I bought The God Delusion a few days ago after realizing that I had read very little by any of the great atheist scholars of our time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Dawkins does an excellent job of disproving the existence of a god as well as showing how religion is in general a negative or at least not a positive force in the world.
Dawkins looks at quite a few controversial issues, but one that I especially appreciated was his examination of why religion is somehow granted an automatic respect where other personal beliefs (such as politics) are not. People feel free to argue against other peoples' political viewpoints, but see religion as a taboo, which translates into a tolerance for the extreme elements present in many religions (he uses the example of authorities turning a blind eye to female circumcision in Britain so as to not upset the fundamentalist Islamic community there). He also makes a strong argument against the indoctrination of children in religious beliefs, arguing that children should be taught how to think, not what to think.
Dawkins also examines a number of misconceptions about atheism and scientific belief. First, he makes the obvious point that natural selection is not random chance. He points out that the common religious argument that chance is an impossible method for life to have emerged on earth is correct, but that unlike what they assert, chance is not the only alternative to intelligent design; natural selection is. He also raises the common religious argument that those who do not believe in a higher power see no point in life by stating that because atheists believe that we have no more chances at life that we see life as even more worth living to the fullest. Finally, he also looks at the commonly asserted belief that atheists who argue their points are just as much fundamentalists as religious extremists. Dawkins refutes this by pointing out that passion does not equal fundamentalism, and that while a religious fundamentalist will not change their mind regardless of the evidence presented to them, a passionate scientist will change their mind when provided with new evidence.
In arguing against the existence of the supernatural, Dawkins makes a number of very solid points, including the obvious one of pointing out the great many contradictions in the bible. He also examines Thomas Aquinas' argument of infinite regress halted by god (everything has a cause, leading back in a long line of causes until they reach god) and makes the same point that I did when reviewing Lewis' God in the Dock: if god is the cause of all these things, what caused god? He also takes aim at the idea that human morality has a divine source, and that atheist morality is flawed because there is no god to provide an ultimate definition of good and evil. First, he argues that clearly modern human morals do not come from the bible, since no one in the modern world follows every precept in the bible. Therefore, just as atheists choose which morals and values they adhere to, so too do Christians. Second, he points out what he calls the "debate stopper:" if there is no morality without god, then people are naturally immoral and would, without the restraint of god's presence, be rampant murderers, rapists, and looters. If it is not the case that people would rampantly commit crimes without god's presence, then god is clearly not required for morality. This brought to mind the argument that those who blame women for being sexually assaulted (because they were dressed "indecently") are not just blaming the victim, but also insulting men in general, since it assumes that men are naturally rapists who are only able to restrain themselves if women dress "modestly" (incidentally, that is essentially what fundamentalist Muslim doctrine is saying when it forces it women to cover themselves from head to toe).
Overall, I greatly enjoyed The God Delusion. Dawkins makes a number of excellent points both disproving the existence of a god and arguing against religion in general. I would highly recommend this book.
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