richard_dawkins_-_the_god_delusion

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THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 73advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic' The miracleswrought by our technology would have seemed to the ancients noless remarkable than the tales of Moses parting the waters, or Jesuswalking upon them. The aliens of our SETI signal would be to uslike gods, just as missionaries were treated as gods (and exploitedthe undeserved honour to the hilt) when they turned up in StoneAge cultures bearing guns, telescopes, matches, and almanacspredicting eclipses to the second.In what sense, then, would the most advanced SETI aliens not begods? In what sense would they be superhuman but not supernatural?In a very important sense, which goes to the heart of thisbook. The crucial difference between gods and god-like extraterrestrialslies not in their properties but in their provenance. Entitiesthat are complex enough to be intelligent are products of anevolutionary process. No matter how god-like they may seem whenwe encounter them, they didn't start that way. Science-fictionauthors, such as Daniel F. Galouye in Counterfeit World, have evensuggested (and I cannot think how to disprove it) that we live in acomputer simulation, set up by some vastly superior civilization.But the simulators themselves would have to come from somewhere.The laws of probability forbid all notions of theirspontaneously appearing without simpler antecedents. They probablyowe their existence to a (perhaps unfamiliar) version ofDarwinian evolution: some sort of cumulatively ratcheting 'crane'as opposed to 'skyhook', to use Daniel Dennett's terminology. 45Skyhooks - including all gods - are magic spells. They do no bonafide explanatory work and demand more explanation than theyprovide. Cranes are explanatory devices that actually do explain.Natural selection is the champion crane of all time. It has lifted lifefrom primeval simplicity to the dizzy heights of complexity, beautyand apparent design that dazzle us today. This will be a dominanttheme of Chapter 4, 'Why there almost certainly is no God'.But first, before proceeding with my main reason for activelydisbelieving in God's existence, I have a responsibility to disposeof the positive arguments for belief that have been offered throughhistory.
CHAPTER 3Arguments forGod's existenceA professorship of theology should have no placein our institution.THOMAS JEFFERSON
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Also by Richard DawkinsThe Selfish
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TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS61-63 Uxbridge
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ContentsPrefaceChapter 1Chapter 2Ch
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Tread softly, because you tread onm
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PrefaceAs a child, my wife hated he
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PREFACE 3If you feel trapped in the
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PREFACE 5herding cats, because they
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PREFACE 7Free Inquiry, especially,
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A D E E P L Y R E L I G I O U S N O
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A DEEPLY RELIGIOUS N O N - B E L I
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A D E E PLY R E L I G I O U S N O N
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Page 28 and 29: A D E E P L Y RE L 1 G I O U S N O
Page 30 and 31: A D E E P L Y R E L I G I O U S N O
Page 32 and 33: A DEEPLY R E L I G I O U S N O N -
Page 34 and 35: A D E E P L Y R E L I G I O U S N O
Page 36 and 37: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 31The God of the
Page 38 and 39: T H E G O D H Y P O T II E S I S 33
Page 40 and 41: T II E G O D H Y P O T H E S 1 S 35
Page 42 and 43: T H E G O D H Y P O T H E S I S 37M
Page 44 and 45: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 39although it ha
Page 46 and 47: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 41enterprise. Ri
Page 48 and 49: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 43God; because,
Page 50 and 51: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 45Anecdotes of s
Page 52 and 53: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 47Carl Sagan was
Page 54 and 55: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 49Huxley was not
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Page 58 and 59: T H E G O D H Y P O T H E SIS 53in
Page 60 and 61: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 55McGrath goes o
Page 62 and 63: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 57the Cambridge
Page 64 and 65: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 59unequivocally
Page 66 and 67: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 61non-interventi
Page 68 and 69: T H E G O D H Y P O T H E S I S 63s
Page 70 and 71: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 65Another typica
Page 72 and 73: T H E G O D H Y P O THESIS 67NOMA -
Page 74 and 75: T H E G O D II Y P O T H E S I S 69
Page 76 and 77: THE GOD HYPOTHESIS 71longer based o
Page 80 and 81: A R G U M E N T S F O R G O D ' S E
Page 94 and 95: A R G U M ENTS F O R G O D ' S E X
Page 96 and 97: ARGUMENTS F O R GOD'S E X I S T E N
Page 98 and 99: A R C U M E N T S F O R G O D ' S E
Page 100 and 101: A R G U M E N T S FOR G O D ' S E X
Page 104 and 105: ARGUMEN T S FOR GOD'S EXISTENCE 101
Page 106 and 107: A R G U M E N T S F O R G OD'S E X
Page 110 and 111: A R Ci U M E N T S F O R G O D ' S
Page 112 and 113: ARGUMENTS F O R G OD'S E X I S T E
Page 114 and 115: W H Y T II E R E A L M O S T C E R
Page 116 and 117: W H Y T H E R E A I. M O S T C E R
Page 118 and 119: W H Y T H ERE AL.MOS T C E R TAINL.
