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Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins' Case Against God
The essential book for dismantling Richard Dawkins' atheistic agenda. Scott Hahn and Benjamin Wiker collaborate to debunk Dawkins' theories and show how inconsistent and illogical his conclusions truly are. This is the definitive book for college students or faithful Christians hoping to answer Dawkins' claims and assert the logic and beauty of their faith.
151 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2008
37 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Scott Hahn
418 books1,354 followersScott Hahn is a renowned Catholic theologian, apologist, speaker, and bestselling author whose work has had a profound impact on contemporary biblical theology and Catholic thought. A former Presbyterian minister, Hahn converted to Catholicism in 1986 after an intense personal and theological journey, which he details in his popular book Rome Sweet Home, co-written with his wife, Kimberly Hahn. Their story of conversion has inspired countless readers around the world and remains a landmark in modern Catholic apologetics.
Hahn holds the Father Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is also the founder and president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biblical literacy among the laity and biblical fluency among clergy. Through the Center, Hahn leads a wide range of initiatives, including publications, pilgrimages, Bible studies, and the scholarly journal Letter and Spirit.
Educated at Grove City College (B.A.), Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Marquette University (Ph.D. in Systematic Theology), Hahn brings a deep academic foundation to his work. His dissertation, Kinship by Covenant, was later published by Yale University Press and received praise for its theological insight and scholarly rigor.
Throughout his career, Hahn has emphasized the covenant as the key to understanding salvation history, showing how the biblical narrative reveals a divine plan that unites all of humanity into God's family. His works explore themes such as the Eucharist, the role of Mary, the sacraments, and the authority of the Church, often drawing on the writings of the early Church Fathers to bridge the ancient faith with modern understanding.
He is the author or editor of over forty books, including The Lamb’s Supper, Hail, Holy Queen, First Comes Love, Letter and Spirit, Swear to God, Reasons to Believe, The Creed, The Fourth Cup, and Holy Is His Name. Many of his books have become staples in Catholic households, study groups, and seminaries.
In addition to his writing, Hahn is a highly sought-after speaker, having delivered thousands of lectures across the United States and abroad. He appears regularly on EWTN and has collaborated with Lighthouse Catholic Media to bring his teachings to an even broader audience.
Scott Hahn lives in Ohio with his wife Kimberly. They have six children and numerous grandchildren. Together, the Hahns continue to lead efforts in evangelization and Catholic education, embodying a lifelong commitment to deepening faith and understanding through Scripture and tradition.
Hahn holds the Father Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is also the founder and president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biblical literacy among the laity and biblical fluency among clergy. Through the Center, Hahn leads a wide range of initiatives, including publications, pilgrimages, Bible studies, and the scholarly journal Letter and Spirit.
Educated at Grove City College (B.A.), Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Marquette University (Ph.D. in Systematic Theology), Hahn brings a deep academic foundation to his work. His dissertation, Kinship by Covenant, was later published by Yale University Press and received praise for its theological insight and scholarly rigor.
Throughout his career, Hahn has emphasized the covenant as the key to understanding salvation history, showing how the biblical narrative reveals a divine plan that unites all of humanity into God's family. His works explore themes such as the Eucharist, the role of Mary, the sacraments, and the authority of the Church, often drawing on the writings of the early Church Fathers to bridge the ancient faith with modern understanding.
He is the author or editor of over forty books, including The Lamb’s Supper, Hail, Holy Queen, First Comes Love, Letter and Spirit, Swear to God, Reasons to Believe, The Creed, The Fourth Cup, and Holy Is His Name. Many of his books have become staples in Catholic households, study groups, and seminaries.
In addition to his writing, Hahn is a highly sought-after speaker, having delivered thousands of lectures across the United States and abroad. He appears regularly on EWTN and has collaborated with Lighthouse Catholic Media to bring his teachings to an even broader audience.
