Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam Paperback – April 1, 2011

Has Michel Onfray, the author of "Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam," convinced me to become an atheist?The answer is no. But then, conversion is not his immediate intent. Michel Onfray is not a preacher, not one of those Bible forwarding evangelists on television. Their approach is not his approach. He is not trying to separate you from your money in order to enrich himself or some closely related tax-free nonprofit organization.Michel Onfray is a philosopher, and a French philosopher at that. I know that can be scary, bringing to mind interminable arguments about fine points of fuzzy arcana. That's not Michael Onfray. Calm simplicity, clarity, precision, organization, and thoroughness are what he is. He is presented in translation from the French by Jeremy Leggatt. Jeremy Leggatt does not stumble; his English is simply superlative. I could wish for an index. Yet Onfray's table of contents is so clearly detailed and extensive that one should have not much trouble finding or returning to any point.In this book Onfray leaves the evolution debate to others. He does include evolution and transformation of species once in a list of "scientific truths" that religious believers and hierarchies have at one time or other condemned--"the atomist theory, the materialist option, heliocentric astronomy, geological dating, transformation of species, evolution, psychoanalytic therapy, genetic revolution."Michel Onfray is quick to point out that becoming known as an atheist has always been dangerous. And still is. But at least today, in the West, one is no longer broken on the rack, hanged, disemboweled, or burned at the stake. Shunning, loss of family and friends, and other ostracisms and prohibitions are evident. And nowadays, how far could any professing atheist go in American politics?Onfray sees the Three Monotheisms--Judaism, Islam, and Christianity--as fixated on death and afterlife instead of enjoying the here and now. He decries that they consider their religious books--Talmud and Torah, Koran and the Hadith, Bible and New Testament--to be holy and directly obtained from God. He counters that there is only one life, and we have it. He cautions not to waste it on fable and fiction. His listing of contradictions and inconsistencies in the holy writings is exhaustive.With dates and places, he details the history of each of the monotheisms, how they are filled with subjugation of the people, deference to tyrannical rulers, how they have always fought against intelligence, questioning, and scientific education, and actively engage in genocide, ethnocide, and annihilation, even to this day. Onfray's hope is for the development of a post-religious secular order.Onfray's book leads me to believe that he would agree with the sign that one group set up next to a nativity scene during the 2008 winter holiday season at the Washington State Capitol: There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.Getting back to my first point. Has he convinced me to become an atheist? Again, no. Some things we cannot know. Richard Dawkins ("The God Delusion") would convince us that the probability is that there is no God. Another thinker has said that we should not fear death, because as soon as we are dead, we simply will not know it. Such belief pushes one to the primacy of the moment. Something to think about. Have joy.

I ordered this book because I thought it sounded interesting, and since I am a seeker of facts and wisdom this book approached the topic of religion in a unique way. When I first began reading this book I did not like the writing style of the author; however, the material became so interesting that I wound up really liking this volume. In fact, I agree with almost all the author's conclusions on these topics. This well-written text is organized into four parts. They include the following:Part of covers Atheology, which is a term I was not familiar with even though I had read numerous books in the past on atheism. Various topics are covered in this section and provides an overview of the author's hypothesis on Judeo-Christian epistemology. The second part explains Monotheisms. This section deals with the tyranny of afterlives, bonfires of the intelligence and seeking the opposite of the real. The third part focuses on Christianity. I enjoyed this section because it explains the influence of St. Paul on the historical development of believing in the Christian myths. The final part covers Theocracy. Many areas are explored in this section such as selective exploitation of the religious texts, the death fixation, Christianity and National Socialism and toward a post-Christian Secular Order.As mentioned previously, I liked this book a lot but it seems to me that even though the author makes an excellent case for the relationship philosophically of the three major religions (Christianity, Judism and Muslim) and that of Nazi National Socialism, he fails in one important area. He does not emphasize the simple fact, that all forms of religion are all part of the collectivist mentality which also includes Communism and all forms of Socialism. Indeed, the only difference is that they worship the state (In all dictatorial type of governments) rather than a God. All forms of collectivism are anti-science, anti-life and anti-individualism.In conclusion, I still recommend this book for anyone who is willing to think for themselves and are not brain washed by religious dogma. The sad thing is that people who need to read this excellent book will refuse to face the facts of reality when it come to religious dogma and will not read this text.Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Never Trust a Politician" A critical review of politics and politicians)

reviews telling you that this book or the author are rubbish are most likely extreme religious people with no place in their mind for philosophical thinking.

It is a short, well written book with its purpose deliberately defined and achieved in an enthusiastic and precise manner. This book had to be written.

Loving it. Great book.

The writer exhibits all the symptoms of Manic disorder. Hypergraphia, clanging and flight of ideas.Like all so called atheists, he is really anti religious. He denounces God because religion has monopolized Him. He may have a point trying to discredit religion; but that should be stated clearly and addressed exclusivelyOne can neither prove or disprove something based on Faith. Therefore it is pointless trying to prove God does not exist.The book is very informative, albeit with strong French bias.For the interested reader it offers a wealth of background references.Which is about its only merit.

I was expecting a rational discourse on the subject, but instead found myself plodding through nothing more than a gigantic rant. One might disagree with someone else's beliefs or opinions, but there is no good reason to describe long-dead historical figures in demeaning terms just to boost one's own beliefs and opinions. A disappointing read.