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Dawkins Delusion?, The Paperback – Sept. 6 2010

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 244 ratings

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Review

"[H]elps theistic people respond more intelligently to the current religion-bashing that has become a source of schadenfreude for some (though certainly not all) nonbelievers."--David von Schlichten, Lutheran Partners, July/August 2008

"[T]he McGraths' book is an effective response."--Mark D. Barret, Esq., in Lay Witness, March/April 2008

"Addressing the conclusions of The God Delusion point by point with the devastating insight of a molecular biologist turned theologian, Alister McGrath dismantles the argument that science should lead to atheism, and demonstrates instead that Dawkins has abandoned his much-cherished rationality to embrace an embittered manifesto of dogmatic atheist fundamentalism."--Francis Collins, Director of the Human Genome Project

"Alister and Joanna McGrath offer a meaty book without all the gratuitous gristle, clearly making their points."--Jim Miller Review, June 2007

"Alister McGrath provides an excellent rebuttal to Dawkin's arguments against God and religion. Scholarly, yes but also very readable for lay people."--M. F. in Libraries Alive, February 2008

"Combining scholarship with a popular style, the McGraths examine Dawkins's arguments and find them wanting. They show the inadequacy of his argument on the major points, contending that Dawkins's critique of religion is based on hearsay and anecdotal evidence rather than on hard research and that he employs rhetoric rather than rationality."--Library Journal, August 2007

"Considering that the McGraths are dealing with someone they describe as 'one of the most successful and skillful scientific popularizers' in the world, the authors of The Dawkins Delusion? prove themselves to be worthy opponents . . . The authors do not write a defense of theism, but of reason and fairness. While refuting the claims of Dawkins, they teach the valuable lesson that we must also take care in the arguments we use."--Van Sprague, The Christian Chronicle, January 2011

"McGrath identifies Dawkins' flawed arguments with surgical precision. McGrath spotlights Dawkins' embarrassing biblical ignorance and exposes his religion-as-virus-of-the-mind theory as sociological naivete. This intelligent, yet accessible book is a must-read for anyone interested in the subject or for those with friends sucked under by the new current of atheist literature."--New Man, November/December 2007

"One could hardly think of a better apologist for theism than Alister McGrath. This atheist-turned-Christian, also of Oxford, is a professor of historical theology. But as a student of molecular biophysics, he possesses the dual credibility in science and religion that Dawkins lacks. Like watching one schoolboy do another's work, McGrath's true gift is pointing out what Dawkins is obliged to show in order to make his case."--Christianity Today, November 2007

"The God Delusion makes me embarrassed to be an atheist, and the McGraths show why."--Michael Ruse, Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Program in the History and Philosophy of Science, Department of Philosophy, Florida State University

"The McGraths expeditiously plow into the flank of Dawkins's fundamentalist atheism, made famous in The God Delusion, and run him from the battlefield."--Publishers Weekly, May 14, 2007

"The McGraths make refuting Dawkins look easy. In a text of less than one hundred pages, they systematically dismantle each of Dawkins' major assertions. The Dawkins Delusion? is well-written and easy to read, and it gives the reader a clear understanding of why Dawkins need not be taken seriously. It will give even the initially neutral reader the opportunity to see that real science is not the enemy of religion and that the religiously oriented interpretation is superior to the atheistic one."--Thomas P. Sheahen, The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, Summer 2008

"This book will be warmly received by those looking for a reliable assessment of The God Delusion and the many questions it raised--including all the relevance of faith and the quest for meaning."--Enrichment Journal, Fall 2008

"This book will be warmly received by those who are looking for a real assessment of The God Delusion."--"What's New on the Bookshelf" with Shirley Updyke, WRGN

"While not exhaustive (by design), the McGraths have offered us a well-reasoned critique of the atheistic arguments of Dawkins, and left us with a cogent description of the inherent weaknesses in The God Delusion. I recommend it to my friends on both sides of this debate."--Cliff Martin, Outside the Box (cliff-martin.blogspot.com), June 14, 2008

"You cannot argue with the McGraths' credentials or the content of this book. It is very well done."--Does God Exist? November/December 2007

"You cannot help but be impressed with the depth of scholarship which the McGraths bring to this discussion--something markedly different than Dawkins."--Deinde blog, deinde.org, August 18, 2007

About the Author

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Intervarsity Press; 1st edition (Sept. 6 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 118 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0830837213
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0830837212
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 163 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 0.86 x 20.96 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 244 ratings

About the author

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Alister E. McGrath
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Alister McGrath is a scholar and writer who is presently Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University. After initial work in the natural sciences, McGrath moved into the field of Christian theology. He is best known for his definitive and widely used textbooks on Christian theology and his authoritative biography of C. S. Lewis. As a former atheist, McGrath is fascinated by the interaction of faith, science, and atheism, and writes regularly on these themes.