Scott Hahn lives in Ohio with his wife Kimberly. They have six children and numerous grandchildren. Together, the Hahns continue to lead efforts in evangelization and Catholic education, embodying a lifelong commitment to deepening faith and understanding through Scripture and tradition.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 16, 2010
This is another typical “yes it is-no it isn’t” book: if you believe in a personal God (and dislike Dawkins) then this is a great book, if you don’t then all the arguments are weak and unconvincing.
Either Dawkins (more like Baruch Spinoza) is correct and there is no personal God, or he is wrong and there is one. In either case the morals of Christianity advocated by the authors must come from the same source as Dawkins’ (when they are good ones). Since Dawkins doesn’t believe in a personal God he should always being doing bad things, and because the authors do believe in a personal God they should always be doing good things, right?
However, if you step out of the authors argument frame and look at a bigger picture the real answer is there is no answer.
This book offers nothing new.
Either Dawkins (more like Baruch Spinoza) is correct and there is no personal God, or he is wrong and there is one. In either case the morals of Christianity advocated by the authors must come from the same source as Dawkins’ (when they are good ones). Since Dawkins doesn’t believe in a personal God he should always being doing bad things, and because the authors do believe in a personal God they should always be doing good things, right?
However, if you step out of the authors argument frame and look at a bigger picture the real answer is there is no answer.
This book offers nothing new.
August 25, 2008
I didn't have my hopes up very high before picking up this title, which is co-authored by a couple of Roman Catholic intellectuals, since many theistic responses to the works of Richard Dawkins et al that I've read have been rather weak. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this book which, I feel, gives Richard Dawkins a much needed spanking.
This is not to say that there are not still challenges on the religious side in synthesizing the claims of scripture with the findings of modern science (and in this regard this book is intentionally one-sided). However, Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins' Case Against God makes it abundantly clear that there are a few unanswered questions on the atheist side as well. These are very difficult, possibly insurmountable, questions that science may well never find an answer to. If you want to find out what they are, then pick up a copy of this worthwhile book.
In the end, the thoughtful analysis in this book will allow you to see, as even fair-minded atheists like Thomas Nagel admit, that believing in God is still a very rational option. Indeed, all the Darwinists and atheists have done is construct an alternative to the religious explanation for why there is life on planet earth...but taking God out of the equation causes some very serious difficulties. Thus it is not just a matter of which side can prove the other wrong, since "proof" in regards to some of these questions is something of an inappropriate (if not impossible) word. Rather, it's a matter of which worldview, the theistic or the atheistic, is more coherent when all aspects of human knowledge, not just empirical science, are taken into account. Read it and see why!
This is not to say that there are not still challenges on the religious side in synthesizing the claims of scripture with the findings of modern science (and in this regard this book is intentionally one-sided). However, Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins' Case Against God makes it abundantly clear that there are a few unanswered questions on the atheist side as well. These are very difficult, possibly insurmountable, questions that science may well never find an answer to. If you want to find out what they are, then pick up a copy of this worthwhile book.
In the end, the thoughtful analysis in this book will allow you to see, as even fair-minded atheists like Thomas Nagel admit, that believing in God is still a very rational option. Indeed, all the Darwinists and atheists have done is construct an alternative to the religious explanation for why there is life on planet earth...but taking God out of the equation causes some very serious difficulties. Thus it is not just a matter of which side can prove the other wrong, since "proof" in regards to some of these questions is something of an inappropriate (if not impossible) word. Rather, it's a matter of which worldview, the theistic or the atheistic, is more coherent when all aspects of human knowledge, not just empirical science, are taken into account. Read it and see why!
October 30, 2025
An awesome mix of penetrating critiques and a bit of witty satire. Short and to the point--this will have a proud place on my shelf one day!
November 4, 2015
My mistake here was that I have not actually read anything Dawkins has written. After reading this tightly reasoned rebuttal, I don't plan to. I thought these reasoned counterarguments helped me get the general gist of the debate. But this is really a particular rebuke of one of Dawkins's books instead of a consideration of general atheist arguments, so it wasn't quite what I expected and didn't really grab me.
