The Reason Revolution: Atheism, Secular Humanism, and the Collapse of Religion

By Dan Dana

This short book, only 8,000 finely crafted words, is destined to be one of the most cited and influential modern treatises on atheism and secular humanism. It focuses squarely on the inherent irrationality of religion, and reveals its utter irreconcilability with science. Offering several "reconciliation theories" to people of faith, it forces every reader to make a choice.

Contents: The Reason Revolution in historical context, Questioning belief, Reasons for skepticism, Secular humanism as an alternative worldview, Political implications of atheism, The collapse of religion, Hopeful predictions, Reconciliation theories, Comments by clergy, Call to action

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dan Dana
• Release date: Jul 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311519023

Dan Dana

Dan Dana is retired from a career encompassing psychology, teaching, mediation, corporate training, and business entrepreneurship. He is the author of two books on workplace mediation and several conflict resolution curricula. Born in 1945 on a family farm in Missouri, his life experiences include serving in the U.S. Army in Panama and Vietnam (1966-68, noncombat), earning a PhD in counseling psychology (1977), teaching at a university in New England for 28 years, founding and growing a successful internet-based educational enterprise (endowed to a Florida college in 2013), being a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives (1998), and living, working, or traveling in over 75 countries on all seven continents. Dan and his wife Susan live in Sarasota, Florida. He is the father of one and grandfather of two.

Book preview

The Reason Revolution

Atheism, Secular Humanism, and the Collapse of Religion

Dan Dana

Copyright 2014 Dan Dana

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Publisher's review:

This short book, only 8,000 finely crafted words, is destined to be one of the most cited and influential modern treatises on atheism and secular humanism. It focuses squarely on the inherent irrationality of religion, and reveals its utter irreconcilability with science. Offering several reconciliation theories to people of faith, it forces every reader to make a choice.

Table of Contents

Preface

The Reason Revolution in historical context

Questioning belief

Reasons for skepticism

Secular humanism as an alternative worldview

Political implications of atheism

The collapse of religion

Hopeful predictions

Reconciliation theories

Comments by clergy

Call to action

Acknowledgements

About the author

Other books by the author

Note on sources: This manuscript was not prepared as an academic paper, citing sources. Readers who question any scientific assertions made here may verify those assertions with Google or other research tools.

Preface

The purpose of this short volume is to shine a bright light on the inherent irrationality of religion, bringing into sharp relief the contrast between science-derived knowledge and purported knowledge claimed by the faithful to be derived from holy books and other supernatural sources. In so doing, it is not my intent to disparage individual people of faith, whom I do not hold personally responsible for the harm done by institutionalized religion.

A Christian minister who reviewed a draft of this manuscript commented that some of my language was insulting to the faithful. He rightly cautioned that religious readers who feel attacked will naturally react defensively and therefore reject potentially fresh insights about their faiths they might have otherwise gained. I revised the text to minimize that unintended consequence, but I fear my imprecise laser of light will nevertheless inflict some collateral damage.

That would be unfortunate since an important segment of the readership of this book is the faithful. The aim of The Reason Revolution is not served if its message bounces around the secular echo chamber where there is little dispute. Similarly, people of faith who wish to expand their understanding of the natural world are not served well by remaining in the echo chamber of their religions where existential challenges to their doctrines are seldom heard.

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