Book is Full of Misconceptions of Atheists

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/atheism.is.personal.rebellion.against.god.says.philosopher/25529.htm

A book analyzing the psychology of atheists would be a highly interesting read. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case with Spiegel’s book. While it’s implied that his work is groundbreaking what we find is a view of atheists that is typical of many fundamental theists.

“A professor of philosophy and religion at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, Spiegel has written a 130-page book, The Making of an Atheist, in response to the New Atheists. But unlike the numerous responses that have emerged from Christian apologists, Spiegel's book focuses on the moral-psychological roots of atheism.”

A professor of philosophy and religion does not possess the credentials to write a reliable book on psychology. It’s no wonder then, that Spiegel cannot accept the idea that atheists have a disbelief in god due to a lack of evidence.

“He admits that it could appear unseemly or offensive to suggest that a person's lack of belief in God is a form of rebellion. But he said in a recent interview with the Evangelical Philosophical Society that he was compelled to write the book because he is convinced that "it is a clear biblical truth.”

Now, there are anti-theists, such as myself. I do have a sense of rebellion against god because I find the idea of a god to be rather unpleasant. However, the majority of non-believers are not rebelling against god. They’d probably say, “How can you rebel against something that likely does not exist?” No, non-believers are guided by the lack of evidence.

Spiegel attempts to argue, using a creationist as opposed to scientific analysis of the universe, that we are rejecting evidence of God’s existence.

“God has made His existence plain from creation – from the unimaginable vastness of the universe to the complex micro-universe of individual cells, Spiegel notes. Human consciousness, moral truths, miraculous occurrences and fulfilled biblical prophecies are also evidence of the reality of God.”

This statement does not provide insight into the psychology of atheists. Instead, it is the view of a religious person who has no concept of how the universe works. The beauty of the universe and the words of the Bible are not proof of either God’s existence or an atheist rebellion against God.

The following reads as if it was ripped from the pages of Conservapedia:
“Examining the psychology of atheism, Spiegel cites Paul C Vitz who revealed a link between atheism and fatherlessness.

"Human beings were made in God's image, and the father-child relationship mirrors that of humans as God's 'offspring'," Spiegel states. "We unconsciously (and often consciously, depending on one's worldview) conceive of God after the pattern of our earthly father.

"However, when one's earthly father is defective, whether because of death, abandonment, or abuse, this necessarily impacts one's thinking about God.”

Personally, I consider the relationship with my father fairly strong. I didn’t stop believing in God because I stopped believing in my father. The lack of evidence is what caused me to question my faith.

Alas, we will have to wait until a real book on the minds of atheists is released. Until then we are stuck with Spiegel’s pile of crap.