The Atheist Debater's Handbook

It's a good book for those who have just started exploring their atheism or for those who want to know the basics of non-belief. This book was one of the first I read when I was questioning what I believed, and it helped me explore my own thoughts. It's very basic, though. If you want a deeper and more thorough book, you should look elsewhere. This book just touches base with the some of the general reasons atheists see religion and god as illogical. It wouldn't be good for actually debating in everyday life.

I was seeking a basic introduction to the more common arguments for and against belief in God so I bought this book based on its title and the fact it is short. It makes a reasonable attempt to outline arguments against theistic belief (i.e., belief in a God as usually defined by major religions). It addresses the common arguments put forward by believers in God (design, the first cause, knowing god through experience, faith, etc.). In purchasing this book I had sought brevity of argument, and I was a little disappointed. Although the arguments are not long it doesn't provide the simple one or two line "debating points" some readers might be looking for to help them negotiate the next pair of door-knowking Mormons or Witnesses they encounter. People seeking dot-point replies to theistic assertions will not find them in this book. Should something that requires the reader to make their own summary list be called a "debater's handbook"? Maybe. But, it's too detailed to qualify as "atheism for dummies". The Atheist Debater's Handbook is dry reading. Given that there is a pretty strong element of the ridiculous in lots of religious belief, a little humour would not have gone astray. As an undergraduate student a professor once described an essay I wrote as a "tradesman-like effort"; I'd say the same of this book. It is solid but unspectacular.

For the more philosophically unsophisticated, which is most everyone, this is an excellent way to get to the heart of the main objections to the traditional belief in the Judeo-Xian God. The main arguments/issues should be filled in with further reading, since this is just an intro-duction. Objections that the book is "thin" in content, or "philosophically naive" are unfair, since this book is at attempt to take the beginner right to the most serious (and in most cases, sound) objections to the existence of the traditional Judeo-Christian God.

I can't say much more than the previous reviewers have said, except that Chapter XIV alone is worth the price of the book. "God and Jesus" will hit you like a hammer.

This was my first book on atheism three years ago, and I couldn't have asked for a better introduction. It's concise, relatively short, and effectively debunks the main arguments for God's existense. I kept saying to myself, "So *this* is why that argument never made sense to me!" Someone who has already read a book or two on atheism may not be as impressed, but the author uses enough clever analogies to be well worth a run through.