The God Delusion

This interesting piece of literature was published by Bantam Books and written by British Biologist Richard Dawkins, professorial fellow of New College, Oxford, and inaugural holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford.

As of January 2010, the English version of The God Delusion had sold over 2 million copies. It was ranked #2 on the Amazon.com bestsellers' list in November 2006, and has had the privilege of getting on the list of the New York Times Bestsellers.

Dawkins writes that The God Delusion cointains four "consciousness-raising messages:

2. Natural selection and similar scientific theories are superior to a "God hypothesis"-the illusion of intelligent design-in explaining the living world and the cosmos

3. Children should not be labelled by their parents' religion. Terms like "Catholic child" or "Muslim child" should make people cringe

4. Non-Believers should be proud, not apologetic, because non-belief is evidence of a healthy, independent mind.

A newborn who understands absolutely nothing about life will believe his or her parents the only people he/she knows. Parents give love, attention, and food to their babies, so obviously a child will believe anything they say. We all know how impressionable children are, we've all been there. If you tell a child Santa Clause exists they will believe it and even write you a huge list of gifts that they want. Now put that on a larger scale "God". If you tell a child God, Saints, and Angels exist you can guarantee they will believe every word.

San Francisco Chronicle Troy Jollimore

"The God Delusion" is a fine and significant book, and this is largely due to Dawkins' willingness to employ the sharp edges of his intellect to cut through a paralyzing propriety whose main effect is to stifle conversations--about religion, about intellectual responsibility, about politics--that we very much need, at this particular moment in our history, to be having.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Guardian Joan Bakewell

Dawkins is right to be not only angry but alarmed. Religions have the secular world running scared. This book is a clarion call to cower no longer. Primed by anger, redeemed by humour, it will, I trust, offend many.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Independent Marek Kohn

[Dawkins] disregards the risk that attacking a people's religion may amount to an attack on them as a group. Some comments and quotes in this respect are reckless. The most shocking quotes, though, are all from the Bible. His greatest polemical asset is having that particular God on his side.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Economist

Mr Dawkins dreams of a day when atheists are as well organised and influential as Christian conservatives have become. If nothing else, his book should help bring the atheists out of the closet.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Globe And Mail [Toronto] Patrick Watson

The God Delusion is a good, strong argumentative challenge to any thoughtful believer with the courage to read it with care and try to dispute it. It has a couple of flaws. [14 Oct 2006]

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dawkins properly gives the promoters of... false doctrines about the science of human origins a dose of their own overheated rhetoric.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

New York Observer Emily Bobrow

[Dawkins] has marshaled his full case against the existence of God, and the result is compelling, fairly familiar and often entertaining.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Houston Chronicle James Cortese

While it's true that large percentages of Americans believe in such things as the virgin birth (as well as UFOs), most of the smart people -- those with advanced degrees, professors, scientists, etc. -- tend not to take religion seriously or are outright atheists and agnostics. This book is their comfort food.