Dear Professor Dawkins,

I have never believed in god from the moment I was able to think for myself ( 11yrs). I remember long arduous hours in church where I was forced to attend 'once a month' as a child - my duty was to appear on the first Sunday of every month as a 'brownie' (and after that as a ''guide') as was expected of every member of my club at the time, and swear allegiance to 'God and the Queen'. Finally at age of 13 I summoned up the courage to tell my parents I'd had enough and would rather be outside playing on my bike with my friends instead.

My atheism isn't about having my weekends stolen (although it did piss me off at the time). It DID seem ridiculous to sit and sing boring songs and look at a plastic dummy of a murdered person, and I remember always thinking that there was so much more interesting stuff going on outside. Enjoying nature, playing with my dog, messing around by the river and making dens up Horsenden Hill. The main fact of the whole charade was that I just didn't believe what they were trying to make me believe.

I am 38 now. I have never tried to hide my atheism but your amazing work has inspired me to not feel so awkward about it as I have so many times in the past. I have loved reading The God Delusion, the Blind Watchmaker, god Is Not Great by the late great and wonderful Christopher Hitchens, and Breaking the Spell too.

The more I read the more I want to learn (and have learned already) about this glorious place Earth that we all find ourselves on - so THANK YOU for that.

I am an English woman about to move to the US from Hong Kong. I am an Art teacher and am slightly apprehensive about the school systems there and about how I will be expected to approach religious subject matter. I guess I am mainly writing to you to assure you that I intend to educate young students there, inform them and challenge bigotry every chance I get.

Without sucking up (ok I will but I don't care) you are an inspiration to all free thinkers all over the world. I raise my glass to you sir.

Rhona.

ps. The way you read out your hate mail on you tube was a fucking scream haha

Permalink - Posted Monday, 14 May 2012 at 06:23 PM

Mr. Dawkins,

Your book “ The God Delusion” came up in a wonderfully interesting discussion with an Aussie friend of mine ofa Polish father and a Jewish mother (or was it the other way around, John ?). Needless to say that Polish here could easily be understood something like Royalist in Irish context.

Anyway, he holds your book as “my personal Bible”, as he called it. Please forgive my friend’s slightly inappropriate expression in this. But that’s how I got to know it, and I read it just now in less than a week’s time. It has been very comforting, personally, to read in your words, narrative and clear logic, what I had already thought and found out for myself.

Although you do not succeed in every case to proof the opposite view(s), I hold dear, and agree fully, that it basically comes down to probability. And it is utmost unbalanced in favor of Atheism beyond doubt. It only takes the willingness to use one’s “little grey cells” as Hercule Poirot puts it so nicely. Think for yourself ! That’s all there is to say.

And as a, divorced, father I consider it my prime responsibility to teach and incite my three sons to think for themselves. I consider it my preface to their (holy) Book of life. Forgive me the urge to joke here, however, it is true in e sense.

I do not know if you are acquainted with the Belgian educational system, but it is one with which we should consider ourselves fortunate. It is in respect to this concern, one of the better ones, I have come to understand through discussions with people, reading and hearing debates on television. And my Aussie friend choose to have his children educated here in Belgium, that’s why he lived for so long in this tiny country of doubtful reputation, sometimes, but in one respect a great nation so to speak.

John, forgive me for mentioning you here as I did (Aussie – Polish – Jew ), but you are wise enough to understand this in the context. You have become a real friend, thanks for sharing Richard’s book with me.

Mr. Dawkins, thank you for your elaborate, clear and logical writing. It has meant a great deal to me. As a matter of fact, I just bought The Origin of species because of it. I cannot imagine any longer life without having read it.

Yours sincerely,

Stephan Bruglemans
Antwerp
Belgium

PS I have been reading Bertrand Russell before and consider myself, to label, a Scepticus.

Permalink - Posted Monday, 14 May 2012 at 06:21 PM

Dear Professor Dawkins,

                               thank you, you have done something incredible, we live in the same nation, and yet we have never met-but you have managed to affect my life so deeply. I was born and raised as an orthodox Roman Catholic, and attended a Catholic Primary and Secondary school. It was when I went to my secondary school that I started to have doubts, I started to become disenfranchised with the increasingly zealous and prejudiced teaching. What annoyed me the most was that in contrast to my primary school in which I had recieved a fair and balanced religious education, the secondary school curriculum refused to teach anyone the other arguments. The straw that broke the camels back , so to speak, was when my secondary school (the name of which I shall keep anonymous for obvious reasons) had a large child abuse scandal, in which a 50 year history of abuse with the monks at the school was revealed. I was sickened, I already disliked the papacy at this point, but that pushed me to see how horrible they were, forsaking the children they were charged to protect...it is one of the worst crimes imaginable. After that I began regularly speaking out against the Catholic Church in religious education lessons, much to the horror of the priest who taught us. The child abuse scandal was the elephant in the room, but at the moment nobody was quite brave enough to mention it. At this point I was agnostic, and relativley apathetic towards catholicism. I took a semi-deist position, as life and the world seemingly implied a creation, if not an interventionist one.

But this agnosticism was to be short lived, my atheism began when I saw a marvellous "Intelligence Squared Debate" in which Stephen Fry and Christopher Hitchens argued against the motion "The Catholic Church is a force for good in the world" I was, for the lack of a better word, enraptured. The two speakers spoke with an unmatched eloquence and passion, I was amazed at how swiftly my view changed from a disinterest in catholicism to a hatred of the intolerant, ignorant, and barbaric nature of the Catholic Church worldwide. I sought to learn more, and purchased Christopher Hitchens book "God is not Great". By the end of it I was utterly anti-religious. And after reading your book-"The God Delusion" I was fully atheist, an antitheist I could be called. This is where I must get a bit vague about certain details (because I still go to this school), but I began to give and recommend your book and Hitchen's book to agnostics, atheists and theists alike. I also debated with them regularly and showed them videos of other debates. Through this method I converted one agnostic to atheism and one Catholic to agnosticism. But this was not enough for me, as I became more angry with the hypocrisy of the Church, if only they would debate with me on a level playing field. Taking the initiative, I contacted school officials and set up the debate "The Catholic Church is a force for good in the world." I, like Hitchens and Fry before me, argued against that motion. It was held in the school library and about 60 people attended, a full house. I argued my best, and for the first time anyone had done such a thing in the school, I mentioned the child abuse scandal, and I also (which had never been done in the school before) blamed the Abbot of the school monks for being so negligent, and blamed the Church for the child abuse scandal, linking it to the celibacy of the priesthood, and I condemned how the Church so callously covered the scandals up. At the end of this speech, there was silence for a moment, then applause from the students. When it came to a vote, I only lost by 4 votes, with not a single person abstaining. I imagine I would have won if all the monks and teachers were not present.

