Atheism and Naturalism: A Review

Many of my readers are probably familiar with the many reviews I've written refuting and rebutting various theistic authors such as Vox Day and James S. Spiegel. However, this will be a true review (the first one I've ever written I believe for my blog) in the sense that I will be giving my opinions about this book I've just read and will not be attempting to refute anything, simply because I agree with pretty much everything in it and I didn't notice any real problems with any of the arguments.

Atheism and Naturalism, by Nicholas Covington, author of the Answers in Genesis BUSTED blog, is a 171 page book (including References and Suggested Reading) explaining in a very simple and effective way what atheism and naturalism are and the very compelling evidence that these views of the world are true. Even though this book is fairly thin - in fact I just received the book today and I read it in about three or four hours, including short breaks to ponder what I was reading - don't let it's small size fool you. It is packed with a ton of information.

Mr. Covington skillfully explains to the reader various issues surrounding the discussion of naturalism (and hence atheism) such as the philosophical basis for how we know what is true, arguments against god's existence, the evidence for evolution, the natural origin of the cosmos, etc. These subjects are explained in a basic but easily accessible way and common objections are dealt with regarding each of these topics. Due to the book's size each of these subjects are not given the fullest treatment, as volumes have been written on each of these subjects, so the author can be forgiven for not going into massive depth regarding these topics. However, Mr. Covington has done an excellent job in writing a book that explains the basic evidence why naturalism is true and answers to common objections that most naturalists will come across and he gives many good references for further research in the back of the book (in both the References and Suggested Reading sections).

Having said that, after watching a video review of his book by “King Heathen” who at first couldn't figure out who the book is written for, and with him being unable to come up with a definite conclusion (until he asked Mr. Covington his intentions), I'll add my two cents. I believe the book would be very informative for those who are beginning skeptics who are not very familiar with these arguments and open-minded believers who want to understand the naturalistic views of atheists and why we reject claims of the supernatural, especially religion. Again, yes the book covers a lot of material but I believe it covers the basics of these subjects very well (and I completely agree with “King Heathen's” view on the excellent writing) and will give someone a basic understanding of these topics and he lists several references at the back of the book for further information as I've mentioned already. After all, you can't expect a single book to cover these many topics in as much depth as an atheist debater would like. That's impossible. A person needs to read many books to gain more in depth knowledge of these subjects in order to effectively debate so I believe it was a bit of a silly complaint on the part of “King Heathen” but I think it was a good review anyway and I do agree with everything else he said.

All in all, I'd highly recommend this book for open-minded believers who want to learn more about an atheists' naturalistic world view and how we came to our conclusions and for the newly “de-converted” who would like a basic and well-written book about the many subjects that are discussed in atheist circles. Even if you're like me and are familiar with all of the arguments and counter-arguments presented, show a little charity and buy the book to support a fellow skeptic. After all, it's an excellent read and it's interesting getting another skeptic's take on these issues.