Your Religion Is False

Your Religion Is False

The funniest book ever written about why your religion is false!

Whether you're a Christian or a Jew, a Muslim or a Hindu, a Rasta or a Jain, an Environmentalist or a Cheondoist, a Scientologist or a Giant Stone Head Worshipper, your religion is false.

But don't feel bad — so is everyone else's! When you want to know what not to believe, this is the only book you need.

In addition, you'll learn

* Why "god" doesn't exist
* Why there's no such thing as a "soul"
* How to find "meaning" in a religion-less world
* Which of your religious heroes are pedophiles
* Why "religious tolerance" is a terrible idea

And, as a bonus, the greatest religious joke ever told. You can't afford not to read this book!

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Very Funny Insightful Book on Religion
This book isn't what you might expect. Well, unless you are expecting a very funny book with genuine insights on religion, then it is what you would expect. You're going to be disappointed if you are expecting an angry book attempting to offend everyone, one that provides rigorous proofs disproving the ontological existence of God, or one that gives a systematic and encyclopedic overview of religion. Don't get me wrong, you will be offended, then laugh, and then be offended again. Reasons for believing in God (like free Bible-study pizza) are quickly gone over as well. Joel Grus does has an encyclopedic knowledge of religion, but more often than not that encyclopedia is Wikipedia. It will make you uncomfortable when it in goes over bits of your religion humorously, like getting the virtues and vices in Sikhism mixed up and providing convincing arguments for them, but then he'll make another absurd joke and you'll be laughing again.

Now that I've read the book and reading the blog, I'm eagerly looking forward to reading negative reviews of the book. Atheism is after all just one-half of a debate. I expect two main types of negative reviews. One is from people who obviously haven't read more than Amazon.com's Product Description, like Kansas City James, and review it anyway. The other type I expect are from people on the internet that feel the need to refute him and pedantically grab onto a joke while conceding the main point. Like granting that Mohammad did marry a seven year old girl and had sex with her at nine, but standing fast on that there is absolutely no proof whatsoever that he played with her dollies. Insightful negative reviews are also possible I guess. The internet might surprise me.

Joel Grus mixes explaining religious beliefs with absurd non-sequiturs (but I repeat myself), obscure geek references, and even more obscure 80s music references. You'll want to read this book near a computer in order to look up obscure references, like chutney ferrets, monkey rockers, and tesla girls. Well, maybe not those ones. Since he is talking about religion, it is not always easy to tell when he is explaining something straight or making a joke, so you may want to guess and then look it up to see how you did. Once you find out that you did poorly, you will have reached enlightenment. Or weighed some flax. Or something like that.

5 Stars Fair and Balanced
This book is as silly as I expected, but I was happily surprised to read some genuine insights about the nature of religions in general. The table of contents is worth outlining to show how the 91 chapters give a fair and balanced perspective -

1. The fundamentals of why your religion is false (5 chapters)

2. Things that cleanliness are next to (and are false) (4 chapters)

3. Religions that you think nobody practices anymore but some people still do (4 chapters)

4. Religions practiced primarily by Asians and Asian fetishists (10 chapters)

5. Religions of the Jews (6 chapters)

6. Religions that everyone agrees are types of Christianity (10 chapters)

7. Religions founded by Mohammed (5 chapters)

8. Religions that may or may not be Christianity, depending on who you ask (8 chapters)

9. Religions popular with flakey Californians and rebellious teenagers (10 chapters)

10. Religions that were made up very recently (12 chapters)

11. Religions that are barely religions but are still religion enough to be false (6 chapters)

12. Odds and ends (11 chapters)

5 Stars Hilarious and true, unlike your religion
Not only is the book hilarious but it also is full of true descriptions of various beliefs. All of these are presented equally and are all judged based on how true they are. It's a cunning and bright way to show that no matter what your religious belief is it is false.

4 Stars Humor, not philosophy (or is that right??)
Well! This is not quite the book I was expecting. It is really a joke book, with all the jokes directed against the world's "pious people." The jokes are pretty funny, though, and, on a more SERIOUS level, can't you refute Buddhism (say) with the simple observation that we have no evidence for reincarnation, or karma?

After all, that wise man Santayana managed to avoid writing a book. He simply observed that there are many great world religions, and they are all without exception false.

My only reservation, and the reason for a measly four stars, is that the author missed out on a lot of fun by not including "ideologies" in the "religion" camp. After all, for every Maharishi nut you meet, you also meet a fan of Noam Chomsky, and for every Evangelical you meet, you also meet a fan of Fidel Castro. There are a lot of people wandering around cluelessly wearing Che T-shirts.

And political passions are so strong! How many Americans have actually lost friends over elections?

Still, it's an amusing read. I recommend it for an idle afternoon.

5 Stars If you like to laugh – read this book
Believers and non-believers alike, if you like to laugh – read this book.

The author adopts a tone of incredulity like in – "come on, don't tell me you believe that a creature with an elephant head and human body is keeping a close eye on everything you do, rewarding and punishing as he deems fit!" The book doesn't overly focus on any one group, and doesn't spare anyone either, yes – the agnostics and "spiritual but not religious" group is covered as well.

It is tightly written, oh so witty, and thoroughly enjoyable. Read it!

Buy/More Info

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