Product Description
In the tradition of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris's recent bestseller, The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case
against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and
reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope's awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry
of the double helix.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 794 reviews)

Disappointing, but not unexpected.

I am an Atheist in the very simple formulation that I have no belief. I simply do not believe, in anything. I was looking forward to reading Hitchens new book with some anticipation. A man of no small debator and written skills, he has a wonderfully devious mind especially in regards to literature and its various criticisms and defenses. However, I found that "god is not GREAT" to simply be a rehash of ideas with absolutely nothing new put forth on in the debate. As a wordsmith Hitchins excells, but when nothing new is offered I yawn. Better to read Eller's "Natural Atheism" which at least puts forth a handful of unique ideas that cage belief and religion in terms of pure logic and reason into ever diminishingly small irrational actions and ideas (at least once you get past the first few chapters). I cannot give this a single star because there are passages, paragraphs, and sentences of incredible intelligence and humor, but they do not negate the tedium of simply another 'atheistic rant' that does nothing to further the argument.
October 10, 2008

Anger and Mistakes

I read this book hoping for some new evidence, reason, logic and science. But instead I quickly found two mistakes: one is Abraham (of the Bible fame, not our president) is alleged to threaten suicide (it was murder, actually, of his son), and the comment 'rebuilding of the 2nd Temple' Actually it is the rebuilding of the 1st temple (the 2nd temple was considered a disappointment compared to King Solomon's original temple). According to the author Jesus was a false Messiah and possibly wasn't born. Hmmm. A little common sense here; if you feel Jesus was never born, why make the case that he was a false Messiah?

Short of wondering if the author was pummeled in his youth by some wayward nuns, I am bewildered by the level of anger here toward God. Whoops - forgot, God doesn't exist, does he. Why then is the author shaking his fist at - well - nothing? You can almost imagine those pesky wayward nuns somewhere - shaking their collective heads and murmuring, 'Hey, isn't that the kid we pummeled years ago..." Stay tuned - there may be a new movie coming for the Christmas season: Nuns Gone Wild.
September 19, 2008

hitchens is not Great

Assume that the worst book does not exist. Now imagine in your mind what the worst book would be if it existed. Clearly if that book exists in reality, it is worse than the worst book in your mind. But you were imagining the worst book, and we just found a book that is worse than the worst book. This is a contradiction, so the worst book exists, and it is christopher hitchens "god is not great." This was like reading someone's Live Journal. hitchens goes on and on, telling all these anecdotal stories about Thomas Paine and all areas of irrelevant material. Not once did this book require thought to counter any of the tired objections to religion. Page after page, hitchens builds up straw men, bringing out the worst characters in religion and basing entire faiths on these few lousy individuals. hitchens even fails to get basic facts about different faiths correct. It really was pathetic. I began to feel very sorry for him. He is so far out there and understands very little. Finally, hitchens references hardly any of his claims. A few sporadic ones here and there, but the reader cannot verify the bulk of his claims. This is so far removed from being a scholarly work. I am sure I could write a better book on atheism than this.
September 19, 2008

This is an argument?

Simply put, Hitchens manages to write about 300 pages without actually making an argument.

As a religious person who has actually talked to atheists, I know that atheist "arguments" regarding religion tend to fall into two categories: actual logical arguments and whining about the evils of religion. Hitchens's book falls firmly in the second camp. None of what he presents is truly "new" to me, and as a result I found the book to be far from stimulating. It didn't make me think through the issues at all. The problem, of course, is that every religion I am aware of has a rather simple explanation for why even religious people commit evil acts. So, not only is the list of religious atrocities dull (because it is far from new), it doesn't do anything to challenge my religious beliefs.

If you want a book that will actually make you think about the issues involved with theistic belief, don't read this one. If you're atheist already, all this book will do is give you a bunch of information that is totally useless, as no religious person will find it either new or convincing. If you're religious, all this book will do is bore you with examples which, though not familiar in the particulars, are certainly just like the typical atheist whining you're used to hearing.

One side point: Hitchens insists on referring to humans as "mammals". While this may technically be true, the effect that it creates is one of anti-humanism. That is, he pushes humans down in terms of their moral value. This is opposed to Richard Dawkins who, while making a similar point, pulls the rest of life UP. Not a big point, just something that I found to be annoying... And not particularly useful if you want to show that atheists can value humanity. From the way Hitchens talks, it sounds like he has little to no respect for his species.

If you want to read a good defense of atheism, don't read this book. Read Dawkins's "The God Delusion". Though I didn't find it to be convincing, it at least gave me arguments that I had to think about.
September 11, 2008

God is not Great

Hitchen's book God is not Great is a thought provoking book that shows much of the violence that has been caused by people of faith. Hitchen's give historical, as well as personal examples of how religion has caused chaos, and even great ignorance around the world. personally, I am a believer in God, but I found myself agree with many of the things Hitchen's was writing about in his book. For instance, the claim that many people make on knowing God's intention, but not understanding the origin of the universe. However, I do disagree with what he writes on Gandhi, and his argument of religion being a form of child abuse. I believe that this is a book everyone should read weather someone believes in God or not.
September 10, 2008

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever
by Christopher Hitchens

God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist
by Victor J. Stenger
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Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism
by David Mills
by Dorion Sagan

The Quotable Atheist: Ammunition for Non-Believers, Political Junkies, Gadflies, and Those Generally Hell-Bound
by Jack Huberman

The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice
by Christopher Hitchens