Advertisement
God Is Not Great: Re-examining Faith and Reason
Introduction:
The assertion "God is not great" is a provocative one, sparking heated debate for centuries. This isn't about attacking faith; it's about critically examining the arguments for and against the existence of a benevolent, omnipotent God, especially in the context of suffering and the apparent inconsistencies in religious texts and practices. This post delves into the philosophical and logical challenges posed by the statement, exploring different perspectives and encouraging readers to engage in thoughtful self-reflection. We'll unpack the arguments commonly used to support and refute the existence of God, fostering a nuanced understanding of a complex topic.
H2: The Problem of Evil: A Core Argument Against a Great God
The existence of immense suffering – natural disasters, disease, famine, human cruelty – presents a significant challenge to the concept of a benevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient God. If God is all-powerful, why doesn't he prevent suffering? If he is all-knowing, why doesn't he foresee it? And if he is all-good, why doesn't he intervene to alleviate it? This is the classic "problem of evil," a cornerstone argument for those who question the existence of a "great" God. Theodicies, attempts to reconcile God's existence with evil, often fall short, failing to adequately address the scale and intensity of human and natural suffering.
H3: The Logical Inconsistency of Omnipotence and Free Will
Another significant challenge lies in the apparent contradiction between an omnipotent God and human free will. If God is all-powerful, he could prevent evil. But if humans have free will, they are responsible for their actions, including those that cause suffering. This creates a paradox: can a truly omnipotent God allow free will, which necessarily implies the possibility of evil? Many argue that this inherent tension weakens the argument for a benevolent, all-powerful deity.
H2: Examining Religious Texts: Contradictions and Inconsistencies
Religious texts, often held as sacred and infallible, frequently contain passages that seem morally questionable or logically contradictory. Interpretations vary widely, and some passages justify violence, intolerance, or actions that contradict modern ethical standards. The inconsistencies within and between religious texts raise questions about their divine origin and the moral authority they claim. Critics often point to these inconsistencies as evidence against a consistently "great" God.
H3: The Rise of Secular Humanism and Scientific Understanding
The rise of secular humanism and scientific understanding has provided alternative explanations for the world's origins and workings, challenging the necessity of a divine creator. Scientific advancements in fields like cosmology, biology, and geology offer compelling natural explanations for phenomena previously attributed to supernatural intervention. This doesn't necessarily negate the possibility of God, but it weakens the argument for God as the only or best explanation for the universe's existence and complexity.
H2: The Importance of Critical Thinking and Personal Reflection
The statement "God is not great" isn't a definitive conclusion; it's an invitation to critical thinking. It encourages individuals to question their beliefs, examine the evidence available, and engage in a rigorous process of self-reflection. The path to understanding one's beliefs should be a journey of intellectual honesty and rigorous examination, not blind faith or unquestioning acceptance.
H2: Beyond the Debate: Finding Meaning and Purpose
Even if one concludes that the concept of a "great" God is untenable, that doesn't necessarily lead to nihilism or despair. Many find meaning and purpose in life through secular ethics, humanist values, and connections with others. Focusing on compassion, empathy, and contributing to the well-being of others can provide a rich and fulfilling existence without relying on religious belief. The search for meaning is a deeply personal journey, and the absence of a divine being doesn’t diminish the importance or possibility of finding it.
Conclusion:
The statement "God is not great" provokes crucial questions about faith, reason, and the nature of suffering. While not a definitive statement of atheism, it prompts a re-evaluation of traditional arguments for the existence of a benevolent, omnipotent God. Ultimately, the question of God’s existence remains a personal matter, requiring careful consideration of philosophical arguments, empirical evidence, and personal experience. Engaging in thoughtful reflection and open dialogue is crucial for navigating this complex and enduring debate.
FAQs:
1. Is this post advocating for atheism? No, this post aims to critically examine the arguments surrounding the existence of a "great" God, encouraging thoughtful consideration of various perspectives. It does not explicitly promote or condemn any specific religious belief.
2. Doesn't the existence of morality prove God's existence? The origin of morality is a complex debate. Many argue that morality is a social construct, developed through cultural evolution and human interaction, not necessarily divinely ordained.
3. How does this perspective impact the meaning of life? The absence of a divine being doesn't necessarily diminish the meaning of life. Many find meaning in human relationships, contributing to society, pursuing knowledge, and creating art.
4. What about miracles and answered prayers? Many accounts of miracles and answered prayers can be explained through coincidence, placebo effects, or confirmation bias. While some remain unexplained, this does not constitute definitive proof of divine intervention.
5. Isn't it arrogant to question God's existence? Questioning beliefs, including religious ones, is not inherently arrogant; it's a fundamental aspect of critical thinking and intellectual honesty. It's crucial to approach such discussions with respect and a willingness to listen to different perspectives.
