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godless
By Dan Barker
2008 Ulysses Press

Reviewed by Kurt Bocksenbaum 3/30/10

Few people you will ever meet in your life can say they have had a life quite like that of Dan Barker. Here is a man that was raised to be an evangelical preacher. A man who spend his life attacking everyone that did not share has warped, ignorant view of the universe. The man was a deranged borderline sociopath. And then he saw the light. Godless is a masterpiece in self-discovery and much more too.

The book is divided into four main sections. The first is an autobiography that reads like a thriller. I literally could not put it down. Barker has the ability to share his most candid thoughts and feelings in a way that brings you into his life. You can actually feel what he is experiencing at various moments in his history. For those who have absolutely no idea of what it is like to be such a religious zealot (yours truly included) here is an archetypical example. I started out hating him – the young Barker that is. He represents everything that is wrong with religion and his blind ignorance is despicable. He truly believes that Christ is going to return in his own lifetime and that only those who follow his doctrine will be saved from and eternity in hell. But as he matures, things start to change for him. The universe is not a simple two dimensional playground for his imaginary friend.

The second chapter of the book begins with, “It was 1979 and Jesus had not returned.” That sets the stage for what is to come. Something is definitely not right.  As time goes on Barker loses his faith and goes through one of the most incredible transformations you could imagine. He was not just Christian losing his faith. He was “thee” Christian about to make the largest paradigm shift you could imagine. And it was not easy. By the end of the first section Dan Barker has shared his most personal thoughts and feelings to the point where the reader really can not only relate, but has a sense of personal attachment with him.

The second section of the book provides excellent arguments against the existence gods and what it means to be an atheist. The third section attacks Christianity and Christ specifically. Both provide and outstanding treatise on why religion is ridiculous and harmful. These sections are not unlike similar books that Dawkins, Hitches, Harris, and the like have written. With the possible exception of Harris though, Barker is by far the most practical and easiest to grasp and relate to. This section makes an excellent resource to be used for future debates with theists.

The final section of the book talks about Barker’s current life, as well as his wife Annie Laurie’s near death experience while being pregnant – an ordeal that was surmounted without prayer. Barker also shares what he and the Freedom from Religion Foundation have done and are doing. The scope of Barker’s commitment to free thinking and rational thought is both exhilarating and inspiring. At the conclusion of the book I literally gasped out loud, “wow!” godless is an exceptional book that is worth reading regardless of your position on religion. I recommend it to both non-theists and theists alike. There is a far greater chance that godless could change the minds of theists than harsher in-your-face tirades by Dawkins and Hitches could. godless is wonderful story about a real person and a very lucid critique of religious dogma. It is a  “must have” for any freethought library.