Rating: 
Summary: This is without a doubt a MUST read!
Review: Dan Barker, a man not afraid to use his mind, tells us of his transition -out of the mental confounds of Christianity -into the nationally acclaimed freethinker he is today.Barker says "It is interesting to read the Bible now, with new 'eyesight' so to speak. I used to read all the ugly parts of the Bible, but for some reason they were invisible, even beautiful. I was taught that God was perfect, loving and righteous -so there could be no question in my mind of his character. Any apparent contradictions or ugliness could be ignored in the faith of the 'mystery' of God's ways. I'm glad those days are over." In his book, Dan provides strong historical and logical evidence against the myths dispelled by religion. In chapter 29 [Dear Believer], Dan wonderfully sums up the vary essence of Christianity and its 'merciful' God. Barker writes (edited) >> "Dear Believer, You ask me to consider Christianity as the answer for my life. I have done that. I consider it untrue, repugnant, and harmful... The Biblical god is a macho male warrior. Thou he said "Thou shall not kill", he ordered death for all in opposition (Exodus 32:27), wholesale drowning and mass exterminations; punished offspring to the fourth generation (Exodus 20:5); ordered babies to be smashed and pregnant women to be ripped up (Hosea 13:16) demanded animal and human blood to appease his angry vanity; is partial to one race of people; judged women inferior to men; is the sadist who created a hell to torture unbelievers; created evil (Isaiah 45:7)... sent bears to devour forty-two children who teased a prophet (II Kings 2:23-24); punished people with snakes, dogs, dragons, drunkenness, swords, arrows, axes, fire, famine, and infanticide; and said fathers should eat their sons (Ezekiel 5:10) Is that nice? ...Do you see why I do not respect the biblical message? It is an insulting bag of nonsense. You have every right to torment yourself with such insanity --but leave me out of it." I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with an open mind and whom sincerely seeks genuine truth. Take Care, Mc.
Rating:
Summary: Just the Facts
Review: Dan Barker's book is a fascinating and inspiring story. This very readable and approachable book is divided into nine sections, but I really see it as three parts. The first is Mr. Barker's personal struggle and process of moving from a fundamental evangelical preacher to atheist. It is an amazing story and an easy read. I would consider myself from a 'moderate' Christian background so some of the conservative beliefs are hard to grasp (Do people really think like that?!?), but having moved into the bible belt I don't doubt it. This section is the motivational section -it motivates you to take a critical look at your beliefs and why you subscribe to your belief system. The second part goes into the reasoning behind not believing in the existence of god. This is not a hard-core look at deep theological issues or philosophical/ethical systems but it does cover all of the key reasoning without getting bogged down. All of his sources are citied and he sticks to his line of reasoning throughout the book. It is a very 'readable' section, though dryer than the other two. The third part of the book is more entertaining. It shares anecdotes from appearances on national television programs debating religion and the results of the shows. It also shares other experiences in the national media, mostly print. Then is moves into separating state and church, Christian morality and history vs. myth. While I say that this book is 'entertaining' I want to emphasize that it has a personal story and a real character the reader can relate to. That is what makes this book so great to read. Every now and then the tone becomes too 'attacking' or 'jabbing' of Christians for my tastes, but they are few. I give this book an enthusiastic FIVE stars.
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Rating: 
Summary: This book is a Joke
Review: Once you get past all of Barker's egotistical ramblings about how brave he was in coming out and how he was rejected by "fundamentalists," You come to the portion of the book where he addresses theistic argument. In 10 pages. George Smith's "Atheism: the Case against God" is upwards of three hundred pages and still doesn't deal adequatly with the subject. I particularly enjoyed Barker's "critique" of C. S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity," where he completely missed the entire point of the moral argument. There is one good thing about this book though. Oh wait, no there isn't.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent Introduction to Atheism
Review: This book is easy to read and quite well structured, and the author covers his transition from believer to atheist in a very logical manner. He approaches the topic in multiple ways, sometimes in the form of a dialogue, other times the presentation of relevant historical evidences, his experiences in "coming out", how his life has changed since he became a free thinker, etc. I found it moderately useful, as I am presently making the transition from Christian to agnostic/atheist. As anyone who has gone through this experience knows, it is a very trying, confusing, and mentally anguishing experience. When one begins to question what one has traditionally held to as truth, it can be a very devastating, yet at the same time, exhilarating period in life. I became 'born again' when I was 19 and for a few years was very involved in conservative, evangelical groups. I had even considered a career in some form of ministry. My problem, if it can be called such, is that I've always been an extremely curious person intellectually. This is what got me into trouble in terms of Christian belief. My love of science, history, politics, and the individual process of logic and reason eventually resulted in a deep questioning of Christian doctrine and belief. I have come to formally reject the traditional claims of Christianity: the virgin birth of Jesus, the supernatural miracles of the Bible, the resurrection, Christ's ascension into heaven, and his eventual return. This is not something that came about easily or quickly. I digress: back to the book. What I liked about it was it's organization and it's summary style structure. This makes the book good summary, semi-reference material. The chapters are generally short, comprehensible, and enjoyable. It encapsulates many of the reasons why non-believers don't believe, and offers a biographical human interest story to go along with. The layout is such that one needn't read it straight through nor require the entire book to even be read. Because of it's faults I appreciated this quality greatly. Many of the chapters I found quite helpful, others I had no interest in reading. One fault is it's tendency to preach. Dan is still an evangelist and this comes through his writing style. I don't find this helpful. The entire point of being a skeptic and free-thinker is the need to be open-minded, respectful, and