I must thank you Richard Dawkins, for introducing me to these arguments and giving me the confidence that they could be won, and that freethinking rational debate could be had with these closeminded irrational people. Were it not for you I couldn't have managed it. Later this year I shall be doing the debate "Evolution vs. Creationism", I was shocked to find that there were still creationists in this enlightened land, and I look forward to beating them with reason, wish me luck.

Thank you Dawkins-you have played a role in making me who I am.

Best regards,

               Aidan Fontaine

Permalink - Posted Monday, 14 May 2012 at 06:19 PM

Dear Professor Dawkins,

I asked my wife for two books for Christmas, your “The God Delusion” and the late Christopher [an ironic misnomer] Hitchens’s “God is Not Great.” I read both over the Christmas & New Year break. Their logic and clarity, in different individual styles, was convincing in the sense that hot mustard is tasty. I am now totally convinced that God is just Santa Claus for grown-ups. And grown ups can do far more harm with their delusions than imaginative children.

For decades - I’m 55 – what had convinced me of the existence of God was the continued presence – especially in England through 300 years of persecution, roughly contemporaneous with slavery in the Americas – of the Catholic Church. How could all the secular institutions of Rome have passed away centuries ago yet the Church remain, throughout the known world, despite the failings and often obscenely criminal activities of its staff? My answer was: because it was not a human institution but a divine one. The two books convinced me that the whole pack of cards was built upon world-class spin-doctory, the longing of many adult humans for a grown-up comfort blanket and the cynical exploitation of the many by the canny few (“As soon as the coin in the bucket rings, the soul to heaven springs” – it sounds better in German.)

I particularly liked the argument against, in both books, of “belief in belief”, the faith-free attitude that encourages belief in ordinary folk because it’s good for them and /or keeps them compliant. You were quite right recently to appeal to the UK Prime Minister to come clean on this: it is to his discredit that he reacted as he did by praising “traditional Christian values.” Moral behaviour has nothing to do with religious magic or any deity.

My conversion is 50% of a result for your book I think, but I’m sure you won’t mind sharing.

Yours sincerely,

Roger Abbiss.
Lancashire, England.

Permalink - Posted Monday, 14 May 2012 at 06:18 PM

Hello Professor Dawkins,

I must first start by thanking you for your books, and your appearances to speak on your work and beliefs. I, for many years, have been on the fence when it came to the belief in god. If anything, I have been agnostic since I was a teenager. Being begged to join a Baptist congregation by a close friend in my early teen years, I found I didn’t buy the rhetoric. My family left the Catholic Church when I was about 8 years old. I've been independent of any church or spiritual beliefs my entire adulthood, since.

Recently, I was exposed to Neil Degrasse Tyson videos on YouTube. My friend that showed me these just recently came to the conclusion that he is an Atheist. I loved Neil's passion for science and understanding of the cosmos. If I had not moved on to go to college for art, I would've went into a field of science, probably biology; which at some point in my education I realized I had an interest in and was good at it in class. In hind sight, I wish I went down that path; I am now in the field of IT, fixing computers, helping people instead of science or art. I'll use my aptitude with technology to help my struggle against ignorance, however. The trail of videos led me to yourself and Neil on stage. You both inspired me, so I continued on and found your other great friends; Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett. You people are my heroes! Cheers to the Four Horsemen!

I've always had conversations with open minded friends about how ridiculous religion is, how it contradicts itself etc. It’s never been compatible with reason, in my eyes. Seeing that there’s so many others out there and you wonderful people writing about this, I can’t help but wanting to contribute. I feel offended to think that creationism is being taught to the children of this world, alongside or even in place of Evolution; Faith and unreason, over the truth. It’s disgraceful, to use one of your words; you've made several statements, using it, that I couldn't agree with more.

I’m writing to express my thanks and admiration for you and your work. As Christopher Hitchens answered to an interviewer, to "When are you going to stop this", "Until I drop". It was something to that affect; my apologies if I quoted it wrong. I hope, like him, you never stop spreading the truth and never give into these ridiculous people. I will join you in doing so. When Hitchens won the 2011 Dawkins Award; he was so sick and he was coughing; he was still standing there talking, being a crusader for the truth. It was so sad to see him in that state, you hugging him nearly brought me to tears, but it was so inspiring. I’ve found meaning in that; and for him, if not for reason’s sake, I will never stop fighting the ignorance of humans. I've started a blog, a Facebook page and I regularly post what I find of you on my wall because I want so badly for people to hear you speak. My friend and I are going to create a joint Facebook page and a podcast to spread the word and get information out to the public on science, reason, and just simply show them how ridiculous people are and what horrors people commit in blind faith.

I wanted to know, if you had time, if you could give us any pointers on how to handle this. If there’s a better way, perhaps than we intend, on how to go about this. I've watched so many of your videos that I realize it’s rather silly to argue with these people. It almost feels more affective to show examples of what’s true; maybe display comparisons, rather than contend with them in the back and forth argument whether there is or isn’t a god. As you said, it gives them status. And it’s so true, that to debate creationism versus evolution, is to partially admit that there’s a chance that creationism is true. And we know that is not the case. If there are any projects you suggest we participate in or something we can join. I want to stop these mad men from imposing their belief systems on the human race, as pure fact, instead of the fairytales they are. The republicans right now, and a good portion of my country, are convinced that there is a god. They want to impose their beliefs on us through in their policies. They are so uninformed, uneducated and unaware of the truths that exist beyond their little world they've created for themselves. That, not believing is an option, and is a choice they can make for themselves. I'm sure you've seen this quack, Kent Hovind; he is a disgrace to the humans of this century. We need to stop these people. I just want to do it the right way. I appreciate your time, sorry for the length though.

Thank you for all you do. Your contributions to the world, I'm sure, will not be forgotten. My friends and I, and people like us will try and spread awareness with you. I intend to never stop.

Michael

Permalink - Posted Monday, 14 May 2012 at 06:16 PM

Dear Professor Dawkins,

Thank you so much for all of your writing and advocacy supporting reason and secularism. While I can't quite call myself a convert, as I have never been religious, your work has certainly solidified my skepticism, and encouraged me to stop treating religion with hushed respect.

I am especially grateful for your "out" campaign. Just this morning, two people came to my doorstep to share a "positive message from the bible". Normally I would have been very uncomfortable, and would have avoided their questions about my own beliefs. Instead, I smiled brightly at them, and confidently told them I was an atheist. They seemed thrown by this, and asked if I had always been that way. I said that yes, our household was completely secular. I would have welcomed further discussion with them, but they just turned around and left. For the first time, I was open and positive about my atheism, and it feels wonderful. I will certainly not be going back to the closet.

Many thanks, and warmest regards,

Jennifer

Permalink - Posted Tuesday, 01 May 2012 at 04:12 AM

Dear Richard,

I’ve not been converted. I’ve never had a god or faith. I’ve always felt uncomfortable with the idea since the time I first heard it in religious education classes at primary school (incidentally taught by a priest later to be found with prior pedophilia convictions).

