OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Doomed Soul" by Robert Boomsliter.]

Doomed Soul by Robert Boomsliter is a non-fiction compilation of articles, letters to the editor, and imagined dialogues reported in interview or stage format. The author is an advocate for atheism and uses this book as a platform to espouse his views and debunk those of his opponents.

The subject matter under discussion in this book is very relevant to today’s world. Between religious wars, religiously-motivated terrorism, discrimination, civil rights, and the separation of church and state, religion plays an important role in both the lives of individuals and the function of society. Religious faith can be sublimely wonderful and awe-inspiring, or it can be horrific and oppressive. Society needs to constantly re-evaluate the ways that religion bears influence and the effects derived from that influence.

While the subject is both relevant and interesting, I was extremely disappointed in the presentation. The author rants and raves throughout the book. The tone and language is abrasive and promotes confrontation over conversation. The author generalizes broadly about faith groups, and he does so in a way that would surely be extremely offensive to many people who belong to any religion. It’s true that throughout history, both distant and recent, religion has contributed to many atrocities, but that does not necessitate universal condemnation of all religious faiths and all of their devotees. That kind of generalization is disrespectful and dangerously close to bigotry.

As the author reveals his criticism, he tries to present his arguments logically, but these arguments struggle under the weight of straw man fallacies, inconsistencies, and unsupported claims. Occasionally, he makes suggestions about how society can improve its evaluation of religion, but the suggestions are poorly thought out and inadequately supported. For example, one suggestion that crops up multiple times is the notion of teaching world religions in elementary school in order to better prepare children to make informed decisions about their later religious choices. Missing from any of the mentions of this suggestion are citations of studies that show the benefit of teaching comparative religion in public school, statistics that show how many parents would accept the allocation of precious classroom time to such a complex topic, or quotations from experts that indicate the necessity or indeed the feasibility of requiring elementary classrooms to teach comparative religion.

Another example of the inadequacy of the author’s arguments can be derived from alleged studies that are supposed to provide foundations for his claims. Several times, the author mentions “studies”, claiming that, although reputable, they might not be widely published because the results could be unpopular. The problem here is that the author offers no citation - not even a title or an author that the reader could research on his/her/their own. In any publication, supporting evidence needs to be presented, not just alluded to, in order to achieve relevance.

Right from the beginning, the author declares that the writing of this book is a form of catharsis through which he can release his frustrations at being an atheist in a society he perceives as overly religious and hostile to atheism. Catharsis is wonderful, but in this case, it probably should not be widely published. While reading this book, I set aside my own thoughts and opinions on the subject matter and focused instead on the quality and presentation of the book. I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to anyone. I found it to be a collection of poorly presented arguments set amid a series of disrespectful rants. With regret, I rate Doomed Soul 1 out of 4 stars. It neither challenged nor inspired me, and I fear it would only feed into the hysterical hate and fear currently being directed at certain religious groups and contribute to the oppression of these innocent people.

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Doomed Soul
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Like L_Therese's review? Post a comment saying so!

I enjoyed your review, particularly since I read and reviewed this book last year. I agree with your opinions, for the most part.

Thank you for your attention and your thoughts in this review. Clearly, you were not entertained. I was surprised that you expressed regret for the rating given since the preceding text gives the impression that it would be very satisfying to rate it low.

I would like to correct some impressions in this review. I am not an 'opponent" of the faithful. I believe most people are decent, principled, and well-intentioned. Almost all my friends and family are
mildly to deeply religious and I do not respect them less for that.

I suspect you may have been deeply offended by my views and this is unfortunate since it was not my intention to offend but only to express these views with as much clarity as I could summon. I would like to address "offence" briefly.

Sermons from the pulpit, innumerable tracts, and spiritual publications contain descriptions of me including: immoral, having a life which is empty and lacking purpose or meaning. That I am destined for eternal suffering and deserve it.

If someone should tell me that they believe this of me, I can dismiss it as ignorance and prejudice and maybe even try to persuade them they are mistaken. But I AM offended when such colossal insults are embodied in doctrine! And I claim that I am justified in being so offended.

As to your opinion that this work should not be widely published. I do not agree at all. The suppression of minority or unpopular views is a symptom of totalitarian systems. All too often in history, people have recognized a popular evil and, fearing ostracism or punishment, elected to remain silent. I believe many horrors of the 20th century could have been avoided if these views had been presented.

I am sorry that my writing skills are not equal to the task I set.

Excellent, thorough review...thank you! Even though you do not recommend this book, it sounds like you gave it a fair chance. Hopefully the author can change his approach in future projects, so as not to alienate the reader. Kudos to you for finishing the book, even with its shortcomings.

Thanks for a great review! Your ability to set aside your own thoughts and opinions on the subject matter is remarkable. Keep up the good work.
Robert Boomsliter

I don't mind hearing and reading about subjects such as this, but it's as you said, when people start to rant and rave, that is when I stop listening. Thanks for your review!

That was a very honest and insightful review. The book sounds subjective since there are no citations of any material to support his claims. Still, it was very brave of the author to write something as controversial as this book. Great job on the review.

It seems that lack of references to the sources is a big flaw of this book. Books about religion are always controversial. It does not matter from which perspective author writes, always somebody gets offended. Personally, I do not mind books confronting religion because they always provoke discussions.

I'd be interested in reading a book in defense of atheism. Books about religions are boundless, the other side often doesn't get much attention. How disappointing that this book isn't recommended. Nice job on the honest review, though.