Cross Examined
Putting Christianity on Trial
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- $38.99
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- $38.99
Publisher Description
Christianity is more than just a religion. It is a social organism that affects the lives of every person on earth in significant ways, even if they are not Christians themselves. In the United States its influence is pervasive with often profound influence on public policies, but it is largely unchallenged as a belief system, relegated to that quarantined area outside the zone of polite conversation. Despite much academic ink being allotted to the weaknesses of Christianity as a valid belief system, the general public remains unaware of these flaws.
In Cross Examined, John Campbell applies his almost thirty years of experience as a trial lawyer to dissecting Christianity and the case of apologists for the Christian God. He addresses the best arguments for Christianity, those against it, and the reasons people should care about these questions. His purpose is to fill a void in books on atheism and Christianity by systematically taking Christian claims to task and making a full-throated argument for atheism from the perspective of a trial lawyer making a case.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Trial lawyer Campbell debuts with a resounding and meticulous refutation of Christianity. Starting with the premise, "Christianity should be singled out because of its unique cultural and sociopolitical significance," Campbell demonstrates that "there are no good, compelling reasons to accept the claims of Christianity and many compelling reasons to reject them for naturalism." Campbell's criticisms fall into two categories: contradicting apologetical arguments with empirical evidence, and analyzing the logic gaps within biblically inspired beliefs. For example, when discussing cosmological arguments for God (which assert that, since everything must have a cause, God must be the "uncaused cause"), Campbell points out that quantum mechanics can offer just as satisfying an explanation—and that even if such a supernatural entity existed, it would not necessarily resemble the Christian god: "The very concept of the scientific method, with its implicit refutation of dogma and insistence on following the evidence wherever it leads, is the antithesis of Christian epistemology, which relies on divine revelation." The conclusions Campbell hopes his audience will reach is that "much of the Bible is simply useless baggage that should be quickly discarded" and that "misguided Christian beliefs have led to enormous harm." This provocative work rests comfortably next to works by E.O. Wilson, Richard Dawkins, and Robert Ingersoll. Even those who disagree with Campbell will find his arguments worth engaging with.