I had also never been inspired at school by science teachers. Now having a friend who works as a school biology teacher with no scientific background or education (or particular interest in biology), only a Diploma in Education, I understand why.

Currently in my thirties, I have recently read and reread The Selfish Gene and The Ancestors Tale, as well as all of your other wonderful books (excepting The Magic of Reality, which I have earmarked as birthday presents for my nearly-three-year-old niece, and nearly-one-year-old nephew in coming years). Getting to the point of this email, I am grateful for the inspiration that your wonderful work has given me. I am currently studying science as a consequence and am continually filled with joy, inspiration and wonder. Thank you for your inspiring work.

Sincerely,

Tom

Permalink - Posted Tuesday, 01 May 2012 at 04:10 AM

Dear Professor Dawkins,

My first recollection of you talking about science was actually on Steve Reich's video opera "Three Tales". To be honest, at the moment, I was intrigued by one single phrase you said "...Darwinian natural selection" and the moment when you, via a very clever audio editing, became a human maraca.

I am a musician. Thankfully I had the good fortune to grow up in a home were science was once (and the reason for why I use the word "once" will become apparent very soon) respected, constantly studied and discussed. My father, a medical doctor, introduced me at quite a young age to the principles of gravity, how it affects us all, how we -through evolution- became aware of how we came to be, and many other wonders and beauties of our universe. This early introduction to science was the perfect antidote to the vast shroud of pseudo-science and mystical thought that, sadly enough, falls upon my line of work (I do believe that most of my colleagues confuse artistic sensibility with other stuff that is neither artistic, nor sensible.) During my childhood, and teenage years, the fact of being an atheist was exciting and rewarding. For some reason, as I grew up, the excitement faded out, and the pessimism kicked in. Science was relegated to a very occasional reading now and then, and all that was left was the fact that I was going to be dead soon, never to walk around the world. I try to find explanation to this change of attitude towards atheism in the fact that growing up is no picnic...

In short, I have been raised to be an Atheist. Those little remains of "supernatural" thinking (which I happen to believe, are really hard to shake off of your mind, even when you are raised an Atheist) were finally removed by a tragic moment in my family history: my mother and older brother were kidnapped by the ELN guerilla (this is probably the time when I should mention that I am from Colombia, South America) in 2004. I will not dwell on the subject; it was a terrible moment for all of us, but eventually both my mother and my brother came back home after six months of absence. I mention this because, curiously, this very event (the kidnapping) while it pushed me further from the reach of the imaginary god's fingers, sadly (and paradoxically), drew my own, former atheist father to him, thus becoming a Christian. I understand perfectly how under situations of the utmost desperation and stress, our psyche can play tricks on us (as it did with my father, no doubt.) I must add that my brother and mother also came back to us "transformed by the grace of our lord" (by the way, typical of "our lord" to act on mysterious ways, revealing to my whole family, but depriving me of his sweet presence.)

For many years, since the reunion of my family, I have kept my distance, allowing them to go on and on with their readings of the bible, their biblical studies at church and whatnot. Since I moved from my family home quite a few years ago, I thought that I should not antagonize, I only see them a couple of weeks every year (and of course, Christian or not, I love them all to death). I thought, "well, I'll just get leave my atheism out of the dinner table conversation and that's that."

Then I read your book "The God Delusion," and my vision regarding this particular issue changed dramatically. This message is written to the Converts' Corner, but you, Professor Dawkins (and I am assuming you actually read this), did not convert me. You did something far more valuable: you gave me the tools to defend the fact that I am an Atheist, you gave me the possibility to rejoice in the fact that the world leaves us constantly in a state of awe and that this is the only moment in time in which we can think, discuss and read about the wonders of being alive (before your book, as I said earlier, I was a rather pessimistic kind of atheist, the kind that don't bother to think, discuss and read about the wonders of being alive because all is going to end up soon anyway so why bother.) You, Professor Dawkins rekindled my love for science and for the contemplation of our world, and also, made me realize, that I was not being a very good atheist after all, that I could do better. That I can stand up to my parents and defend my positions and invite them to think about them carefully; that I can show my friends and colleagues the beauty of understanding the world through the accurate lens of science, and that devoting some time of one's busy scheduled to the reading of books on science will not compromise one's "artistical sensibility", but will actually help in realizing how wonderful is to have an "artistic sensibility" in the first place.

For this radical change in my life, I will be thankful all my life.

Antonio Correa

Permalink - Posted Tuesday, 01 May 2012 at 04:09 AM

Dear Richard,

I was brought up a Protestant in Liverpool and only really went to Church for Christenings, Weddings and because I was in the scouts and had to!

Every time I went to church I was literally pissed off with the way they talked to the congregation. It all seemed so false and actually quite scary. I remember shitting myself because I thought that I was going to hell. I am a very moral well brought up person but still the thought of not being able to tell the odd white lie for my own protection when I had done something wrong (Childish) as a child. My only get out clause was that I learned that as long as you repent and start to believe in god before you die you would be ok. Because of this I vowed to ask for forgiveness of my sins just before I die so I can get the best of ´Both Worlds´ This was foolish and a childish way of thinking however it was all I knew and I thought quite clever of me.

Growing up I have always been confused by bible bashers and why they are so insistant on making everybody else think the same as they do. I have however, just finished reading The God Delusion to my delight! I was unable to put it down and my girlfriend often found me with my face in the book laughing. Everything it says makes so much sense and I love your way with words. I have now actively tried to get into conversations about religion just to trump the fools. So far they have an answer to everything but the answer is almost always FAITH and that I cant change that. To be honest if that´s what they want to think fine but as long as they are not extremists then its no problem. One guy said to me that you are the same as them. They stand on their soap boxes preaching to others about believing and you do the same (On TV or in books) about none belief. I just told the fool that at least Richard Dawkins and other atheists have evidence to support our claims and finished the argument their.

I would like to thank you for making this absolutely amazing book which made me laugh and feel good about myself for not believing in a silly childish story about a creator who is also his son and a holy spirit that cannot be described who also sent himself down to earth to be punished for all the white lies and other sins us moral people may have committed so we too can all go to heaven as long as we simply believe without question.

Thanks

Permalink - Posted Tuesday, 01 May 2012 at 04:03 AM

Professor Dawkins,

Your facility for explanation of profound ideas is uncanny- would that I were blessed with anything approaching that gift.

I will avoid making this a paean of praise- I want explain why your books have been so important to me. My subject line says I was not converted; since Sunday school at the local Wesleyan chapel (age 10) my suspiscion of the bible stories was immediate. How did all those animals fit in the ark, why did God need to drown everyone, etc. No convincing answer was forthcoming and anyway it was SO boring, I wanted to be off playing with my friends. So I never went again despite my devout mother's threats. When she died early of smoking-induced cancer (I was 11yo) any lingering idea of a merciful God evaporated and my intense hatred of the celestial sadist took over!

