Yes, I'm an atheist.

There you go, I said it. And not just to a friend, or someone who specifically asked. I said it out loud (in a way, since I don't think anyone actually reads this blog).

I said it because I am now proud of it. Not that I was ashamed before, but it just was not something that I felt comfortable advertising. Now, I am proud of it. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins is to thank. While the book is not perfect, and some of the man's arguments go over my head, I am glad that my mother decided to get me the book. I was not even really aware that my mother was an atheist (perhaps she's not exactly atheistic; I guess that is a conversation I should have with her some time!), but all of a sudden this book arrived by way of Amazon.ca one day. One and a half years later I finally picked it up, and I am glad that I did.

The book is incredibly dismissive of religion. Granted, that is its purpose. This is the first atheist book I have read, (I might look up the other two of the 'Unholy Trinity,' as the religious folk kindly refer to three authors, including Dawkins, writing similar material), so I am not really sure if atheist authors normally pussyfoot their way around arguments, trying to be respectful of religion even when dissecting it, but Dawkins does not do that. He is incredibly dismissive, to the point where I could see many religious people being insulted. For that reason, I would not recommend this to any religious people but the very thick skinned and open minded, if indeed any other pious person would even pick it up. What I am trying to say is that I do not think this book will convert anyone. It is not saying 'look, I understand that you believe this, but look at it this way,' it is saying 'I do not see how you believe this; look at all the problems with it, and all of the elegant simplicity of this other way.'

Because the book is so dismissive, it works better for a strictly atheistic reader. While I am not the type to tell people that their religion is wrong, I daresay I have a little bit of ammunition for any zealots who have the gall to call me out on the debate. It has bolstered my atheism to a full out conviction; I believe this, I definitely believe this, and I do not think anything short of a miracle (literally) will change my belief. In a way, it's a support. My everyday surroundings do not put a lot of religious pressure on me, but I still feel like I sit at the fringes sometimes; such is not the case. There are people out there - quite a few, in fact - who share my beliefs and have good reason to. That makes me feel good, because I, like most humans, am a social creature, and I feel better with some sense of community.

If you're an atheist already, or perhaps even sitting on the fence, give The God Delusion a try. I think that it will bring up some things you have not though of before. At the very least, you will probably find some of Dawkins' tangents and anecdotes very amusing.