appreciative to other's views. I feel that Dan fails to provide this attitude and his tone can be demeaning at times. He also seems to be on a quest to rid the world of belief in God. I can understand his reasoning but can't respect this endeavor. There are many individuals whose entire world's revolve around a religious belief system and if it is questioned would seriously damage their entire lives. It is my opinion that there are many who are simply not strong enough to undertake such a radical paradigm shift, and they need the comfort, structure, meaning, and psychosomatic benefits that religion can provide. An example of Dan's over-reaching style is his inclusion of his atheist 'hymns'. I found this just silly and useless. It is a good introduction book. It's historical and philosophical arguments are quite unsophisticated however, and ultimately unsatisfactory. Any true skeptic and free-thinker will need to go significantly beyond this material. For those beginning the journey this book can be useful, for those well into the journey, I recommend skipping this book. This is for the beginner. For all the reasons discussed I give it 3 stars. For a more thorough undertaking of the philosophical, scientific, and historical aspects of atheism/skepticism, I recommend the following: Philosphical: Atheism: The Case Against God (can't remember the author)
Scientific: The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins
Historical: Jesus, the Brother of James by Robert Eisenman
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful reading
Review: Having read the previous reviews, it comes as no great surprise that the negative reviews have generally condemned Barker: whether it was him never having been a "true" Christian to begin with, or spewing threats of eternal damnation for his apostasy, or simply throwing out some version of Pascal's Wager. These are the standard responses to people such as Barker who have rethought their faith and ultimately abandonded it. Such character attacks and judgmentalism are pointless, and I was rather hoping to see some thoughtout refutations of his arguments by these inviduals. But they were not to be seen. As an atheist myself, though, I did not necessarily agree with all Barker had to say. I could see how some could have seen this book as "preaching to the choir", but I took from it mainly one man's testimony on his deconversion, a view into what his world was like as a fundamentalist and the steps he took to get out of it. Along the way he shares his thoughts about fundamentalism, separation of church and state, biblical errancy, and the like, and throws in the lyrics of some freethought songs he has written for good measure. For me it was a window into his mind and his life. Never having been a fundamentalist or really religious myself, it was interesting to compare how both he and myself settled into atheism, and how different those paths were. Read "Losing Faith in Faith" for what it is, an autobiography. If it make you re-think some things about your beliefs, great; if it doesn't, but rather reaffirms your faith (or lack thereof), wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books on Christianity and Theists
Review: Dan Barker has embraced truth the way he embraced religion. He has an easy style to read with observations that many Christians overlook. I encourage you to read this book and decide for yourself. Dare to think. Don't let others, who write a negative review based on their religious beliefs scare you away from a good book. You may even learn why they don't want you to read the book.
Rating:
Summary: Preacher to atheist . . . and back again.
Review: The best and most persuasive parts of this book are (in good evangelical tradition) the "personal testimony" portions. Barker's own story of how he spent nineteen years in various Christian denominations, as singer, preacher, and itinerate evangelist, certainly turns the tables on the typical Christian testimony. He talked about how for five years, he tried to retain his faith in Christianity, but God didn't seem to hear or answer. That touched me, and seemed real. At times, he did manage to effectively challenge my faith, on an emotional level. Another part of Losing Faith that flowed well was his "low-down" on pastors he knew. As he says, "They are not all Elmer Gantry;" most were, like himself, sincerely mistaken, in his view. Still, he begins to show a pretty heavy hand at this point: a few pastors are con men, and the rest, it seems, are all clowns. Those of us who know intelligent, compassionate and humble ministers -- and I know many, and missionaries who are simply heroic -- may begin at this point to wonder either how broad Barker's experience was (and he says it was very broad), or how honest he is in reporting it. When Barker verges onto verifiable issues, a knowledgeable believer may conclude, "We need to improve Christian education, if only to improve the intellectual reach of our infidels." I wouldn't call Barker's arguments "straw men," only because people who hold to the views he attacks really can be found. But he is often attacking a kind of American folk religion, rather than Christianity as it is held by knowledgeable adults. Barker's letter from "God" to a "theologian" is a clever idea, and he pulls it off well rhetorically. But I couldn't help remember (as I read it) the replies real Christian theologians, and philosophers, have given to these very same questions. (Including some by C. S. Lewis, whom Barker weakly attempts to refute in this book, but obviously does not know or understand well.) Barker's complaints are often not just wrong, but show a fundamental misunderstanding of Christian views on things -- he should read Lewis' explanation of worship in Reflections the Psalms and Weight of Glory, and begin his argument against it from square one. (If possible.) Another major problem with this book is Barker's misunderstanding of "faith." Christian faith, in the orthodox (as opposed to folk) understanding, has nothing to do with believing what you know isn't true, or forcing yourself to believe ten impossible things before breakfast. I think Lewis actually corrects this error in Mere Christianity, as have numerous other Christian thinkers. Barker ought to read more attentively. This error gets him into trouble in his reply to "Pascal's Wager." I think his reply to Pascal's argument (which I never much cared for) is actually pretty interesting, otherwise. (Though see Peter Kreeft's expanded version of that argument.) But Barker betrays the fact that he probably has not actually read Pascal for himself, when he assumes that the Wager was his only or primary argument for Christianity. Most of the rest of Barker's arguments will be familiar to most educated Christians, and replies will likely spring to mind. Barker tries to automatically rule miracles out with his definition of history. ("A criterion of critical history is the assumption of natural regularity over time. This precludes miracles.") This is, of course, simple dogmatism.