Always an atheist, I gave religion no further thought for 50 or so years until the rise of islamic fundamentalism when it became impossible to ignore; then I read The God Delusion and presto! Now I had my motivation & logic for taking a positive stand against 'faith' and knowledge of the science to combat the vacuous rationale of the religious. Then came The Blind Watchmaker and The Greatest Show on Earth, followed by the works of Hitchens, Dennett, Harris and others; also reading about the koran and islamic law with its wonderful 'prophet'...

Difficulties remaining? Yes- it is all but impossible for me to be "moderate". I don't enjoy conflict but it is unavoidable given the religious insanity that abounds and I fall into the trap of abusing the stupid and irrational, those who glory in their ignorance and cannot or will not inform themselves, much less consider any alternative. Obviously it demands an enormous effort of will to admit your cherished beliefs are absurd and that you have been a fool to accept them uncritically but surely reasonably educated people must realize they are parroting what others have told them to believe and be offended that their 'opinions' are not their own? Mass self-delusion in other instances is recognizable yet not in religion- baffling!

Enough, already.

Permalink - Posted Tuesday, 01 May 2012 at 03:59 AM

Dr. Dawkins:

Thank you for your excellent book "The God Delusion", which I have all but finished reading, and your commitment to science, reason and critical thinking and showing how liberating it is. I more confident today, after reading your book, that God does not exist. I simply see no evidence to demonstrate the existence of God and your book helped me refine my thinking. That said I conclude that I am an atheist.

I was not brought up in a religious family, which allowed me to think critically. But I spent enough time in the southern U.S. growing up to fear Hell. Once I got over that in my teens the rest was easy. I called me mother and thanked her for giving me the freedom to think on my own. And I thank you for boldly challenging myths and legends.

We have an extraordinarily long way to go convince people that logic, reason, facts, evidence and clear-thinking is much more fulfilling than religion. But your work and the work of many others keeps us on the right path.

James

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 02 February 2012 at 01:43 AM

Dear Mr Dawkins/RDF Staff,

I am 46 years old and I have always believed I did not have a scientific mind, having only ever worked in the arts. When pointing out my Christian fundamentalist girlfriend's 'blind faith' to her, given she had no tangible proof of the existence of god, she (rightly so) pointed out that I could not argue in a scientific manner, the logic of evolution and so therefore I also only had blind faith, thus I was a hypocrite. She pointed out that I could only stand by other people's findings and was not able to back it up with any findings of my own. This embarrassed me, because it was true.

In truth, I have never bothered to look into it very deeply because I have always considered the whole argument to be a bothersome waste of my time. I just thought it best to just stay away from these people and make the best of my 70-80 years alive on this planet (if I am lucky). But a romance with an otherwise intelligent Christian girl, which gave me an insight into the damage caused by her spiritual advisers and her own misguided beliefs led me to think about my own complacency about the whole matter.

Yesterday I bought myself a copy of 'The God Delusion' and also a text book of mathematical equations, starting with very simple examples and working up to more difficult ones. Hopefully I have made a start into what seems to be really difficult field of study. I really don't know where else to begin. Mathematics, physics and science has always seemed out of reach for a mind like mine.

I realise that the main impetus for wanting a deeper understanding of science is to qualify my own stance on the religious debate. Whether this is noble or not, I don't know. Maybe in my search, something far greater, that only science can explain, will become apparent to me and the whole god debate will be left behind altogether.

Lastly, I just want to point out a strange anomaly. As an atheist, it baffles me that much of my favourite music is heavily steeped in religious faith. I expect there is no answer other than to point towards my own tastes and sense of beauty, but I am always disappointed when I hear a musician thanking god for their 'gift' when I see their talent as a result of drive, hard work, dedication, and unique understanding.

Kind regards and much respect to all at The Richard Dawkins Foundation

Michael Smith

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 02 February 2012 at 01:42 AM

Dear Dawkins,

I could never know how to thank you. Your admirable patience with those that attack the atheist position strikes me in awe. The sad part, and probably the hardest for you when dealing with arduous religious people, is that religion on the outside might seem to preach love and forgiveness, but in its core lies falsehood, fear, and control. Atheism on the outside seems cold, heartless, and mean-spirited, but in its core is truth, love, tolerance, acceptance, and understanding. I hope you know that you are doing many people a wonderful deed by offering us inspiration to think clearly and freely. You are making an impact, and I hope your works will carry through many generations to come and encourage similiar illuminating works.

P.S. For those that say that their holy book's stories are fables that are intended to teach a moral lesson, doesn't that make "God" a huge figure of speech?

My deepest admiration and support,

Cristina

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 02 February 2012 at 01:41 AM

Dear Dr. Dawkins,

I have just finished reading your book, "The God Delusion" and it has changed my life. I now have a beautiful, awe-inspiring, and perhaps most importantly, truthful, understanding of fields like evolutionary biology, physics and astronomy. I think the right choice, after reading your book, is to live a life of purpose here on earth, in which we don't waste a minute of our precious time on illusions, even comfortable illusions, a life where we stand with those who engage in the noble pursuits of science, truth and social justice. Our alternative is to live a life in the darkness of Plato's Cave. In that cave, sadly, are so many who have fallen prey to superstition and the mindless promotion of faith and mysticism over scientific inquiry and rationality. Not for me that darkness, not for me that narrow cave.

Your book has not only given me the knowledge and vocabulary to understand the wider universe that science has revealed, but also the backbone to defend the habits of mind that got us there: the Enlightenment values promoting the scientific method and free inquiry. It is clear to me now that the habits of mind that promote its opponent, blind faith, are not limited to religion alone but are everywhere in the popular culture, including non-religious stories or movies that we were exposed to as children. How many Hollywood movies, that supposed force for liberalism, promote "belief in belief", promote that idea that it is beautiful to believe powerfully in something that cannot be proven? How many children have we needlessly turned away from science, turned away from the habits of critical thinking and questioning authority that are necessary to better our world?

I know you have a difficult struggle, when so many forces of superstition and violence are arrayed against you. I admire you and thank you for having the backbone to expose these things. I also thank you for providing the rest of us with the scientific and historical understanding and vocabulary necessary to stand with you in this noble struggle, a non-violent struggle waged through the power of reasoning and ideas, to advance the cause of truth, rationality, and a morality worthy of the name.

Thank You!!!
Sri

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 02 February 2012 at 01:40 AM

I don’t know how I did it but after and education by nuns, Christian brothers, catholic priests in a boarding school the last trace of the burden of religion is gone thanks to Richard Dawkins. I was that bad that I remember clearly when a nun asked everyone in class in grade 2 (now in my 50’s) what they wanted to be when they grew up. I made a big scene putting my hand up and answered “The Pope”!! I was a “professional” alter boy!! – they had me by every vulnerable part of my indoctrinated little mind.

