Non-Fiction Book Reviews

Book Review: 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God

By Sandy Amazeen Jul 1, 2008, 1:50 GMT

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 ...more

As a journalist and travel writer, Harrison has traveled extensively and throughout his travels posed the same question “Why do you believe in your God or Gods”. He discovered that despite the many different religious beliefs, there was a surprising similarity in the responses. Harrison scrutinizes the 50 most popular reasons, first looking at the rational for believing them, then pointing out their flaws and fallacies with a gentle yet factual touch. Using the latest statistics from respected sources including UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the UN, Global Security and the CIA to name a few, the author shows how matters of faith may be as simple as believing without reason but there is little rational justification for doing so.

Nonjudgmental and enlightening, this is a thoughtful look at why people believe in God and more important, the reasons we, as rational beings continue to allow atrocities to take place in the name of religion. No matter what your religious belief, there is plenty to ponder in this smoothly written examination that may have readers looking closer at the validity of their own beliefs.