This is a passionate but breezy and occasionally learned polemic that seeks to expose the harmful nature of religious orthodoxy, whether it be Christian, Jewish, or Moslem, which it contrasts with polytheism, specifically Greek polytheism, altogether a more relaxed system. It is also a forceful plea for the use of reason in pursuit of our understanding of some of the biggest questions that confront us in relation to our place in the world.

The letter takes the form of a number of questions which have troubled the author, who is an agnostic, since he was five years old—questions such as: Who exactly are You? What do You actually do? Will I be bored in heaven? He addresses his queries to God—or, more accurately, to the God of human imagining—in an effort to establish a relationship of trust by engaging Him on an equal footing.

Despite the irreverence that it shows toward organized religion and its practitioners, the letter is deeply committed to the promotion of goodness. It argues for a morality based not on dogma and obedience but on ethical awareness and questioning, and it proposes a revised version of the Ten Commandments to which all decent people could and should adhere.

An Ordinary Man’s Letter to God is not an attack on faith, nor does it advocate for atheism. It argues passionately for the use of reason to establish a universal doctrine of tolerance, decency, common sense, and love.