Then in religion class in about year 10 at boarding school I queried the priest about something that did not make a lot of sense in a new testament reading. It was to do with how an all merciful and all forgiving god had struck someone down because they had not donated all their money to the poor – seemed a little strange to me so I asked for an explanation. Bad move!! Head ended up against a brick wall and to this day the question has not been answered. Anyway that was the start. I was not scholarly enough to dissect the bible word for word but there seemed to be contradictions everywhere. People of the “hawkish” persuasion seemed to be able to find any number of validations in the “good” book to go to war yet it was supposed to be a message of love and peace. Then there were issues of translation and how the books of the bible came to be selected – all very human interventions). Finally the behaviour of all those “infallible”popes over the centuries, the death, torture and torment even between fellow christians convinced me that the god(s) of organised religions did not exist. Problem was, there was nothing to put in its place until Richard came along with a logical, verifiable, sustainable explanation – my most sincere thanks.

My problem now is that I read too slowly and I often need a sledge hammer to get stuff into my thick scull (a bit of Darwinian regression there!!) but it is such a breath of fresh air I don’t seem to be able to get enough of it. Maybe I am becoming a Darwinian fundamentalist!!

Thanks again,
Mike

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 02 February 2012 at 01:40 AM

I was brought up as a catholic although my dad is a lot more religious than my mum (who has never really brought into it) so I had a mixed influence. I did go to a catholic school and it was a good school on the whole.

I loved drawing angels and decorating them in glitter and the like as a young child and I still love all those things at Christmas but intellectually I never brought into religion. By the time that I had worked out that there was no Santa I worked out that there was no God either. By nine I was asking my dad why a God had to start it all off as, if you need something to start it all off, then who started him? I never got an answer to that and I have never taken to being told that some things just are and are not to be questioned or understood.

I have been happily atheist all my life. I know people who are religious and people who are not and they all have their good points and bad points. I noticed long ago that being religious does not make you any nicer than anyone else. I have also noticed that that, deep down, some of my religious friends REALLY struggle with it. This is not surprising as they are being asked to believe the ridiculous and not all people can do it, even if they have a need for it and/or have been brought up with it.

Where it really annoys me though is when it starts to make peoples lives a misery and that needs tackling and that is why I have joined. Plus I am a fan of Richard Dawkins and have read all his books.

Trools

Best regards

Martin

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 02 February 2012 at 01:30 AM

Dear Mr. Dawkins,

I just wanted to share how much you've genuinely impacted me in the past couple of weeks.

I'm a sixteen-year-old girl living in the "Bible Belt" of the United States, which inevitably means that Christianity is around every corner. I was born a Jehovah's Witness, but even with my few years of experience in life, I always somewhat questioned it. Nonetheless, I blindly followed it out of fear and lack of knowledge that there could be something different in life than what I was brought up with. When my father died (he was agnostic), my mom went through a very rough time and we drifted out of the Witness community. We stopped attending meetings completely around the time that I was nine. I never discussed religion with any of my friends, because they were all devout Christians and I didn't know much about mainstream Christianity. Although, a few years later, I attended church with them a few times, and I always felt comfortable in it. Not because of the teachings in any way, but because everyone was involved in Christianity, and I felt like I fit it.

Things changed last year when I started high school. I joined the debate team, and, being a group of highly critical thinkers, the students in it were mainly all agnostic or atheist. At that point I still believed there was a god, but was not a part of any organized religion and had not attended church in awhile. My group of friends completely changed, and I began to think differently. I made friends with a girl who is now my best friend, and she converted to atheism halfway through the year after being completely devoted to Christ. I was not nearly as atheistic as her at this point, though. This year, I began questioning things completely for two main reasons: Reddit (which I'm sure you're aware of, because I watched a wonderfully enlightening/hilarious video of you answering questions from Reddit and reading hate mail in your adorable British accent), and you.

I had no idea who you were until about two weeks ago when I stumbled upon your "What If You're Wrong?" video. That opened the door to numerous other videos, and countless hours of watching you debate and present your logic to believers. You made complete sense to me, and I felt completely different. I am now confident in my atheism because of you. Though I haven't come out to my mom yet, I feel more comfortable with life in general after watching you speak. You've inspired me to think boldly and intellectually, and I couldn't be more grateful. My next goal is to read your books, because I'm sure that will only further and concrete my decisions regarding atheism, but I'm just not sure how to get them without my mother finding out. Her fiance is an ex-pastor who strongly believes in God, and she told me about a month ago that she would feel like a failure of a parent if I turned out agnostic like my brother. I don't know how to get my hands on atheist books, let alone break her heart by telling her I'm an atheist myself.

But, because of you, Mr. Dawkins, I can fully admit to myself that I'm an atheist, and I think that's a pretty good first step. Thank you for giving me the power to be me, and to live my life how I want to, rather than trying to mold into what the Christian god would want me to be. I'm so glad that I discovered what you have to say so early on in my life, because I know it will change my future completely.

Thank you so much,

C

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 02 February 2012 at 01:29 AM

Dear Prof. Dawkins,

First of all, thank you for giving such a patient, passionate voice to so many of the concerns I have long had with religious belief. I can't simply say that you converted me because I had been questioning the validity of the religion into which I was born and raised for as long as I could remember. What you did was give me that extra little push to solidify my inner musings into a more concrete approach to the faith-filled world around me. In many ways, The God Delusion was a wonderfully hopeful conclusion to one of the longest drawn out questions of my life. More importantly, The God Delusion offered so much in the way of communicating my thought processes to my devoutly Christian family and friends. The clear, concise arguments that you laid out were part of what I had been missing and I thank you so much for making them available to me and anyone else struggling to put their skepticism into words.

Secondly, thank you for helping to renew my sense of wonder in the world. What is there to wonder when the world is spelled out for you so rigidly as is done in the Catholic Church? Or in the so-called plans that I was raised to assume God had for me? There is so much more capacity for joy in the unplanned, temporary life that I've just recently been able to embrace.

I loved reading the testaments of so many others on your website. You are making a difference to which I hope to contribute in the future.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 02 February 2012 at 01:28 AM

