When authors write books that criticize other books, they have usually already
lost; the original book has set the agenda to which the critics respond, and
the outcome is foretold. Not in this case. The McGraths expeditiously plow
into the flank of Dawkins's fundamentalist atheism, made famous in The God
Delusion, and run him from the battlefield. The book works partly because they
are so much more gracious to Dawkins than Dawkins is to believers: Dawkins's
The Blind Watchmaker "remains the finest critique" of William Paley's
naturalistic arguments for deism available, for example. The authors can even
point to instances in which their interactions with him, both literary and
personal, have changed his manner of arguing: he can no longer say that
Tertullian praised Christian belief because of its absurdity or that religion
necessarily makes one violent. The McGraths are frustrated, then, that Dawkins
continues to write on the a priori, nonscientific assumption that religious
believers are either deluded or meretricious, never pausing to consider the
evidence not in his favor or the complex beliefs and practices of actual
Christians. They conclude disquietingly: perhaps Dawkins is aware that
demagogic ranting that displays confidence in the face of counterevidence is
the way to sway unlearned masses. (July) Copyright 2007 Reed Business
Information.
Average Rating: 3 out of 5 stars(3 out of 5 stars)
4 of 4 Reviews Showing:
2.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Paul S. (Santa Rosa, CA), December 24, 2007
Good review if you know Dawkins views. Reader benefited if argumentation is understood. I personally enjoyed the book.
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Chris Lutyk (Bristow, VA), November 07, 2007
This book is not an in-depth coverage of the issues in "The God Delusion". The author writes in an earlier book called Dawkins God (I think) a much more in depth treatise. However with the release of the God Delusion new issues are brought up and a quick response is called for. "The Dawkins Delusion?" goes after these issues which come from what he calls Dawkins "atheist fundamentalism. Dawkins book is a take no prisoners bludgeoning of religion, a complete rejection of God and religion as being childish nonsense. McGrath does a good job of exposing his close-minded "antifundamentalist" attack. He points out areas where Dawkins in his zeal leaves his scientific methods such as his use of the unsubstantiated religion gene called a Meme (which he invented) to carry on his attack. The weakness of Christian fundamentalism is not its passion or its dogged desire to hold on to biblical truth but rather its closed mindedness in learning from critics and real dialog. In its dogged defense of what it sees as sacred it has a great tendency to treat its opponents with little or no respect. Dawkins models this weakness all too well with his own "atheist fundamentalism" and McGrath calls him on it. Not surprisingly many in his own atheist camp are appalled and dismayed at Dawkin's approach. McGrath's review of this book is very helpful. McGrath is not here to argue whether God exists or not. Dawkins has gone too far and this book successfully points out many of his errors. If you are looking for a detailed defense against atheism this is not it. This is an expose of an extremist. I have heard Dawkins on the radio and he sees nothing good in religion and is on crusade to cleanse the land of this blight on humanity. If only everyone was an atheist then peace, love, joy and harmony would reign. I have an atheist friend who previously saw Dawkins as a champion for the atheist cause. However he's a bit embarrassed by "The God Delusion"
0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Deborah D'arcy (Grosse Pointe, MI), November 05, 2007
I was very disappointed in this book. The McGraths seem to be preaching to the choir, a choir that they believe should have already reached the correct conclusions and so don't bother to thoroughly address any of the points of The God Delusion! The authors just do not seem to understand that, as much as the fallacies of Dawkins seem self-evident to them, many people are taking Dawkins seriously. The point of a book such as theirs is to rebut his assertions one by one. They barely scratch the surface. I understand how maddening it is to try to answer arguments that are so outrageous, that they are 'not even wrong', but in writing this book the McGraths did everyone a disservice. No Dawkins supporter will be convinced to reconsider and those who are no fans of Dawkins theology (I am a fan of his other work, when he can keep his hostility to religion to a minimum) will have gained no insight into ways in which his atheism can and could be answered.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Eric Holk (Pacific Grove, CA), August 01, 2007
A succinct, well-reasoned critique of Richard Dawkins "The God Delusion". The authors write from the perspective of former atheists who now are committed Christians, and they offer an excellent evaluation of and response to Dawkins' "evangelical" treatise in support of atheism. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is concerned about how to respond to Dawkins from a Christian perspective.
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