THE CASE AGAINST CHRISTIANITY

Michael Martin (1932-2015) was a philosophy professor at Boston University who made enormous contributions to free thought with his scholarly writings on atheism and religion.  His Atheism: A Philosophical Justification is arguably the best single defense of the main philosophical tenets of atheism ever written.  The Case Against Christianity is an equally masterful critique of the fundamentals of the Christian religion.

The book contains eight chapters and two appendices.  The topics include the historicity of Jesus, the Resurrection, the virgin birth and second coming, and Christian ethics.  Each chapter begins by introducing the subject and the rational objections that invalidate or disprove it.  Martin then considers possible Christian responses and the logical flaws these responses invariably contain.  That Martin covers so much material in only 273 pages is remarkable.  That he does so thoroughly and convincingly is almost, if you will pardon the expression, “miraculous.”

For example, the chapter on the historicity of Jesus introduces the problem of whether Jesus was an actual historical figure.  Martin concisely summarize G.A. Wells’ arguments against a historical Jesus.  No serous writer, no matter how devout, claims that any documents exist from Jesus’ own lifetime that refer to him.  There are however a number of near-contemporary accounts which have been the focus of much scholarly debate.  These include the two references from the writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, written some seventy years after the supposed crucifixion.  Other accounts include the Talmud and the alleged pagan “witnesses.”  Martin questions the veracity of these sources, and then presents Christian counter-responses.  His systematic dismantling of these rationalizations for Christ’s historicity leaves the Christian religion devoid of its central character.  Martin concludes that the Wellsian thesis is sound.

One wonders how a skilled Christian debater or writer would respond to Martin’s book; he was an extraordinarily thorough researcher who examined each issue from every conceivable angle.  His conclusions are solid and there are no logical, historical, or moral holes in his theses.   Christianity’s defenders will indeed have a rough time refuting them.  It is therefore not at all surprising that few have made any attempt to do so.

The Case Against Christianity has proven itself to be one of the most potent and devastating books available for the freethinker.  One would be hard pressed to find a major oversight or flaw.  If you have ever wanted a single, concise volume that offers a thorough, point by point refutation of Christian dogma, this is the book for you.