My Read of the Month:

Title: The God Delusion
Author: Richard Dawkins
Published: 2006
Genre: Philosophy/Spirituality
Ratings:

Dawkins is one of today’s most vocal advocates for atheism. And he is not the least apologetic for his cause against religion that promotes creationism and the concept of intelligent design.

Right from the onset, he boldly spells his intention to convert believers in God or religious readers to atheism with his book; making it sound like a declaration of war upon mainstream religion.

Reading Dawkins’s convincing case against religion was both refreshing and sad. He argues how religion leads to a laziness and defeated faculty of the human’s reasoning where “any lack of data, or by lack of understanding are automatically assumed to belong, by default to God.”

To him, this represents a failure in a human’s imagination and critical thinking. Other bad affects he cited are how religion teaches one that an unquestioning faith is a virtue and is undoubtedly a divisive force in society. These were just some of the impressionable points he had raised that were backed with widely-known past incidents and cases.

It is sad that some of his argumentative points do carry an element of truth and highlights the sort of negative perception we (Christians) give to non-believers of God. Somehow being a people of the book has locked our mind rigidly and easily blocked or readily dismissed anything that doesn’t fit into the book; only “black and white” (but no grey areas).

Nothing can be further from the truth that the bible which contains the principles and precepts of God is intended to liberate our minds and free our spirits to become who we were created to be- genuine loving and highly intelligent people just as God is Agape and Elohim. But on the contrary, what we seemingly interpret from bible turns us into sheltered, hypocritical and judgemental people.

It is sad because most of Dawkins’ encounters with Christianity that he shares in this book has been nothing short of appalling. It is little wonder that he has not been convinced of an existence of a God since little or nothing of God could be drawn from his experiences with believers.

Having said that, knowing God is not achieved solely with the mind or intellect. Relating with God has to be engaged with spirit to spirit. One without the other would not allow one to fully experience Him or to manifest His existence.

Who should read it: All Christians and especially those who are interested in apologetics.