Richard Dawkins - The God Delusion
I don't quite know why it's so, but controversial topics always catch my fancy rather easily. While I was browsing through a rack of books rather eloquently labeled 'Others' at my local bookstore, I came across this
book on the lowest rack. The moment my eyes fell on the words 'God' and 'Delusion' I was hooked.
Before most of my readers start saying, "Oh!, So he is one of Those.. No wonder he picked it up!", let me make it perfectly clear that as far as humanly possible, I make it a point that the beliefs and prejudices that I have been brought up in (which are not necessarily mine) do not interfere with the choices I make as to what I read.
So, from the view of a person exercising his innate curiosity, I went through the book over the weekend and I found it, to my immense satisfaction, a riveting read. On reflection, I think the principal reasons for it would be my self-confessed affinity for controversy, and my quest for a pragmatic viewpoint in any material I read.
I don't suppose, given the book's title, I need worry about letting the cat out of the bag as far as its content goes. However, I would be doing the author and the book a gross injustice if I were to be negligent in dealing with some of its most salient features in this review.
What I found most refreshing about the book was its almost brutal straightforwardness when dealing with certain events in history. The entire issue of Einstein and his quote referring to the chances of 'God' being a gambling
entity was dealt with in a manner that I found very interesting.
Throughout the book,
examples are rife of many people, not least among them noted luminaries such as Thomas Jefferson and Charles Darwin who held similar views to that of the author. These examples provide the reader with poignant insights into the ideology prevalent in common society.
As is to be expected from the background of the writer, most of the
questions raised were with respect to Christians or Jews. However, as the author himself points out, the basic ideas behind his arguments may be applied to the foundations of any religion and its governing entity / entities.
It is also important that I stress the fact that the book does not aim to play the part of a 'missionary', if I may use such a term. Not without a sense of irony, Dawkins plays the Devil's Advocate to the case of Man's
claim to the existence of God. Questions, Arguments and Facts are laid down which make for a compelling case against the claim.
I really enjoyed
reading this book, and I hope that you can find it in you to cast aside the prejudices and beliefs that may persuade you against reading it, and give a 'different' viewpoint a chance; if only to tell you that another side exists.
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