August 4, 2015
loved it!
May 2, 2014
A rebuttal but not a true counter argument. The last chapter was speculative -- a big turn off for me.
January 25, 2022
Una lectura entretenida sobre el ateísmo y la religión. Sin duda, da luz sobre varios supuestos del ateísmo, con especial cuidado de no justificar la postura de la religión.
En sí, una buena lectura para ateos y cryentes por igual.
En sí, una buena lectura para ateos y cryentes por igual.
January 12, 2016
This was a good book, even if at times confusing. I had less trouble understanding the final three chapters than I did the first five. Scott Hahn and Benjamin Wiker are both Catholic theologians and it shows. Of course, they were writing this book from the perspective of theologians who were trying to debunk Richard Dawkins' philosophy in his book "The God Delusion" without resorting to the Bible or Christian theology which Dawkins does not consider authoritative. That could not have been an easy task.
As it begins, several colleagues have come to Wiker because a book called "The God Delusion" by a man named Richard Dawkins has been causing a large number of seminarians to lose their faith. Benjamin Wiker decided to read the book to see what, if anything, could be done about it. He brought fellow theologian Scott Hahn on board and together they wrote this book "Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins' Case Against God".
They do a fine job of presenting the Christian viewpoint and showing why Dawkins' philosophy based on evolution and Darwinism is dangerous and just does not hold water. I personally would have liked to have seen the first five chapters dumbed down a little for people like me who don't hold degrees in Theology, but then again it was not really written for me but for seminarians who would have at least some background in Theology.
I can happily recommend this book to anyone with an interest in debunking what is being called the "New Atheism".
As it begins, several colleagues have come to Wiker because a book called "The God Delusion" by a man named Richard Dawkins has been causing a large number of seminarians to lose their faith. Benjamin Wiker decided to read the book to see what, if anything, could be done about it. He brought fellow theologian Scott Hahn on board and together they wrote this book "Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins' Case Against God".
They do a fine job of presenting the Christian viewpoint and showing why Dawkins' philosophy based on evolution and Darwinism is dangerous and just does not hold water. I personally would have liked to have seen the first five chapters dumbed down a little for people like me who don't hold degrees in Theology, but then again it was not really written for me but for seminarians who would have at least some background in Theology.
I can happily recommend this book to anyone with an interest in debunking what is being called the "New Atheism".
May 29, 2015
This short book (about 150 pages) answers Richard Dawkins' criticisms of the Christian idea of God.
Dawkins asserts that chance can explain the origins of human life and any unusual phenomenon. Hahn goes to show that such odds are so great that they're virtually impossible. Hahn also tackles Dawkins' vision of morality. If evolution explains everything, and evolution is the reason we are here, and evolution produced our intelligence and reason, then why argue against harsh behaviours that work against survival of the fittest? There's a fundamental contradiction in Dawkins' view. Hahn warn that the New Atheists, if they get control of power, would try to rid the world of Christianity, much in the same vein as the Communists and the radicals in the French Revolution.
This books answers Richard Dawkins, but it's not a book that really argues for God's existence. It uses science to point to God's existence (which is very helpful) but it won't demonstrate Aquinas' classic proofs (although he does address Dawkins' misconceptions of them.)
Dawkins asserts that chance can explain the origins of human life and any unusual phenomenon. Hahn goes to show that such odds are so great that they're virtually impossible. Hahn also tackles Dawkins' vision of morality. If evolution explains everything, and evolution is the reason we are here, and evolution produced our intelligence and reason, then why argue against harsh behaviours that work against survival of the fittest? There's a fundamental contradiction in Dawkins' view. Hahn warn that the New Atheists, if they get control of power, would try to rid the world of Christianity, much in the same vein as the Communists and the radicals in the French Revolution.
