Religion for Atheists: A Non-believer's Guide to the Uses of Religion

Alain De Botton

Mar 2012 · Sold by Vintage

About this ebook

What if religions are neither all true nor all nonsense? The long-running and often boring debate between fundamentalist believers and non-believers is finally moved forward by Alain de Botton’s inspiring new book, which boldly argues that the supernatural claims of religion are entirely false—but that it still has some very important things to teach the secular world.
 
Religion for Atheists suggests that rather than mocking religion, agnostics and atheists should instead steal from it—because the world’s religions are packed with good ideas on how we might live and arrange our societies. Blending deep respect with total impiety, de Botton (a non-believer himself) proposes that we look to religion for insights into how to, among other concerns, build a sense of community, make our relationships last, overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy, inspire travel and reconnect with the natural world.
 
For too long non-believers have faced a stark choice between either swallowing some peculiar doctrines or doing away with a range of consoling and beautiful rituals and ideas. At last, in Religion for Atheists, Alain de Botton has fashioned a far more interesting and truly helpful alternative.

Ratings and reviews

I'm usually a fan of Botton but this book should be called "A Guide for the Impractical Atheist" He fails to convince me there's any need for the silly ritual of religion.

Dr de Botton takes a look at some of the rituals practised within religion and how they could be used to benefit any one, deist, non-believer, or some where in between.

The perspective from which some unquestionable facts about how we communicate with one another and religions role is thought provoking to say the least.

About the author

Alain de Botton is the author of essays on themes ranging from love and travel to architecture and philosophy. His best-selling books include How Proust Can Change Your Life, The Art of Travel and The Architecture of Happiness. He lives in London, where he is the founder and chairman of The School of Life (www.theschooloflife.com) and the creative director of Living Architecture (www.living-architecture.co.uk).