In The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins, a well-known and vocal atheist, makes out the case for the non-existence of God. He then goes a step further, and argues that religion is the major cause of many of the troubles facing humanity today.
The God Delusion is a book that has created considerable controversy around the world, and in particular, riled the religious right in the United States. Indeed, arguing as it does that not only does God not exist, but also that religion—not necessarily religious extremism, the whipping boy of the politically and religiously correct media—is at the root of many of the world's problems, it is hard to imagine that it would not offend the religious.
Richard Dawkins is a Professor at the University of Oxford, and is recognized as one of the world's foremost intellectuals. He also writes lucidly, with a light and humorous touch. The result is a work that, while it deals with weighty matters, proves to be surprisingly easy and enjoyable to read.
One of the things that the author finds the hardest to digest is the automatic respect that society accords to any religious belief, however scatterbrained and dangerous it may be. If you call yourself the Son of Sam, and go out and shoot people because you hear Papa Sam in your head telling you to, you are a loony who will surely spend your life in jail —deservedly, as David Berkowitz is now doing. But, if you go around telling people that you can hear God speaking to you in your head, you stand a good chance of picking up at least a couple of thousand devotees who'll kiss your feet and shine your shoes. And, if you can kill a few thousand people on God's instructions, you are well on your way to founding your own religion. |
