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• Imagine No Superstition: The Power to Enjoy Life With No Guilt, No Shame, No Blame
Stephen Frederick, Ph.d. Uhl

Golden Rule Publishers, 2007 - 190 pages

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   highly recommended  highly recommended






Excellent Writing; Negative Argument Loses; The Golden Rule Wins

In a timely, thought-provoking semi-autobiography, Stephen F. Uhl, in Imagine No Superstition: The Power to Enjoy Life With No Guilt, No Shame, No Blame, gives readers much to consider.

Interestingly, Dr. Uhl began his book as a letter to his nieces and nephews; however, later expanded it for a much wider readership. It is also interesting that he shares this based upon his past time as a priest, his movement from a staunch believer to that of an agnostic, and then to an atheist, as well as a practicing psychologist. With this background, his book provides well-documented, well-researched information considered through a breadth of experience and application.

Dr. Uhl takes us through an extensive overview of the historical dogma of various world religions. Moving from the "high" he felt when he truly believed he could absolve sinners of guilt (p.11), he moves through his years of additional learning and discussions to the point where he no longer believed as a credulous child (p.13). Gradually, he began to see the practices of the church as superstitious and lacking in rational thinking, noting that in his private practice, he worked to help his clients feel that they are self-responsible in dealing with perceived problems and pleasures (p.15).

Moving through many "heavy" topics, the first being whether religion is harmful to society, the author breaks at various points, throwing in a brief, relevant joke. It is clear that the writer is trying insofar as possible to present his views in an open and yet concerned manner. His goal is to eliminate the concept of superstition: defined by Webster as the "belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation." Noting that billions of men and women still believe in God, Allah, Yahweh, Satan or some other Power Higher than themselves...it is important that we examine that widely held premise..." (pps. 32-32)

Pointing out that believers need no proof as to the existence of God, he quickly states, "Reasoning humans, however, need convincing evidence in regard to such a basic and important matter." (p. 37) He continues, "I think the most destructive result of subjecting reason to faith is the loss of respect for our highest power, the logical human mind with its ability to problem solve responsibly." (p. 50)

Indicating that superstition beliefs are the problematic basis of WAR when each of the divided groups empathically state that "We Are Right," he asks that we assume for just a day that God does not really exist...that other "bad" guys resemble us "good" guys, that we are really quite like each other...[they] get hungry, tired, lonely...make love, just like we do. Can we think together, negotiate about real, measurable things, [and] leave out our superstitions...while we make practical rational deals?" (p.61)

After further consideration of concepts of guilt and responsibility, as well as faith taken to extremes, the author introduces "Practical Atheism" and consideration of what life might be without God. Uhl contends that "it is futile for natural man to try to logically prove or disprove an assumed supernatural being: it is simply beyond man's ability to know beyond this world of nature." (p. 141) With the elimination of our superstitions would come control of fear and greed.

The United States would have better tax legislation since there would no provision for tax exemption, and we would come to see honest politicians. There would be increased responsibility and a deeper sense of unity among citizens. The United States would seem friendlier to other nations. We would have improved parental and educational effectiveness and improved functioning of our justice system.

Noting that there is one rule we should all follow, The Golden Rule, Uhl points out that this principle has been in existence without regard to religion. The Golden Rule: "Treat others as you would reasonably want and expect them to treat you if your roles were reversed" is an important guide for human happiness and productivity and is quite common-sensical. (p. 164)

I found Imagine No Superstition a well-written, excellent presentation of the author's philosophy of life. Indeed, I agree with the major thrust he presents regarding the Golden Rule. I wonder, though--if Dr.Uhl had been a former news reporter who had personally seen the destruction that can be caused through supposed "freedom of speech," could he not have just as easily brought together all the negative factors of news reporting to justify and eliminate distribution of information and knowledge? Can we look at extreme examples of failures, caused by the humble humans that we are and thus justify to ourselves and others that we should move to eliminate not only our historical beliefs but also those that many billions now, today, believe?

While I found Dr. Uhl's method of presenting negative arguments unsuccessful for myself, I did find his book an excellent gathering of what we, as thinking individuals who do believe in a God, should consider and reconsider time and again as we live together within today's world. For surely none of us can negate the magnificent impact that living by the Golden Rule would have on our society, our world!



