50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
Many books that challenge religious belief from a skeptical point of view take a combative tone that is almost guaranteed to alienate believers, or they present complex philosophical or scientific arguments that fail to reach the average reader. Guy P. Harrison argues that this is an ineffective way of trying to encourage people to develop critical thinking about religion. In this unique approach, Harrison concisely presents fifty commonly heard reasons that people often give for believing in a god. Then he raises legitimate questions regarding these reasons, showing in each case that there is much room for doubt.
From religion as the foundation of morality to the authority of sacred books, the compelling religious testimony of influential people, near-death experiences, theories from intelligent design, and much more, Harrison respectfully describes each rationale for belief and then politely shows the deficiencies that any good skeptic would point out. He also offers something in return–a hopeful and optimistic view of science, the universe, and humanity without the divisiveness, prejudice, and hatred caused by conflicting religious doctrines.
Drawing on his experiences as a nonbeliever and his extensive travels around the world, Harrison makes poignant arguments that are sure to inspire thought-provoking discussions. Whether you're a believer, a complete skeptic, or somewhere in between, you'll find his review of traditional and more recent arguments for the existence of gods refreshing, approachable, and enlightening.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Good read, but…
50 reasons? Come on. Some of them are a little contrived. And the answer to those reasons become a little repetitious as Harrison repeats some of the same arguments over and over; not that they aren't valid arguments.
Overall its a good read, but it could have been a bit shorter. Maybe "25 Reasons People Give…"? 
4 Stars After Dawkins, Harris and the like… relax!
As someone who appreciates the plain speaking, thinly disguised mockery of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris (who hav ethe courage to say what we all want to), the friendly, conversational style of this book took some getting used to. All arguments are well-researched (even though in many cases they are simple common sense) and well-articulated. It's a refreshing change from the detailed philosophy and science – not to mention the hostility – of the aforementioned authors – whose pages often require several readings – each of the chapters deals with a particular "reason" in a non-confrontational manner, and Guy's fondness for "believers" leaps out of every page. This is the book I would have liked to have written – a straightforward guide for anyone prone to getting into arguments about the existence of God – this book gives you all the answers you need, without baffling explorations of quantum physics, evolution, psychology or philosophy. It's witty, down to earth and clever – as an atheist I struggle to comprehend how people can believe in gods – thanks to this book I now see their point of view, and can now articulate even more reasons why I believe their view to be fatally flawed. This is essential reading for anyone building their arsenal – and a gentle reminder that people who believe in these myths require careful handling.
5 Stars One of the best books I've read on the subject
As a comparison, I've read "The God Delusion" and "Climbing Mount Improbable" by Dawkins, "Letter to a Christian Nation" and about a quarter of "The End of Faith" by Harris, "irreligion" by Paulos, "The Quotable Atheist" and a couple of other books that I can't think of at the moment.
This book is my favourite on the subject so far. I find the format very enjoyable, unlike many books, it is not a chore to get through. Each chapter is about 7 pages long, usually following the format of Harrison explains the reason, explains why believers might offer the reason, explains what he sees as the problems with the reason.
The first half of this book was exceptional, very enjoyable, Harrison has gone to so many places, and done so many things, this is one of the few books that I actually wanted to read an "about the author" when I finished. You can definitely tell he has degrees in history and anthropology, things I don't normally care about at all, but he has a way of writing that gets me interested in them as well.
The book is mostly respectful to believers, not as much in the second half, the second half isn't as good as the first.
The downsides to the book, I would say are that many of the reasons are very similar, and so many responses are very similar as well, I think the book would have been better as 40 reasons instead of 50, but I decided not to drop a star for this. One other downside is that his reasons are frequently the same argument of "other believers of other gods say this as well, so the god cited isn't the source of this reason" Which was interesting to read at first, because he weaves in so many interesting stories, but towards the end, it did get somewhat redundant.
But anyway, the logic is mostly sound, the reasons are well stated, the tone is light hearted and frequently fun, the organization is unique and works very well for this book.
So 5 stars, but if Harrison reads this, I think you should revise some of your later chapters, they did take on a critical tone, and I think one of the selling points of this book the respectful tone of the earlier chapters. And 50 is a nice integral number, but I don't think you should include some of these chapters just to hit 50.
5 Stars Respectful yet challenging
The author is respectful to religion and those that believe in god(s) yet challenges them scientifically and without malice. He does not have the 'edge' that "The God Dilusion" seems to have and is kinder in tone.
Admitedly and athiest, he does not present it as a badge or a religion of sort – but as one who has not yet been convinced. The book is long but seems easy to read due to the many chapters (50!) which are concise.
5 Stars Brilliant Reference Material for All Creeds
50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God by Guy Harrison is an excellent book exploring the God Hypothesis. Filled with excellent anecdotes from Guy's own travels around the world, this sparkling book identifies every reason people give for belief in existence and addresses it from the perspective of a non-believer in the most non-threatening attitude yet published. Harrison has spent quite a lot of time researching and visiting the cultures of many faiths, and explains that for every reason people give for belief, there is a simpler, more effective scientific and/or rational explanation. The believer should not fear this book as condescending or belittling, but simply an alternative lens in which to view the world. For non-believers, this an excellent reference guide to conversing with believers on the very diversified front for religious belief.
Stylistically, the book does not deal in pretentious jargon that is so alienating in other works and instead speaks about some very complex concepts in the some of the most coherent and simplified language I have yet encountered.
Read Guy's book and get enlightened!
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