Divinity of Doubt (Vincent Bugliosi) - Vanguard Press - 2011 - 338 pages

God is silly.  And so is Billy Graham and so is the catechism of the Catholic church.  This is the best book that I have ever read regarding theisms and their origins although I have not read that many.  Bugliosi uses impartial logic to examine the standards and practices of major religions and concludes that all are contradictory and utterly without basis in fact or reason.  Although 90% (approximately) of the world's population believe the teachings of one religion or another, they certainly have no good reason to do so.  Bugliosi presents an excellent case for agnosticism.  I doubt that any major religious leader would dare to debate Mr. Bugliosi for fear of looking foolish and possibly losing their meal ticket.  Following are a few quotes from this excellent book.  [JAM 5/30/2011]

"What I am saying is that what I do know has convinced me that by and large the religious beliefs about God are a rich and intoxicating brew of myth, superstition, and nonsense."

"Either the bible is or is not the word of God.  If it is not ... the Judeo-Christian religions that are based on it should be treated as a tremendous, devastating hoax or joke."

"Because Fundamentalists are so impassioned, even crazed, about their biblical beliefs, and most are very conservative politically, the calculus of most liberal Americans tells them that Fundamentalists are right-wing zanies who are almost scary people.  Some of them definitely are.  But my personal sense, from meeting many of them, is that for the most part they're the type of people who walk on stage when the magician asks for volunteers.  What they really are, more than anything, is a frightfully ignorant segment of our population who have been ruthlessly and cynically exploited by the Karl Roves of the world."

" ... I also cite Billy Graham because as ludicrous as some of his views are, he does not represent aberrational branches of Evangelical Christianity.  He represents the orthodox mainstream thinking.  So when I tell you that at least 25 to 30 percent of all Americans are Evangelical born-again Christians, I'm telling you that millions upon millions of Americans today believe the same things that Billy Graham does.  Indeed, he's been their chief spokesman for decades.  The problem with Billy, of course, is that Billy is silly, as all people who believe in this Christian nonsense have to be.  And no one will ever accuse Billy Graham of being a deep thinker ..."

" ... the fall and redemption of man, which is really the entire story of Christianity, is the biggest and deadliest myth in the history of man."

"If 50 million people believe a foolish thing, it's still a foolish thing.  And everyone knows there are far more horses' asses at a race track than horses."

"What can any church, religion, priest, minister, rabbi, theologian, seminary, religious book, or college course teach you beyond the Golden Rule that has any value?  Anything else has to be man-made piffle."