Page 120 and 121: W H Y T H f ' R i . A L M O S T C 1
Page 122 and 123: W H Y T l i l - I U ; A L M O S T C
Page 124 and 125: W H Y r i-i r R r A I M O S T C t R
Page 126 and 127: W H Y '11IKRK A L M O S T (.: F R T
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no evidence of its own, but thrives
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W H Y r H E RE A 1. M O S T C F.RTA
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I ! T R t AI.M15S I' ('. I R !' A f
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W H Y T H E R E A I . M O S T C H R
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A I. M O S I C 1 R I'A I N M is X <
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W i I Y 1 II F. R F A 1 Vi (.) S T
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W H Y r 11 r u r -\ i. \i o s r c r
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W 11 Y '1 11 !•; R I. A I VI () S
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!' R I ALMOST l' I U '[ A I \ I Y i
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W H Y T H !• R E A I. M O S "I" C
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extravagant God hypothesis and the
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W H Y T H K R K A L VI O S I C E R
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W H Y T H H R B A L M O S T C E R T
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WHY T H E R K A L. M O S T C R R T
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W H V T H t R t A I M O S T C E R T
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WHY THERE ALMOST CERTAINLY IS NO GO
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W H Y T H E R i ; A L M O S T C E R
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T H E R O O T S OF R K 1. i G I ()
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THE ROOTS OF RELIGION 165themselves
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THE ROOTS ()1 ; R fc L I G I O N 16
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T H 1-; R O O T S O F R E I 1 C 1 O
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T H E R O O T S OF R E L I G I O N
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T H I', R O () T S OF R K I. I G I
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THL R O O T S OF R E L I G I O N 17
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T H E R O O T S OF R I: I. I (i I O
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T 11 E R O O T S O F R K L 1 (. 1 O
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THE ROOTS OF RELIGION 181psychologi
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THE R O O T S O F R E L I G I O N 1
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THE R O O T S O F RELIGI O N 185boo
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T H E ROOTS OF RELIGION 187Breakfas
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T H E R O O T S O F R E L I G 1 0 N
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T H E R O O T S O F R E L \ G I O N
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T H E ROOTS OF RELIGION 193the prob
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T H E R O O T S O F R E L I G I O N
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T H E R O O T S OF RELIGION 197'mem
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T HE ROOTS OF RELIGION 199ambiguity
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T H E R O O T S OF R E L I G I O N
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T H E ROOTS OF RELI G I O N 203They
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T HE R O O T S O F R E L J G 1 O N
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T H E R O O T S O F R E L 1 G I O N
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THE R O O T S OF M O R A L I T Y :
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T H E R O O T S OF M O R A L ! T Y
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T H H R O O T S O F M O R A L I T Y
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T H K R O O "I S O ! ; M O R A M T
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T H F , R O O T S O F M O R A L I T
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\ I i') K A I I M : \V 1 ! \ A i d
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R (> O I S (i I Y1 O l< A I I I "I
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R O t ' i l s O F M d l t A I I'I'V
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K O O I S O! M O R A I . I H : «
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K O O I S O I V! (> R A 1 1 T Y : W
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1K O O I \ < ) i VI O K A I . i l >
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HO I s o r M (.> R A ! I ! Y : \\ I
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O O K \ \ i> 'Mil Xi I'H ,\ j / J.
