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| Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk |
Take these he's recently posted on one of my book's page, for example:
This book is a disaster of intellectual thought. Old refuted arguments are represented by the author and are uninteresting. They expose the author as lacking literacy in science and philosophy. She attempts to spin science in the favor of atheism and while doing so, fails logically. Do not waste your time and money on this rubbish. There are far better sources out there that argue for the atheistic viewpoint. This author, Esther Harrison, is clearly inexperienced as a writer and doesn't have the academic know-how to publish professionally. Lastly, her books are on her blog so you can read it there for free.
The give-away here is that only Manuel believes my name is Esther Harrison. You can read the account of how he hilariously arrived at this conclusion in Another Mad Day In Bronx Cuckoo Land - look for and enjoy the bit where a Dutch blogger calls him "an idiot trying to ride piggyback on my fame".Curiously, Manuel, who spams my blogs regularly with abuse, has never managed a coherent rebuttal of anything I have written and famously twice ran shouting abuse from challenges to debate his infantile claims with me (see Debate: Is There Scientific Evidence Only For The Christian God and Cowardly Catholic Runs Away Again).
Later on, Manny is now 'Marie', and writes in his typical style:
This book is poorly written and composed of strawman arguments. It caters to the uneducated. No scholar would take this garbage seriously. The arguments and ideas presented here have been refuted for centuries. Moreover, the content is available for free on the author's site. Save your money and time. This book is a disaster.
Note how neither of these reviewers is a certified purchaser. In other words, Manny hasn't actually read it.
By contrast, look at what those who have bought and read it have to say: (First few from .co.uk site)
Brilliant ! (5 stars)
Bought for husband - he hasn't put it down since it arrived - looks like other volumes will be excellent Christmas present - if he can wait that long !
A must read for anyone with a questioning mind (5 stars)
Very interesting and well researched articles.
Five Stars (5 stars)
Excellent a tonic for the rational
Informative and well written (4 stars)
Well written if a little heavy going for someone like me. If you've enjoyed Rosa's blog postings over the years you'll enjoy this with a mix of new articles and some older ones that have been updated.
An overview of religion's many irrationalities (5 stars)
A wide range of writings on atheism, the harm done by religion, and the illogic of God and other religious ideas, focusing largely on Christianity but not letting other religions off the hook. It's entertainingly written, notably a performance review for God (hint -- he's not getting a raise). Each essay is independent so you can dip into it anywhere. The only criticism I have is that there are a bit too many distracting typographical errors, but that's a minor cavil. A good source of arguments to ward off pesky religionists who try to convert or belittle you -- a lot of the most annoying myths and lies about atheism are debunked.
And this one is a particular favourite review for An Unprejudiced Mind: Atheism, Science and Reason, my follow up to The Light of Reason:
Well done Rosa! (5 stars)
Well done Rosa! Another well-researched and interesting book. The release of this book solves the problem of a gift for the upcoming birthday of my doctor daughter-in-law!
A gift for a doctor, no less!
What prompted this frenzied bout of abuse by Agosto on Amazon? It couldn't have anything to do with Manuel's own hurried little effort being met with such derision and mirth, could it? After boasting in Twitter, within a day of me publishing The Light of Reason in four volumes, that he had actually written five books and had publishers fighting over publishing rights, Manny eventually managed to put together a little pamphlet and publish it for Kindle, under the childish title Atheism is Stupid (something that takes very little effort and costs nothing). So much for those clamouring publishers... and five books.
By way of contrast, let's look at some reviews of Manny's hilarious little effort. These are from the .co.uk site:
not convinced the author quite understands what he is arguing ... (1 star)
not convinced the author quite understands what he is arguing against - seems more preoccupied with making him/herself seem important than actually discussing the issue at hand. Has absolutely no understanding of the burden of proof either.
this incoherent rambling nonsense reads like it was scrawled by someone who has suffered severe ... (1 star)
Well....if it was possible to give minus stars I would....this incoherent rambling nonsense reads like it was scrawled by someone who has suffered severe head trauma.....he clearly ISNT a former atheist,I'm not even sure he's capable of cognitive thought at all....his arguments (for lack of a better word)are vague,and based on logical fallacies... His conclusions are nothing but a string of non-seqiturs...I'm astonished that anyone would actually publish this dross.
Avoid like a dose of the plague....or unless you've run out of toilet paper.... Because that's all this "book" is actually good for.
A disgrace to literature (1 star)
Vanity press effort from a fool who can barely string two sentences together in a coherent argument. As the title proves its a childish screed, adds nothing to the debate but insult.
Arrogant narcissism. Mistakes opinion and incredulity for facts. (1 star)
In the demonstrable absence of any evidence for any god, acceptance of the fact that there is no evidential reason to believe in any particular god can not reasonably be described as stupid. It is no more stupid to not believe in any one god than in any other, or fairies or Santa, so belief in any one god becomes merely a matter of opinion and an opinion unsupported by evidence.
Since he offers no evidence for any god, in effect, the author, who seems incapable of constructing coherent logical arguments, has taken 250 pages to say people who disagree with him are stupid. Why he expects anyone to be convince by this arrogant and childish narcissism remains a mystery, especially since his attempted arguments render his opinions risible.
As Christopher Hitchens said, an assertion made without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
I suspect at least some of these are written by people who are more than familiar with Manuel's rambling blogs and obviously narcissistic personality, rather than by people who have read his book, but his reputation is well deserved.
From the Amazon.com site we have:
Everyone has a book in them. In this case ... (1 star)
Everyone has a book in them. In this case that's where it should have stayed. If you're looking for a book that goes against atheism you should look elsewhere. I hope the author learns of his mistakes and actually hires an editor for volume 2.
The book is a faceless tautology-filled, circular argument without the conviction of its author. (1 star)
The author claims to have been an atheist for most of his life and hides behind a pseudonym in accordance with the attempt of "humility" as he/she puts it. While I agree that the writer does have some credible form of education in philosophy, it falls very short in explaining why a lack of belief or why atheism is in fact "stupid". The book is filled with philosophical rhetoric, enough in fact to add nothing new to the body of knowledge that already exists on this subject.
The claims and arguments in this book take the form of circular logic/reasoning. Ex. How can atheists say they don't believe in "x" if they can't even prove the existence of "x" doesn't exist. If you can stand to read through tautology until the very end, by all means read it. The book could have alternately been titled "Religion is Stupid" as is the fallacy of circular reasoning. Volume 1? Please don't attempt a Volume 2.
Reading some of the comments, it appears as though some of the positive 5/5 star reviews were written in the same style as the book. It would appear that someone has created multiple accounts to inflate the rating of this rudimentary book, which should be contrary to Amazon policy. [My emphasis]
Great gag gift! (1 star)
Seriously. Your family and friends will wonder what you've been smoking or, in some jurisdictions, file papers to have you involuntarily committed.
Either way lives will be changed with the purchase of this book! I guarantee it! <-- the emphasis proves it. I really only read the summary on the jacket and I feel wiser already for not having purchased it.
A incomprehensible word salad that appears to have drawn heavily ... (1 star)
A incomprehensible word salad that appears to have drawn heavily on the Deepak Chopra quote generator. Sacerdotus, as everyone obviously knows, is the universally acclaimed theologian, scientist and polymath. His lurid self made website brings together a kaleidoscope of badly formed ideas, strawmen, non sequiturs and his own narcissistic smugness.
This work " Atheism is Stupid" is a self published pamphlet of jaw dropping uniqueness. The world may have known Sacerdotus as a wildly unhinged internet hero in the past, but now he gets , by the power of self publishing, the opportunity to put into a "reel buk" his gibbering and no doubt become rich! Rich beyond his wildest dreams! Stuff the rapture! Party now!!!
A burden for the bookshelf (1 star)
If someone claims to be a 'former atheist' he never has been an atheist. Religions are indoctrinated nonsense. If you recognize that, you are an atheist. If you return to religion that means that you accept nonsense over truth again. That is only possible if you never understood the truth.
Don't waste your time reading nonsense from someone who is unable to distinguish between reality and fairy tales.
The only two reviews to give more than the minimum 1 star (when will Amazon introduce zero stars or even negative ratings?) are complaining about the speed with which the other reviews were posted. Neither of them say a word in praise of Manuel's little effort. Surely there is someone within walking distance of Manny's room in his mother's apartment in Bronx who can find some useful work for this unfortunate little man so he doesn't need to rely on online begging and attention-seeking for a living, isn't there!
But, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. If you want to see whether those who read my books, or those who haven't and don't want others to, are right, you will have to read my books and judge for yourselves.
As one of Manny's reviewers, so aptly stated:"I'm not even sure he's capable of cognitive thought at all". As is typical of this sort of apologist: they offer no cogent argument for their beliefs and have no valid refutations for the 'atheistic stance'. Logical fallacies and special pleading abound. And when pushed into the corner they just parrot the mantra of faith. Well at least Manny provides us with a little humour although I suspect this poor bugger should stop relying on faith and get some professional help.
ReplyDeleteI suspect if he actually went for professional help, they wouldn't even let him go home to fetch his pyjamas. This is a man who lives in his room imagining the world is awestruck by his intellectual superiority, but who can't get a job.
DeleteI read the Amazon sample. I would not read it for free if he gave it to me (and I am a Christian). Not sure why he thinks anyone would pay £12 for it. The buyers were probably thoroughly disappointed that they did not read the sample before making the purchase.
ReplyDeleteAssuming anyone other than one of Manny's alter egos actually fell for the con and bought it.
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