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Lose the Guilt

Review of Frederick Uhl's
Imagine No Superstition
(Trafford Publishing, 2006, Victoria, British Columbia~184 PP. paper,
ISBN: 1-4120-8797-X)
By Michael Judge

We are all sinners. This postulate, one of the foundational dogmas of the Christian religion, is blindly accepted without question by its adherents. Why is that a bad thing? The problem is, it is part of a much larger process by which institutional religion degrades, demeans and belittles the human entity with the express purpose of creating feelings of worthlessness, weakness and, most significantly, guilt. Once this human feels sufficiently dejected, these organizations then, for the price of loyal lifelong support, promise protection from the sufferings of hell and guarantee the rewards of immortality and infinite happiness in heaven. Stephen Uhl is exceptionally qualified to understand the strength and motives of the institutions and proselytizers that perpetuate religious myths and, more importantly, the effects and consequences to the individuals suffering from confusion and guilt nurtured by years of debasement. Uhl is a psychologist and former Roman Catholic priest. Each of these positions requires intimate personal contact with an individual's emotional and psychological processes. As a psychologist, he has been able to help people identify, confront, and remedy their problems but as a priest he unintentionally confused, condemned and, eventually, controlled people. This benefited his religious institution but left them in a perpetual state of guilt.
In "Imagine No Superstition," Uhl attempts to make restitution by exposing the religious lies thereby helping its victims shed their guilt. He begins with a brief summary of his journey to priesthood followed by his gradual `de-conversion.' Believing he was `destined to be of special service to God and his church,' Uhl attended seminary and became a priest. Truly believing in the truths of his faith, he administered to his congregation with devotional passion. As time went on, however, he began having some doubts as to the validity of some of these `truths.' Even though the process was gradual, lacking any sudden revelation, Uhl says that, `When this spell broke for me, it was like the sun coming up in my life.' So after twelve years as a priest he could no longer live the lie and resigned his position. He became a teacher, married, obtained a Ph.D. and spent the rest of his career as a psychologist. In this position he was able to repair some of the damage he once so enthusiastically contributed to during his years as a priest.
Uhl presents an excellent discussion on how people come to believe supernatural claims and why it can often be harmful to the individual. While the title uses the term `superstition,' Uhl's emphasis is clearly on religion and, in his view, religion is simply a form of superstition. His concept of superstition is `belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation.' He points out that prayer is simply a form of wishful thinking. Prayer works because of its hypnotic effect which gives the believer the strength and inspiration that helps them accomplish that which they are praying for.
Information and education are keys to overcoming the ignorance generated by superstition/religion and, in that context, he contrasts secular based and religion based teaching. He observes that, `A good teacher instills curiosity about facts in his students; a religion teacher too often demands rote memorization of manipulative catch phrases and passages from' religious texts. He continues with, `The good teacher motivates students to ask why and why not; the God teacher demands unquestioning faith.' An individual who, as a malleable child was indoctrinated with religious dogma, is often encouraged to spend excess time engaged in meaningless ceremony and traditions. As an example, in the Catholic religion, members are required to engage in multiple repetitions of the `Rosary, Apostles' Creed, Hail Mary,' etc. This time and energy, uselessly wasted, could be employed in much more productive human and creative outlets.
While exceptionally insightful at the personal level, Uhl is less so when he extrapolates to societal dimensions. Here, his personal visions of a godless society lack the rational justifications he so competently employs elsewhere in the book. For example, a supporter of capital punishment, Uhl rails against the alternative sentence of life without parole. He makes unsubstantiated claims about the deterrence of capital punishment and, even worse, fails to give any clue as to why or how it relates to the subject of this book. Still, his practical world view idealism has some merit. He longs for society to progress from a `dependency-engendering monotheism' to the independence and self-responsibility of non-theism or atheism.
Uhl correctly states that this book is not a scholarly work. He's right but that is part of its inherent value. He is able to understand, and describe, the intimate person as only a priest or psychologist can. His psychological expertise gives excellent insight into the human psyche while his in depth ecclesiastical knowledge expose the mechanisms and motives of the clergy. He does a superb job of intermixing personal experience, empirical data, linear reasoning, anecdotal stories, and humorous, sometimes outrageously so, supporting material to project clear understanding. The result is a delightfully entertaining, informative and interesting work.


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Simple and Profound

Stephen Uhl's book is both profound and simple. Profound in that it deals with some of the most important concepts facing the world today; simple in that is clear and persuasive. Dr. Uhl is able to speak from an unusual perspective. He is a former Roman Catholic Priest, and has moved very carefully and thoughtfully to an agnostlc/atheist position. His insights are remarkable, and many of us who are increasingly doubtful about the existence of the supernatural, and worried about the effects of a belief in the supernatural, will find the book a very solid grounding for our currently vague concerns. An excellent and thoughtful exposition of important and even crucial ideas.

Philip E. Johnson, Ph.D.


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