New Atheism, Myth, and History

Nathan Johnstone is a specialist in cultural and religious history, and is the author of The Devil and Demonism in Early Modern England. He has taught history at Canterbury Christ Church University and at the University of Portsmouth, UK.

“His book is the first to approach the issue from a historical perspective as opposed to a philosophical or theological perspective. … This book should be required reading for Orthodox priests and indeed anyone who partakes in or follows the debates between atheism and theism, particularly those that involve the New Atheists. It has a unique, almost neutral approach which is a breath of fresh air in these debates.” (Iain Elabo, Orthodoxy in Dialogue, October 14, 2019)“The New Atheism, Myth, and History intends to overcome this lack of critical reflection on the cultural and historical claims from a predominantly historical perspective. … Nathan Johnstone’sThe New Atheism, Myth, and History. The Black Legends of Contemporary Anti-Religion is a must read for anyone who seriously seeks to engage inthe debate concerning the historical and culture impact of religion on the course of history.” (Benedikt Paul Göcke, Reading Religion, readingreligion.org, January, 2019)​

• Introduction: History and the New Atheism.- Superstition and the Stake: Witch-hunting and the Terrible Consequences of Believing in the Supernatural.- Faith and the Stake: Heresy and Religious Totalitarianism.- Chalking up Six Million Deaths to Religion: Appropriating the Holocaust.- The Rational Tradition and Atomism.- Heroes and Martyrs: Witch-Hunting and the Dangers of Scepticism.- The Hostile Utopia: Atheist Oppression and the Assault on Religion in the USSR.- From the Spanish Toca to the American Waterboard: the Strange Yardstick of Ethical Progress.- Atheism, Religion and the Myth of Cultural Distance.- The Moderation of the Unfinished Thought: Militancy, Polemical Cavalierism and Atheisms.