Greta Christina, "Why Are you Atheists so Angry?: 99 Things that Piss off the Godless" (Dirty Heathen, 2012)

Summary

Popular atheist blogger Greta Christina has now written a book Why Are you Atheists so Angry? 99 Things that Piss off the Godless (Dirty Heathen, 2012) counters the widespread view (at least in America) that atheists are snarky and perpetually angry people, and explains the legitimate reasons why atheists should be rightfully angry (99 of them, to be precise). Greta cites a wide list of malpractices endorsed, caused, or perpetuated by religion, from the teaching of creationism in schools to female mutilation to the Catholic church's stance on condoms. However, she goes beyond the usual criticisms of religion: she also speaks out against the way some theists perceive atheists, such as the belief that nonbelievers are immoral, ignorant, or simply sad. he protests the flaws in logic and disregard for truth which she perceives to be present in all supernatural beliefs, from organized religions like Islam and Christianity to less structured but equally unvalidated forms of woo. She denounces the cherry-picking that both fundamentalist and progressive Christians engage in when interpreting the Bible, and explains how religion's lack of an external reality check contributes to the unique harm it can inflict. An entire chapter is devoted to the questions that she knows she'll get asked, and she provides clear and in-depth answers. Greta also explains in the book why she's an atheist to begin with. Those who follow her blog will already be familiar with most of the content in this book, but it is useful to have it in a condensed format and for handy access. Even for those who disagree with her, Greta's impeccably clear and direct writing makes it a great read nonetheless.

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