The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins – a Review

This review was originally posted on Goodreads…

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is Dawkins. Does it really need a review?

Here I am again giving a 5-star review to a book after just recently saying in reviews elsewhere here that I rarely do this. I’ve been on a roll lately in picking winners off the library shelves, I suppose.

What’s this book about? Well, it’s about truth. It’s about science. It’s about philosophy. What it really is though, is Dawkins’ one volume book on deprogramming that which has been programmed into your brain from birth – the beliefs of religion; fairy-tale beings on higher planes of existence who made you and supposedly watch over you as you live your life.

If you are a faithful believer in a god (any god) and the requisite conditions, edicts of behavior, methods of worship, etc. that entail a religion of any type, then do NOT read this book. It will be anathema to you. It will present to you facts and figures and anecdotes relating to the histories of religions and faiths. It will teach you that which you will NEVER be taught in Sunday schools. So avoid this book. Keep your faith.

On the other hand, if you’re the type of person who feels that you’ve been inculcated into a sect-like belief system by parents or teachers or preachers/priests, and if you believe yourself to be a logical thinking life form capable of comprehending the written word and contemplating its meaning, then this book should be required reading for you. It will teach you truth, not fairy-tales, not scary stories of vengeful gods, etc. It will also teach you to think.

I spent ten years or so in my teens and early adulthood researching the histories of most of the major religions. I spent 11 years in Catholic schools being force-fed their versions of “reality”. My research and studies, which I was able to do because of my excellent Catholic school education (I’m grateful to them for that, anyway), ultimately led me to the truth.

I could have written this book. There were no surprises in its pages for me. However, this is Dawkins. This is a man who is a superlative thinker with peerless skills and a talent for passing along knowledge to others in a way that is both extremely educational and entertaining. If you are seeking truth in your life and your existence, read this book.

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