| god is not great: God Is Not Great Christopher Hitchens, 2008-11-19 Christopher Hitchens, described in the London Observer as “one of the most prolific, as well as brilliant, journalists of our time” takes on his biggest subject yet–the increasingly dangerous role of religion in the world. In the tradition of Bertrand Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris’s recent bestseller, The End Of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope’s awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry of the double helix. |
| god is not great: The Rage Against God Peter Hitchens, 2010 Partly autobiographical, partly historical, The Rage Against God, written by the brother of prominent atheist Christopher Hitchens, assails several of the favorite arguments of the anti-God battalions and makes the case against fashionable atheism. |
| god is not great: Why Orwell Matters Christopher Hitchens, 2008-08-06 Hitchens presents a George Orwell fit for the twenty-first century. --Boston Globe In this widely acclaimed biographical essay, the masterful polemicist Christopher Hitchens assesses the life, the achievements, and the myth of the great political writer and participant George Orwell. True to his contrarian style, Hitchens is both admiring and aggressive, sympathetic yet critical, taking true measure of his subject as hero and problem. Answering both the detractors and the false claimants, Hitchens tears down the façade of sainthood erected by the hagiographers and rebuts the critics point by point. He examines Orwell and his perspectives on fascism, empire, feminism, and Englishness, as well as his outlook on America, a country and culture toward which he exhibited much ambivalence. Whether thinking about empires or dictators, race or class, nationalism or popular culture, Orwell's moral outlook remains indispensable in a world that has undergone vast changes in the seven decades since his death. Combining the best of Hitchens' polemical punch and intellectual elegance in a tightly woven and subtle argument, this book addresses not only why Orwell matters today, but how he will continue to matter in a future, uncertain world. |
| god is not great: The Digested Read John Crace, 2005-12 Literary ombudsman John Crace never met an important book he didn't like to deconstruct. From Salman Rushdie to John Grisham, Crace retells the big books in just 500 bitingly satirical words, pointing his pen at the clunky plots, stylistic tics and pretensions of Big Ideas, as he turns publishers' golden dream books into dross. |
| god is not great: God: The Failed Hypothesis Victor J. Stenger, 2010-08-05 Throughout history, arguments for and against the existence of God have been largely confined to philosophy and theology, while science has sat on the sidelines. Despite the fact that science has revolutionized every aspect of human life and greatly clarified our understanding of the world, somehow the notion has arisen that it has nothing to say about the possibility of a supreme being, which much of humanity worships as the source of all reality. This book contends that, if God exists, some evidence for this existence should be detectable by scientific means, especially considering the central role that God is alleged to play in the operation of the universe and the lives of humans. Treating the traditional God concept, as conventionally presented in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, like any other scientific hypothesis, physicist Stenger examines all of the claims made for God's existence. He considers the latest Intelligent Design arguments as evidence of God's influence in biology. He looks at human behavior for evidence of immaterial souls and the possible effects of prayer. He discusses the findings of physics and astronomy in weighing the suggestions that the universe is the work of a creator and that humans are God's special creation. After evaluating all the scientific evidence, Stenger concludes that beyond a reasonable doubt the universe and life appear exactly as we might expect if there were no God. This paperback edition of the New York Times bestselling hardcover edition contains a new foreword by Christopher Hitchens and a postscript by the author in which he responds to reviewers' criticisms of the original edition. |
| god is not great: Theists and Atheists Thomas Steven Molnar, 1980 Sinceits founding by Jacques Waardenburg in 1971, Religion and Reason has been a leading forum for contributions on theories, theoretical issues and agendas related to the phenomenon and the study of religion. Topics include (among others) category formation, comparison, ethnophilosophy, hermeneutics, methodology, myth, phenomenology, philosophy of science, scientific atheism, structuralism, and theories of religion. From time to time the series publishes volumes that map the state of the art and the history of the discipline. |
| god is not great: Letters to a Young Contrarian Christopher Hitchens, 2009-04-28 From bestselling author and provocateur Christopher Hitchens, the classic guide to the art of principled dissent and disagreement In Letters to a Young Contrarian, bestselling author and world-class provocateur Christopher Hitchens inspires the radicals, gadflies, mavericks, rebels, and angry young (wo)men of tomorrow. Exploring the entire range of contrary positions—from noble dissident to gratuitous nag—Hitchens introduces the next generation to the minds and the misfits who influenced him, invoking such mentors as Emile Zola, Rosa Parks, and George Orwell. As is his trademark, Hitchens pointedly pitches himself in contrast to stagnant attitudes across the ideological spectrum. No other writer has matched Hitchens's understanding of the importance of disagreement—to personal integrity, to informed discussion, to true progress, to democracy itself. |
| god is not great: God Is Not One Stephen Prothero, 2010-04-20 In God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World, New York Times bestselling author of Religious Literacy and religion scholar Stephen Prothero argues that persistent attempts to portray all religions as different paths to the same God overlook the distinct problem that each tradition seeks to solve. Delving into the different problems and solutions that Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Confucianism, Yoruba Religion, Daoism and Atheism strive to combat, God is Not One is an indispensable guide to the questions human beings have asked for millennia—and to the disparate paths we are taking to answer them today. Readers of Huston Smith and Karen Armstrong will find much to ponder in God is Not One. |