McGrath was born in Belfast in 1953, and holds both Irish and British citizenship. He lives in the Cotswolds near Oxford.

For McGrath's website, including details of his weekly Youtube postings and videos helping you use his theology textbooks, go to alistermcgrath.net

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
244 global ratings

Top reviews from Canada

Reviewed in Canada on April 16, 2017
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Bothered by atheists pushing their "beliefs" on you? Armed with Alister and Joanna McGrath's relentless logic you can more easily spot some of the circular reasoning that pervades much of the literature of the new breed of aggressive atheists. He rightly points out that in many cases they haven't really scientifically proven what they claim to have scientifically proven and in fact are doing what they accuser believers of doing -- asking you to accept a lot on faith.
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Reviewed in Canada on October 22, 2016
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All is perfect
Reviewed in Canada on August 20, 2007
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To be fair to the believers among us, I decided to look for a critical response to the God Delusion, preferably written by a well educated, non-theologian who could make relevant arguments without quoting the bible. McGrath seemed to fit the bill in this regard. However at only 65 pages, this book falls a bit short and the author merely flails at Dawkins, hardly having time to mount any sort of real rebuttal. Many of the points Mcgrath makes are indeed true, eg. Dawkins can be nasty and does quote a few outdated sources. However the author fails to make any justification for his belief in a supernatural being, which is really the key issue in the debate. Interestingly he calls the now famous "orbiting teapot" analogy ridiculous but fails to explain why an omnipotent magical being is any less ridiculous.
Anyone fascinated by the whole "God" debate should, in all fairness, read this book if only to reassure yourself that the true believers really don't have any leg to stand on.
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Reviewed in Canada on April 4, 2015
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great book and service
Reviewed in Canada on February 14, 2008
I expected more from this book. While it is true that Dawkins is a little overbearing in pushing his case there is nothing here to rebut it. The book is a tedious droning supported by hand picked quotes taken often without context.
I am not an atheist but I certainly could not be persuaded from that view if I was. A compilation of the usual weak Christian arguements is not a way to sway thinking deists to a moribund concept like religion.
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Reviewed in Canada on February 22, 2007
Professor McGrath brings a much needed rebuttal of best selling "The God Delusion" written by Oxford Professor and celebrated atheist Richard Dawkins. Richard Dawkins is a gifted scientist and a talented writer, but any serious minded person reading "The God Delusion" will quickly be aware that this book was the product of emotional rhetoric rather than scholarly study. Professor McGrath on the other hand gives careful research and consideration in the things that he writes. Even Richard Dawkins would admit that.

Now to the book "The Dawkins Delusion." In the introduction Professor McGrath writes, "When I read The God Delusion I was both saddened and troubled. How, I wondered, could such a gifted popularizer of the natural sciences, who once had such a passionate concern for the objective analysis of evidence, turn into such an aggressive anti-religious propagandist, with an apparent disregard for evidence that is not favourable to his case?" On page 25 Alister McGrath writes,..."Dawkins seems to view things from within a highly polarised world view that is no less apocalyptic and warped than that of the religious fundamentalisms he wishes to eradicate." It is this attitude that has resulted in Dawkins losing objectivity to the extent that he equates belief in God with belief in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy. Whoever heard of an adult coming to a belief in Santa Claus?

Elsewhere McGrath has pointed out Dawkins' lack of research. He writes, "His inept engagement with Luther shows up how Dawkins abandons even the pretence of rigorous evidence based scholarship. Anecdote is substituted for evidence; selective internet-trawling for quotes, displaces rigorous and comprehensive engagement with primary sources. In this book Dawkins throws the conventions of academic scholarship to the winds; he wants to write a work of propaganda, and consequently treats the accurate rendition of religion as an inconvenient impediment to his chief agenda, which is the intellectual and cultural destruction of religion."

Basically this short book exposes major flaws in Dawkins' arguments and expresses what I suspect the majority of scientists would think about The God Delusion that it degrades the scientific professions to the level of schoolboy mud-slinging argument. Indeed literary critic Terry Eagleton has savaged Dawkins' book and Professor Michael Ruse, himself an atheist, declares that The God Delusion makes him embarrassed to be an atheist. There are many others in the scientific community who have expressed similar sentiments.

Recently I viewed the official Richard Dawkins website and was horrified to see a petition already signed by nearly 10,000 people seeking for the banning of faith schools here in the UK. This is chillingly akin to the aetheistic Soviet government of Stalin's day. All the more reason for the sane writings of people like Alister McGrath.

