"Makes an elegantly argued response ... that is refreshing in several respects. Neither polemical nor defensive ... he brings into the contemporary fray many philosophers who reasoned well about God long ago. He looks squarely in the face of the contemporary horrors that many have used to argue for God's non-existence and still comes off the theodicy battleground with a sense of God as ethico-religious hope, 'the substance of things hoped for.' The clarity of his presentation should make this book useful after atheism has finished its moment in the sun." (Publisher's Weekly Religion Update) "Reitan's execution is truly remarkable, maintaining both sympathy with the criticism of exclusive and closed-minded religious views while exposing fallacious and closed-minded attacks on human expression of religious belief and hope... Highly recommended." (Choice Magazine) "In the book you get two things for the price of one. 1- An intro to the philosophy of religion and 2- a fun, readable, and vigorous critical response to the New Atheists." (Tripp Fuller, Homebrewed Christianity) "Reitan's resurrection of the phrase 'cultured despisers' underscores one of the most compelling purposes of his book, namely, to show that the arguments of today's articulate atheists are rehash of yesteryear's angst." (Religion Dispatches)

Eric Reitan is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Oklahoma State University with more than thirty articles published in professional journals. In 2004 he was the recipient of Oklahoma State University's Junior Faculty Award for Scholarly Excellence.

Introduction. 1. On Religion and Equivocation. 2. "The God Hypothesis" and the Concept of God. 3. Divine Tyranny and the Goodness of God. 4. Science, Transcendence, and Meaning. 5. Philosophy and God's Existence, Part I. 6. Philosophy and God's Existence, Part II. 7. Religious Consciousness. 8. The Substance of Things Hoped For. 9. Evil and the Meaning of Life. 10. The Root of All Evil?. Notes. References. Index