This books answers Richard Dawkins, but it's not a book that really argues for God's existence. It uses science to point to God's existence (which is very helpful) but it won't demonstrate Aquinas' classic proofs (although he does address Dawkins' misconceptions of them.)
August 7, 2012
I received a free copy of this book from a goodreads.com First Reads Giveaway, and apparently the FCC requires I mention that in my review of it.
This is a very good book. The authors take a look at Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion, and systematically rebut it. One of the things I particularly appreciated was that authors recognition of the fact that if you are trying to establish whether the Bible is true or not, you can't use the Bible as an authoritative source to make you argument. As such, they take each of Dawkins' points and argue it on its own merits and withing the framework Dawkins himself establishes. Part and parcel of this method is the fact that the authors do not try to prove that the Christian worldview is correct, they simple show that Dawkins' worldview is self-contradictory, that is, even if you accept all of Dawkins' assumptions, his conclusions are still invalid.
This is definitely a worthwhile book.
This is a very good book. The authors take a look at Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion, and systematically rebut it. One of the things I particularly appreciated was that authors recognition of the fact that if you are trying to establish whether the Bible is true or not, you can't use the Bible as an authoritative source to make you argument. As such, they take each of Dawkins' points and argue it on its own merits and withing the framework Dawkins himself establishes. Part and parcel of this method is the fact that the authors do not try to prove that the Christian worldview is correct, they simple show that Dawkins' worldview is self-contradictory, that is, even if you accept all of Dawkins' assumptions, his conclusions are still invalid.
This is definitely a worthwhile book.
August 4, 2016
It took me a while to go to this book. Maybe I was afraid of what I'd find. I shouldnt have feared, sometimes Dawkins' thoughts had me laughing. I don't have anything to fear as far as faith. Knowing that this book is not setting out to prove God, so much as help the reader look at Dawkins' own principles of why He believes God isn't necessary. All I need to do is watch the news or look at the world around me to know, that if we don't have God, and we rely solely on humanity...times are going to get worse, a lot worse. As far as the world, I'll pass ... I'm not even meant to exist in a world based on evolution, so...I'll keep my faith in the God of the bible. It'll blow your mind to think Dawkins supports a law of natural selection that "should" view Stephen Hawking as a genetic deformity un fit for life. No, forget that, forget Dawkins.
April 22, 2014
Rational refutation and a good read
I'm a big fan of Scott Hahn, and I was following and internally validating the logic of most of his arguments....until the last chapter. There, the authors devolved (ironically?) into the same kind of alarmist hyperbole they berate Dawkins for in chapter one. I suppose that was intentional, but it's difficult to refute a ridiculous argument with another ridiculous argument. I very much enjoyed the rest of the book, but I would have been more convinced of the validity of the arguments had it not gone off the rails somewhat in the last chapter...
Still a big fan, though, and I definitely recommend this book.
I'm a big fan of Scott Hahn, and I was following and internally validating the logic of most of his arguments....until the last chapter. There, the authors devolved (ironically?) into the same kind of alarmist hyperbole they berate Dawkins for in chapter one. I suppose that was intentional, but it's difficult to refute a ridiculous argument with another ridiculous argument. I very much enjoyed the rest of the book, but I would have been more convinced of the validity of the arguments had it not gone off the rails somewhat in the last chapter...
Still a big fan, though, and I definitely recommend this book.
July 9, 2018
In my review of The God Delusion I said that brilliant biologists like Dawkins should stick to biology and not theology, because it's not his forte and he does a poor job at it. Likewise, brilliant theologians should stick to theology and not biology, because it's not their forte and they do a poor job at it. From loaded language like "Darwinists" to calculating the odds based on one occurrence, this book doesn't even really make it through the first chapter without offering a number of fallacies that one doesn't even have to be an atheist to roll one's eyes at. I'm rather disappointed; Dr. Hahn is absolutely brilliant in his work with Sacred Scripture, but this was...lackluster.