| god is not great: Atheism Explained David Ramsay Steele, 2008-02-01 Atheism Explained explores the claims made both for and against the existence of God. On the pro side: that the wonders of the world can only be explained by an intelligent creator; that the universe had to start somewhere; telepathy, out-of-body experiences, and other paranormal phenomena demonstrate the existence of a spirit world; and that those who experience God directly provide evidence as real as any physical finding. After disputing these arguments through calm, careful criticism, author David Ramsay Steele presents the reasons why God cannot exist: monstrous, appalling evils; the impossibility of omniscience; and the senseless concept that God is a thinking mind without a brain. He also explores controversial topics such as Intelligent Design, the power of prayer, religion without God, and whether a belief in God makes people happier and healthier. Steele’s rational, easy-to-understand prose helps readers form their own conclusions about this eternally thorny topic. |
| god is not great: God Is Not a Christian Desmond Tutu, 2011-05-03 [ArchbishopDesmond Tutu’s] unofficial legacy will be his life and the story of how thistiny pastor with a huge laugh from South Africa became our globalguardian. —Time magazine Biographer John Allen collects the ArchbishopDesmond Tutu's most profound, controversial, and historic words in thisinspiring anthology of speeches, interviews, and sermons that have rocked theworld. An unforgettable look at the South African pastor’s deeply rootedempathy and penetrating wisdom, God IsNot a Christian is perfect for anyone moved by of Martin Luther King Jr.’s“I Have a Dream” speech or Nelson Mandela’s stirring autobiography Conversations with Myself, brilliantlyconnecting readers with the courageous and much-needed moral vision thatcontinues to change countless lives around the globe. |
| god is not great: The Faith of Christopher Hitchens Larry Alex Taunton, 2016-04-12 2016 Winner of the Gospel Coalition Book Awards At the time of his death, Christopher Hitchens was the most notorious atheist in the world. And yet, all was not as it seemed. “Nobody is not a divided self, of course,” he once told an interviewer, “but I think it’s rather strong in my case.” Hitchens was a man of many contradictions: a Marxist in youth who longed for acceptance among the social elites; a peacenik who revered the military; a champion of the Left who was nonetheless pro-life, pro-war-on-terror, and after 9/11 something of a neocon; and while he railed against God on stage, he maintained meaningful—though largely hidden from public view—friendships with evangelical Christians like Francis Collins, Douglas Wilson, and the author Larry Alex Taunton. In The Faith of Christopher Hitchens, Taunton offers a very personal perspective of one of our most interesting and most misunderstood public figures. Writing with genuine compassion and without compromise, Taunton traces Hitchens’s spiritual and intellectual development from his decision as a teenager to reject belief in God to his rise to prominence as one of the so-called “Four Horsemen” of the New Atheism. While Hitchens was, in the minds of many Christians, Public Enemy Number One, away from the lights and the cameras a warm friendship flourished between Hitchens and the author; a friendship that culminated in not one, but two lengthy road trips where, after Hitchens’s diagnosis of esophageal cancer, they studied the Bible together. The Faith of Christopher Hitchens gives us a candid glimpse into the inner life of this intriguing, sometimes maddening, and unexpectedly vulnerable man. “If everyone in the United States had the same qualities of loyalty and care and concern for others that Larry Taunton had, we'd be living in a much better society than we do.” ~ Christopher Hitchens |
| god is not great: Why Religion is Immoral Christopher Hitchens, 2016-06 This title brings together Hitchens' most vigorous and memorable interventions in the debate that followed publication of 'God is Not Great', including 'Why Religion Poisons Everything', 'Is Islam a Religion of Peace?' and 'The Tyranny of Censorship'. It also includes celebrations of the pleasures of drinking, and of the writers whose lives and work most influenced his own. No matter the subject, all of Hitchens' arguments ultimately point to the same end: freedom from tyranny in any and all forms. |
| god is not great: A History of God Karen Armstrong, 2011-08-10 Why does God exist? How have the three dominant monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—shaped and altered the conception of God? How have these religions influenced each other? In this stunningly intelligent book, Karen Armstrong, one of Britain's foremost commentators on religious affairs, traces the history of how men and women have perceived and experienced God, from the time of Abraham to the present. The epic story begins with the Jews' gradual transformation of pagan idol worship in Babylon into true monotheism—a concept previously unknown in the world. Christianity and Islam both rose on the foundation of this revolutionary idea, but these religions refashioned 'the One God' to suit the social and political needs of their followers. From classical philosophy and medieval mysticism to the Reformation, Karen Armstrong performs the near miracle of distilling the intellectual history of monotheism into one superbly readable volume, destined to take its place as a classic. Praise for History of God “An admirable and impressive work of synthesis that will give insight and satisfaction to thousands of lay readers.”—The Washington Post Book World “A brilliantly lucid, spendidly readable book. [Karen] Armstrong has a dazzling ability: she can take a long and complex subject and reduce it to the fundamentals, without oversimplifying.”—The Sunday Times (London) “Absorbing . . . A lode of learning.”—Time “The most fascinating and learned study of the biggest wild goose chase in history—the quest for God. Karen Armstrong is a genius.”—A.N. Wilson, author of Jesus: A Life |
| god is not great: God Is Great: Bible Rebuttal to Christopher Hitchens Peter James, 2021-02 This book is for the millions of people who bought or listened online to Christopher Hitchens' book God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything and hundreds of millions of people worldwide who've witnessed a multitude of world-renowned intellectuals and religious leaders fail to combat the late and great Christopher Hitchens with any scriptural evidence. With Bible citations provided to support each assertion, author Peter James utilizes his 4-decade long study of biblical scripture and presents a genuinely authentic why not let the Bible speak for itself approach to answering the questions and accusations brought up by Christopher Hitchens in his book and debates. This book will evoke feelings that are not for the faint of heart and easily offended. Starting from the introduction, the author challenges his readers to open their bibles regardless of faith or lack thereof, to take on Christopher Hitchens with scriptural evidence rather than man-made interpretation and opinion. With the absence of a religious agenda, doctrine, and personal bias, God Is Great: Bible Rebuttal to Christopher Hitchens will leave you questioning everything you've ever known about religion, the bible, and god. |
