In 2006, Richard Dawkins published The God Delusion—a book that became a lightning rod for debate, outrage, and awakening.
Eighteen years later, has anything changed?
Dawkins dared to say what many only whispered:
“We are all atheists about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.”
It wasn’t merely a denial of God. It was an invitation to look at belief through the lens of biology, probability, and logic. To ask: not just do I believe?—but should I believe?
At the time, Dawkins was vilified by the religious right, dismissed by theologians, and embraced by millions who finally felt they had permission to say what they’d long felt: “I don’t believe. And that’s okay.”
But nearly two decades on, the world is still gripped by tribal gods and political faiths. If anything, belief has become more polarised, not less.
Have we made progress? Some.
Atheism is no longer taboo in much of the West. Religious affiliation continues to fall. The term “nones”—those with no religious belief—is now a major demographic. Public figures, scientists, artists, even clergy have stepped away from faith.
But the backlash is real. In parts of the world, questioning God is still a crime. In others, it is simply social death.
And yet, The God Delusion remains a gateway—a starting point for many. Not the final word, but the first challenge. The moment of courage.
It reminds us that doubt is not weakness. That belief should not be immune from reason. And that truth, if it exists, has nothing to fear from questions.
Eighteen years on, the book still matters—not because it gave all the answers, but because it dared to ask.