Merry Christmas and Thanks for All the Fish

Dear Mr Dawkins,

It is Christmas morning in Australia as I write this, my family hasn't woken yet and I'm excitedly awaiting their greetings so that we might sit down and ogle at the gifts we're giving each other. My younger brother, who has Asperger's syndrome as I do, will be getting from me The Magic of Reality. I have already read it and given it my seal of approval; I was so pleased to find that something exists out there for children that answers the real question with real answers. I always get a chuckle when people get terrified of truth telling to children; as though nothing could damage a young person more than honesty.
I was meant to be spending christmas with my grandmother this year, but she passed away not long ago. She was a devout catholic which meant I had to sit through a mass; I had to listen to a man who barely knew her tell her dearest loved ones that she had ascended into celestial North Korea (thank you, Christopher Hitchens, for that phrase) and that much of the kind things she did were motivated out of a love for god. I had to get up and read that the keeper of Israel would always keep Israel (what the United States has to do with my Nan I'll never know.) I wanted to scream out to them that my Nan would have done nice things (she looked after orphans almost all her life) whether she was a catholic or a jew or a hindu, and that she was constructed that way because her mother was constructed that way and her mother before that. I wanted to point out the satisfaction that could be gained to know that she probably passed that on to her four children and her thirteen grandchildren and her two great grandchildren through her real, tangible DNA. But I didn't. Instead I resolved to give my little brother your book; no greater consolation than truth can be given to an intelligent child.
I didn't know who you were for a very long time; I was raised catholic and was quite devoted myself. I read the bible cover to cover, adored psalm 23 for it's lyrical value and then came to detest it most of all for implying that I am a sheep and shouldn't fear death. I want to fear death, I want every human to fear death and relish our attempts to push it out of our minds or face it head on in all out medical war. But as a child and adolescent I never questioned until I read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I'm sorry Mr Dawkins but your books didn't appeal to me then, but this masterpiece of wit and fantasy and high concept did. Particularly the description of space; the scale has never really been captured for me the way Adams did. After that I chewed through the rest of the book series, the radio plays and Dirk Gently. Douglas Adams was my first and, remains to this day, my best intellectual hero. I was determined that we would meet and talk at length about life the universe and everything; this was around 2003. I was quite upset in 2005 to see the Salmon of Doubt on a bookshelf; my first hero was dead and I had never even bothered to find it out. So I read it cover to cover, savouring it as I had never savoured words before. I was left unsatisfied, but he had mentioned your good self and when I later came across A Devil's Chaplain I had to buy it.
Lament for Douglas broke me; it sunk my chest and burned my eyes I was so deeply moved. Such a shared love of everything I had come to hold dear. Such friendship that I have only ever found with my brothers. In fact, the sense of brotherhood you conveyed was what did it to me. It cemented my world view and my intentions; I will fight and fear death but I will die before my brothers. I never want to lament like that; experiencing it through the words of others is quite enough for me.
I would like to be a writer of fiction and a journalist myself one day; something between Hitchens and Adams is what I'll aim for. But I want to champion science; nothing can dismantle the hurtful or ill advised teaching of a prophet better than the provable teachings of someone who actually gives a damn. It is my dream to one day win the Richard Dawkins Award. And to own an octopus.
I'll get down to finishing this letter by saying how much I have come to love your work. How much easier it's made life for me; how much freer and happier it's made me. Atheism was scary to me; I was terrified that by smartest person believed that I would stop existing after death and that he had stopped existing. And then I find this compassionate, intelligent and correct man who was dear friends with my favourite author and suddenly because it all made sense it was all made alright.
Douglas taught me to fear death.
You taught me that it was alright to do so; that those who reamin shall lament.
Thank you so much. Have an e-hug on me.
And Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

David Wilton

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 02 February 2012 at 01:27 AM

Dear Professor Dawkins,
after the very sad demise of Christopher Hitchens, I feel compelled to write. I have seen and read some of the rantings from the “Christies” and have been appalled at what they say. Religion has clearly shown itself for what it really is petulant, infantile, shrieking, selfish, arrogant........ All the vile traits of the worst of humanity.
I first saw you on Hard Talk a few years ago and to tell the truth was a little shocked. For here was not a militant young person trying to show their rebellious side but an articulate, intelligent, soft spoken man and an Oxford professor to boot.
My shock was that you were speaking out against religion on international TV and as the late great Douglas Adams stated “YOU JUST DON'T”. I actually saw the programme at home in Hokkaido,Japan. I immediately started on a path of deep retrospection and introspection.
I have to say that your words didn't “convert” me. I have never had an “imaginary friend”, the only voice I hear in my head is me thinking and the only time I hear voices is when listening to my ipod. I was raised and ,to some extent, indoctrinated in the great C of E tradition in the Midlands,Derby actually, England. My mother is C of E and my father was a Catholic, he died when I was a boy. I quickly realised,at an early age, that “God did/made it” was a euphemism for “I don't know”. This set alarm bells ringing. Substituting fact for something without proof, and to my mind, improbable set in concrete my position of non-belief.
I had always referred to myself,in the past, as an agnostic, not because of some belief, however remote, of the supernatural, of any form, existing but to show respect for the delusions of some of my fellow “out of Africa primates” and their belief in their fantasy novels or, in the case of the Bible ,the vilest horror story ever concocted.
What your words did for my was to set me free, a triumphant emancipation. From that day to now and forever more I am, as I was born, an atheist. After this revelation or re-birth,if you will, I went back to my daily life. As an atheist I didn't dwell on any thoughts of the supernatural but constantly berated myself for being so dumb and indoctrinated into the tacit belief religion couldn't be questioned, let alone attacked. Then at the beginning of this year I began to wonder what had become of you, religion's greatest attribute is ,surely, retribution, after all. So, I got on the internet and started to search. Not only did I find you, still crusading, along with Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry, whom I already knew about from the BBC, but a whole legion of intellectuals entering the fray. From Dan Dennett, Sam Harris, Lawrence Krauss to AC Grayling, to name a few, I'm not alone in my atheist foxhole !!
Thank you, Professor Dawkins,you and others in the movement against organised religion have re-ignited my curiosity for the origins of,not only,life but the origin of our universe.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Heap (age 45).
P.S Sorry to be so wordy!!!

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 02 February 2012 at 01:23 AM

Professor Dawkins,

I came out to my family today about my rejection of religion. I am a nineteen-year-old who was raised protestant. My father strongly believes in Christianity while my mother has slowly become an athiest over the past several years, as have I. Even when I was much younger I recognized that there were severe flaws in Christianity, but had attributed them more to human practice than to the divine being itself. The belief that God existed but was largely misunderstood stayed with me for many years, but as I learned more about reality through personal experience and scientific education, I finally began to question the existance of God. I turned nineteen before I was able to fully admit to myself that I no longer believed in God.

For several months I wanted to tell my family about my change, but didn't have the words to say it with mcuh confidence. So I turned to the internet (specifically YouTube) for insight and support. At first I discovered QualiaSoup's videos which gave me new perspectives about religion, God, and the effects they have on society at a personal level. But once I had watched all of his videos, I realized I had an enormous hunger for more. Then I discovered you. Your online videos and interviews have not only given me the knowledge and perspective I desired, but also the passion I had never felt. Because of you I have been transformed from someone who simply didn't subscribe to religion to someone with a intense passion to fight against it. You have inspired me more than any rock star, politician, novelist, parent, or god ever has. I have long had the inspiration to learn, but never before has anyone or anything given me such intense and heartfelt inspiration to act. When I came out to my parents today, it was the passion you gave me that helped me speak with confidence and pride. I can't express how thankful I am to you and to people like you who are outspoken about the corruption that is religion, and the necessity for reason.

I hope to one day work along side you as a biologist or as a crusader for reason. But more importantly I hope to inspire others the same way you have inspired me. Thank you for everything you do.