June 15, 2012
This was a First Reads book through Goodreads. Overall, it was a critical analysis of the faulty reasoning and logic in Richard Dawkin's book "The God Delusion." The authors kept the subject semi-lighthearted considering the complicated nature of the matter, which dealt with the existence of God from a physical, philosophical, and moral understanding. Though likely from a Catholic perspective, it was decent book on the matter.
February 8, 2012
Not for the (intellectual) faint of heart. I only understood about 75% of what the authors were talking about. This is deep, dense rebuttal of Richard Dawkins's atheism. I think I agreed with most of their points, but not having a strong background in philosophy made some of this book quite impregnable. Short, erudite, and--for me, at least--difficult.
July 21, 2012
I won this book as a FirstRead.
This book is a thorough rebuttal to Dawkins' works, including The God Delusion. It was refreshing to see a Christian argument that was based on science, not just what the Bible says, since that would hold no validity to an atheist. I was surprised to see that even other athiests disagreed with many points Dawkins tried to make in his books.
This book is a thorough rebuttal to Dawkins' works, including The God Delusion. It was refreshing to see a Christian argument that was based on science, not just what the Bible says, since that would hold no validity to an atheist. I was surprised to see that even other athiests disagreed with many points Dawkins tried to make in his books.
July 19, 2012
I don't normally read books of this sort, but I had read a few things from Scott Hahn and decided to give it a try and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the book. The authors had pointed out more than few things which I hadn't thought of when dealing with Atheism and I did so in an easy to read manner. I would definitely recommend this book to another person.
August 10, 2013
It presumes a familiarity with Dawkins' oeuvre, which I don't have. The book does cite his works in its rebuttals and gives enough for context.
The first chapters regarding chance and probability bogged me down. I did not even try to fathom the numbers given. Things picked up, and made much more sense to me, in the later chapters.
The first chapters regarding chance and probability bogged me down. I did not even try to fathom the numbers given. Things picked up, and made much more sense to me, in the later chapters.
July 3, 2013
Lot of good reasoning and argument against Dawkins' rhetoric. Great for anyone seeking to find substance with which to put Dawkins in his place. Does actually dismantle his case against God and demonstrates that often his 'reasoning' is driven by his imperative to prove God does not exist, no matter how ridiculous a position he places himself in to do so. Sound, scholarly read.
September 20, 2008
A good book to get one thinking about the fundamental differences between a universe based on athiesm and the one based on God. This book is definitely worth reading to understand the fundamentals of the athiests arguments and how disturbing their conclusions are for humanity.
May 11, 2010
This is a very well thought out, articulated, and reasoned argument on scientific grounds for the existence of intelligent design / a creator of the universe. It is not on theological grounds, which makes the argument refreshing and sort of provocative for our times, really.
January 9, 2013
a little heady
December 9, 2013
Need to be well versed in Dawkin's work, especially Dawkin's most recent publication prior to this book, that these authors refer to a lot and which serve as the basis of this work.
May 13, 2019
Es un intento loable de rebatir las débiles y dogmáticas posturas ateas de Dawkins. El texto tiene ideas importantes y desenmascara las falacias lógicas de fe que sostiene el ateísmo fanático. No obstante, los argumentos presentados hubieran podido esgrimirse con más claridad, brillantez y contundencia, como lo han hecho C.S. Lewis, Timothy Keller o Francis Collins, entre otros. Lamento que los autores no hayan podido encontrar la manera de hacerlo mejor.
March 8, 2021
It got a little hamfisted at the end, but overall an excellent read and a quite good job at 'dismantling' 'the new atheism'.
April 14, 2025
I didn't read Dawkins' book before reading this one, alot of it went over my head.
December 2, 2022
No lo acabé. A pesar de refutar algunas posturas de Dawkins de manera muy clara y elegante, pude detectar ya en las primeras hojas la defensa del diseño inteligente, idea con la que no comulgo.
April 5, 2013
Did not like it.
To aggressive and difficult to follow
To aggressive and difficult to follow
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews