Can We Be Good Without God?: Behaviour, Belonging and the Need to Believe

Daniel M. Kolos is president of Benben Books, a company publishing
scholarly works.

Should anyone read a book based on a rhetorical question? Buckman’s
work hardly concerns itself with being good. Instead, he has prepared a
subtle argument for humanism and his book is a model work of religion
bashing. It is subtle because “humanism” is not mentioned until
Chapter 7, and the author carefully remains “fair” about the
differences between theism and non-theism until Chapter 5, when the
gloves come off. The title, therefore, is misleading. “Can We Be
(Exist) Without God” is the real topic. Buckman cavalierly
deconstructs theism without the strict discipline of a philosopher. Many
of his points are valid. Everything people ascribe to a deity can be
duplicated without one.

Perhaps Buckman’s prejudices as broadcaster, keeping half an eye on
the marketplace, contribute to the weakness of his arguments. Perhaps
his painful experiences as a cancer specialist M.D. led him to the
opposite conclusion to the one he cites from the trenches of World War
I: that everybody in a foxhole believes in god. He does not ask,
“Where is god in the cancer ward?” But he answers this question
anyway in a roundabout way: “Every country … that ever went to
battle has been convinced that god was on their side.” But “no
leader ever dared to say the opposite.” The point has nothing to do
with goodness and everything to do with proselytizing for humanism:
especially in those cases where Buckman clearly shows religious beliefs
precipitating wars, breaking every rule and dogma of goodness.

Can We Be Good Without God? is well written and contains interesting
tidbits of mythology (Joseph Campbell), psychology (William James),
neurosciences (Michael Persinger). Unfortunately, sectarian prejudices
overshadow each argument.