The God Delusion

[Herbert West]

Has anyone read the book "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins or watched the 5 part documentation.

He makes some very compelling points about our society and the influence of religion. I find myself agreeing with a whole slew of points he makes. I find myself also disagreeing on several points since I am not an atheist.

His argument isn't about whether God exists or not but on the probability or non probability of a designer(or God) of the universe existing. To me that pretty much sounds the same as saying God does or does not exist he is just leaving a .0000000000000000000001 % chance of him as well as some other atheist being wrong.

He hits on a lot of truths such as religion should have no influence on what type of President a country has. Religious institutions should not determine what is taught in biology. An atheist should not loose his job simply because he doesn't share the "faith" with others. Theologians are not experts or are not the only ones who can try and answer the deeper questions asked when it comes to the origins of the universe, the meaning of life, why are we here etc.

So far I have only watched the first part of this 5 part documentation and am reading his book which I find thought provoking.

I myself think he goes too far in believing religion should be wiped out entirely (even though at times I feel that way as well). To me such a statement is the same as those who feel the need and drive to assimilate those cultures into the Christian net or Muslim faith or the Jewish belief.
Religion, your faith, your believe, your non belief is a personal issue and should stop at your doorstep. When the door closes behind you and you enter the world there should be no pushing of ones faith on to another.
And here I have to agree with him as well a large part of the world is turning to a fundamentalist view of religion which only provokes violences and what we have termed as "ethnic cleansing" in reality is "religious cleansing" in many geographic regions.

So I am just wondering if any of our BV Christians (or of other faiths) have read his book or watched the documentary he made or are open minded enough to listen to part 1 and give their input.


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9002284641446868316&ei=MwamSP-KL4i24AKMnNUl&q=root+of+all+evil&hl=en

[koolmike]

I haven't read it and thanks for bringing it here for discussion. I'm looking forward to reading it next weekend and will then be able to contribute thoughtfully to this thread/discussion.

[SonOfSavini]

I've never read his books, but always read articles about him. He does make some great points and has really shaped the way I view certain aspects of religion. He wasn't the one who create it, but he always brings up "Russel's Teapot" which basically states...

"If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is an intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time."

I pretty much consider myself a Social Humanist now adays.

[RIP]

Good book.

I also really liked GOD IS NOT GREAT by Christopher Hitchens.

[WarBeast]

Sounds like my cup of tea... I'll definately try to squeeze this into my ever growing list of shit I need to read.

[Cobretti]

Very insightful stuff. I'm about half-way through, and Dawkins already has me being more honest with myself and others about my personal beliefs.

[xenulavey]

I read this book when I was in prison--very powerful stuff; especially considering the environment. People either get violent in prison, or they get religious (aka deceitful and even more dangerous). Dawkins is very articulate and his dry humor really sold his point.
As a Satanist I don't think the majority of people can afford to be honest with themselves and admit that god doesn't exist or that if a "god" does exist, that it really doesn't care about them personally. It seems to me that people need that external, all-powerful parent figure.
Another book that is thought provoking is "Away with all Gods" by Bob Avakian. It's written from a revolutionary communist perspective and while I may have fundamental disagreements with his ultimate political objectives, his analysis of religion's oppression of women is right on and very powerful.