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Through his popular science blog, Pharyngula, PZ Myers has entertained millions of readers with his infectious love of evolutionary science and his equally infectious disdain for creationism, biblical literalism, intelligent design theory, and other products of godly illogic. In this funny and fearless book, Myers takes on the religious fanaticism of our times with the gleeful disrespect it deserves, skewering the apocalyptic fantasies, magical thinking, hypocrisies, and pseudoscientific theories advanced by religious fundamentalists of all stripes. With a healthy appreciation of the absurd, Myers not only pokes fun at the ridiculous tenets of popular religions but also highlights how the persistence of superstitions can have dark consequences: interfering with our politics, slowing our scientific progress, and limiting freedom in our culture.--From publisher description.… (more)
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In the grand tradition of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, PZ Myers skewers ridiculous religious beliefs and the misguided souls who hold them. In his opening chapter, in which he sets up the premise for the book, he leads you to believe that the mockery is gentle, and he holds nothing against the people, just their beliefs. He just wants to laugh! Subsequent chapters, however, contain much anger, vitriol, and preachy rhetoric, as well as some mean-spirited pranking of religious persons of all types. Not so much laughter.
One chapter outlines how the author asked for, and then desecrated, the Catholic host (those dry little crackers). Another describes how to bury religious texts and plant a flower garden on top. I support PZ Myers' efforts in taking a stand against fundamentalism. He makes a great point in the chapter "I Am Not a Spoiled Child Having a Temper Tantrum" that just because some groups hold something sacred, it doesn't mean I (or he) should too, and no one should be able to force anyone else to respect their sacred objects. But sometimes Myers comes off a little bratty, trying to get a rise out of the fundies. Taking shots is wildly entertaining, but ultimately you're not going to convince anyone on the other side that you're right.
I find more value in the chapters in which Myers outlines the very real dangers posed by religion and the people who defend it. Live and let live is a great credo for the atheist, unless letting live also means tolerating the oppression of women, gays, and anyone else who does not support the dominant religious belief. Religion is especially dangerous when it's politicians who affect change who hold such beliefs. Then religion is no longer benign and funny. But this more important rhetoric is too often lost in between the pot shot chapters (this is the danger when you collect disparate blog posts and put them together in a book - the narrative flow is disruptive).
I support the effort, one atheist to another, but 4 stars for the disjointedness and occasional self-righteousness.