| god is not great: The Good Book A. C. Grayling, 2011-04-05 Few, if any, thinkers and writers today would have the imagination, the breadth of knowledge, the literary skill, and-yes-the audacity to conceive of a powerful, secular alternative to the Bible. But that is exactly what A.C. Grayling has done by creating a non-religious Bible, drawn from the wealth of secular literature and philosophy in both Western and Eastern traditions, using the same techniques of editing, redaction, and adaptation that produced the holy books of the Judaeo-Christian and Islamic religions. The Good Book consciously takes its design and presentation from the Bible, in its beauty of language and arrangement into short chapters and verses for ease of reading and quotability, offering to the non-religious seeker all the wisdom, insight, solace, inspiration, and perspective of secular humanist traditions that are older, far richer and more various than Christianity. Organized in 12 main sections----Genesis, Histories, Widsom, The Sages, Parables, Consolations, Lamentations, Proverbs, Songs, Epistles, Acts, and the Good----The Good Book opens with meditations on the origin and progress of the world and human life in it, then devotes attention to the question of how life should be lived, how we relate to one another, and how vicissitudes are to be faced and joys appreciated. Incorporating the writing of Herodotus and Lucretius, Confucius and Mencius, Seneca and Cicero, Montaigne, Bacon, and so many others, The Good Book will fulfill its audacious purpose in every way. |
| god is not great: God Is Just Not Fair Jennifer Rothschild, 2014-03-25 This is a book I'll be recommending for years to come. -- Lysa TerKeurst, New York Times bestselling author Do you believe God is just not fair? If you're like Jennifer Rothschild, you wrestle with questions when you experience painful circumstances. Does God care? Does he hear my prayers? Is he even there? Blinded as a teenager, Jennifer overcame daunting obstacles, found strength in God, and launched a successful speaking and writing ministry. Then in her 40s, everything changed. Jennifer hit a wall of depression and discontent that shook her to her core, undermining many of her past assumptions about her faith. She wondered who God was and why he continued to allow her to struggle and doubt. Where, she pleaded, is his hand of healing and hope in my life now? This is a book about finding more than just answers. It's for anyone who needs hope when life doesn't make sense--for all who reach for a God who feels distant. As Jennifer tackles the six big questions of faith, she will help you: Trust God more than your feelings. Strengthen your faith when you feel beat up by life. Embrace your obstacles and start experiencing their purpose. Face your disappointment and grow stronger from your loss. |
| god is not great: Hitch-22 Christopher Hitchens, 2011-06-01 The acid, hilarious, confessional and provocative memoirs of the bestselling author of God is Not Great - a story of a life lived large. |
| god is not great: Is Christianity Good for the World? Christopher Hitchens, Douglas Wilson, 2008 This debate appeared originally in Christianity today, and is re-printed in this format with permission--T.p. verso. |
| god is not great: If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk John Pavlovitz, 2021-09-28 Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible. Imagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith, morality, and conscience actually aspired to this mantra. What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived? What if we invited one another to share in wide-open, fearless, spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence? What if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans? John Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this kinder kind of spirituality where we humbly examine our belief system to understand how it might compel us to act in less-than-loving ways toward others. This simple phrase, Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible, could help us practice what we preach by creating a world where: spiritual community provides a sense of belonging where all people are received as we are; the most important question we ask of a religious belief is not Is it true? but rather, is it helpful? it is morally impossible to pledge complete allegiance to both Jesus and America simultaneously; the way we treat others is the most tangible and meaningful expression of our belief system. In If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk, John Pavlovitz examines the bedrock ideas of our religion: the existence of hell, the utility of prayer, the way we treat LGBTQ people, the value of anger, and other doctrines to help all of us take a good, honest look at how the beliefs we hold can shape our relationships with God and our fellow humans—and to make sure that love has the last, loudest word. |
| god is not great: God Is Great, God Is Good Sanna Anderson Baker, The Estate of Sanna Anderson Baker, 2020-02-11 A timeless story inspired by the Book of Job and illustrated by the legendary Tomie dePaola—now reissued as a board book Originally published in 1987 and now available as a board book for the first time, God Is Great,God Is Good showcases Tomie dePaola’s unmistakable illustration style against this poetic text based on passages from the Bible’s Book of Job. |
| god is not great: Vishnu's Crowded Temple Maria Misra, 2008-01-01 As it enters its sixtieth year of independence, India stands on the threshold of superpower status. Yet India is strikingly different from all other global colossi. While it is the world's most populous democracy and enjoys the benefits of its internationally competitive high-tech and software industries, India also contends with extremes of poverty, inequality, and political and religious violence. This accessible and vividly written book presents a new interpretation of India's history, focusing particular attention on the impact of British imperialism on Independent India. Maria Misra begins with the rebellion against the British in 1857 and tracks the country's advance to the present day. India's extremes persist, the author argues, because its politics rest upon a peculiar foundation in which traditional ideas of hierarchy, difference, and privilege coexist to a remarkable degree with modern notions of equality and democracy. The challenge of India's leaders today, as in the last sixty years, is to weave together the disparate threads of the nation's ancient culture, colonial legacy, and modern experience. |
| god is not great: Reasonable Faith William Lane Craig, 2008 This updated edition by one of the world's leading apologists presents a systematic, positive case for Christianity that reflects the latest work in the contemporary hard sciences and humanities. Brilliant and accessible. |
