The God Delusion

Richard Dawkins is no stranger to controversy. From his glowing denouncements of religion, famed characteristic of God using multiple unflattering adjectives, and supposed coining of the term "Athiests for Jesus," Dawkins seems unable to suppress his atheistic glee. His latest effort, The God Delusion, is his most controversial work to date, no doubt the title has something to do with it.

The God Delusion is pretty much the atheist manifesto. An over 400-page essay detailing the atheist faith(?) and the shortcomings of religion. As other reviewers have pointed out, this book will most likely not persuade even a casual believer from abandoning belief, because this book has more to do with science and religion than God directly.

So how does this book tackle science and religion? Even as a Christian, I have to say splendidly. Dawkins hardly leaves a topic unturned in his defence of evolution and decrying of (mainly fundamentalist/extremist) religion. His strongest area is definitely science, and for those looking for a solid response to creationism, or its brainchild "intelligent design," The God Delusion is a book you don't want to miss! Nearly too detailed for the non-scientifically oriented crowd, Dawkins keeps readers' interest with a never-ending supply of wit and energy. Evolution has never seemed so simplistic yet complicated. Dawkins describes the simple nature of the process with the complex nature of its manifestation effortlessly and effectively.

However, Dawkins' full-out attack on religion will most likely infuriate the masses, as he attempts to dismantle religious belief with possibly the most unrestrained scathing debunking to hit mainstream bookshelves. However, he surprisingly has friends in religious circles and favorably mentions the retired Bishop John Shelby Spong, giving readers the idea that his true victim is un-intellectualism, not religion or God per se. The God Delusion spend much more time discussing what Dawkins sees as the unnecessary nature of belief than actually disproving the existence of God or the falsehood of religion as a whole.

For progressive believers such as myself, one will hardly see any similarity in themselves to the religion described by Dawkins. While he does denote time to the alleged improbability of God, his religious attacks aim squarely at authoritarian belief systems that suppress free thought. He brilliantly describes the logical and scientific shortcomings of authoritarian religion by a cursory review of the Bible, examples from history, and a segment sure to incite controversy regarding religion's connection to child abuse.

In conclusion, this is an excellent work worthy of the time investment. Dawkins succeeds in his mission to "raise consciousness" for the reader, and even the religious can find much with which to identify in Dawkins frustration, although most will not be likely to accept his all-or-nothing mentality.

***1/2 out of ****