From the Introduction
“I was born an Atheist. All humans are born Atheists. No baby born into the world arrives with specific religious beliefs or knowledge. Such beliefs and knowledge must be acquired, which means that they must first exist before and apart from the new life and that they must be presented to and impressed on the new suggestible mind–one that has no critical apparatus and no alternative views of its own.
Human infants are like sponges, soaking up (not completely uncritically, but eagerly and effectively) whatever is there to be soaked up from their social environment. Small children in particular instinctively imitate the models that they observe in their childhood, but I was not compelled to attend or practice any particular religion, and as I grew I never saw any reason to ‘convert’ to any particular religion. I have thus been an Atheist all my life. I am a natural Atheist.”
Reviews
“The most important new title from American Atheist Press since the death of Madalyn Murray O’Hair” – Frank Zindler, American Atheist, Summer, 2004
I congratulate Dr. Eller for his exceptional volume, which will certainly become a popular seller when word of its publication becomes widely known. – David Mills, Author of Atheist Universe
Contents
INTRODUCTION: A Natural Atheist
What is Atheism?
A Note on Usage
PART 1 The Foundations
CHAPTER 1 Twelve Steps to Atheism
Step One: The Burden of Proof
Step Two: The Cosmological Argument
Step Three: The Ontological Argument
Step Four: The Teleological Argument
Step Five: The Argument from Scripture or Authority
Step Six: The Argument From Miracles
Step Seven: The Argument from Personal Experience
Step Eight: The Argument from Morality
Step Nine: The Argument from Benefit
Step Ten: The Incoherence of Contradiction of Religious Language
Step Eleven: The Problem of Evil
The Sociological or statistical Argument
Conclusion: Claiming Your Natural Atheism
CHAPTER 2 Thinking About Thinking–A Short Course on Reason
The Process of Reasoning
Premises and Truth
Logic and Validity
Fallacies
Evidential Fallacies
Logical Fallacies
Conclusion