-Jon

Permalink - Posted Saturday, 07 January 2012 at 10:32 PM

Dear Richard Dawkins

I have struggled with religion for as long as i can remember. My earliest memory is when I was about six or seven and I told my jamaican grandmother that I didn't believe in jesus or god. I got the beating of my life and was forced to go to church with her on Sunday's for about a good year or so. The people in the church were all west Indian and things could get quite animated, especially when the choir was going. I had never seen so much emotion in one room, and it has always stuck with me. Some people were huddled over crying and some seemed to be in some sort of trance like state, swaying about with their eyes closed. I couldn't feel anything myself, and I never did in all my visits. But the fact that all of these adults were obviously getting some thing amazing out of the most boring three hours of my life made me come to one conclusion. There was a god, and he hated me for not believing in him before. Wanting to get god back on side I starting praying daily, and a little part of me actually wanted to go to church on a sunday so I could establish some kind of connection. All of this had no effect. I didn't pray for miracles or sweets or anything like that. I simply prayed for god to reveal himself to me in some way. I wanted to feel what all those adults in church were feeling. The fact that i didn't after what seemed to me, (a little boy) an eternity, soon made me resentful and I managed to get out of going to church with grandma. I still prayed when I remembered and did my best to be a good boy for several years until I moved to Crawley when I was 11. There I met my one of my closet friends who is Hindu. For what ever reason we started chatting about religion and he told me what he believed in. I can remember laughing when he told me about Ganesh and another cow god and him getting really angry. Obviously I found what he was telling me was absolutely absurd and couldn't believe that he thought this was true. I told mum that day about what I had heard and she just went on to explain that there were lots of different religions and that people believed in different things. I'd never thought about it before, but immediately my first thought was somebody has to be wrong. How can they all be true? Still though i thought I must be backing the right guy because I'd seen all those people in church being touched by god. I started reading the bible with some difficulty as it is really boring, and while reading it I found some of the things in it just as absurd as the six armed elephant god. All the people I spoke to gave weak explanations and id walk away more confused. I then decided to dismiss all religion, but still believed there was a god. It became more and more frustrating to me that I was actively seeking answers and speaking to god but not getting anything back. Surely if there was a higher power watching over us he would be more proud of one of his creations that was using the logic he gave me to to seek truths, rather than some person just blindly believing what his parents told him? Eventually I came to think of god as a bit of an expletive really. If he didn't care for me then why should I for him? It still hung heavy sometimes though. Its not nice worrying about going to hell just because some guy upstairs has got a grudge.
Well on my twentieth birthday last year a friend of mine gave me a copy of your book. The god delusion. In it, nearly every single question I have had was argued with reason and logic that made more sense than anything I have ever heard. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. That's why he never came to me, he doesn't exist!! I can't thank you or the friend who bought me your book enough. I am now a huge fan and follow a lot of your debates. I feel sorry for you sometimes and admire you for the way you put up with some of the stupid questions that are put your way. Even though I have only been an atheist for a short time I now see myself as quite a militant one. God and religion have caused me a lot of grief and personal torment, and I'm sure others much more. The more people that can be freed of it the better. I still can't help but think about those people in the church though... What the hell were they on? It's amazing how a few over enthusiastic people can shape a Childs perception. Well you book has shattered it and I am very grateful Many many thanks

Darryl Thompson

Permalink - Posted Saturday, 07 January 2012 at 10:31 PM

Prof. Dawkins,
dear Fellows,

today I've lost my religion in the formal (legal/ German) way (after being an atheist because of all your encourging and inspiring work since "The God Delusion"): Since 10h on Mon., 19.12.2011 I'm officially OUT - of the protestant church of germany!!!

I dedicate this liberating step to Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011), one of the four horseman - brave and simply brilliant.

Keep bright!
Tristan P.

Teacher (Biology/ History),
Germany

Permalink - Posted Saturday, 07 January 2012 at 10:28 PM

Dear Professor Dawkins

I would like to thank you for writing your book "the god delusion" for inspiring me to become open minded and question my religious beliefs. Years after becoming an atheist I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder which is similar to schizophrenia except with a mood disorder. Yes my life has been a living hell with this disorder but I feel it could have been MUCH worse if it weren't for my non-belief. I see schizophrenics claiming to speak to god or that they are god, and I have to say, when I am in the worst of the worst psychosis, I atleast have a bit of reality to hold on to knowing as much as I do about the universe and evolution, and the truth about a supposed afterlife. You've truly brought me that much closer to reality and I thank you for that.

-David

Permalink - Posted Saturday, 07 January 2012 at 10:08 PM

I probably knew quite young religion was all a load of rubbish when I skipped RE at school. It was because Dad was Jewish mum was C of E so when I was asked at school what religion I said none! I have never, since then, heard a coherent argument for any religion, so I drifted along maybe agnostic? I read voraciously philosophy and psychology and still didn’t have a fixed position until I heard Ted Grant ( Militant) talk about the political development of religion that was an eye opener. Some years later I read The God Delusion and later God Is Not Great and finally the blindingly obvious became clear.

p.s. I was in a rock band pub about 2 years ago and a young guy had a Tshirt with F@@K all your gods spelt out - I thought it was brilliant it epitomised what I felt. I’m not sure I am brave enough to wear one but would love to !!

Permalink - Posted Saturday, 07 January 2012 at 10:06 PM

My Struggle as a Closet Atheist

Dear Professor Dawkins,

My name is Austin Chapman and for years I was a closet Atheist. My parents were devout believers in the Christian faith, so when it came time to enroll me in school they chose private Christian education. The school I attended was called Grace Christian School, and their institution educated children from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Even at a young age of five or six, instead of showing us the importance of reading, writing, and math they first wanted to instill in us the existence of a "loving" God and a fiery eternal hell. They had their own Christian produced textbooks that taught God in every subject. I wish you could see their "science" books, you would be furious. They taught that the world was 10,000 years old, and that the reason we have fossils today was from the compacted sediment  of "the great flood." It taught almost nothing of Evolution, and what it did was completely wrong, stating that we evolved from monkeys and that there was no macro or micro proof of Evolution. I believed these lies because I was taught this basically from birth. Every day we would have a 30 minute chapel (church service) in the church connected to the school. After chapel we'd then have a 45 minute Bible class each day where we would be taught a more in dept message as well as writing a verse for memory each day. They then tested and quizzed us on Bible curriculum and a grade was given. If you did not pass Bible class, you could not receive a high school diploma. We were also expected to attend their church on Wednesday nights and Sundays for services. I always had trouble believing in God, that "invisible man in the sky," but every time I doubted it they'd be there ready to scare the hell out of me, or back in me should I say. I asked Jesus to my savior again and again, out of fear not belief. Finally, at age 16 I convinced my parents to send me to a public high school. I was in complete culture shock which led me into depression and drug abuse. Several years passed and I was finally able to clean up my act around age 19. Once I was no longer under the influence of drugs, I marveled at the use of my brain again. At that point I started doing research in many different scientific areas out of my own interest, one of which was Evolution. I was awe struck at how much sense it made to me, everything was proven and calculated by science. This led me to read your book The God Delusion. From that point on I was 100% I was an Atheist, and to beat it all I wasn't scared to say it anymore. I'm the happiest I've ever been, and God is nonexistent in my life! I finally can see the true beauty in the world and in science. It's much more amazing to know and understand the processes that created the universe, than to just say an invisible man made everything. The thing that genuinely bothers me about my experience at Grace Christian School is that I consider myself an intelligent person, and for years I followed with blind faith. Not only blind faith, but with an underlying feeling that what I believed was wrong. I fear that many people out there who lack intelligence and proper reasoning skills are stuck in this perpetual lie. Many people  who believe in God aren't happy, I know I wasn't, so it's a falsification for Christians to say religion brings everyone comfort. Thank you for your works Professor Dawkins, you truly changed my life. Please keep up the amazing work.

Sincerely,
Austin Chapman

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 29 December 2011 at 09:03 PM

First half of my life meek, second half empowered

Dear Mr. Dawkins,

I've finished reading "The God Delusion." Perhaps the most vital work of information that has ever crossed my path, though I can't state with complete honesty that it converted me.

I'm 32 years old, a husband, a father of three, and a man that has begged for reason as long as I can remember. I was involved in both the Baptist and Pentecostal faiths as a child, and my family has always had a religious tone. Even as a child, perhaps near 8 years old, I simply knew that something was wrong with the words that were being forced into my mind. I often skipped Sunday school, and even my Baptism, I can say without guilt, had no religious bearing on me whatsoever; I did it for the company of the clan, not the company of the lord.

I've wrestled a great deal trying to fit faith into my life. I knew early in life that the bible, and the organization that forwards its teachings, were simply wrong. Even with that, I fell into a pit and spent many years trying to convince myself that a creator could be real, even if the holy texts were terribly wrong.

Somewhere near a decade ago, I abandoned this pitiful pursuit of justification and realized that no matter how much I tried, I would never be faithful. It was near that time that I started carrying the label "agnostic," but more for reason of social conversation. The label offered no consolation. I was lost, staring into the darkness of the sky, feeling helpless in my world of ignorance.

When I was a child, my grandfather (a WWII vet and not very religious) would often tell me that there would be times in my life more significant than others. These times, he would say, would completely alter my course in the world. Best to notice them when they come along, he warned often.

"The God Delusion," or my purchasing and reading of it, has been one of those times. I can't say that it "converted" me, but what I can say is that it helped me to realize I've never believed in the first place. It helped me understand that my view on the world of religion isn't that uncommon. It gave me the courage to finally just call it as it is, to write the damn thing off for good and quit worrying. Your book has given me more consolation than any holy book I've ever opened. Not only that, it has given me the courage to be open, to speak out to others, and seek out others like me. It has left me drooling for more knowledge. It has left me astonished at my own ignorance. I have a need to learn more than I can ever recall in my entire life, and that is no exaggeration. You, sir, and those like you - the brilliant minds tossed upon this rock - are Vital to humanity. We need science to take a firm stand against this nonsense. I was denied many lessons in school because of religious conflict - from the teachers. If I had been taught science in its full wonder and honesty from the start, I can say with utmost confidence that I would have had a good deal of years to use for something more beneficial than searching for a reason to be delusional.

I sincerely hope that this email reaches you personally. You have your own reasons for the path you've chosen, but in my mind, you are heroic.

Humbly,

Jeffery Poore

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 29 December 2011 at 09:01 PM

Dear Professor Dawkins!
I have been watching and reading everything about you recently and it feels so great to see your commitment to enlighten the people's mind and change their perspective of how they see the world. I really appreciate your courage and intellect in doing all this. Believe me, you are not alone. There are many people with you, who support you. People like me, who in the past have been hesitant to go either way and now has a very clear direction and encouragement. Thank you for everything you have been doing!
Best wishes for you Sir!!!
Vamsi

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 29 December 2011 at 09:00 PM

Dear Mr Dawkins,
I am a 15 year old male from the south of england. I was never particularly religious, but was apathetic for many years. Reading The God Delusion completely cemented my faith (or indeed my lack of). I merely wish to express to you how thankful I am to you for opening my eyes to the beautiful, complex, dazzling and infinitely fascinating Universe that we live in and how much I have learnt to value science as the pursuit of curiosity and love for this world and how it is a manifestation of everything that is pure and good about humanity,
Thank you once again,
A happy atheist.

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 29 December 2011 at 08:59 PM

Thanks for raising our consciousness

Richard,

You have helped me reinforce my disapproval of bizarre (but popular) beliefs of religion. I am from India and a Hindu by birth. But I never reconciled with the notions of religion. This is mainly because I was taught science and it made more sense. Every theory I read in science class was based upon solid evidence and it never said that I had to believe in them simply because a great scientist said so. Instead it said that I would arrive at the same conclusion if I tried to explain the same phenomenon. And if I did not, given my experiments were indeed correct and conclusion different, then it could be said that the previous conclusion was wrong. This clearly points out that the objective of science is to find truth and only the truth. It is not about whose theory looks (for want of adjectives…my vocabulary is limited) beautiful or clever, if it is contrary to observation it means that a better explanation through another theory is required. I simply could not find this approach in any religion and that’s why I rejected them all.

I believe that people educated in science have a better chance of understanding what you are trying to explain. I support your argument that children should be taught science from early age and should be taught to question popular beliefs if they are without evidence. We spend most of our adult life unlearning the nonsense we learn in childhood which can be avoided if we are not taught these silly concepts in the first place. It’s simply surprises me how people apply logic and reason to everything else in their lives but not religion. It’s their deep seated belief and self illusion that gets augmented by occasional success which they probably prayed God for. After a substantial period of their pious lives if somebody points out the flaws in their belief system they take this on their ego. Once that happens, whatever credible and unquestionable proof you give as evidence, they will trash them saying that these are mere hogwash. The acceptance of truth becomes secondary to them and they then tend to argue violently and come up with all kinds of cheap arguments to discredit yours. They fail to see that the objective should be to find truth and not to argue over whose theory is beautiful. Your numerous debating videos on YouTube and my personal experiences support my conclusions about religious people. Perhaps their definition of truth is different. Perhaps they find truth to be consoling. Perhaps they find truth to be something that gives them purpose and meaning to life so that they feel important. Or perhaps, which is more likely, they are plain foolish.

I have read just two of your books (God Delusion and The Blind Watchmaker) and I must say that they are very convincing. People who have open mind will say that they raise our consciousness to a new level (closer to truth). Needless to say that I will try to read more of your books.

Regards
Shashi Kumar

Permalink - Posted Thursday, 29 December 2011 at 08:58 PM