The Dawkins Delusion is a worthwhile buy for serious minded thinkers and will bring necessary counter balance to the wild rhetoric of The God Delusion.
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Reviewed in Canada on January 28, 2019
Starts ok, then goes down after page 30+. These authors seem only mad and argue with typical liberal non-sense arguments. They are bashing the guy for being arrogant and can't refute any of his scientific logic.

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Dr Paul
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For Everyone
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2024
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It’s interesting and highly ironic that a fellow scientist from Oxford would chose to author a suitable riposte to Dawkins’ seminal work on religion (or at least seminal for atheists). I was expecting to find a passage-by-passage refutation of the various and sundry theological aspects of Dawkins’ work but was more than pleased to find the author had instead opted for a generalised refutation per se. And what a refutation it was too. A clear and concise academic mind descending on the faltering work of an amateur theologian endeavouring to dismiss, in simplistic terms, the personhood of God and those who would dare to place their faith in Him. The author was insightful, erudite and succinct in his annihilation of Dawkins’ theories. And all this is a pity, because, as we all know, Dawkins’ is a brilliant natural scientist who is worthy of our respect; but alas there is no room for amateurs in theological matters.
Larry D. Paarmann
5.0 out of 5 stars Dawkins Suffers from Delusion
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2009
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If you've seen the documentary movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed by Ben Stein, you may recall the interview of atheist Richard Dawkins by Ben Stein. At one point Dawkins, with his book in hand The God Delusion, quotes from the book his diatribe against the Old Testament God. Stein also interviews Alister McGrath in the documentary, although it is of shorter length, where McGrath opposes Dawkins' point of view. This current book review is of the book by Alister McGrath and his wife Joanna, which is a response to The God Delusion

The McGrath's claim that there isn't a lot worthy of a response in Dawkins' book. I concur! In spite of all the positive reviews for Dawkins' book posted on Amazon and all of the acclaim he has received for it, it is very intellectually light! However, the McGrath's fear that if no response is given that many would simply think that Christians have no response to offer. The result is that their book is much shorter than Dawkins' since they only respond where they think they have gleaned something to respond to. The McGraths write that "Dawkins simply offers the atheist equivalent of slick hellfire preaching, substituting turbocharged rhetoric and highly selective manipulation of facts for careful, evidence-based thinking. Curiously, there is surprisingly little scientific analysis in The God Delusion." "Is the case for atheism really so weak that it has to be bolstered by such half-baked nonsense?" Actually, that is an important point. The book by Dawkins should provide Christians with a certain sense of confidence. Is this the best that atheists can do? Atheists send out their champion, their Goliath, and this is it! Shouldn't we be able to expect more? To criticize Dawkins seems too easy!

However, the McGraths do attempt to take Dawkins seriously and respond as best they can. One of their criticisms is that "One of the most characteristic features of Dawkins's antireligious polemic is to present the pathological as if it were normal, the fringe as if it were the center, crackpots as if they were mainstream."

Actually, if I might be so bold, I think the McGraths have missed Dawkins' major weakness. Dawkins' book is very antireligious but it is also very pro-evolution. In fact, Dawkins' own atheistic religion is based on evolution writ large. What if the theory of evolution could be scientifically challenged, as, for example, the Expelled documentary suggests? Then Dawkins' religion comes tumbling down. In his book he links everything positive to Darwinian evolution. His whole life revolves around it. If the findings of intelligent design theorists pan out, and if the number of scientists in general find the theory of evolution as having questionable evidence at best, then what of Dawkins' religion? At the least we should find all of this interesting: it is certainly a big part of what is going on in our world.

Others have written in response to Dawkins' The God Delusion as well, such as David Berlinski's The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions, John Cornwell's Darwin's Angel: A Seraphic Response to the God Delusion, and Eric Reitan's Is God A Delusion: A Reply to Religion's Cultured Despisers. Among this chorus of opposition to Dawkins' book is this fine book by the McGraths. Read it, along with others, to your delight and edification!

For more information, please see my web site: [...]

