Atheist Personality Disorder: Addressing a Distorted Mindset [Paperback]

Don't bother spending your money on this book. Just after reading the first few pages it's easy to see that the author is obsessed by and living in a world of the supernatural. I then discovered he has written several other "booklets" that make the real world look like a supernatural dream world. I tried to continue reading, but it became clear this book belongs in the fantasy category. What a distorted mind, indeed.

In this book, he starts with the premise that what he thinks is real must be real. From the parts I read, he seems to think that if you don't believe in the supernatural, your sick, no rational arguments, no scientific basis, just an hypothesis based on scripture!

There is nothing scientific in this book, nor is any psychology presented. This is merely one deeply religious persons convictions on why his religious beliefs are true and his attempt to discredit atheism as a valid argument by equating it to a mental disease. His convictons are based on his oppinions and reading of the bible - they are not based on any scientific evidence for what he believes.

Reading just the Preface of the book, the author starts out with a very condescending attitude towards atheists, especially when an atheist does not present the arguments the author expects. The author makes the mistaken belief that all atheists are atheists for the same reasons and if an atheist has reasons that do not agree with the author's predefined ideas of what an atheist's arguments should be (what the author is prepared to counter-argue), then that atheist is not worth taking serious.

This book is nothing more than this man's religious attempt to smear science and equate the nonbelief in god as a dangerous religion and a psychological disorder. Quote from the book:

"The following work is an affirmation of faith in God and a warning of the dangers of a world guided by the religion of atheism. It is a warning against a religion based on chance, deficient science, and deficient atheistic evolution (as opposed to theistic evolution).

The unhealthy state of atheism is increasing. For some it is a fad, for others it is a personality disorder. Whether it is a fad or a disorder, let us be prepared to save the lives of so many who are susceptible to atheism. We have enough lonely, empty, people in this world!

The birth of the New Atheists has brought about the birth of the New Theists. We owe much to the New Atheists for in their denials they have validated more than ever perhaps more than ever in the history of the world, the existence of God!"

Nothing in those 3 paragraphs above is the words of someone trained in psychology. Those are the words of a fervently religious man whose attempt at discrediting something he cannot tolerate is to try and equate it to not just a mental disorder but as an evil, and dangerous religion. I would like to ask which one is it - is he saying that atheists have a mental disorder or are they part of an evil and dangerous religion?

This book is not psychology - psychology does not attack the subject, denegrate it as evil or make judgments of it. It simply is a study of the mind. Rather this is a just another tactic of a religious follower to try and prove his religion speaks the truth.

This concerted attempt to justify bigotry against atheists and atheism would be concerning were it not so hilariously pathetic.

Consider the fact that 4 of the 5-star reviewers here have two interesting things in common-- one, they have all similarly misspelled the word "psychology":

"There is really nothing new to this work. We have been doing the pscyhology of religion for two centuries." -- From the review Nothing New by Gene Hoch

"This book is simply the continuation of a long list of works on the pscyhology of atheism. There is no doubt that atheism is under attack." -- From the review by Stephen G. Sabo Jr. "Valerie Sinclare"

"This book is a well written, fully footnoted, truly academic work. As a professional in the field I am pleased to see a summary of the pscyhology of atheism (and/or) secularism in such a concisely written work. A must read for all academics." -- from the review by Frances Deseno

"This book is well footnoted and only cites world renowned academic scholars in their particular fields. Just as the pschology of religion was an area of study in the past century, the new century is marked with the advent of the pscyology of atheism." -- From the review by J. Pasquini

The last one of them even appears that it could be from a family member if not the good Fr. Pasquini himself.

The other thing they have in common is that as of this writing, they all have reviewed ONLY books by Fr. John J. Pasquini.

It looks more than a little bit like a desperate attempt to shore up the reviews on his books from a few shill accounts. Just how distorted and craven a mindset does it take to resort to that?

Let us hope that Fr. Pasquini had nothing to do with all this, and is as he presents himself, an honest, truth-loving and God-fearing priest.

But just suppose this book had a different focus: "Buddhist Personality Disorder: Addressing a Distorted Mindset." In fact, some have said that since Buddhism has no deity, that it could be said to be atheistic. Or how should we react to a book on: "Hindu Personality Disorder: Addressing a Distorted Mindset." Or perhaps, "Unitarian Personality Disorder: Addressing a Distorted Mindset." Would not many of the same arguments that can be found in this book apply in these as well? But atheists are an easy target because they don't have quite the collectivist mindsets the religions do, they don't all get together once a week to confer on atheism and their role in the community. Atheists are much less likely to complain to the degree other religious would if they were similarly "addressed." Then again, there's undoubtedly a book or two out there that targets christianity as psychologically disordered as well, making equally demented attempts to gain points for convoluted arguments.

And it's odd as well, since most of the fathers of psychology are not known for their particularly religious positions-- Freud wrote that "religion is an illusion," and Jung considered Christianity to be a "collective mythology." Yet there have been some attempts of late to produce a "christian psychology," perhaps this is just another feeble stab in that direction.

Oh well, 2-stars, as it's good for some comic relief.