This is a book about faith and doubt, about the quest for certitude in religion. Help My Unbelief is for anyone who has ever asked: How can I really know there is a God? How can a loving God allow evil and suffering? What do I need to know when my faith is shaken by scandal in the church? Does science make my faith look foolish? What do I need to understand to experience certainty and assurance?

William O'Malley provides persuasive answers to questions raised by the "new atheists," authors like Christopher Hitchens (God Is Not Great) and Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) whose certitude that there is no God has sparked a national conversation between religious and scientific worldviews. Fr. O'Malley helps believers to understand the issues, tolerate ambiguity in their lives, and continue their quest to see the invisible and to know the unknowable. He shows that there is a way of knowing that transcends argument and offers the possibility of moral certitude and certain assurance. Paperback.

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Review 1 for Help My Unbelief

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Date:May 18, 2010

Sean

I was looking for a book on apologetics so perfect it could be guaranteed to convert an atheist to a believer. This is NOT that book. However,it is guaranteed, no matter who you are, to make you think. It's clear that O'Malley is intelligent, or at least well-read and current. The book is filled with philosophical quotes not only from famous Christian thinkers like G. K. Chesterton, but from atheist heroes such as Dawkins, Darwin, Sagan, Freud, and Nietzsche. O'Malley refers to sources as diverse as Star Wars and The Matrix. O'Malley's writing voice is intellectual, witty, and very conversational. Early on, O'Malley debates the existence of a soul and discusses what makes someone human. He points out, interestingly, that Freud's work has often been misinterpreted, replacing "soul" with "mind." In further chapters, O'Malley explains why comparing the Bible to myths isn't the worst thing someone could do and removes several of the stumbling blocks from unbelievers understanding the Bible. In later chapters, O'Malley looks at accusations from scientists like Richard Dawkins and argues that science has not taken away the need for a God. And he does this while remaining humble and largely avoiding ad hominem attacks. O'Malley's final chapter takes an honest look at the old question of evil and why a good God would allow suffering. The largest chapter, nestled in the middle of the book, is called "The Imperfect Church." I read this chapter last, and was tempted to skip it. However, I found the chapter to be a good defense of the Catholic faith, and, by extension, an answer to many accusations unbelievers level against Christianity and religion in general. O'Malley's book isn't theologically flawless, and it doesn't offer very many definitive arguments against Richard Dawkins et al., but as far as food for thought goes, it will give any reader plenty of solid meat to chew on. You have nothing to lose but a closed mind.

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