This is the most comprehensive book I have read about the current conflict between religion and science. Dawkins provides an excellent overview of the major flash points in one of our most important debates, and he writes with enough lucidity that the complex scientific and ethical questions at the heart of this debate are easily understandable.

In addition to discussing the arguments both for and against the existence of God, Dawkins tackles numerous other topics including evolutionary theories about the origins of religion, the question of where humans actually get their sense of morality from, the extreme dangers of absolutist thinking, whether the benefits religion provides outweigh the suffering it has caused, and the fact that it is actually possible to have a meaningful, moral, and joyful life without religion.

Many devout people have taken Dawkins to task for what they perceive as his hostility towards religion. There is no question that Dawkins is breaking the taboo against questioning religious beliefs in this book. At a time when there are many, many people in the world who seek to force their own morality onto others through violent or political means, however, I have to agree with Dawkins that breaking this taboo and applying scientific and critical thinking to matters of faith is absolutely necessary. For those with cultic experience, the book will provide a particularly valuable education in reawakening dormant critical thinking skills.

The one criticism I have of Dawkins’ book is that he has absolutely zero patience for the kind of poorly reasoned arguments that are so often used by the religious to defend their beliefs. This gives parts of the book a condescending tone that I suspect will be more likely to inspire offense than open anyone’s mind. But for those who are interested in seriously questioning their own faith, or who want to know more about the current battles between science and religion, I know of no better book.