The God Delusion
February 21st, 2007
“Real Men Love Jesus”. So read the bumper sticker plastered to the back of a van belonging to a floor-cleaning company here in Saskatoon. Ignoring the fact that the type of person who believes that the definition of a “Real Man” can be placed succinctly onto a bumper sticker likely also believes that there is room in the definition for a Ford, GM, or Dodge, when did it become an acceptable business practice to place such religious drivel on a company vehicle? It would be nice to believe that such things are the domain of the uneducated but, alas, it is not the case. This is one of the central and more terrifying themes of The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.
I received a copy of The God Delusion as a Christmas gift from my wife and read the book in short order. It has been my intention to write up an entry on it ever since, but I have not found the time until now. Prompted by the aforementioned bumper sticker and a very disturbing video sent to me by a friend, I have decided to make time for this task.
I have long been disturbed and concerned by the continued miseducation and downright brainwashing of children by religious fanatics. Everyone knows of the obvious examples – Islamic extremists, Kool-Aid-drinking cultists – but, as Dawkins points out, the problem is actually far more commonplace. The video linked above is a great example of highly educated, average Americans drilling absolutely perposterous ideas into the minds of their children. The examples presented in the book are so crazy, that at times I thought I was reading a work of fiction. To think that so many people in this day and age can believe such backwards nonsense is really, truly chilling.
One of the more interesting concepts presented in the book is the notion of atheist pride. It is a shocking statistic that many Americans would sooner vote across political lines, abandoning long-held prejudices, before they would vote for an atheist candidate in an election. The rationale behind this seems to be that most people don’t trust someone to be a good person without the fear of God to keep them honest. Personally, I would much rather put my trust in someone who is good for the sake of being good, not just out of fear of reprisal from some vengeful man sitting on a cloud. Anyway, there is apparently a movement amongst some athiests to raise awareness and be more vocal. Until reading this book, I largely considered myself to be agnostic – not because any part of me believed in God, but because of the overwhelmingly negative connotations attached to atheism. This book has helped me realize that there are a lot more people who share my disdain for religion than I had ever imagined. The idea of atheists speaking up and being more proud of their logical nature warms my heart.
In The God Delusion, Dawkins makes an excellent case for the argument that religion does not and has never contributed in a positive way to human society and culture. The staggering nature and number of examples he provides, as well as the overwhelming hypocrisy of religion and religious people demonstrated truly makes me worry for the future. This excellent book provides a great deal of insight and does a wonderful job of raising consciousness with regards to the harm that religion can cause. This is definitely one of the best books I have ever read.
