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Iconoclast |
" Religion prevents our children from having a rational education;
religion prevents us from removing the fundamental causes of war;
religion prevents us from teaching the ethic of scientific co-operation
in place of the old fierce doctrines of sin and punishment.
It is possible that mankind is on the threshold of a golden age ;
but if so, it will be necessary to slay the dragon that guards the door;
and this dragon is religion. " Bertrand Russel
"To accept a doctrine on somebody else's authority
is an abdication of personal responsibility " Gautama Buddha
"Only religion claims to deliver certainty
- faith alone is immune from doubt
but few believers are troubled that different religions offer different answers " Luigi Cavalli-Sforza
"The choice of religion is not surprising,
a child's religion is chosen by parents
at an age when the child cannot express preferences " Luigi Cavalli-Sforza
"When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity.
When many people suffer from a delusion, it is called religion" Robert M.Pirsig
" Religion is regarded by the common people as true,
by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful " Seneca the Younger
" Avidya ( ignorance ) is the source of our unhappiness
and Vidya ( wisdom ) and Bodhi ( enlightenment ) are our salvation " Hinduism / Buddhism
References:-
- Synopsis:
Richard Dawkins was recently voted one of the world's top three intellectuals (alongside Umberto Eco and Noam Chomsky) by "Prospect" magazine. As the author of many, now famous, classic works on science and philosophy, he has always asserted the irrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm it has inflicted on society. He now turns his fierce intellect exclusively on this subject, denouncing its faulty logic and the suffering it causes. While Europe is becoming increasingly secularized, the rise of religious fundamentalism, whether in the Middle East or Middle America, is dramatically and dangerously dividing opinion around the world. In America, and elsewhere, a vigorous dispute between 'intelligent design' and Darwinism is seriously undermining and restricting the teaching of science. In many countries religious dogma from medieval times still serves to abuse basic human rights such as women's and gay rights. And all from a belief in a God whose existence lacks evidence of any kind. Dawkins attacks God in all his forms, from the sex-obsessed, cruel tyrant of the Old Testament to the more benign, but still illogical, Celestial Watchmaker favoured by some Enlightenment thinkers. He eviscerates the major arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of a supreme being. He shows how religion fuels war, foments bigotry and abuses children. In "The God Delusion" Dawkins presents a hard-hitting, impassioned rebuttal of religion of all types and does so in the lucid, witty and powerful language for which he is renowned. It is a brilliantly argued, fascinating polemic that will be required reading for anyone interested in this most emotional and important subject.