| god is not great: For God's Sake Antony Loewenstein, Jane Caro, Rachel Woodlock, Simon Smart, 2013-07-01 Four Australian thinkers come together to ask and answer the big questions, such as: What is the nature of the universe? Doesn't religion cause most of the conflict in the world? and Where do we find hope? We are introduced to the detail of different belief systems - Judaism, Christianity, Islam - and to the argument that atheism, like organised religion, has its own compelling logic. And we gain insight into the life events that led each author to their current position. Jane Caro flirted briefly with spiritual belief, inspired by 19th century literary heroines such as Elizabeth Gaskell and the Brontë sisters. Antony Lowenstein is proudly culturally, yet unconventionally, Jewish. Simon Smart is firmly and resolutely a Christian, but one who has had some of his most profound spiritual moments while surfing. Rachel Woodlock grew up in the alternative embrace of Baha'i belief but became entranced by its older parent religion, Islam. Provocative, informative and passionately argued, For God's Sake encourages us to accept religious differences but to also challenge more vigorously the beliefs that create discord. |
| god is not great: Disappointment with God Philip Yancey, 1988 Is God listening? Can he be trusted? In this book, Yancey tackles the questions caused by a God who doesn't always do what we think he's supposed to do. |
| god is not great: God Is Not Nice Ulrich L. Lehner, 2017-10-20 Ulrich L. Lehner reintroduces Christians to the true God—not the polite, easygoing, divine therapist who doesn’t ask much of us, but the Almighty God who is unpredictable, awe-inspiring, and demands our entire lives. Stripping away the niceties with a sling blade, Lehner shows that God is more strange and beautiful than we imagine, and wants to know and transform us in the most intimate way. With his iconoclastic new book God Is Not Nice, Lehner, one of the most promising young Catholic theologians in America, challenges the God of popular culture and many of our churches and reintroduces the God of the Bible and traditional Christianity. As Lehner writes in the book’s introduction, We all need the vaccine of the true transforming and mysterious character of God: The God who shows up in burning bushes, speaks through donkeys, drives demons into pigs, throws Saul from his horse, and appears to St. Francis. It’s only this God who has the power to challenge us, change us, and make our lives dangerous. He sweeps us into a great adventure that will make us into different people. This book is not safe. It may startle and annoy many people—including those who purport to teach and preach the Gospel, but are missing it, according to Lehner. God Is Not Nice intends to overthrow all of our popular misconceptions about God, inviting us to ask deeper questions about the nature of our lives and our relationship with him. When you're finished with God Is Not Nice, you may find the idols you constructed in God’s name smashed, replaced with a God who will ask you to live an entirely different life full of hope and transformation. God Is Not Nice has been translated into several foreign languages. |
| god is not great: Revelation , 1999-01-01 The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the Beast will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self. |
| god is not great: Holy Bible (NIV) Various Authors,, 2008-09-02 The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation. |
| god is not great: The God is Not Willing Steven Erikson, 2021-07-01 'Awe-inspiring. Prepare to fall in love with epic fantasy all over again.' ANNA SMITH SPARK, author of The Court of Broken Knives The thrilling opening chapter in an epic new fantasy from the author of The Malazan Book of the Fallen... Many years have passed since three Teblor warriors brought carnage and chaos to Silver Lake. Now the tribes of the north no longer venture into the southlands. The town has recovered and yet the legacy remains. Indeed, one of the three, Karsa Orlong, is now revered as a god, albeit an indifferent one. In truth, many new religions have emerged and been embraced across the Malazan world. There are those who worship Coltaine, the Black-Winged Lord, and the cult of Iskar Jarak, Guardian of the Dead, is popular among the Empire's soldiery. Responding to reports of a growing unease among the tribes beyond the border, a legion of Malazan marines marches towards Silver Lake. They aren't quite sure what they're going to be facing, but, while the Malazan military has evolved and these are not the marines of old, one thing hasn't changed: they'll handle whatever comes at them. Or die trying. And in those high mountains, a new warleader has risen amongst the Teblor. Scarred by the deeds of Karsa Orlong, he intends to confront his god even if he has to cut a bloody swathe through the Malazan Empire to do so. But further north, a new threat has emerged and now it seems it is the Teblor who are running out of time. Another long-feared migration is about to begin and this time it won't just be three warriors. No, this time tens of thousands are poised to pour into the lands to the south. And in their way, a single company of Malazan marines . . . It seems the past is about to revisit Silver Lake, and that is never a good thing . . . |
| god is not great: Critiques of God Peter Adam Angeles, 1997 Essays on atheism by Kurt Baier, John Dewey, Paul Edwards, Antony Flew, Sigmund Freud, Erich Fromm, Sidney Hook, Walter Kaufmann, Corliss Lamont, Wallace I. Matson, H.J. McCloskey, Ernest Nagel, Kai Nielsen, Richard Robinson, Bertrand Russell, and Michael Scriven. |
| god is not great: Nietzsche's Philosophy of Religion Julian Young, 2006-04-06 In his first book, The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche observes that Greek tragedy gathered people together as a community in the sight of their gods, and argues that modernity can be rescued from 'nihilism' only through the revival of such a festival. This is commonly thought to be a view which did not survive the termination of Nietzsche's early Wagnerianism, but Julian Young argues, on the basis of an examination of all of Nietzsche's published works, that his religious communitarianism in fact persists through all his writings. What follows, it is argued, is that the mature Nietzsche is neither an 'atheist', an 'individualist', nor an 'immoralist': he is a German philosopher belonging to a German tradition of conservative communitarianism - though to claim him as a proto-Nazi is radically mistaken. This important reassessment will be of interest to all Nietzsche scholars and to a wide range of readers in German philosophy. |
| god is not great: No One Left to Lie to Christopher Hitchens, 2000 Suggests that President Clinton's largest legacy may be the weakening of the presidency and of the Democratic Party. |
