The silver letters jumped out from the bright yellow background: God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, by Christopher Hitchens. Intrigued by the bold title, I decided to ask her what the book was about. She proceeded to give me an enthusiastic, lengthy lecture about how religion has been the greatest force of evil in world history, how science has disproved any basis for rational faith, and how people can be good without God. Was this young woman right? Is religion the bane of human existence? Has science somehow disproved God? Would the world be better if we all embraced atheism? Atheism is certainly not new. About 1,000 years before the coming of Christ, King David described a person who says in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1). There have always been people who deny the existence of God, and there probably always will be. While atheists have often been vocal about their beliefs, their pop-cultural influence has been minimal. Until now. Recently a group of articulate, enthusiastic, and militant atheists have exploded onto the public scene.
