Mollie Ziegler Hemingway reviews Mary Eberstadt's The
Loser Letters: A Comic Tale of Life, Death, and Atheism (Ignatius, 2010; e-book format) for Christianity Today:
Perhaps the book's most important lesson is its much-needed call for an accurate grasp of Western civilization. It's nice to see someone simply point out Christians' good works compared with the dearth of atheists'—and not just in works of charity. Eberstadt devotes a whole chapter to art. After listing great works inspired by religious belief, Christian asks, "… against this Dull artistic excellence, what exactly do we Atheists bring to the table? The Brooklyn Museum of Art? Elton John? Your books? Freak dancing? Rammstein?"
Even a regular critic of atheism can learn from this disarmingly comic tale. Christian's gentle encouragement for the New Atheists to understand why women aren't flocking to their movement indicts atheism as an individualistic wasteland. She suggests that the discrepancy between the sexes might be related to "taking care of smaller and weaker members of the Species." And she notes how many prominent atheists, from Spinoza to Nietzsche and beyond, were either childless or living outside real families.
Read the entire review. You can read the first chapter of The Loser Letters, "Letter One: The Trouble with Experience", on Ignatius Insight. Or visit the book's website, www.loserletters.com.
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