The God Delusion

By: Richard Dawkins

Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward

Discover magazine recently called Richard Dawkins "Darwin's Rottweiler" for his fierce and effective defense of evolution. Prospect magazine voted him among the top three public intellectuals in the world (along with Umberto Eco and Noam Chomsky). Now Dawkins turns his considerable intellect on religion, denouncing its faulty logic and the suffering it causes.

He critiques God in all his forms, from the sex-obsessed tyrant of the Old Testament to the more benign (but still illogical) Celestial Watchmaker favored by some Enlightenment thinkers. He eviscerates the major arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of a supreme being. He shows how religion fuels war, foments bigotry, and abuses children, buttressing his points with historical and contemporary evidence. In so doing, he makes a compelling case that belief in God is not just irrational, but potentially deadly.

Dawkins has fashioned an impassioned, rigorous rebuttal to religion, to be embraced by anyone who sputters at the inconsistencies and cruelties that riddle the Bible, bristles at the inanity of "intelligent design", or agonizes over fundamentalism in the Middle East or Middle America.

©2006 Richard Dawkins (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Richard Dawkins is the leading soothsayer of our time....The God Delusion continues his thought-provoking tradition." (J. Craig Venter, decoder of the human genome)
"The God Delusion is smart, compassionate, and true....If this book doesn't change the world, we're all screwed." (Penn & Teller)
"The world needs...passionate rationalists....Richard Dawkins so stands out through the cutting intelligence of The God Delusion." (James D. Watson, co-discoverer of DNA, author of The Double Helix)

A must read for any religious intellectual

"The God Delusion" is a blisteringly well-written commentary on the state of religion framed by current events and is an absolute must-read for anyone, but in particular, one who wishes to further explore one's own doubts as an American Christian and the evolution of Christendom in the US. Personally, I found myself nodding my head throughout the read during most of the key points with regard to abuse that many have suffered historically as a direct result of religious fanaticism.

However, when Dawkins' quite obviously personal experiences and emotions surface sporadically, the tone dives deeply into resentment and absurdity. Frankly, I hope that the references to redneck cops, Christian zealots, and fearful, overbearing parents as the center stream of American Christians are written for shock and entertainment value and are not Dawkins' real motivation for writing. Eliminating these sixth-sigma examples from the overall argument is necessary to objectively understand Dawkins' core points.

Unfortunately, Dawkins makes the same mistake that most ‘religious’ Atheists make; that it is necessary to accept God (or a god), a religion and a religious text wholly together in a specific religious context, (such as Christianity, which is a ferociously attacked) as a explanation of the existence of a creator. Exposing the Bible as a book of lies, deceptions and evidence of accepted immorality does not logically disprove the existence of a creator - nor does the argument of ‘not chance’ in an evolutionary argument.

Every American Christian, especially those that are newly-saved and are looking for evidence of why looking inward for a relationship with one's creator is absolutely necessary for freedom of thought. What could be said is that the true delusion is not with the existence of God or a creator, but with the assumption that any human can competently represent or understand God. And for that, I apologize.

another fantastic read by Richard Dawkins.

as always, Dawkins is brutally eloquent, painfully concise, and massively researched. bring your stiff upper lip to this one.

Do Actually

A great book that whenever I hear negative reviews of, I always wonder, "did they read this book, or only the title?" Dawkins is insightful, entertaining and rigorous. His view represents neither dogma or "belief"... it is the stuff of logic and clear thinking, something everyone would likely benefit from.

Comprehensive and Insightful

Dawkins is a scientist at heart and it shows quite clearly in his prose. The book is excellent in covering all aspects of the argument to God's existence. Sometimes it may be covering it too well. Some chapters appear overburdened with points that are exhaustive, but necessary to inhibit any form of counter argument. Most chapters are clear, concise and a joy to read/listen to. Dawkins and his wife make excellent readers of this book and alternate to help the listener be revitalized. If you do not gain a new perspective on this topic from reading it you just weren't listening. I'd recommend this book for anyone who truly questions the whole religious enviroment we live in or even if you don't.

They say aloud what most people are thinking

I found this book to be facinating. I have been thru at least 3 different religions and i can tell you none of them " filled a void" . this author speaks to that little voice in your head That tells you that what you are hearing from a priest, bishop, rabbi, or what ever just seems off. and he backs it up with good plain undeniable logic. But remember belief in anything is an entirely personal CHOICE. Even if that thing is nothing at all.

Scientific arrogance at its best.

I enjoyed this volume and give it 4 stars because it has something to say, some real knowledge to offer, and some real history to teach, as opposed to most critical polemics of this type, it is funny, witty, but ruthless toward religious beliefs and practices, I love this book, and bought it for my girlfriend and my good friend, it is not for the faint hearted, certainly not for religious fundamentalists.

excellent

if i could i'd force everyone to read/listen to this book and certain others. until people start using their brains this world will continue down the path it's on. the "religion of greed" and the greed of religion will be the downfall of not only this country, but many others.

awesome book

I love the presentation and the content. I listened to the book twice. I recommend this book to everyone.

I'd rather the book.

If you are a diehard God believer I'd suggest something a bit lighter first. Ultimately Dawkins helps to clarify, challenge and define... even for atheists and agnostics who may have long thought they were clear about their beliefs and why they believe them. This is particularly so for agnostics who may benefit from Dawkin's challenging arguments about temporary agnosticism and permanent agnosticism.

Just one other point... some listeners may find the shared reading of the book between Dawkins and his wife Dalla Ward an enhancement while others may find the switching back and forth distracting. In hindsight I think I would rather have read the book. Nonetheless, the God Delusion is an important work and hopefully won't be the last effort to help assuage centuries of religious impositions.

Please read Christopher Hitchins and Daniel Dennett for more insights into the non-religious world. And if you really want to explore spirituality more, they don't come more sane and balanced then Joseph Campbell.

Give it a chance

If you start listening to this book and don't like the tone or the approach of Richard Dawkins, don't give up on it. While the first couple of chapters seem to have no purpose other than to bash religion, the book really takes off after this and he gets into a great thought provoking groove. He makes some great points about religion, in particular how we treat our children when it comes to religion. Even if you are believer, this books is worth listening to as it has the potential to open your mind to ideas you may not have considered before.