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Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists Paperback – September 1, 2008

by Dan Barker (Author), Richard Dawkins (Foreword)

4.4 860 ratings

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“Valuable in the human story are the reflections of intelligent and ethical people who listen to the voice of reason and who allow it to vanquish bigotry and superstition. This book is a classic example.” —Christopher Hitchens author of GOD IS NOT GREAT

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Conversions on the road to Damascus are for those who hear voices and fall prey to delusions and who would be better off seeking professional help. Much more valuable in the human story are the reflections of intelligent and ethical people who listen to the voice of reason and who allow it to vanquish bigotry and superstition. This book is a classic example of the latter.

―Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

I think Godless is fabulous. It came on Friday, and I spent much of the weekend reading it. It was a revelation to me. Others have made the journey ('faith to reason,' childhood to growing up, fantasy to reality, intoxication to sobriety -- however one likes to put it), but I don't think anyone can match the (devastating!) clarity, intensity, and honesty which Dan Barker brings to the telling. And the tone is right all the way through -- not belligerent or confrontational (as is the case with so much, too much, of the literature on this subject―on both sides). I think Godless may well become a classic in its genre.

―Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain

Atheists are the last of the minorities in America to come out of the closet, and like other civil rights movements this one began with leaders like Dan Barker and his Freedom from Religion Foundation defending the civil liberties of godless Americans, who deserve equal protection under the Constitution. In his new book, Godless, Barker recounts his journey from evangelical preacher to atheist activist, and along the way explains precisely why it is not only okay to be an atheist, it is something in which to be proud.

―Michael Shermer, Publisher of Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist for Scientific American, author of How We Believe, Why Darwin Matters, and The Mind of the Market

My kids are in the process of learning about literature, and a rule of thumb they’ve picked up concerns how to recognize the protagonist of a Story: it’s the character who undergoes the greatest transformation. This makes sense, because one of the hardest things we confront is the need to change. By this criterion, in the enormous story of what we all do with our lives, Dan Barker is one of the most interesting and brave protagonists I know. Godless is a fascinating memoir, a tour of one distressing extreme of religiosity, a handbook for debunking theism. But most of all, it is a moving testimonial to one man’s emotional and intellectual rigor in acclaiming critical thinking.

―Robert Sapolsky, author of Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: An Updated Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases and Coping

Dan Barker's esteemed reputation is richly deserved. I recommend getting three copies. You will need one as a source of evidence to which you will frequently refer. There will be miles and miles of underlining as you mark the pages of special interest to you. You will need your second to lend to others. You will be enthusiastic about this book, and you will want to share its wisdom with family and friends. Others will likewise want to share it, and the book will never be returned to you. Finally, you will want a third copy to be in pristine condition on your bookshelf, since Dan Barker has created a volume which will only grow in its historical significance.

―David Mills, author of Atheist Universe

Review

I think Godless is fabulous. It came on Friday, and I spent much of the weekend reading it. It was a revelation to me. Others have made the journey ('faith to reason,' childhood to growing up, phantasy to reality, intoxication to sobriety -- however one likes to put it), but I don't think anyone can match the (devastating!) clarity, intensity, and honesty which Dan Barker brings to the telling. And the tone is right all the way through -- not belligerent or confrontational (as is the case with so much, too much, of the literature on this subject -- on both sides). I think Godless may well become a classic in its genre.

I think Godless is fabulous. It came on Friday, and I spent much of the weekend reading it. It was a revelation to me. Others have made the journey ('faith to reason,' childhood to growing up, fantasy to reality, intoxication to sobriety -- however one likes to put it), but I don't think anyone can match the (devastating!) clarity, intensity, and honesty which Dan Barker brings to the telling. And the tone is right all the way through -- not belligerent or confrontational (as is the case with so much, too much, of the literature on this subject -- on both sides). I think Godless may well become a classic in its genre.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ulysses Press (September 1, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 392 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1569756775
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1569756775
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.89 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #530,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #221 in Atheism (Books)
- #729 in Science & Religion (Books)
- #4,580 in Christian Self Help

