The God Delusion

I have been a confirmed atheist for the last 25 years – albeit an uncomfortable one. My discomfort did not stem from any doubt about my belief that there is no God. The interpretation of God in this context is the all knowing, omnipresent, super being, who watches our every move, dishes out goodies and punishment as he sees appropriate, and in general, is responsible for everything that goes on in the universe. Most of my life I have believed that there is no such being.

My discomfort has always been about the fact that I could never counter the theist arguments adequately whenever I got into a discussion on this subject. For instance, it was nearly impossible for me to answer questions like – how do you explain the magic of the human brain? How do you explain the tremendous diversity of life forms around us? Etc., etc.

It all changed a few months ago when I picked up an interesting book from an airport bookstore. This book lifted the cloud of discomfort from my mind - I am now very comfortable in my belief in the non-existence of God. This book is called “The God Delusion” and has been written by a person called Richard Dawkins. Dawkins is a scientist and has devoted a large part of his adult life pondering the God hypothesis, and has written an absolute masterpiece. The book is well researched, and brilliantly argued. Step by step, Dawkins peels the layers off the arguments for the existence of God and demonstrates that we use the concept of God to hide or further our ignorance.

I think this book is a must read for everyone who is open to new ideas, whether he or she is an atheist or not. I highly recommend it.