Okay, I admit it, Richard Dawkins is being a jerk on purpose.  But he’s a jerk who knows how to write well, and compared to the stuff you find in YouTube video comments, he’s downright gentlemanly.

Take the section called “Deserved Respect,” for example.  In it, Dawkins says he doesn’t have a problem with a conception of God as a sort of transcendent all-oneness, or a marvelous somethingness that’s immanent in the whole universe, or a source of wonder.  He just thinks we should call it something else.

When he describes certain religious traditions, he really, really tries.  He takes pains to point out that some highly sophisticated theists are close friends of his.  Words like “nonsense” and “bunk” slip out from time to time, but you can practically hear the poor fellow biting his tongue.  When you agree with him, the book is thoroughly enjoyable; when you disagree with him, the sensation is something like being gently but insistently jabbed in the ribs.  I did both, depending on the chapter.

The God Delusion’s real enemy is the God who hates gays and will sentence you to eternal damnation for thinking bad thoughts.  Theists and non alike can agree that fighting hate and ignorance is a good idea, right?  I recommend this book, even if it makes you feel like you want to throw it across the room.  It’s eloquent, funny, and a mind-expander.