The Real Face of Atheism

by Ravi Zacharias, Ravi Shacharias, Visage A. Shattered

Book Overview

Atheism is a world without God. Its true nature--whether disguised in Eastern mysticism or American cynicism--is despair. In this thought-provoking and witty book, Ravi Zacharias provides Christians a clear apologetic for their faith.Formerly published as A Shattered Visage, The Real Face of Atheism systematically examines atheistic positions on human nature, the meaning of life, morality, the "First Cause," death, and more. With a new introduction...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801065119
• ISBN13: 9780801065118
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Baker Books
• Length: 185 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Work!

Ravi Zacharias is more than qualified to discuss this subject and he does so in a clear, scholarly manner that dismantles piece-by-piece an extremely faulty, and dangerous, worldview like atheism. I highly recommend this book, and any other by Zacharias. He's a great apologetic defender of the Christian faith. There are many great statements in this book, so read it with a highlighter. One that comes to mind is: "Knowledge and education in the hands of one who claims no higher accountability or authority than his own individuality is power in the hands of a fool." Well said and true! The one-star ratings (and rantings) by some here demonstrate just how close Zacharias has gotten to the heart of the foolish worldview of atheism. Atheism is truly a "Shattered Visage." Buy the book and read it for yourself.

Important Material

This book first went to print in 1990. I have the updated version from 2004 retitled, The Real Face of Atheism. To sit down with a book from Ravi Zacharias is one of my quiet pleasures in life. In this book, one of my favorite's, he brilliantly dissects the central issue of our time what do we do with God. The God of the Bible. The first couple of chapters is a recent history of the rise of atheism. The influence from Freud, Nietzsche, Darwin, Galileo,[although the man was a strong theist, his discoveries rocked the church, temporarily] on the events of the 20th century, and the repercussions since then. Ravi can draw the dots and connect them like he has an anointing from God to do that. He has a passion for this subject that I hope gets out to a broader audience. They say in science that it's just a hypothesise unless you can predict the results to a certain degree in repeated experiments. Ravi sounds a warning to us if we continue in the current direction. So, if we don't hear, it's only because we want our cake and to eat it too. I was in grade one in 1963 and the tranquil peace that filled the assembly every morning as the school recited the Lords prayer together, now seems like that calm before the storm. Life for a kid was a breeze compared to now, broken homes were rare. Then latter in that decade the sexual revolution hit and the social problems it produced have been like watching a train derailment in slow motion. This book puts a spotlight on some of our assumptions. For example why have we broken free of what was once a pain avoiding moral leash, the 6th commandment, "Thou shall not commit adultery." Sceptics will immediately put up their guard and argue trivial truisms of evolution but what Ravi is stressing is "lets be reasonable." God calls people to reason. Statistics bear this out. Most of the men in prison come from a one parent home or a home where the couple co-habits. Marriage has taken a beating in the last 30 years. God is not saying those children aren't loved by Him, He's telling us, if we selfishly ignore Him we will suffer and just look around. The distinction in society is as stark to me as is the distinction of my changed life. God can not be mocked a man reaps what he sows. We are free to choose our master, but we are not free to manipulate the consequences of our choices. I love men like Ravi who take a courageous stand. I've heard him on Cd's debate thinkers in the most hostile anti-Christian environments in the world. Muslim countries and western universities. Not only does he shine and hold his own, he arrests our attention and causes us to reconsider some of our cherished beliefs. He wins over hearts and minds because he has allowed himself to be a conduit of Jesus. I have most of his books. They are an immense help to me. Read one and you too may, "get hooked."

Eloquent defence of the faith

In the introduction, the author suggests that some readers might prefer to first read the two appendices at the end. The first: The Finger Of Truth And The Fist Of Reality shows how philosophical ideas infiltrate popular culture to enter our lives. The second: The Establishment Of A Worldview, provides the conceptual foundation upon which the framework of truth will stand. They explain the process that the author used to examine various concepts in order to arrive at his conclusions. Part One deals with mankind as the measure of all things. In the chapter Morticians Of the Absolute, the author shows how determinism, Freud's views on religion and Darwinian theory have placed theism under severe pressure. The assault of atheism has become manifest in the political arena with totalitarian movements like communism and fascism. The author considers Nietzsche with his profound hatred of religion as the bridge between the 19th and 20th centuries, since he exerted a strong influence on, amongst others, Freud, Yeats, Jung and George Bernard Shaw . A passage from The Madman is quoted here. There are prescient quotes by GK Chesterton and Malcolm Muggeridge, to the effect that they foresaw that atheism would lead to violence and hedonism. The second chapter looks at the doctrine of atheism - the belief that there is no God, which is an affirmation of God's non-existence. The author refers to various thinkers like Mary Hesse, Jurgen Habermas, Stephen Jay Gould, John Polkinghorne and Sir Fred Hoyle and considers the 2nd law of thermodynamics by asking the question of how biological systems manage to swim against the entropic stream. It makes absolute sense that scientists ought to maintain a judicious agnosticism about the obvious limitations of human understanding. In chapter three: Virtue In Distress, the matters of purpose and morality are discussed. Zacharias demonstrates that the idea of being good has in popular culture been replaced by the idea of feeling good, in a twisting vortex of relativising. The traditional underpinnings of society have been ridiculed, which explains some of the present moral confusion. Very importantly, the author shows how secular philosophy cannot logically answer the question of how to determine right from wrong. Without God there is no starting point for ethical theorists. He provides interesting quotes from Alasdair MacIntyre (After Virtue) and Paul Johnson (Intellectuals). In their own lives, many intellectuals separated their mental skills from their moral practices, for example Sartre, Hemingway and Bertrand Russell. Nietzsche's influence on Hitler is discussed and the author concludes that morality as goodness cannot be justified with atheistic presuppositions. In other words, atheism's morality is unlivable. The chapter: Sisyphus On A Roll deals with the issue of meaning and the problems of pleasure and pain. Here the author quotes from the lament of Voltaire, Solomon's Ecclesiastes and from Blaise Pascal, to s

