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I Don't Believe in Atheists | 
 enlarge | Author: Chris Hedges
Publisher: Free Press
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  51 reviews
Sales Rank: 38310
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 5.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 141656795X
Dewey Decimal Number: 211
EAN: 9781416567950
ASIN: 141656795X
Publication Date: March 4, 2008
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Product Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of American Fascists and the NBCC finalist for War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning comes this timely and compelling work about new atheists: those who attack religion to advance the worst of global capitalism, intolerance and imperial projects.Chris Hedges, who graduated from seminary at Harvard Divinity School, has long been a courageous voice in a world where there are too few. He observes that there are two radical, polarized and dangerous sides to the debate on faith and religion in America: the fundamentalists who see religious faith as their prerogative, and the new atheists who brand all religious belief as irrational and dangerous. Both sides use faith to promote a radical agenda, while the religious majority, those with a commitment to tolerance and compassion as well as to their faith, are caught in the middle. The new atheists, led by Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris, do not make moral arguments about religion. Rather, they have created a new form of fundamentalism that attempts to permeate society with ideas about our own moral superiority and the omnipotence of human reason. I Don't Believe in Atheists critiques the radical mindset that rages against religion and faith. Hedges identifies the pillars of the new atheist belief system, revealing that the stringent rules and rigid traditions in place are as strict as those of any religious practice. Hedges claims that those who have placed blind faith in the morally neutral disciplines of reason and science create idols in their own image -- a sin for either side of the spectrum. He makes an impassioned, intelligent case against religious and secular fundamentalism, which seeks to divide the world into those worthy of moral and intellectual consideration and those who should be condemned, silenced and eradicated. Hedges shatters the new atheists' assault against religion in America, and in doing so, makes way for new, moderate voices to join the debate. This is a book that must be read to understand the state of the battle about faith.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 46 more reviews...
 We all live our life based on faith! September 13, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Religious people, or theists, depend on faith. They believe in a God whose existence cannot be scientifically proven. In other words, there is no evidence that God exists. Atheists also depend on faith. They believe that God does not exist since there is no scientific evidence of His existence. But there is also no scientific evidence that He does not exist. Both theists and atheists therefore depend on faith. We all live our lives based on faith.
According to the author, both theists and atheists are organized groups. Theists have religions, such as Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Atheists also have organized groups, such as Nazis, communists, fascists, and liberals who base their faith in science and science alone. Atheism is a system with beliefs and an ideology. It is a system based on faith.
There have been many atrocities committed throughout history in the name of religion. There have also been many atrocities committed by non-theists groups, such as Nazis and communists. Scientific progress brings both peace and destruction. The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people, the majority of them women and children.
What message is Hedges giving us? Basically, both theists and atheists are organized groups, and both have their flaws. Religion has not been able to deliver a utopian world, nor have atheistic groups. The Nazis tried to create utopia, but they failed. Similarly, communist doctrine promised a utopia. It too failed.
The message I understood from this book is that as much as theists don't believe in atheists, atheists don't believe in theists just as much! Why? Because both doctrines have flaws; because man is imperfect.
The author goes on to say that because most people cannot recognize the ideology of atheism is exactly why it is so dangerous. Atheists want to create a world free of religion, and based entirely on logic, reason, and science. They believe that religion is the cause of evil, and that the world will be a better place without it. Yet, millions died under the philosophies of communism and Nazism, both atheistic groups. The author rejects the ideas that people would be better off if they stopped believing in God, as the atheists Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Richard Dawkins suggest.
I really enjoyed reading this book, and it gave me a better understanding on how atheists think.
 Don't judge a book by it's cover September 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
"Don't judge a book by its cover." That's good advice, especially when dealing with Chris Hedges' "I Don't Believe In Atheists."
If you are expecting a critique of 'the New Atheists', that high profile, heavily media promoted band of Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris, then this book may be disappointing. Very little of the book, my guess is well under 10%, directly deals with the trio.
