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Improbable: Issues with the God Hypothesis
“Does God exist?” - This question has plagued humanity since its beginning. From the primitive to the sophisticated, human kind has worshipped gods of every shape, gender, size, and creed. One god, however, reigns The God of Abraham. Giving birth to the three most prevalent monotheistic religions existing today, Yahweh has dominated the theological landscape. A recent intellectual movement has taken place, however, challenging the religious status quo. This movement has given many the right to approach the God hypothesis with skepticism. Issues with the God Hypothesis critically examines the claims made by the religious, determining whether a belief in Yahweh is actually as reasonable as long believed.
- GenresAtheism
186 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 9, 2013
12 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
J.D. Brucker
5 books3 followersJ. D. Brucker is an atheist author and blogger, a secular humanist, and an outspoken anti-theist. He is the author of 'Improbable: Issues with the God Hypothesis' and 'God Needs To Go: Why Christian Beliefs Fail'. Currently, Brucker writes for the Atheist Republic and Patheos websites. Other works can be found on various secular websites, including The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science and The Natural Skeptic.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 4, 2016
Improbable: Issues with the God Hypothesis by J.D. Brucker
“Improbable: Issues with the God Hypothesis” is a well-reasoned book that explores the issues with the God Hypothesis from an evidential basis. Atheist author and blogger J.D. Brucker has upped his game and the quality of his books. He provides readers with a respectful, conversational exploration of the “God” concept. This provocative 186-page book includes the following seven chapters: 1. From neither Dust nor Babel, 2. Unintelligent Design, 3. God and Human Behavior, 4. An Immoral Monster, 5. A Godless Universe, 6. Historically Speaking, and 7. Men of Myth.
Positives:
1. A well-written, straightforward book.
2. The always fascinating topic of religion.
3. Respectful and conversational tone. Easy to read and follow.
4. Provocative thoughts. “Why would it be so difficult to verify his existence if he were such a great being?”
5. The basis of this book presented clearly in the Preface. Brucker does a good job of defining terms and proceeds to make his case. “A scientific theory is based on observed, tested, and proven facts compiled by educated individuals who have put forth a proper and executable hypothesis.”
6. Brucker takes definitive positions. “From the very first bipedal hominid to our most recent extinct ancestor, the cataloged data has made it extremely clear: Human beings were not the product of a divine creation.”
7. The many imperfections of the human body. “The human body, which consists of the same elements as all other living life, displays many imperfections one would not expect to find had life been created by an intelligent architect.”
8. The grand theory of evolution makes its presence known. “Genetic testing and the identification of vestigial organs that I previously mentioned, have given scientists the understanding that all life is related to varying degrees.”
9. An interesting look at the veracity of religious experience from a neuroscientist perspective. “Yet, they either forget or unknowingly disregard the understanding that a loss of blood flow causes the vision of the patient to narrow; only allowing light in through a smaller opening, creating a perceived tunnel.”
10. Free will? “I also often wonder that if God is the author of free will, why he would then also author psychological and physical abnormalities that can disrupt a person from making the choice to believe in him and follow his doctrine accordingly.”
11. Good use of biblical passages to counter the notion of a moral “God”. “If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.”
12. Deep accessible thoughts. “So, an atheist will burn in hell for eternity for not believing but a mass-murderer will dine in heaven if he prays for forgiveness. What kind of morally-superior God would allow for such a loop-hole to exist?”
13. Provides examples on why the Bible is false.
14. Debunks the cosmological argument. “This, of course, fits well within the line of reasoning held by the monotheistic individual, but if they wish to argue such a claim they must first prove that this creator exists; and if he does exist, they must also demonstrate how he is able to exist without the need of a first cause.”
15. An interesting look at the religious evolution. “Many more exist throughout the Old Testament, most of which can be found in Exodus. From this explanation, one could conclude that Yahweh began in Jerusalem with the Canaanite people, transitioning from El to the Jewish deity, and formalizing a religion that would transcend rather damaging events.”
16. The Christian faith timeline.
17. A look at the lack of archaeological evidence to support biblical claims. “From the story of Moses, there are four situations that one would expect archeological evidence to support: Egyptian-enforced infanticide, Israelite slave laborers, the ten plagues, and the final exit from Egypt. With these focus points in mind, defining reality can properly be done.”
18. A solid afterword.
Negatives:
1. Lack of supplementary material. No formal bibliography.
2. There are superior books that cover a lot of the topics in more depth. Look at my further recommendations.
3. Lack of charts, diagrams or photos to complement the narrative.
4. Nothing really new offered here.
In summary, Brucker has upped his game. This book is superior to some of his previous efforts and his conversational, respectful tone is welcomed. A very good book for people on the belief fence and are looking for a book with a respectful tone to push them to the side of reason. I recommend it.
Further recommendations: “Undeniable” by Bill Nye, “Faith Versus Fact” and “Why Evolution Is True” by Jerry A. Coyne, “God’s Gravediggers” by Raymond Bradley, “The God Argument” by A.C. Grayling, “Atheism for Dummies” by Dale McGowan, “The End of Christianity” by John Loftus, “The Atheist Universe” by David Mills, “Sense and Goodness Without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism” and “Why I'm Not a Christian” by Richard Carrier, “Nailed” by David Fitzgerald, “The Portable Atheist” by Christopher Hitchens, “50 popular beliefs that people think are true” by Guy P. Harrison, “Evolving out of Eden” by Robert M. Price, “The Moral Landscape” by Sam Harris, “Godless” by Dan Barker, “Society Without God” by Phil Zuckerman, and “Why are you Atheists so Angry?” by Greta Christina.