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4.4 860 ratings

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Dan Barker

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Dan Barker (1949-), a former preacher, is co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, co-host of Freethought Radio, and co-founder of The Clergy Project. After 19 years as an evangelical minister, Dan "saw the light" and announced his atheism in 1984. His first public appearance as an atheist was on Oprah Winfrey's "AM Chicago." He travels extensively, lecturing and performing on college campuses, and has participated in more than 130 public debates. A former composer of Christian music (for which he still receives royalties), Dan is now a jazz pianist and writer of freethought music, including the albums Beware of Dogma and Adrift on a Star. Dan has 5 children, 10 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, and lives with his wife (and co-president) Annie Laurie Gaylor in Madison, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Lenape (Delaware) tribe of American Indians. (Photos: outdoor, Ingrid Laas; window, Tim Buchanan; microphone, Bruce Press; piano, Brent Nicastro.)

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Phoenix9

The Best & Most Well Rounded Popular Atheist Book

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2016

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Coming to terms with one's belief in regard to whether there is a God or not is often one of the most important journeys a person will ever go through during their life. I, like many other people, wanted to be as thorough as possible in my search. As such I've read many books from both the atheist and religious communities (atheists such as Dawkins and Harris to believers such as Collins and D'souza to name only a few). At the end of the day however Barker's work proved the most influential out of all the books and speeches/debates I've seen.

Why? What makes Barker works so much more superior than his colleagues? What it really boils down to is that Barker is the most well rounded in his work. We're other authors peak high in particularly areas in their delivery, such as humor or science or argumention, Barker succeeds on all fronts. And he adds plenty of uniqueness as well. He's articulate, funny, intelligent, personal and more.

In "Godless" you get it all. You get a entertaining yet personal tale of a person going from one extreme to the next (from Fundamentalist Preacher to Outspoken Atheist). The story is likely to relate to most people in someway or another. This is what part one, "Rejecting God" consist of.

Part two, "Why I'm An Atheist", is where Barker addresses the arguments for and against the existence of god (leaving no stone unturned). The section, in part two, "Dear Theologian", was particularly entertaining and insightful. However I won't spoil what it's about here so you'll have to read it for yourself.

In part three, "What's Wrong With Christianity", Barker uses all his experience as a preacher and from studying the word of god to point out, and address the concerns of Christians, what wrong with their religion in particular and why it's wrong. There is plenty of great reasoning and humor in this section.

In part four, "Life Is Good", Barker brings everything together showing how he, and you to, can live your life to the fullest even after losing your faith. The section is also very personal as he details a very rough period in his life. There's also some great insight why so many people believe in God and more in this chapter.

Coming to the book I thought I already knew it all (from my other readings) but boy was I wrong. Barker has plenty of unique and fresh moments while still articulating well popular arguments. As said before there's plenty of humorous along with more serious moments in this book. There's just so much packed in this book, but not too much, and Barker puts it all together so nicely and almost perfectly that for me at least I can't find any shortcomings in this book.

For anyone soul searching for their beliefs I can't recommend this book enough. Even if your just casually reading it's still awesome. I feel christians will particularly find this book appealing as the author has them in particular in mind so their likely to be able to relate to him more than some of the other popular atheist authors.

The book is also motivational. I found myself inspired and more appreciative of my life after reading this book. You know what they say you only live once!

Because of the quality of this book I would say it alone is enough for most people. I would only venture off into other authors if your looking for more specific approach or area in regard to the god debate. For example if your more interested in the science side than Stenger (The God Hypothesis) and Dawkins (The God Delusion) are great. If your more on the philosophical side than Harris (End Of Faith) is your go to. If your all about humor than Hitchens (God Is Not Great). And so on and so on. Even if you read those you should still check out Barker's work because of its uniqueness and quality.

For the most well rounded (good at everything), easy to read, brilliantly articulate and written piece, there's nothing better than Dan Barkers "Godless: How An Evangelical Preacher Became One Of America's Leading Atheist".

5/5 Stars!