| god is not great: Why I Am an Atheist Who Believes in God Frank Schaeffer, 2014-09-01 Caught between the beauty of his grandchildren and grief over a friend's death, Frank Schaeffer finds himself simultaneously believing and not believing in God--an atheist who prays. Schaeffer wrestles with faith and disbelief, sharing his innermost thoughts. He writes as an imperfect son, husband and grandfather whose love for his family, art and life trumps the ugly theologies of an angry God and the atheist vision of a cold, meaningless universe. |
| god is not great: God is Not Great Christopher Hitchens, 2007 Hitchens takes on his biggest subject yet--the increasingly dangerous role of religion in the world. With insight and wit, he describes the ways in which religion is man-made, immoral, and repressive and argues for a new enlightenment through science and reason. (World Religions) |
| god is not great: The First Book of Moses, Called Genesis , 1999 Hailed as the most radical repackaging of the Bible since Gutenberg, these Pocket Canons give an up-close look at each book of the Bible. |
| god is not great: How to Win a Cosmic War Reza Aslan, 2011-03-01 *Why do they hate us? An entire cottage industry has arisen to answer this question. But what no one has really figured out is, who exactly are they? Is it al-Qaeda? Islamic nationalists? The whole Muslim world? *HOW TO WIN A COSMIC WAR lays out, for the first time, a comprehensive definition of the movement behind and surrounding al-Qaeda and the like, a global ideology properly termed Jihadism. *Contrasting twenty-first-century religious extremism across Christianity, Judaism and Islam with its historical antecedents, Aslan demonstrates that while modern Jihadis may have legitimate social grievances - the suffering of the Palestinians, American support for Arab dictators, the presence of foreign troops in Muslim lands, to name a few - they have no real goals or actual agenda. *So, what do the Jihadists want? Aslan's answer is: Nothing. The Jihadists have no earthly agenda; they are fighting a metaphysical conflict, a theological war. And ever since 9/11, we have unfortunately been fighting the same cosmic war, the war they want: the so-called 'War on Terror'. *How do we win a Cosmic War? By refusing to fight in one. And in this stunning new work, Aslan reveals surprising conclusions about how we can deal with this predicament. |
| god is not great: Mortality Christopher Hitchens, 2012-08-25 The world's greatest contrarian confronts his own death in this brave and unforgettable book. During the American book tour for his memoir, Hitch-22, Christopher Hitchens collapsed in his hotel room with excruciating pain in his chest. As he would later write in the first of a series of deeply moving Vanity Fair pieces, he was being deported 'from the country of the well across the stark frontier that marks off the land of malady.' Over the next year he experienced the full force of modern cancer treatment. Mortality is at once an unsparingly honest account of the ravages of his disease, an examination of cancer etiquette, and the coda to a lifetime of fierce debate and peerless prose. In this moving personal account of illness, Hitchens confronts his own death - and he is combative and dignified, eloquent and witty to the very last. |
| god is not great: Evidence Unseen James Rochford, 2013-05-20 Evidence Unseen is the most accessible and careful though through response to most current attacks against the Christian worldview. |
| god is not great: Privilege Ross Gregory Douthat, 2005-03-02 Part memoir, part social critique, Privilege is an absorbing assessment of one of the world's most celebrated universities: Harvard. In this sharp, insightful account, Douthat evaluates his social and academic education. |
| god is not great: An American Atheist Mike Martinelli, 2010-12-05 Atheism. A term that conjures up negativity and even fear. Allow me to offer a unique prospective while respecting your own beliefs. I am an American who loves this country and will stand up and defend Christianity and your values right along with the principles this land was founded upon. Step inside and let me share my rational views of our country: The United States of America--Page 2 of cover. |
| god is not great: Next Year in Jerusalem John Kolchak, 2016-04-01 A brutal re-imagining of the Gospel story, Next Year in Jerusalem follows the footsteps of Yeshua Bar-Yosif--an illiterate, epileptic, bastard son of a Roman soldier on his ill-fated life journey through a land racked by terror. As first century Judea bleeds from the oppression of Roman rule and the violent uprisings against it, Yeshua, tormented by familial guilt for abandoning his mother, eventually forms his own family of travelers who preach for peace and compassion in the face of internecine savagery. Their wanderings lead to encounters with false prophets, assassins, and a rapidly growing movement of extremist rebels whose leader Bar-Abbas' mission is to expel the Romans and establish an ethnocentric theocracy. Chance sends both Yeshua and Bar-Abbas to the court of Pontius Pilate--the dipsomaniac Governor obsessed with leaving a name for himself in the scrolls of history--and the outcome of that meeting seals the fate of the world for the next two millennia. With urgent parallels to contemporary issues of religious war, this book is both a lament and a warning. It is also a story about the passage of time, the nature of memory, and of mankind's inherent yearning for life everlasting. |
God Is Not Great - Wikipedia
God Is Not Great (sometimes stylized as god is not Great) [1] is a 2007 book by author and journalist Christopher Hitchens in which he makes a case against organized religion.
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
Apr 6, 2009 · god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens "god is not Great" is a one of the most fascinating books you will ever read. A scholarly, passionate, and …
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything - Goodreads
Jan 1, 2007 · God Is Not Great makes the ultimate case against religion. In a series of acute readings of the major religious texts, Christopher Hitchens demonstrates the ways in which …
God Is Not Great Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary
Overview. God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, written in 2007 by English American author Christopher Hitchens, is a multi-faceted exploration of religion as a negative force in the …
God Is Not Great : How Religion Poisons Everything - Google Books
May 1, 2007 · God Is Not Great. : Whether you're a lifelong believer, a devout atheist, or someone who remains uncertain about the role of religion in our lives, this insightful manifesto will engage …
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything|Paperback
Apr 6, 2009 · A stylish new paperback edition of GOD IS NOT GREAT, Hitchens’ devastating critique of religious faith—a #1 New York Times bestseller. With a close and studied reading of the major …
God Is Not Great : How Religion Poisons Everything - Google Books
Nov 19, 2008 · God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Christopher Hitchens, described in the London Observer as “one of the most prolific, as well as brilliant, journalists of our time”...
