George Albert Wells (1926–2017)

An interesting work, though somewhat disappointing to someone who has read his previous works. I don't mind someone changing their mind about something, even something as critical as whether Jesus is myth or history, and whether Paul was talking about a historical Jesus or a cosmic one. I do mind someone who just sort of announces that he has done, without giving rhyme or reason; try a logical argument, at least. Anyway, the scholarship is there to define Jesus as an apocalyptic preacher, based on the descriptors in the gospels, though one wonders why we should accept that when the author is aware that Jesus, like Yogi Berra, never said everything he said...and possibly never said anything he said. The words in the Bible are those of the orators, the preachers, the gospel writers, and not those of Jesus, which the author is clear about. So the argument is confusing, though the details of the work are interesting and thorough. Definitely worth reading, but, as I said, disappointing..… (mere)

Wells takes on the idea of religious belief from the fundamentalists to the moderates/liberals. He explains why none of these positions is tenable, even though some of them might lead to a nicer, gentler sort of Christianity. He also explains how he feels that the moderate form of belief helps give aid and support to the more fundamentalist belief system. The final move he makes is to answer the question Is Atheism Reasonable?, since so many apologists have come to the conclusion that atheism is as unreasonable as other belief systems. Although not as dense in philosophical language as many other books on the subject, there are a couple of chapters (on Kant) that might get a bit of tough going for the beginner, so not necessarily a great book for the casually curious.… (mere)