57 people found this helpful

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Roberto A. Valenzuela

Two-thirds brilliant, one-third annoying

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2009

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Barker's "Godless" serves as an excellent primer for some basic (and not-so-basic) reasons why a person shouldn't affirmatively believe in a god. It's mainly targeted at Christians, and mostly of the Protestant Evangelical brand, but its broader message (especially the philosophical points it makes) are well applicable to most theism.

Other reviews have covered various details of the book's content at length, so instead I'll focus on what I got out of it as a firm and committed agnostic (former Orthodox Christian):

The Good:
--Engaging and moving account of Barker's journey from fundamentalist theism to rationalist atheism. His enumeration of particular thoughts and mindsets will strike deep chords in most Christians.
--Excellent and nuanced discussion of some of the higher philosophical arguments for and against God. Complex and somewhat obtuse, but highly compelling once understood.
--Particularly well-reasoned and hard-hitting discussion of the historical-critical method and its implications for the Gospel accounts and the historical Jesus.
--Explains in simple language why divinely-ordained morality is unworkable and how men can be good without God.
--Generally takes a less rabid and polemical tone than folks like Dawkins and Hitchens; Barker is as sympathetic to Christians as he is unrelenting to Christianity, and this makes it more readable and appealing to the audience that actually needs to hear what he has to say.

The Bad:
--Rough around the edges when it comes to dogmatics. Barker's Christian background was quite theologically rudimentary, and it shows when he talks about the details of doctrine, especially when it comes to Catholicism; Orthodoxy, unsurprisingly, goes unmentioned. This leads to unfair and inaccurate characterizations and conclusions (such as his bizarre anthropomorphism-filled "letter" from God to a theologian), which are sure to turn the true believer off and cause dismissal of his many more valid and hard-hitting points.
--Odd focus with certain arguments. Barker spends pages and pages dissecting the rather easily refuted Kalam Cosmological Argument, while giving far more common arguments (e.g. teleological, argument from morality, argument from beauty, argument from reason) only a cursory treatment. He does a good job covering everything he covers, but his focus seems more tailored to his personal interests than to detailing the fallacies of the most common arguments and the nuances of their superior alternatives.
--The significant portion of the book devoted to debunking "Biblical morality" was an huge disappointment. Barker unapologetically uses only the most rabid and fundamentalistic interpretations of quite a few Bible verses to prove that the morality set forth in the Bible is unacceptable. This refusal to accept potential ambiguities and alternative views amounts to basically a straw man thrown at the totality of Christianity. It's a real shame, because his conclusion is sound, and he could have much more persuasively made his case had he extended every interpretative benefit of the doubt to show that no matter how you play with it, Biblical morality contradicts universal ethical norms.
--I was bugged by Barker's occasional equivocation. For example, he uses a contemporary definition of "love" and thereby argues that New Testament morality is silly because it advocates warm fuzzies toward one's enemies. "Love" as set forth in the NT is, of course, not an emotion at all, but a mindset, an approach, a commitment to compassionate action (hence its common rendition as "charity" until late in the past century). Such rhetorical tactics are beneath Barker, particularly when he spends so much time taking Christians to task for intellectual disingenuity.
--Finally, I was quite annoyed whenever Barker committed the fallacy of composition, i.e., "Christians do immoral things, so therefore Christianity is immoral." Barker often fails to clearly separate what's taught from how it's understood, and equally fails to distinguish that from what people actually do and how it relates back to the teaching and understanding. I imagine he would jump all over any individual who asserted that Stalinism means atheists as a whole teach and are disposed to evil, so it's vexing to see him fall into the same polemical trap, and I could see a Christian totally tuning him out after rhetorical fallacies like this and his occasional equivocation.

In sum, the book is largely excellent, an easy and compelling read, both a gripping personal story and a high-minded intellectual endeavor. Barker has generally done his homework extensively, and it shines through. While marred by a few significant flaws that prevent my recommending it without reservation, "Godless" is a great read that is well worth the time of both atheist and open-minded believer alike.

