A Manual for Creating Atheists

By: Peter Boghossian

Narrated by: Peter Boghossian

For thousands of years, the faithful have honed proselytizing strategies and talked people into believing the truth of one holy book or another. Indeed, the faithful often view converting others as an obligation of their faith - and are trained from an early age to spread their unique brand of religion. The result is a world broken in large part by unquestioned faith. As an urgently needed counter to this tried-and-true tradition of religious evangelism, A Manual for Creating Atheists offers the first-ever guide not for talking people into faith - but for talking them out of it.

Peter Boghossian draws on the tools he has developed and used for more than twenty years as a philosopher and educator to teach how to engage the faithful in conversations that will help them value critical thinking, cast doubt on their religious beliefs, mistrust their faith, abandon superstition, and ultimately embrace reason and rationality.

©2013 Peter Boghossian (P)2013 Pitchstone Publishing

New ideas but lacks delivery

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, it is a brave attempt at a practical approach to engaging with believers. Commendable and has interesting bits in it throughout. Well researched and structured.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

His delivery is not nearly on a par with professional narrators. Books read by the authors are rarely an audio success - this one is no different. Sure people in his field have done so successfully but he is definitely no Hitchens or Dawkins in the orator stakes.

His animated, condescending tone when trying to impersonate others at certain points were particularly grating.

Every theist and atheists should listen to this book!

This book provides an amicable and rational approach to dissecting faith. His street epistemology allows you to have discussions with people of faith without having a vast understanding of the hard sciences, such as biology, physics, and mathematics. Instead he insist we use the Socratic method of questioning to help the person of faith rationalize their beliefs.

I have tried this approach with loved ones and since they know I’m an atheist they were automatically defensive to any questioning of their faith, so it was difficult to maintain a friendly, inquisitive tone , but by the end of our conversation they conceded their faith was illogical. The conversation didn’t change their conviction because of their strong emotional attachment to their faith and belief in personal miracles. Discussion for another time...

Theist read this book! It will do two things for you. Question your faith and steer to reason and rationality. Or prepare for the discussions and debates to come in future as the rise of the “Nones” is the fastest growing religious affiliation in the US with every subsequent generation and advancement in science. One day we will look at theism as mythology.

Excellent read, a little aggressive at times

This is certainly a book for established atheists, who have enough foundational reading in science literature and new atheist publications (like the 4 Horsemen the author describes). Reading of Nietzsche not required, but recommended. The author is a little bit too forthright for particularly liberal, overtolerant readers, so be prepared to have poor ways of thinking criticized thoroughly. As far as rational and Socratic questioning is concerned, this book is an excellent starting point, but a great deal of further reading is encouraged (by myself and the author). Fortunately, the author gives dozens of additional reading sources at the end of every chapter. You won't be lacking for knowledge or places, just be sure you're ready for the occasional sharp tone of the writing (and narration).

Excellent tool

Edgy title, but great work! Definitely a book I will purchase for a physical reference.

Great ideas, a little too antagonistic

So overall I liked this book. It had a lot of ideas for dialoguing with religious people that I could see were successfully adopted by Anthony Magnabosco.

My issue is the tone he has when referencing the religious. He frequently refers to them as being infected by this mind virus, and in no uncertain terms talks of stigmatizing religious thought. Scattered vitriol throughout. Now, it’s not like I totally disagree. But I think overall it fosters an unhelpful view of relationships toward the faithful. Maybe that wasn’t his intention, but it is what came across to me.

Good, but...

I think most can get something from this book. The amount any given person takes away will vary, perhaps depending on your disposition and attitudes about the need to counter the negative influence of religion.

One thing worth pointing out is that the author's academic background does come through pretty strongly in this book. There are a few, but not too many, bits of terminology that I expect many will not be familiar with.

If you enjoy the writings of Harris, Hitchens, Dawkins, Denney, Barker, Stenger, Shermer, Randi and the like, then I think you will find this interesting and offering a different perspective.

Some useful anecdotes, but poor narration

I think the concept of half a million "street epistemologists" is presumptuous, and that anyone who might be in the target group for this will reject the approach promoted by the author.

A Must Read... virtually needed for NOW, 2021!

Everything in this book that celebrates reason and damns “pretending to know things you don’t know” should be put on everyone’s fridge and post it notes on their mirrors in their cars in their backpacks purses offices cubicles phones everywhere! Least one should forget or fall into the Christian Nationalism’s lie... and remind ourselves that the best definition of faith is “pretending to know things you don’t know!”

One of the cores of this book is as the Socratic method and how to use it. The Socratic method is such a stark contrast to the adversarial way most people debate today, so it’s very encouraging to see the recommendation of it as a primary tool. It represents an admirable call to make people think more deeply instead of winning debate points.

And finally, we must stand up for what has proven to relive the most suffering and move humanity the fastest way of progressing...

Dan Wallace, a leading textual critic, said once:

"As remarkable as it may sound, most biblical scholars are not Christians. I don’t know the exact numbers, but my guess is that between 60% and 80% of the members of SBL do not believe that Jesus’ death paid for our sins, or that he was bodily raised from the dead. The post-lecture discussions are often spirited, and occasionally get downright nasty."

These ate OBJECTIVE FACTS... May we all find the chutzpah and courage to follow this and other heroes of our say to help create a better, safer world with the least amount of suffering!

This book help me change my life.

Dr. Peter Boghossian writes a very clear instruction manual that will help you understand the Socratic method and how to use it to talk someone out of their faith. This book is the perfect companion to "The God Delusion".
-Joshua Turner, Saved by Reason

excellent buy. excellent book. a must read.

this book is a great first step towards not only understanding how to defend yourself against the faith-based apostles of the willingly ignorant and self righteously appointed hypocrites and bigots that infest our world with false promises of love and tolerance. only to then act in a way that only degrades critical thinking and brings about a new medieval area of superstition and religious tyranny.