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Is God A Delusion?
A Reply to Religion's Cultured Despisers

"Clear, penetrating, and thought-provoking, Reitan's work is a bracing tonic for those in danger of being lulled into intellectual sleep by the strident claims of the 'new atheists'."
—Kenneth Miller, Brown University

"This is by far the best response to the 'new atheists' I know of -- well researched, subtle, full of powerful argument and yet accessible to all educated people."
—Thomas Sullivan, St. Thomas University

Eric Reitan (Author)

9781405183628, Wiley

Hardback, published 21 November 2008

256 pages
23.6 x 16 x 2.8 cm, 0.544 kg

"Makes an elegantly argued response … that is refreshing in several respects. Neither polemical nor defensive … he brings into the contemporary fray many philosophers who reasoned well about God long ago. He looks squarely in the face of the contemporary horrors that many have used to argue for God's non-existence and still comes off the theodicy battleground with a sense of God as ethico-religious hope, 'the substance of things hoped for.' The clarity of his presentation should make this book useful after atheism has finished its moment in the sun." (Publisher's Weekly Religion Update)

"Reitan's execution is truly remarkable, maintaining both sympathy with the criticism of exclusive and closed-minded religious views while exposing fallacious and closed-minded attacks on human expression of religious belief and hope.… Highly recommended." (Choice Magazine)

"In the book you get two things for the price of one. 1- An intro to the philosophy of religion and 2- a fun, readable, and vigorous critical response to the New Atheists." (Tripp Fuller, Homebrewed Christianity)

"Reitan's resurrection of the phrase 'cultured despisers' underscores one of the most compelling purposes of his book, namely, to show that the arguments of today's articulate atheists are rehash of yesteryear's angst." (Religion Dispatches)

Is God a Delusion? addresses the philosophical underpinnings of the recent proliferation of popular books attacking religious beliefs.

  • Winner of CHOICE 2009 Outstanding Academic Title Award
  • Focuses primarily on charges leveled by recent critics that belief in God is irrational and that its nature ferments violence
  • Balances philosophical rigor and scholarly care with an engaging, accessible style
  • Offers a direct response to the crop of recent anti-religion bestsellers currently generating considerable public discussion

Introduction.

1. On Religion and Equivocation.

2. "The God Hypothesis" and the Concept of God.

3. Divine Tyranny and the Goodness of God.

4. Science, Transcendence, and Meaning.

5. Philosophy and God's Existence, Part I.

6. Philosophy and God's Existence, Part II.

7. Religious Consciousness.

8. The Substance of Things Hoped For.

9. Evil and the Meaning of Life.

10. The Root of All Evil?.

Notes.

References.

Index

Subject Areas: Philosophy [HP]
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