God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens - Hachette Book Group
Apr 6, 2009 · A stylish new paperback edition of GOD IS NOT GREAT, Hitchens’ devastating critique of religious faith—a #1 New York Times bestseller. With a close and studied reading of the major …
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything - amazon.com
Sep 2, 2008 · In God Is Not Great, Hitchens not only demonstrates that religion is man-made--and made badly--he laughs the whole monstrosity to rubble. This is a profoundly clever book, …
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything | Logos ...
With a close and studied reading of the major religious texts, Christopher Hitchens documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a …
Great God, Your Love Has Called Us Here - Hope Publishing
Great God, Your Love Has Called Us Here We 5 Great 4 Then 3 Great 2 1 Great come God, take God, God, with in the in your self Christ towel, Christ love in you and you has flict set break …
God Is the Gospel - John Piper
crucified. We pray that whole congregations would be transformed into bodies which are “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the …
Ten Mathematicians Who Recognized God's Hand in Their …
God and so one can infer that there are causes which signify. Nor does this in any way de-tract from divine omnipotence or liberty which are tied to secondary causes. Although God is a …
Jonah: You Can’t Hide From God by Rev. Dr. John C. Tittle
Jonah: You Can’t Hide From God 4 October 28, 2018 Sermon by Rev. Dr. John C. Tittle God. We want to choose and decide on our own life itinerary. And our feeble attempts must make God …
WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE - Love Worth Finding …
In Genesis, God promised to make a great nation through Abraham. We see God has not forgotten this promise. And in Revelation 7, we see how He plans to fulfill it: through 144,000 …
GOD’S DECREES AND PROVIDENCE - Western Reformed …
God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most ... Not only is God sovereign in …
Great Lesson 1 - Addlo Montessori Training Center
Great Lesson 1 First Great Lesson - Coming of the Universe and the Earth ... Maybe it was what some people call God or Spirit. It is a mystery, so that not even the cleverest of scientists know …
This document was supplied for free educational purposes.
It is not great talents or great learning or great preachers that God needs, but men great in holiness, great in faith, great in love, great in fidelity, great for God - men always preaching by …
The Great God Brown in - JSTOR
Two, Scene Three of The Great God Brown, the scene in which Dion dies under comparable circumstances (cf. Floyd 311, 317). I shall return to this theme in a moment, but first I want to …
Making Great-Making Properties Great Again - PhilArchive
great-making property whether or not the Principle of Sufficient Reason is true. Keywords: Modal Ontological Argument • Great-Making Properties • Compossible ... God, in the understanding, …
O Great God Key: C - D - Grace Music
O great God of highest heaven, glori - fy Your Name through me! TAG: G F#sus Bm G Em7 Asus You are worthy to be praised with my every thought and deed; G/B A/C# D Asus (to outro) O …
By Bill Bright, founder of Cru Discover God’s Character
God not only wants you to view Him correctly, He wants you to know Him intimately. How you view God and His involvement in your life touches every facet of who you are. Everything ...
The evil-god challenge - JSTOR
maintain that belief in God, if not proved, is at least not unreasonable, are mistaken. Far from being a question reason cannot decide, the claim that the ... charity. Charity is a great virtue. …
Chp 4 - Lesson 5 - Alexander the Great - Weebly
Alexander was not great? If your measuring stick for greatness is concern for others, Alexander's march across western Asia was not great. Battles Alexander died in Babylon in 323 before he …
Week 9 God has no beginning and no end God Is Eternal
did not mark? (Every part of the loop has a mark on it.) This loop only has one side then. The first loop is like us. We have a body and a soul. Which part of us will live forever? (Soul) God is like …
Seven Ways to Limit God - lrwm.org
Jan 10, 2010 · God. Now, I‟m not trying to teach you how to limit God. I‟m teaching you the ways that we do limit God. First of all, I see that God is limited by backsliding. In Psalm 78 and verse …
On the Holy Spirit
God. Now without knowledge there can be no making like; and knowledge is not got without lessons. The beginning of teaching is speech, and syllables and words are parts of speech. It …
Alvin Plantinga on the Ontological Argument - JSTOR
Abstract By taking Existence in reality' to be a great-making property and 'God' to be the greatest possible being, Plantinga skillfully presents Anselm's ontological argument. However, since he …
God Is Great (gtr) - Archive.org
God Is Great MARTY SAMPSON INTRO B E F# E B E F# E VERSE 1 B E F#sus B E F#sus All creation cries to You, worshipping in Spirit and in truth. G#m7 E F#sus G#m7 F# E F# E F# …
Good News of Great Joy - Desiring God
glory of God in the incarnate Christ, your Savior, your Lord, your brother, your friend. John Piper’s Good News of Great Joy takes you ... as it really should be seen—as good news of great joy …
GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON - Healthcare Christian …
the great preachers of the past. However on the essential, fundamental truths of the Word of God, there is no change and his trumpet does not give an uncertain sound. We have had one …
How Great Thou Art hymn (no 511) Then sings my soul, My …
How great Thou art, How great Thou art! And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing; Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and …
The Morality System with and without God - JSTOR
Now things have not changed a great deal since my student years. There is still a striking paucity of discussion of religious and, in particular, theism ... part of Williams's (and Kant's) argument: …
Top 10 Most Unlikely People God Used For His Purposes
most cases, all God asks is a willingness to serve his purposes. From leading his people out of slavery, to giving birth to the Savior of the world, God offers humanity the opportunity to play a …
