Overview: In A Conversation with an Atheist, Daniel McKenzie takes on the thorny topic of God. Countering religion’s simple faith-based answers to life’s biggest questions, McKenzie uses everyday logic and the teachings of non-dual wisdom to make a clear case for God-knowledge over God-belief.

Verdict: A Conversation with an Atheist: An Ancient, Reasoned and Radical Approach to Knowing God begins with a contentious dialog between an atheist and a sage who shares a vision of God that isn’t in conflict with reality.

Taking inspiration from the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita (The Song of God), the author shows that in order to understand God we must first see it as two different operating principles before seeing it as a unified whole - what he calls God 1 and God 2.

The result is a cognitive shift that changes not only our view of God but also how we view ourselves and our connection to each other and the cosmos.

It annoys the author, Daniel McKenzie, when people bring up the notion that there is a God, for the whole debate around whether or not God exists is a nonstarter for him.

And let’s face it, God is an awkward topic for most westerners, in general. God is rarely spoken of outside a house of worship and rarely among friends or even family.

As a society, we are more comfortable discussing our own sex lives, or even others, than we are God! Thus God is now a private affair best kept to oneself in fear of offending the neighbors, posits McKenzie.

From the life that I have shared thus are, some Christians think all atheists are ridiculous, so they openly mock or belittle those who question God, but you should never make that mistake.

Indeed, most atheists I have met are smart, sincere, and goodhearted. And even if they are not, treat them as if they are. Don’t talk down to them or speak condescendingly, the way you might to a child. Treat them with respect and acknowledge their intelligence. When you do, they’ll be much more likely to listen to what you have to say.

So instead of trying to present your views aggressively to your atheist friend, first ask them what they believe. This tact will help you then understand where they are coming from, so you are not responding to a straw man version of their beliefs.

Contained within the seven chapters brought forth by McKenzie here in A Conversation with an Atheist: An Ancient, Reasoned and Radical Approach to Knowing God - God 1, God 2, Creator Sustainer Destroyer, One Great Order, The Field of Experience and both Devotion and Is God Love - he begins with God 1, the consciousness principle, or the higher of God’s two-fold nature and then moves seamlessly into God 2, the formless consciousness principle, before heading into more intellectual insight and understanding for the discussion at hand.

About the Author - Daniel McKenzie enjoys writing in the context of Advaita Vedanta, an ancient and venerable wisdom tradition that is a proven means for understanding the nature of experience. His influences include James Swartz, Swami Dayananda and Swami Paramarthananda. He lives in Cameron Park, California.

Official Book Purchase Link