brilliantly accomplishes the author's intent

Some have expressed disappointment that Zacharias did not attempt to prove the existence of God, when, as the title plainly shows, he was seeking to show what a purely atheistic world would look like. The main points I picked out of his book are that there can be no good or morality if there is no standard of good or morality with which to compare, that there is no hope or purpose to life without God since death's the final word, and that a lifestyle based on the evolutionary idea of natural selection allows humanity to commit astonishingly immoral (I'm allowed to use the word since I believe in God) acts. In this, Zacharias does a brilliant job. I've read stacks of philosophy books both Christian and not, with all kinds of different schemes to create morality and purpose without God, and Zacharias managed to provide surprisingly intelligent information that cut to the core of what I formerly considered sensible atheistic philosophies. And to the Epicurus dilemma, if you really want to find a sensible answer you can. In my opinion, it's quite a waste of time to ask questions for the sake of asking them without really wanting to know an answer. And yes, people have done bad things in the name of the Bible, but another important point that Zacharias brings up is that their actions were in direct contradiction with the teaching and method of the Bible, whereas people like Hitler and Stalin were acting out the direct conclusion of Darwinism in their quests to eradicate the world of the weak and inferior. The point of the book is that theism answers a lot of important questions that atheism cannot. The illustration Zacharias uses to describe the atheist's predicament is that atheism does a great job of smelling others' rotten eggs without producing any good eggs of its own. This book contains a wealth of eye-opening and well-connected information to anyone interested in the serious and relevant shortcomings of atheism.

A straightforward examination of the conclusions of atheism

Ravi Zacharias has done an excellent job of tackling a huge subject in a manner which creates an enthusiasm for further reading. This book is very well written, with a huge index of quotes and citations from a wide variety of sources. The inclusion of countless viewpoints from across the philosophical spectrum makes for a very engaging and enjoyable read. The book is segmented into several areas of focus including values, morality, meaning, and more. In each chapter Ravi opens with some contrasting viewpoints that start a dialog about how the logical conclusions of atheism lead to some rather interesting and unavoidable realizations. Nietzsche, who is among the few to truly embrace the full conclusion of his beliefs, suffered tremendously as a result as his worldview neither answered nor solved the dilemma of a world without God. (Page 30). Aldous Huxley, another renowned atheist concluded "science has "explained" nothing". Darwin himself warned against "the presumption of believing that one could, by contemplating nature, be in possession of final truths, either in divinity or philosophy." (Page 38). Yet with atheism, the natural determinism is all that is available to examine such meaning. Quite often, as Ravi discusses, an atheist often finds him or herself denouncing, yet embracing, a value system that they cannot uphold within their naturalistic worldview. Nietzsche understood this well and stated "When one gives up the Christian faith, one pulls the right to Christian morality out from under one's feet". Another famous atheist Bertrand Russell when in a debate on morality confessed the Achilles heel of atheism when he had to respond to the question of how one differentiates between good and bad, by stating he did so on the basis of his feelings. (Page 59) Ravi clarifies his position and the corner atheism paints itself into by stating "not all atheists are immoral, but morality as goodness cannot be justified with atheistic presuppositions" (Page 64). In hard terms the morality that atheism teaches, implies, or espouses is unlivable. Nietzsche himself bore testimony to that fact. What of the search for meaning and truth? The face of atheism reveals only the human intellect. G.K. Chesterton warned that the insane man is not just one who has lost his reason; he may be one who has lost everything but his reason. (Page 80). Bertrand Russell recounts with some accuracy that the inevitable conclusion of atheism's search for meaning is "only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair". (Page 91) After a long study of the many who have defined atheism, Ravi states that having in essence killed god, the atheist is left with no reason for being, no morality to espouse, no meaning to life, and no hope beyond the grave. Of what hope he or she may possess, it is does not exist within the framework of their worldview. In the end Ravi discusses the hope of faith. God has put enough into the world to make faith in him a most reasonab