'What Place, Then, for a Creator?': Hawking on God and …
Creator God. Not that God is dead: God never existed" This impression is no doubt abetted by the fact that the book carries an introduction by Sagan, in ... [1986] and Menzel [1987]. These bold …
Master.indd - John Piper
frogs. They have not sinned. They have not rebelled and treated God with the contempt of being incon-sequential in our lives. God did not have to die for frogs. They aren’t bad enough. We …
Attributes of God as Found in Sacred Scripture - Catholic …
itself, was not caused by anything else, does not change, and does not depend upon anything else. That "first cause" or beginning is God. This argument was first used by Aristotle and later …
Conflicting Images of God in Early Christianity - JSTOR
impression that God is thought of in exclusively masculine terms. And while it is true that Catholics revere Mary as the mother of Jesus, she cannot be identified as divine in her own right: if she …
O GREAT GOD - Sovereign Grace Music
O great God now blind C of ed to-high by live est my a-sin, life heav’n, oc had that’s cu no de-py ears pen Dm--my to dent-low hear on C/E ly Your Your-heart. voice, grace. F Own did Keep it …
Performing Authorial Masculinity in The Great Gatsby - JSTOR
The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway, masculinity, authorship, authorial self- construction In James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), budding mod-ernist Stephen Daedalus …
THE BOOK OF REVELATION The Great Supper of God 3. ITS …
"The Great Supper of God" Revelation 19:17-21 Background 1. Babylonian religion is decimated (17) and Babylonian commercialism meets its demise (18). These events provoke four …
Lesson 1: God is Love! - Sunday School Bible Lessons for Kids
Thank God that He not only shows His love but IS love so that we can learn how to act and behave by following His and Jesus’ example of perfect love. Pray that we can always …
Priorities of Faith - Ministerial Association
God does not work on the premise of faster and cheaper. Often in the great controv ersy between God and Satan we need persistent prayer. We must be passionate and persistent in our …
Socrates, God, and Piety - Brigham Young University
understanding of god (or lack thereof) affects her actions. Socrates feels that his god is worthy to be followed for at least three reasons: 1) the god is wise, 2) the god is perfectly good, and 3) …
Good News of Great Joy - John Piper
37 December 18 John 17:18 The Christmas Model for Missions 39 December 19 Hebrews 2:14–15 Christmas Is for Freedom 41 December 20 1 John 3:8 Christmas Solidarity 43 …
The Doctrine of God - The Gospel Coalition
what God has revealed, which is ours to know, and what God has not revealed, which is not ours to know. God is shown to us not as He is in Himself but as He is toward us. That is pretty …
The Death of God - THE SOPHIA PROJECT
The Death of God Friedrich Nietzsche Aph. 125 The madman.—Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the market place, and cried …
The Character of God's Workman - The Church in Cupertino
in the worker before he is qualified to be a servant of God. Otherwise, God’s work will suffer in his hands. It is far better for him not to plunge himself at all into the most sacred work of God. …
“The Christian is known as much by their warfare as they are …
Gifts are not a fail-safe indication even that you are a true child of God! And gifts can be working when our faith is practically nonexistent. Growth in fruit is the test for a child of God - not great …
The Curse of God: An Idea and Its Origins among the Indians …
idleness, and intemperance, stupidity and ingratitude," but he could not have been more wrong.2 Even some steadfast Christians had reached the devastating conclusion that God meant for …
HUME'S PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION - JSTOR
Thesis V Morality is independent of religion (but not of God). Thesis VI No one of the characters but every one of the characters in the Dialogues speaks for Hume. The message : morality is …
Biblical Exegesis - John Piper
phrase is the Word of God does not change this fact. Therefore, if God humbled himself to take on human flesh and to speak human language, woe to us if we arrogantly presume to ignore the …
How Great Was Alexander the Great? - Mr. Roberts 7th …
Alexander the Great Mini-Q ) How Great Was Alexander the Great? ) A mosaic depicting Alexander at the Battle of Iss us, 333 BCE. Overview: Alexander . III . of Macedonia streaked …
God Alone | LEARNING TO TRUST GOD AND NOT RELIGION
Because we are sinners, religion always looks more appealing than God Himself. First Samuel 4-7 shows that having symbols of God’s presence is ultimately not as valuable as having the …
An Update on U.S. Immigration Policies - Missionary Sisters of …
Jun 6, 2024 · it is not going to turn us into a cedar of Lebanon. Where are the mightiest works of the kingdom accomplished? In our attitudes and hence, in secret. Where there is charity, there …
cdn.rfpa.org
Son of God! Not great, you understand, is He simply because He compares or is to be compared with other priests, and in the comparison is greater than all. Though surely . THE STANDARD …
o great god-lyrics - Amazon Web Services
VERSE 1 O great God of highest heav’n occupy my lowly heart Own it all and reign supreme, conquer every rebel pow’r Let no vice or sin remain that resists Your holy war You have loved …
“Living Conversation” - Boston College
any great religious tradition, the Christian tradition does think that, while it cannot say everything about Mystery, it can say something, even if falteringly. ... There you have it: we are talking …
Dreamweaver 8 Manual In Pdf - worlbuckderi.wordpress.com
god not great pdf free dart.pdf they csba cbok pdf free download have it to manual dreamweaver 8 pdf. Dreamweaver CS5.5 The Missing Manual 2011 English PDF 1216 Pages 61.5 MbWeb …
Desiring God
it to do all God’s will. It contains thirty-one meditations, so you can use it as a month-long heart recalibration assistant if you wish, but this book is not a program. It’s not “Thir-ty-One Days to …
