The God Virus

How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture

De: Darrel Ray

Narrado por: Darrel Ray

What makes religion so powerful? How does it weave its way into our political system? Why do people believe and follow obvious religious charlatans? What makes people profess deep faith even as they act in ways that betray that faith? What makes people blind to the irrationalities of their religion yet clearly see those of others? If these questions interest you, this book will give you the tools to understand religion and its power in you, your family and your culture.

For thousands of years, religion has woven its way through societies and people as if it were part and parcel to that society or person. In large measure it was left unexplained and unchallenged, it simply existed. Those who attempted to challenge and expose religion were often persecuted, excommunicated, shunned, or even executed. It could be fatal to explain that which the church, priest, or imam said was unexplainable. Before the germ, viral, and parasite theory of disease, physicians had no tools to understand disease and its propagation. Priests told people disease was a result of sin, Satan, evil spirits, etc.

With the discovery of microbial actors, scientists gained new tools to study how it spreads. They could study infection strategies, immunity, epidemiology and much more. Suddenly the terrible diseases of the past were understandable. The plagues of Europe, yellow fever, small pox, pneumonia, tuberculosis, syphilis, etc. were now removed from the divine and placed squarely in the natural world.

This book owes a great deal to Richard Dawkins' concept of viruses of the mind, but it seeks to go a step further to personalize the concept of religion as a virus and show how these revolutionary ideas work in everyday life. The paradigm can explain the fundamentalism of your Uncle Ned, the sexual behavior of a fallen megachurch minister, the child rearing practices of a Pentecostal neighbor, why 19 men flew planes into the World Trade Center, or what motivates a woman to blow herself up in the crowded markets of Baghdad. Learn how religion influences sexuality for its own purposes, how and why it protects pedofile priests and wayward ministers and how it uses survivor guilt to propagate and influence and how it might influence a person's IQ.

©2009 Darrel W. Ray, Ed.D. (P)2012 Darrel W. Ray, Ed.D.

a must read

If you are trying to make sense of the religious world and better relate and interect with the religious people in your life, this is a must read.

Excellent diagnosis of the disease of humanity!

The God virus is exactly what plaques the human race. We need to wake up! My only complaint is the recording quality, sounded like it was recorded in a bathroom.

love it

Dr Ray is amazing and his books changed my life. check out his other book sex and God.

Everyone in the world should read this book

The perfect analogy to a most destructive and progress impeding plague. Darrel Ray sums up perfectly the methods and practices a religion uses to infect and spread.

Great insights on the behaviors of religion

Dr.Ray does a great job of explaining religion as a virus that desires to spread and multiply among our species. He breaks down religions behaviors into specific actions and motives for infection into our culture and mindsets. Great read for those who have found their way out of a dogmatic way of thinking and want more insight on other ways they have been conditioned to think or behave.

very good

im going to now buy paperback this was so good. Great connection of religion and viruses and good, researched info.

Great information. Lacks solutions.

I really enjoyed the information presented in this book. I do wish however, there were more solutions For those who have been infected with the "God virus" and are trying to heal. I do recommend reading the book though overall.

So many truths

This book is a great eye opener. Explaining how religion manipulates the many people.

Excellent use of the metaphor

As a conservative atheist, it saddens me to hear other atheists propose that politically conservative beliefs are held only by the religious. It is entirely possible to believe in traditional values because they are proven to work, not because they are dictated by an invisible celestial (nonexistent) Deity.

That said, this was an excellently crafted metaphor and the author makes a very sound case for the comparison. I myself was infected for 50 years, went to Christian schools, fiercely debated atheists, was a missionary, and planted churches. But today, I’m a full blown atheist having “woke up” to reality. I lost my wife, two of my three children, and many friends as a result. I can’t be look Eve it took so long but the virus metaphor explains a lot. I was sick but finally developed antibodies against the virus.

Enlightening

An exceedingly good description and view of religion, the experiences and the methods used to infect the mind.