The God Delusion – Book Review

The God Delusion

by Richard Dawkins

I don't usually read books centering on non-dinosaurian and non-English topics or subjects. Nevertheless, this book is one of the few which have managed to pass my bookish filter. I was in the midst of immersing myself in a great work by a Canadian dinosaur paleontologist whose initials are S.D.S. when this bestselling book on religion finally landed in my hands – after a couple of weeks of typical pesky waiting for an imported book. At first, I hesitated as to whether to finish the then-being-read book, or grab and devour the newly arrived one. The latter turned out to be the champion of this little battle of thoughts (now that I have completed reading the British author's, I am delightfully back from my short hiatus to the interrupted dinosaurian adventure). Please pardon my inexorably burning fanaticism about the iconic creatures of the past, and here is my take on The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins:

First of all, it is pretty obvious, from the title alone, that this book is concerned with atheism, i.e. the absence/lack of belief in God or deities. What you will encounter is the author's arguments for the godless outlook on life and thoughts that thoroughly explain his stance on religion. One might expect that the pages of this book are peppered with vulgar or foul language such as "fuck religion!" but, on the contrary, you will be surprised by the cordiality (and eloquence) of his writings. It is strongly recommended, especially if you are religious, to get rid of any prejudice towards the contents before you start reading; or otherwise you will fail to grasp what the writer genuinely intends to convey to the reader. As an evolutionary biologist, Dawkins possesses a very scientific framework of thinking: consequently, he examines and discusses the subject on the basis of his expertise. Through reading this book, which is made up of 10 chapters and richly loaded with information (including quotations) from a great many sources, I find it extremely easy to see that Dawkins is indeed a hardcore rationalist. Personally, I think The God Delusion is well worth reading for people of all sorts of (un)belief, who comprise, but are not limited to, theists, agnostics, and even atheists themselves, if they want to gain useful insights into this particular worldview.

Note: Due to some geographical reason, I cannot fully write my review and I'd be very glad to share more of my thoughts on the book when the circumstances make it possible to do so.

Have you read The God Delusion? What is your opinion of this book? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!