Do not miss this!

This is an excellent book and it works very well with Richard Dawkins reading with his wife Lalla Ward. Dawkins argues against religion and never looses one's interest. He is knowledgable, amusing and devastating.Listen and open your mind if you are religious or listen and bolster your arguments if you are not. Then buy the book and read it and then read Dawkins' other books. He teaches difficult things so even I understand!

60 people found this helpful

Devastating critique of religion

Unlike 'Geoff' from Stockton-on-Tees (a previous reviewer of this work), I have had the benefit of actually listening to the book, and having read most of the rest of the Dawkins oeuvre besides. His writing is never less than exhilarating, and very often devastating. For me, the key theme is his critique of religion as an all-purpose excuse-generating mechanism, whether it is providing the justification for wars, discrimination or plain ignorance about the natural world. Alas, those who are too intellectually cowardly to listen beyond the preview will never experience the thrill and/or challenge of Dawkins' arguments.

I also feel that the book benefits from having been presented in this two-narrator audiobook form, and wonder whether Professor Dawkins' publishers have considered giving his other works a similar treatment.

42 people found this helpful

Brilliant!

The aim of the book: to turn the reader into someone who denies all things supernatural; worked on me. And I feel all the better for it - and I didn't know I would.

38 people found this helpful

Simplistic and Shallow

The God Delusion is fundamentalism at its poorest. It raves against non-atheists suggesting that they are, in some undiscovered way, a carrier of a disease. Its lack of tolerance for a non-atheist view points is shocking. The careful selection of obsolete theist and deist arguments to demolish, whilst avoiding current thinking, demonstrates a very selective argument. Its basic assumption that science is the only tool in the toolbox for understanding all aspects of the universe is flawed and shows a cavalier disregard for scholarship outside the science faculty.

If you read this book I strongly recommend that you also read The Dawkins Delusion by Professor Alister McGrath, also of Oxford University. It elegantly and politely demolishes Dawkins? book.

36 people found this helpful

Far more than a rant !

I've both read it and listened to this, several times now, and thought I'd wait a bit before adding my comments.
As an audiobook, it's superb - well read, and yes, the two voices work.
As a book, the content is remarkable, well-thought through and devastating - yes, Dawkins has strongly held views and a real anger about religion, its sources and its consequences. It is the book that atheists and agnostics who previously weren't sure why they felt what they felt have been waiting for - it articulates all their concerns.
Which is why, religious readers, simply dismissing it is both foolish and counter-productive. If we cannot read it, respect its honesty (even if we disagree) and counter its arguments intelligently and thoughtfully, other than by stamping our feet and sticking our fingers in our ears then we have no right to take the high ground. (And getting personal and vindictive is hardly Christian!)
Know your enemy, and work out the best way to deal with him! Are we really so insecure about our beliefs that we cannot counter Dawkins on his own ground, intellectually?

30 people found this helpful

Food for thought

The audio content of this recording is excellently presented by Dawkins and his wife, Lalla Ward, who alternate speaking to very good effect. Dawkins is at his most interesting and persuasive when talking about his specialist subject, evolutionary science, and has got a great deal to say about a wide range of other subjects. The book ranges from theology to social sciences to physics to ethics and the listener picks up some fascinating titbits of information and anecdotes along the way.

Unfortunately, I felt that Dawkins? passion for his cause, combined with his layman?s knowledge on the majority of the themes, leads to several rather irritating and poorly thought-out assertions which diminish the overall message of the book. I was left feeling short-changed after yet another sweeping dismissal of a complicated theological area and desperate to hear the other side of the story.

Overall, this book will open your mind to a wide range of discussion topics and give you much food for thought. I would, however, consider the abridged version as 15 hours of the author?s rhetoric gets a little wearying.

23 people found this helpful

Surprisingly Naive

I can only review the preview sample as I do not intend to buy the book. As the preview is designed to get one interested, then one can only assume that the sample is a pretty good synopsis of the overall content. I choose very few words to review for the issue I wish to relay is very simple.

All physical things exist according to definite rules of an ideal 'science'. These rules reflect a certain (although limited) truth about existence. The word 'truth' in this context could be described as having godlike qualities. (It's down to your definition). However, if you live in this physical world then you would be strongly advised to live your life according to it's rules. For example it would be wise not to jump off a 20 storey building.
There is much that our world of technology and science cannot explain especially in the realms of spiritual existence, or conscious existence. There is a whole well documented world out there that would come under this heading, which goes back thousands of years. I suggest that those interested would make an excellent start by reading Eckhart Tolle's book 'The Power of Now'. No mumbo jumbo here.
I should imagine that there is much good sense under particular headings in Mr Dawkins book, but I would suggest that it will be picked up by a far less (spiritually) mature audience than that which he intended.

20 people found this helpful

Flying Spaghetti Monster here I come

Any additional comments?

I found The God Delusion positively enlightening. I'm an atheist (brought up a Roman Catholic so chose atheism as soon as my mother gave me the option). The case for atheism is given intelligently, humorously, and with no condescension. The facts (for they are facts, not arguments) are very revealing, and hopefully help to remove the blinkers of religious dogma from as many people as possible.

18 people found this helpful

A must-read.

This is a great book, worthy of all the praise it gets. All open-minded people should read this book. Closed-minded folk won't get through it as it may be prove too damaging to their delicately structured, dogma-insulated mentalities.
The audio book's not available in Italy, where I live and I had to buy a hard copy in Britain. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Running scared, are they? So they should be.
As Dawkins so rightly points out, so many religious people haven't even read their own religion's 'sacred' texts and don't even understand their religion in the slightest and, indeed, have never questioned it, but merely follow theocratic dogma blindly.
I urge everyone to read, or listen to, this book. It will, at the very least, make religious people examine themselves and their religion and will help atheists and would-be atheists understand just how very dangerous religion, and especially blind faith, really are and how our lives are affected negatively by religion and ?faith-heads? on a daily basis.
I congratulate and thank Richard Dawkins.

17 people found this helpful

Never less than interesting

Dawkins is a evangelical atheist and never prentends to be anything else and this is his reasoning behind his position.

I applaud the use of two voices (Dawkins and Ward) - it works well indeed.

A fascinating argument which occasionally can repeat itself but is nevertheless well worth the investment in time.

15 people found this helpful