"Christianity is harmful. More people have been killed in the name of a god than for any other reason. The Church has a shameful, bloody history . . . " Barker's understanding of history is highly questionable, but an even greater problem is that he seems as credulous in accepting the "authorized" skeptical version of history (ignorant, it seems, of the enormous positive accomplishments of Christian faith) as he once credulously his parents' Christianity. His arguments against the historical Jesus, the resurrection, and so on, are simply lame. All in all, despite its weaknesses, I found this book interesting, readable, and sobering. While a bit egotistical (Barker loves to highlight his own witty replies to Christian challenges), on a personal level I found him often likeable. He has trod a well-beaten path, from what M Scott Peck describes as the first three stages of spirituality. I hope he is as honest and open-minded as he claims. While he rejects a childish and unexamined form of Christianity, it seems clear to me that he has yet to honestly perceive, let alone consider, the Christian faith as it is understood by mature and knowledgeable adults. Perhaps he will move beyond the adolescent reaction represented in this book, and learn to be skeptical about skepticism, as well. It'd be something to have a heart-to-heart talk when that happens. author, Jesus and the Religions of Man
Rating:
Summary: This book is a Joke
Review: Once you get past all of Barker's egotistical ramblings about how brave he was in coming out and how he was rejected by "fundamentalists," You come to the portion of the book where he addresses theistic argument. In 10 pages. George Smith's "Atheism: the Case against God" is upwards of three hundred pages and still doesn't deal adequatly with the subject. I particularly enjoyed Barker's "critique" of C. S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity," where he completely missed the entire point of the moral argument. There is one good thing about this book though. Oh wait, no there isn't.
Rating:
Summary: It's Okay
Review: I would actually give this book 3.5 stars. This is an overall goodbook, but most of his material is refutable. Such as his contradictions, he said in Matthew 5:22 if you call someone a fool you go to hell, BUT Jesus specifically said you shall not call your BROTHER a fool.
You simply cannot refute God in 10 pages. He said "If god can be eternal, why not the universe?" Well because God is not made of matter, and unlike the universe: Does not go through nuclear fusion (Meaning the universe couldn't always be here because no new hydrogen is being made, therefore if the universe was always here, there would be no stars.) This is mostly a bio about Dan turning into an atheist and his experiences, not about refuting God (Though this book IS about him turning atheist)I thought part 5 of this book was NOT interesting. There are many good chapters in this book such as "Jesus: History or Myth?" and "Exposing Christian morality" and "Omniaqueous" are interesting to read. This is an overall good book if you want to read a man turned atheist, and show a believer what it is like to be a freethinker. But if you want this to use as a debate guide for atheists, it is not strong enough (Maybe exceptions of Jesus history or myth and Omni-aqueous)
Rating:
Summary: Awesome book for all Doubters and Skeptics
Review: This is the finest book of its kind I have ever read. After being Born Again at 36 years old and spending the next 10 years serving my church as a deacon, Sunday School teacher, committee member, choir member, and attending every seminar, Bible Study, prayer meeting, etc., I began to suffer growing intellectual dissonance and frustration at the numbers of conflicts, errors, irrationalalities, and inefficacies abounding everywhere. (I was one of the apparently very few people who read and studied the Bible.) I began reading everything I could find to help me come to terms with my escalating skepicism,: books by Steve Allen, Bertrand Russell, Thomas Paine, Albert Schweitzer, Voltaire, etc, and it was when I found Dan's book that most of the pieces came together for me. I also met Dan personally and I was very impressed with his honesty, humility, and knowledge.......and the courage he manifested by "coming out of the closet" after investing so many years in the ministry. Please read and then, perhaps, recommend this book to others. You will be glad you did. Then read Ruth H. Green's awesome book entitled: The Born Again Skeptics Guide to the Bible. Awesome, too.
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