“Improbable: Issues with the God Hypothesis” is a well-reasoned book that explores the issues with the God Hypothesis from an evidential basis. Atheist author and blogger J.D. Brucker has upped his game and the quality of his books. He provides readers with a respectful, conversational exploration of the “God” concept. This provocative 186-page book includes the following seven chapters: 1. From neither Dust nor Babel, 2. Unintelligent Design, 3. God and Human Behavior, 4. An Immoral Monster, 5. A Godless Universe, 6. Historically Speaking, and 7. Men of Myth.
Positives:
1. A well-written, straightforward book.
2. The always fascinating topic of religion.
3. Respectful and conversational tone. Easy to read and follow.
4. Provocative thoughts. “Why would it be so difficult to verify his existence if he were such a great being?”
5. The basis of this book presented clearly in the Preface. Brucker does a good job of defining terms and proceeds to make his case. “A scientific theory is based on observed, tested, and proven facts compiled by educated individuals who have put forth a proper and executable hypothesis.”
6. Brucker takes definitive positions. “From the very first bipedal hominid to our most recent extinct ancestor, the cataloged data has made it extremely clear: Human beings were not the product of a divine creation.”
7. The many imperfections of the human body. “The human body, which consists of the same elements as all other living life, displays many imperfections one would not expect to find had life been created by an intelligent architect.”
8. The grand theory of evolution makes its presence known. “Genetic testing and the identification of vestigial organs that I previously mentioned, have given scientists the understanding that all life is related to varying degrees.”
9. An interesting look at the veracity of religious experience from a neuroscientist perspective. “Yet, they either forget or unknowingly disregard the understanding that a loss of blood flow causes the vision of the patient to narrow; only allowing light in through a smaller opening, creating a perceived tunnel.”
10. Free will? “I also often wonder that if God is the author of free will, why he would then also author psychological and physical abnormalities that can disrupt a person from making the choice to believe in him and follow his doctrine accordingly.”
11. Good use of biblical passages to counter the notion of a moral “God”. “If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.”
12. Deep accessible thoughts. “So, an atheist will burn in hell for eternity for not believing but a mass-murderer will dine in heaven if he prays for forgiveness. What kind of morally-superior God would allow for such a loop-hole to exist?”
13. Provides examples on why the Bible is false.
14. Debunks the cosmological argument. “This, of course, fits well within the line of reasoning held by the monotheistic individual, but if they wish to argue such a claim they must first prove that this creator exists; and if he does exist, they must also demonstrate how he is able to exist without the need of a first cause.”
15. An interesting look at the religious evolution. “Many more exist throughout the Old Testament, most of which can be found in Exodus. From this explanation, one could conclude that Yahweh began in Jerusalem with the Canaanite people, transitioning from El to the Jewish deity, and formalizing a religion that would transcend rather damaging events.”
16. The Christian faith timeline.
17. A look at the lack of archaeological evidence to support biblical claims. “From the story of Moses, there are four situations that one would expect archeological evidence to support: Egyptian-enforced infanticide, Israelite slave laborers, the ten plagues, and the final exit from Egypt. With these focus points in mind, defining reality can properly be done.”
18. A solid afterword.
Negatives:
1. Lack of supplementary material. No formal bibliography.
2. There are superior books that cover a lot of the topics in more depth. Look at my further recommendations.
3. Lack of charts, diagrams or photos to complement the narrative.
4. Nothing really new offered here.
In summary, Brucker has upped his game. This book is superior to some of his previous efforts and his conversational, respectful tone is welcomed. A very good book for people on the belief fence and are looking for a book with a respectful tone to push them to the side of reason. I recommend it.
Further recommendations: “Undeniable” by Bill Nye, “Faith Versus Fact” and “Why Evolution Is True” by Jerry A. Coyne, “God’s Gravediggers” by Raymond Bradley, “The God Argument” by A.C. Grayling, “Atheism for Dummies” by Dale McGowan, “The End of Christianity” by John Loftus, “The Atheist Universe” by David Mills, “Sense and Goodness Without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism” and “Why I'm Not a Christian” by Richard Carrier, “Nailed” by David Fitzgerald, “The Portable Atheist” by Christopher Hitchens, “50 popular beliefs that people think are true” by Guy P. Harrison, “Evolving out of Eden” by Robert M. Price, “The Moral Landscape” by Sam Harris, “Godless” by Dan Barker, “Society Without God” by Phil Zuckerman, and “Why are you Atheists so Angry?” by Greta Christina.
September 19, 2021
An admirable novel, especially for new atheists or anyone with questions. It reads like a decent thesis in college, but could use some considerable editing.
March 17, 2016
Improbable
This is a retort to the Abrahamic god of Christians, Islam's and Jews.
Structuralize = no such word.
Preface says written so can be understood without reference to a dictionary, not true. Both word usage and sentence structure means you must read slowly and think about word meanings to get the gist of a sentence. You have to really WANT to read this, and I am already a nonbeliever.
This is a retort to the Abrahamic god of Christians, Islam's and Jews.
Structuralize = no such word.
Preface says written so can be understood without reference to a dictionary, not true. Both word usage and sentence structure means you must read slowly and think about word meanings to get the gist of a sentence. You have to really WANT to read this, and I am already a nonbeliever.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews