Personally I have never felt more enlightened and free than after having read it. I finally feel able to cast of the shackles of my agnosticism and embrace humanism and reason. I am really keen on hearing from others who have had their consciousness raised by Dawkins. That said I am not really interested in this being a debate about religion - I am already a member of another forum devoted to the subject (I can PM people the details if they are interested) but rather just want to rejoice with other BB members about how cool this book is.
Mods feel free to move this to the book discussion thread if you feel it is more appropriate. I didn't want to put it in the "Religion and Spirituality" section because atheism is really the absence of belief and faith.
I read this a few years back and didn't particularly enjoy the book. I thought it wasn't very well put together, the arguments quite loose and lacking in much substance. The tone of arrogance made it really hard to read. It didn't have any affect on my beliefs (I was not religious prior to reading). I didn't come from a religious background so did not really benefit much from the book having already worked through most of what was discussed.
I am continually re-evaluating how I feel on the topic. I don't really agree with any of the formal religions but I'm not sure I believe this is it either anymore. The main thing that has brought me back to the topic is falling pregnant and having my daughter. I certainly have a hope that this is not it because it breaks my heart to feel there is a limit on the time I have with the people I love. The more logic side of me thinks this is more a mourning of the fact than a disbelief in its truth.
I have been to a few forums on the discussion of religion. I think it is such an interesting topic (as well as history and culture, it all seems to intertwine) and still maintain the thought that the original science was religion, a way to explain that which we did not understand. The rational side of me sees it as quite redundant but the emotional side longs for the reassurance and security that religion can have.
Last edited by Jellyfish; August 20th, 2009 at 02:10 PM.
TBH I don't see Dawkins as someone who has no faith. It seems to me that to spend so much time (and money) arguing for athiesm is a form of faith - he has as much faith in Athiesm as the most dogmatic member of any other faith. To me dogmatism is always unattractive regardless of what faith promts it.
Richard's Dawkins' "The God Delusion"
I finally feel able to cast of the shackles of my agnosticism and embrace humanism and reason. I am really keen on hearing from others who have had their consciousness raised by Dawkins. That said I am not really interested in this being a debate about religion - I am already a member of another forum devoted to the subject (I can PM people the details if they are interested) but rather just want to rejoice with other BB members about how cool this book is.
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