This is a shame as the three are hugely over-rated, over-promoted and don't do their homework. The "Old Atheists" were a tougher breed. The threesome need to be dethroned, or at least to have the tyres of their publicity tour bus deflated. Dawkin's militant atheism is based on his 'meme theory', a concept so dim, and so completely untestable, that it makes Dawkin's creationist bete noirs look like Einsteins. And Hitchen's newfound celebrity as a celebrity atheist seems remarkably opportunistic. In his journey from Trotskyite to neocon his main 'contribution' has been to promote the neologism 'islamofascism'. Hitchens has written about Orwell but apparently didn't grasp the concept of 'newspeak'. For Hitchens the Spanish civil war never ended. Cold shouldered in response to his drive to recruit leftists to the neocon International Brigade, maybe he thinks that by condemning lambs equally with wolves he can restore his comradely credentials. Hedges sees through the front but fails to deliver a knock out blow. Somewhat like Bush in the desert, Hedges is prematurely diverted to a larger campaign, before finishing the first.
Most of the book deals with Hedges' broader critique of fundamentalism, including 'the New Atheists', who he (interestingly) sees as just a new kind of fundamentalist, not much different from the Christian Right that they (and he) despise. Hedges sees the modern fundamentalism (really 'fundamentalism lite') as an intellectually and theologically shallow social and spiritual reaction to the crisis of post-Enlightenment materialism. To Hedges, the Christian Right and the New Atheists are two sides of the same coin, a bad penny, a materialistic civilisation in crisis and denial. Fundamentalism, whether of the evangelical or "New Atheist" variety is denial writ large.
Hedges' argument is intriguing and delivered in jackhammer blows. I didn't find it convincing, perhaps because of it's hammering style. Maybe he takes more time to deliver a more persuasive case in his other recent book. Still his discussion of the concept of "sin" as a necessary social guard rail against the destructive mythology of social and personal perfectability is fascinating. Still this may not be what most prospective readers will be looking for. The book is marketed as a response to the threesome, but in fact it is both less and more.
 Somewhat Disappointed August 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I read Hedge's Losing Moses on the Freeway and American Fascists and was very impressed by both. I have also heard Chris Hedges speak and my perception of him was that he is highly intelligent, honest and a genuinely good person. When this book came out I was very eager to read it despite the fact that I am not a fan of the title. (I understand that he is using this phrase because of the play on "I don't believe in God", but the title makes it sound like he is anti-atheists instead of anti fanaticism/fascists) I don't feel that this book was a complete waste of time as it did provoke me to think about the points being made and see a couple things in a new light (like the intended meaning of "an eye for an eye") but I do feel like the same few points were repeated over and over again and that this book could have been easily edited into an essay. The book just didn't have the same neat flow and cohesiveness of his other books which made me think it was rushed for print or not as well planned.
Finally! August 27, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Finally a book that talks about what Secular Fundamentalists are up to, focusing so much upon Religious Fundamentalism one must see these Secular Fundies are out to establish the highly fundamentalist view that Humanism Trumps all Religions.
 Utterly Idiotic August 25, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Having enjoyed Chris Hedges' previous book, American Fascists, I am utterly mystified by his complete turnabout in this piece of garbage. First of all, "I Don't Believe in Atheists" has got to be the decade's stupidest book title. How can you not believe in atheists, when they exist? It's like saying, "I don't believe in homosexuals"! Imbecilic. Now, if he had said, "I don't believe in Atheism", that would have made sense, as a personal statement of his credo.
Furthermore, it's just plain stupid to equate brilliant writers as Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens and Dennett with half-witted fundamentalist morons like Pat Robertson and his ilk. The former give reasoned, cogent analysis and support for their positions, as opposed to merely quoting some text that was written thousands of years ago and labeled "scripture" to shield it from serious debate.
I might add that there are other worthwhile books which support the atheist position, especially "The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality" by the brilliant French philosopher Andre Comte-Sponville.
All in all, "I Don't Believe in Atheists" is a very disappointing effort.
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