Richard Dawkins in one of the country's most famous scientists. He is also one of our most outspoken critics of religion. In THE GOD DELUSION he presents his arguments for atheism. While this book is unashamedly polemical, Dawkins adopts the rigourous approach of a scientist and applies it to the questions of religion, religous faith and the existence of God. Some of the issues he addresses include:
* A history of religious conflict.
* The impossibility of disproving the existence of God - something that has become a 'get out of jail free' argument for the inviolability of religion.
* Morality, where it becomes extra-religious; many moral changes and definition (e.g. women's rights, black civil rights) have occured sometimes against the resistance of the religious community.
* The fact that in some countries religion remains an excuse for the subjugation of women's rights.
* The fact that by forcing religious belief on our children we are denying them intellectual freedom.
* Denial of evolution which is an impediment to intellectual progress.
* Science fulfilling the same psychological needs as religion.
This is a hard-hitting, accessible and powerfully thought-out examination of religion in the modern world. While the West is becoming increasingly secularised, the rise of religious fundamentalism in other parts of the word is dividing opinion. This is a timely and extremely controversial book that will be required reading for anyone interested in this most emotional and fundamental of subjects.