Fascinating and enlightening, this book has things in it that are bound to tick off both believer and unbeliever alike. By the same token, it is also a must-read, as it speaks deeply to the present-day predicament in which humanity finds itself. A somewhat difficult read, but well worth it for the many valuable insights to be gained into the human condition.

8

Wonderful.

Terrible book, don't waste your time.

Speaking of the "lust of the mind, the lust of the flesh and the lust for power"... <p> "These lusts are woven into our genetic map. We can ameliorate them, but they are always with us; we will never ultimately defeat them. The attempt to deny the lusts within us empowers this triumvirate. They surface, unexamined and unheeded, to commit evil in the name of good. We are not saved by reason. We are not saved by religions. We are saved by turing away from projects that tempt us to become God, and by accepting our own contamination and the limitations of being human." pgs. 78-9 </p> <p> If you know that you have a problem (the three lusts) that leads to bad outcomes, and you know the correct course of action to avoid those bad outcomes (avoiding 'God projects'), and you select the correct solution after weighing the options...was it not your reason that led you to choose the best solution? </p> <p> Like the author, I too have read statements by the "New Atheists" that I disagree with...still, I would be amiss not to admit this book has serious flaws. </p> <p> It sometimes seems like the author had a few incomplete and unpublished essays on religious fundamentalism and decided to jump on a trendy topic by substituting in "atheism" where the original text had a reference to a religion - or by just lumping in atheism on claims regarding religious fundamentalism. </p> <p> Perhaps this is why there are some conceptually awkward passages. Like the one where Hedges asserts that like just like Christian Fundamentalists, atheists don't realize, "...we will never rise to the heights of angels or create a paradise on earth." </p> <p> This book is like a lopsided hill. It gets better as it goes, but you need to go a long way before reaching the top...and then once you're enjoying the view it rapidly descends again.

One of the author's theses appears to be 'dogmatism is bad' , which is a valid enough point. However, he then goes on to create a group of straw men ("New Atheists') who do sound pretty scary but bear little resemblance to the actual people named. Richard Dawkins, in particular, is relentlessly misquoted throughout. To be fair, he also dumps on religious fundamentalists and even liberal Christians, which leaves me wondering if there is anyone except himself that he agrees with. He also believes that moral progress is impossible, which is a pretty depressing point of view. Left me wondering that if there is a god, why did he do such a poor job on us?

Excellent book! Hedges manages to step back from the debate to ask far more compelling questions than the entrenched opponents of the religious debate are asking or attempting to answer. The opening paragraphs on page one are worth the price of admission.

I'm an atheist and I have enjoyed other Chris Hedges books, so I picked this one up. In the introduction Hedges basically says "this book is to refute proponents of the New Atheism." Since I don't know anything about the New Atheism, have never spoken to any one who has mentioned it, nor have I heard of the authors he mentioned, I stopped reading. Perhaps Hedges has something interesting to say, but he's buried himself in a niche so deep that I doubt many people will care.

Probably the most balanced book on either side of the argument I've ever read.

This book is very poorly done. I don't believe that he has even read the books written by atheists.