Has anyone else read "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins?

Question

He points out how unrealistic believing in god is, how controlling, manipulative, and deceitful organized religion has been over the centuries - even diabolically evil and horrendous in their defense of holy scriptures and their crusades for conversion to their 'faith'. The bible has long been shown to be compiled over 900 years by a ragtag of different authors, scholars, scriblers, and copiers, with so many factual errors and impossible feats (oh wait, miracles), and what about god killing all the Hittites, Amorites, Canannites, Jebusities and other 'local tribes'. What kind of "god" kills people and advocates killing people, why is your make believe god any different than the make believe god allah? They both have advocated killing non-believers or anyone worshipping another god. Why do you care if two men or two women make love if you truly believe they are going to hell? Why don't you let people live there own life if they are not bothering you instead of trying so hard to convert.

Answer 1

Well read... pages "dog-eared" and much highlighting for conversational reference...

Glad you enjoyed as much as I did....

Answer 2

Dawkins has as much right to his opinion as Christians do.

Dawkins wrote that he believes that as beings evolve and increase in knowledge and technology, that it would be just a matter of time before we can manufacture planets, stars, even entire galaxies.
Ironically, this is the same individule who quoted from a book by Michael Shermer called "Why people believe weird things"

Would you trust a Christian as your source if you wanted to learn about atheism?
It doesn't make any more sense to expect to get an accurate, unbiased report about God from an atheist.

I would read the bible, then judge it's worth for myself rather than let someone else do my thinking for me.

Dawkins's books are full of factual errors. It actually took about 1,500 years for 40 people of various backgrounds to pen the colection of 66 writings we call the bible.
For some reason, you chose to mention the number of writers and the total length of time to write it all, and use these facts to try to discredit the bible's authenticity.

Think about how many authors and contributors go into producing a set of encyclopedias and the amount of time it takes. Would anyone say the set is worthless because of this? What does authorship and time have to do with authenticity?
How does the number of writers and the length of production time diminish it's veracity?

Because some believers were controlling, manipulative, etc., how does that disprove God Himself? These people can only discredit themselves. The behavior of people on earth has no bearing on the reality of God.
Many an atheist has been controlling, manipulative, and deceitful; should that be used as an argument to discredit the concept of atheism?

If it's not wrong for two men to make love, then why do you suggest it is wrong for people to believe otherwise? Are you saying that practicing homosexuality is less wrong than disagreeing with it? That being gay is acceptable but disagreeing with it is unacceptable?

It sounds like your trying to convert us to accepting immorality.

Answer 3

i might advise you to stay faraway from it. As a Christian, i know how sneaky and conniving devil is, and he could definitely use this e book against you. it may deliver forth many doubts and could offset your courting with God. whether, in case you definitely sense you may study it (pray to confirm to're doing the superb suited difficulty!), positioned on the entire Armor of God till now. Have the Scriptures genuine next to you so as that as quickly as you come back for the time of something that opposes God, you are able to seem up a verse that hinders Dawkins' argument. Be continually praying that the e book won't sway your non secular ideals. be careful.

Answer 4

Yes,churches and religion have been controlling,bloodthirsty and manipulative over the centuries.So have atheists.People are people,and we will always fight over things that we shouldn't fight over.
There is another side to the Caananite extermination.Did you know that the Caananites had a history of slave trading and child sacrifice? Did Dawkins mention that?
Uh,anyone who says that about the Bible is a nut.There aren't any factual errors,and who says that miracles can't happen? Because once you believe in God,it isn't impossible.
Jesus does not advocate killing non-believers.He forbids it.
I cannot control what people do with each other.I try and tell them about Jesus because I want them to be saved.I care for them.
Care to hear a few lectures by a man refuting Dawkins? See here:
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~mcgrath/lectures.html

Answer 5

Haven't read it but by your description I can have an idea what it talks about.It's interesting how Dawkins don't reallise that his ideal is very similar to the "religion is the opium of the world" -Karl Marx.Why does he ignores Mao Zedong,Kim Il Sung,Pol Pot,Lenin,Stalin who persecuted and killed hundreds of millions of people because they believed in God and followed religions,by spreading the propaganda of new world free from God and religion?He's a hypocrite in my opinion,I don't blame atheist and irreligious people for the 170 millions people who died in the hands of thease cruels regimes so I dont think he has this right to talk about theists and religious.Many people destroyed several of lives because they believed they we're doing a duty for their nation should we remove all the flags and nationalities of the world too?Why does he ignores the amount of people who give up their wealth,comfort,who spends time and make effort to construct a better world in the name of God?This killing in the name of God is a false idea made by people who claim they are religious but they're not they just use as an excuse so they can have an excuse for there bad actions and say they are doing for a good cause but face it, if you want to contribute to the Creator how can you be a loyal follower of Him if you are destroying his creation than?It's not God who kills people is ignorance,greed,hate and prejudice that leads to thease types of conflicts so being atheist or religious that won't guarantee you'll remove thease awful qualities.I'm not a fundamentalist and I respect people independent of their religion even atheist.Many people work hard for betterment of mankind because of religion and their belief in contribution to God so is very unfair to be insulted like this.

Answer 6

Excellent book and those who are afraid to read it must have doubts about their own faith anyway. In fact I believe there are many closet atheists out there. If someone believed the bible were truly the word of god almighty they would read the book in its entirety and be stupefied by the wisdom and insight a supernatural being who is timeless would have. The facts would be factual. Instead we have a woman being turned into salt, allegories of women being raped and sacrificed as a burnt offering, genocide where cities are wiped out including innocents, children and women (and men) with god's approval. The bible was written with the perspective that the world is flat and stars are small objects. Even in revelations a star is put out by a vessel of water. They had no clue that stars were suns. Here is more of biblical fallacy http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/febible.htm I would think if this was the word of god, the big kahuna would have known the world wasn't flat.

Answer 7

Was there a question in there, or just a rant? I thought that was what we let the Theists do while we sit back and calmly point out the numerous flaws in their arguments?

Answer 8

I've seen his documentary with the same name. Conveys the same message.

I totally agree with you.

Edit: Anybody claiming that the asker is being hypocritical and saying he's trying to take away your religion, rethink that. We don't care what you believe. Leave. Other. People. Out. Of. It.

Answer 9

I haven't read it but I'll give it a go. You should try reading "The Paradox of God" By Clifford pickover. Its not as biased as this book sounds but its interesting nonetheless.

Answer 10

No, and from your synopsis, I probably wont.

As a side point, you stated, " Why don't you let people live there own life if they are not bothering you instead of trying so hard to convert." Sounds like maybe you should take your own advice.

Answer 11

Why don't you let people live there own life if they are not bothering you instead of trying so hard to UN-convert.

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 26:12