Larry D. Paarmann
kanedaitsuki
5.0 out of 5 stars ドーキンスは妄想である
Reviewed in Japan on March 7, 2010
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 原理主義的無神論宣言の書Richard Dawkins"The God Delusion"(邦訳『神は妄想である』)に対する、アングリカン・チャーチに属する世界的に著名な神学者アリスター・E・マクグラスによる、宗教者の立場からの反論本。マクグラスは分子生物学者としてキャリアを始め、無神論者からキリスト教徒に改宗しており、宗教と科学の関係についての著書も多数あり、こうした主題についてもってこいの人物であろう。
  マクグラスは、ドーキンスの皮相な、時代遅れの無神論的アイデアの数々を、真摯に取り上げ、赤ん坊に言い聞かせるごとく、丁寧な反駁を行っている。マクグラスはあくまで相手の土俵にのって、理性(科学)に信仰(宗教)を対置するのではなく、「事実問題」についてのドーキンスの誤謬を指摘している。元科学者の真骨頂と言えよう。
 マクグラスはドーキンス信者がキリスト教徒の典型として想像するような、キリスト教原理主義者ではない。いわゆる創造論やインテリジェンス・デザイン説に対しては、支持しない立場をとっている。実際の所、進化論を端的に否定するというのは、必ずしも大部分のキリスト教徒の立場とは言えない。これはキリスト教徒にとってはほとんど常識だが、ドーキンス信者には常識ではないらしい。
 ドーキンスは、問題を扱うにあたって、単純な二分法(科学は善、宗教は悪)をとり、その中間を認めない。それゆえ、宗教の効用を認める無神論者を背信者と見なし、進化論を信仰と両立するものとする宗教者を偽善者と断じる。これは、己の主張に適合する証拠をとり、適合しない証拠は省みない態度であり、決して科学的とは言えない。ドーキンスは、宗教(神の信仰)をきちんとした証拠に基づかない妄想と決めつけている。しかし、ドーキンスの反宗教的命題そのものが、証拠に基づかない妄想なのである。
James L.
5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth Behind Dawkins
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2011
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There's a lot of direct truth in this book and as with many topics relating to religion or politics, it's sure to create some controversy. But McGrath's book excellently depicts what it meant to, that is to reveal that Richard Dawkins has become an idol for the atheistic community and very much fails as a scientist. He not only obtains the opinions of Christians but also those of Atheists who see the blatant disregard for intellectual honest practiced by Dawkins. Several other reviews here bash on this book because it does not exhaustively refute each point from "The God Delusion." However, as McGrath clearly states early on, his aim is not to overturn every point, but rather to focus on some main ones and point out that Dawkins is no honest scientist, but rather just as dogmatic as any religious extremist. His initial approach is very interesting as he contrasts Dawkins and himself as two professors from Oxford who ended up at drastically different conclusions on life.
All in all, the McGraths have written what comes to be a highly interesting and definitely eye-opening book. Whether the reader is religious or not, if one can allow themselves to read this with an open mind (as one should approach anything with), he or she will inevitably come to the same conclusion about Dawkin's pathetic fall into a research and lifestyle that is much less scientific, and more of a hate-filled banter. It is definitely worth a read for the open-minded intellectual.
E. K. Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly counter-balance to Dawkins' rhetoric.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2007
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Let me say that I am completely astonished at a couple of one star reviews here. Whatever side of the divide one may be on, I cannot believe that anybody could accuse Professor McGrath of not being fair minded and objective. Any serious minded person reading "The God Delusion" will quickly be aware that this book was the product of emotional rhetoric rather than scholarly study. Professor McGrath on the other hand gives careful research and consideration in the things that he writes. Even Richard Dawkins would admit that.

Now to the book "The Dawkins Delusion". In the introduction Professor McGrath writes, "When I read "The God Delusion" I was both saddened and troubled. How, I wondered, could such a gifted popularizer of the natural sciences, who once had such a passionate concern for the objective analysis of evidence, turn into such an aggressive anti-religious propagandist, with an apparent disregard for evidence that is not favourable to his case?" On page 25 Alister McGrath writes "... Dawkins seems to view things from within a highly polarised world view that is no less apocalyptic and warped than that of the religious fundamentalisms he wishes to eradicate." It is this attitude that has resulted in Dawkins losing objectivity to the extent that he equates belief in God with belief in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy. Whoever heard of an adult coming to a belief in Santa Claus?

Elsewhere McGrath has pointed out Dawkins' lack of research. He writes, "His inept engagement with Luther shows up how Dawkins abandons even the pretence of rigorous evidence based scholarship. Anecdote is substituted for evidence; selective internet-trawling for quotes displaces rigorous and comprehensive engagement with primary sources. In this book Dawkins throws the conventions of academic scholarship to the winds; he wants to write a work of propaganda, and consequently treats the accurate rendition of religion as an inconvenient impediment to his chief agenda, which is the intellectual and cultural destruction of religion."

Basically this short book exposes major flaws in Dawkins' arguments and expresses what I suspect the majority of scientists would think about "The God Delusion" that it degrades the scientific professions to the level of schoolboy mud-slinging argument. Indeed literary critic Terry Eagleton has savaged Dawkins' book and Professor Michael Ruse, himself an atheist, declares that "The God Delusion" makes him embarrassed to be an atheist. There are many others in the scientific community who have expressed similar sentiments.

""The Dawkins Delusion" is a worthwhile buy for serious minded thinkers and will bring necessary counter balance to the wild rhetoric of "The God Delusion."