 

<snip>

 

In summary, I would not recommend this book for anyone seeking answers, or even people simply trying to better understand arguments for (or against) God, religion or atheism. The authors manage to take a deeply complex and interesting topic, and simplify it beyond recognition into a narrow perspective that only addresses fictitious objections, and that undermines actual science and critical thinking. I suspect that if you read this book in the hopes of strengthening your own Christian faith, it may temporarily serve its purpose. But if you do encounter any moderately informed or intelligent non-believer you will find yourself utterly unprepared to respond to their actual concerns and criticisms, which are unfortunately not found in this book.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

DS says a better one for that age is Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace.

 

We recently went to an event with Tom Gilson, author of Confronting the Irrationality of the New Atheism.  Interestingly, the book you mentioned was his highest recommendation in preparing teens.  My son's science mentor also recommended On Guard:  http://www.reasonablefaith.org/on-guard-book

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We recently went to an event with Tom Gilson, author of Confronting the Irrationality of the New Atheism.  Interestingly, the book you mentioned was his highest recommendation in preparing teens.  My son's science mentor also recommended On Guard:  http://www.reasonablefaith.org/on-guard-book

 

I used this with my then-eighth grader.  It is fabulous.  (I happen to go to church with Bill Craig.  He is amazing.)  On Guard is much more accessible than some of his works.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...