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rebr

wow

Reviewed in Canada on July 21, 2023

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I couldn’t stop reading. This book was written in an interesting way that kept you engaged and made you think. It also taught facts and made you feel emotion about the human experience.
Recommend 100%

Ebenézer Reis

NINGUÉM FICA INDIFERENTE

Reviewed in Brazil on August 31, 2016

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Quanto mais informação, melhor.
Quanto mais diversas forem as fontes, maiores as convicções.
Quanto mais interpretações e visões de mundo, tanto melhor para compreendê-lo e agir mais sensatamente.
Esse livro é uma luz no labirinto emaranhado do mundo religioso.
O autor tem a facilidade de conduzir o tema de forma consistente, clara e objetiva.
Além da argumentação sólida apresentada o autor tem em seu favor profundo conhecimento do universo religioso uma vez que fala com muita propriedade sobre ele uma vez que esteve em evidência quando militava nos arraiais evangélicos como pregador. Toda a sua história ricamente adornada quando militava nas fileiras cristãs lhe conferem autoridade para tratar do assunto. Sua experiência é abundante e, portanto, sua argumentação é contundente.
O autor não deixa pedra sobre pedra e assim vai construindo sua tese contrária avessa à religião em todas as suas formas.
Ninguém em sã consciência consegue ficar indiferente às argumentações do autor.
O autor propõe ao leitor desafios à fé que em princípio se afiguram de difícil resolução, e ele mesmo apresenta a resposta mais adequada de modo claro e incisivo.
Uma obra para ler consultando e conferindo a consistência da abordagem oferecida pelo autor.
Um livro para quem de fato pretende ampliar seu conhecimento sobre o alcance da retórica religiosa.

4 people found this helpful

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alapper

Journey from evangelism to atheism

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2010

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If you've read Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris (and Stenger is in a similar vein, and also Dennett, but he's a bit of a harder read) then this book is something different. It's about the new atheism but,unlike Dawkins, Barker is someone who has experienced the hard core of evangelical Christianity. His evangelical activities are well described in the first part of the book. So it is something of a shock to see in the second part of this book an exceptionally intellectual critique of many aspects of the Christian religion. In some respects Barker has made a similar journey to that of Ehrman but with a less academic background.
If, like me, this is a journey that you are making then this is absolutely essential reading. It is well written and by someone who is obviously exceptionally intelligent. Unlike Dawkins he really does know his bible (Dawkins does make himself something of a target for Macgrath is this and other respects) and sometimes goes to extremes in theological argumentation. Because of all this, Barker is in some ways more convincing to a reader with some background in the Christian religion - but all the authors mentioned here are worth a read for the different perspectives they bring to this subject.
Having highly recommended this book, I should perhaps mention a couple of minor points that occurred to me on reading it. The first is that I would have liked a much more detailed and properly in-depth account of how Barker's viewpoint came to change. This would have been very difficult subject for him to cover, especially as memory and understanding of such a change must be very difficult - and would have doubled the length of the book! The second point that struck me was the apparently (worryingly) rapid change from evangelical Christian to evangelical Atheist, although the apparent rate of transformation may be due to the fact that the change itself is less well documented. However this is perhaps ungrateful to mention as Atheism does need its evangelists to make choices clear to the rest of us. He is obviously a very brave man to operate in the environment that he does.

13 people found this helpful

Albert Moessmer

Vom fundamentalistischen Prediger zum religionskritischen Skeptiker

Reviewed in Germany on August 14, 2009

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Dies ist eines der besten religionskritischen Bücher auf dem Markt. Dan Barker beschreibt im ersten Teil seinen Weg vom evangelikalen Prediger zum Skeptiker. In separaten Abschnitten geht er auf die sogenannten "Gottesbeweise" ein und zeigt die Widersprüche sowie die problematische Ethik der Bibel auf. Am Schluss zeigt er, dass man auch ohne Religion ein glückliches Leben führen kann. Das Buch ist gut lesbar und spannend geschrieben. Dan Barker ist heute Co-Präsident der "Freedom from Religion Foundation".

9 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

The best atheist book ever!

Reviewed in Germany on November 13, 2017

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Mr. Barker not only explains his personal journey to reason he presents the atheist view in plain and simple terms.
The best pro-atheist book I've read so far!
Thanks from a fellow human : )

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