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T H E ' G O O D ' B O O K A N D T H
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H E ' G O O D " B O O K A N D T H E
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THE ' G O O D ' B O O K AND T H E M
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T H E ' G O O D ' B O () K A N D T
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T H E ' G O I H ) ' B O O K AN l> T
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T H E ' G O O D ' BO O K A N D T H
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' ! I K ' G O O 1) ' B O O K A N I"
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T H E - G O O D ' B O O K A N D T H
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T H i : ' G O O IV Si O O K A N D T
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TII 1- ' G O O D ' B O O K A N D T
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F i l l • ( . O O D ' B O O K A N
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T H |{ • (. O O D ' B O O K A N D
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HI-: ' G O O D ' B O O K A N D T H
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T H I: ' G O O D ' BO O K A N D T H
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1 M I. • C; O () I) ' B O O K A N
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T H E ' G () O I) ' B O O K A N D T
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G O O I") ' B O O K A N D T 1 i I ,
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T H E ' G O O D " B O O K A N D T H
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T III ' (, () O D ' H O () K A X D
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T H H ' G O () D ' B O O K A N D T
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CHAPTER 8What's wrong withreligion?
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282 THE GOD DELUSIONbomb anybody, b
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284 THE GOD DELUSIONof the lecture,
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286 THE GOD DELUSIONof the church i
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288 T H E GOD D E L U S I O Nmentio
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290 THE GOD DELUSIONpeople is their
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292 T H E GOD D ELUSIONdoing his du
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294 THE GOD DELUSIONconsequentialis
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296 THE GOD DELUSIONliving in Brita
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298 THE GOD DELUSIONSecular moralis
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300 THE GOD DELUSIONof religious up
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302 THE GOD DELUSIONTaliban of Afgh
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304 T H E G O D D ELUSIO Nhimself.
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306 THE GOD DELUSIO Nbelieve what t
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308 T H E G O D DEL U S I O Nthat f
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C H I L D H O O D , ABUSE AND R E L
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CHILDHOOD, ABUSE AND RELIGION 313at
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CHILDHOOD, ABUSE AND RELIGION 315Ed
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CHILDHOOD, ABUSE AND RELIGION 321to
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CHILDHOOD, ABUSE AND RELIGION 325be
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C H I L D H O O D , ABUSE AND RELIG
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CHILDHOOD, ABUSE AND RELIGION 333.t
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C H I L D H O O D , A B U S E A N D
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CHILDHOOD, ABUSE AND RELIGION 337th
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CHILDHOOD, ABUSE AND RELIGION 339He
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CHILDHOOD, ABUSE AND RELIGION 341de
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CHAPTER 10A much neededgap?What can
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348 THE GOD DELUSIONBinker - what I
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350 THE GOD DELUSIONfriends - and i
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352 T H E GOD DELUSIONtrying out id
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354 THE GOD DELUSIONconsoled by the
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356 T HE GOD DELUSIONdoctor's lie r
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358 THE GOD DELUSIONare most afraid
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360 THE GOD. DELUSIONevidence for t
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362 THE GOD DELUSIONpowerful enough
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364 THE GOD DELUSIONthe way matter
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366 THEGODDELUSIONmathematics work,
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368 THE GOD DELUSIONcould safely be
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370 T H E GOD DELUSIONand that limi
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372 THE GOD DELUSIONof simulating a
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374 T H E G O D DEL U S I O Nagains
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376 T H E G O D D E L U S I O NAfri
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378 THEGODDELUSIONNational Secular
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Books cited orrecommendedAdams, D.
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382 THE GOD DELUSIONDennett, D. C.
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384 T HE GOD DELUSIO NHodder &c Sto
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386 THE GOD D E I, US1ONShermer, M.
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NotesPreface1 Wendy Kaminer, 'The l
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390 T HE GO D D E L U S I O N34 Hen
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392 THE GOD DELUSION64 This account
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394 THE GOD DELUSIONChapter 7: The
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396 THE GOD DELUSIONThe dark side o
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398 THE GOD DELUSION146 Guardian, 1
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IndexA for Andromeda (Hoyle), 72Aar
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402 T H E GOD D E L U S I O NDonne,
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404 T H E G O D D E L U S I O NLinc
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406 T HE GOD DEL U SIGN'skyhooks',
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