
The God Virus
How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Darrel Ray
-
By:
-
Darrel Ray
About this listen
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.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Christianity Made Me Talk Like an Idiot
- By: Seth Andrews
- Narrated by: Seth Andrews
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seth Andrews wasn't an idiot during his 30 years as an evangelical Christian. He wasn't unintelligent, nor did his IQ shift when he ultimately left religion entirely. He considered himself thoughtful, moral, reasonable, and at least as smart as the average person. In other words, he wasn't an idiot. Yet strangely, he often sounded like one.
-
-
Resonates with any ex-evangelical!
- By Jeremy Gregg on 12-05-22
By: Seth Andrews
-
The God Delusion
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Discover magazine recently called Richard Dawkins "Darwin's Rottweiler" for his fierce and effective defense of evolution. Prospect magazine voted him among the top three public intellectuals in the world (along with Umberto Eco and Noam Chomsky). Now Dawkins turns his considerable intellect on religion, denouncing its faulty logic and the suffering it causes.
-
-
Dangerous Religion
- By Rick Just on 12-21-06
By: Richard Dawkins
-
The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament, Volume 1
- By: Joshua Bowen
- Narrated by: Seth Andrews
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Old Testament is a fierce battleground for atheists and Christian apologists, with each side accusing the other of taking challenging and troubling passages out of context. In this handbook, Joshua Bowen not only provides the background to the Old Testament and the ancient Near East, but engages with hotly contested topics like slavery, failed prophecy, and the authorship of debated Old Testament books.
-
-
Very informative with beautiful narration
- By Frank Rizzo on 07-07-21
By: Joshua Bowen
-
God Is Not Great
- How Religion Poisons Everything
- By: Christopher Hitchens
- Narrated by: Christopher Hitchens
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the tradition of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris' recent best-seller, The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos.
-
-
5-Star Writing. Perfect Author Narration.
- By Michael on 12-13-09
-
A Manual for Creating Atheists
- By: Peter Boghossian
- Narrated by: Peter Boghossian
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, the faithful have honed proselytizing strategies and talked people into believing the truth of one holy book or another. Indeed, the faithful often view converting others as an obligation of their faith - and are trained from an early age to spread their unique brand of religion. The result is a world broken in large part by unquestioned faith. As an urgently needed counter to this tried-and-true tradition of religious evangelism, this audiobook offers the first-ever guide not for talking people into faith - but for talking them out of it.
-
-
The first atheist missionary
- By Paul on 03-18-14
By: Peter Boghossian
-
The End of Faith
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Brian Emerson
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is an impassioned plea for reason in a world divided by faith. This important and timely work delivers a startling analysis of the clash of faith and reason in today's world. Harris offers a vivid historical tour of mankind's willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious beliefs, even when those beliefs are used to justify harmful behavior and sometimes heinous crimes.
-
-
Good book, bad narrator
- By wlong on 09-17-10
By: Sam Harris
-
Christianity Made Me Talk Like an Idiot
- By: Seth Andrews
- Narrated by: Seth Andrews
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seth Andrews wasn't an idiot during his 30 years as an evangelical Christian. He wasn't unintelligent, nor did his IQ shift when he ultimately left religion entirely. He considered himself thoughtful, moral, reasonable, and at least as smart as the average person. In other words, he wasn't an idiot. Yet strangely, he often sounded like one.
-
-
Resonates with any ex-evangelical!
- By Jeremy Gregg on 12-05-22
By: Seth Andrews
-
The God Delusion
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Discover magazine recently called Richard Dawkins "Darwin's Rottweiler" for his fierce and effective defense of evolution. Prospect magazine voted him among the top three public intellectuals in the world (along with Umberto Eco and Noam Chomsky). Now Dawkins turns his considerable intellect on religion, denouncing its faulty logic and the suffering it causes.
-
-
Dangerous Religion
- By Rick Just on 12-21-06
By: Richard Dawkins
-
The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament, Volume 1
- By: Joshua Bowen
- Narrated by: Seth Andrews
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Old Testament is a fierce battleground for atheists and Christian apologists, with each side accusing the other of taking challenging and troubling passages out of context. In this handbook, Joshua Bowen not only provides the background to the Old Testament and the ancient Near East, but engages with hotly contested topics like slavery, failed prophecy, and the authorship of debated Old Testament books.
-
-
Very informative with beautiful narration
- By Frank Rizzo on 07-07-21
By: Joshua Bowen
-
God Is Not Great
- How Religion Poisons Everything
- By: Christopher Hitchens
- Narrated by: Christopher Hitchens
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the tradition of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris' recent best-seller, The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos.
-
-
5-Star Writing. Perfect Author Narration.
- By Michael on 12-13-09
-
A Manual for Creating Atheists
- By: Peter Boghossian
- Narrated by: Peter Boghossian
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, the faithful have honed proselytizing strategies and talked people into believing the truth of one holy book or another. Indeed, the faithful often view converting others as an obligation of their faith - and are trained from an early age to spread their unique brand of religion. The result is a world broken in large part by unquestioned faith. As an urgently needed counter to this tried-and-true tradition of religious evangelism, this audiobook offers the first-ever guide not for talking people into faith - but for talking them out of it.
-
-
The first atheist missionary
- By Paul on 03-18-14
By: Peter Boghossian
-
The End of Faith
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Brian Emerson
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is an impassioned plea for reason in a world divided by faith. This important and timely work delivers a startling analysis of the clash of faith and reason in today's world. Harris offers a vivid historical tour of mankind's willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious beliefs, even when those beliefs are used to justify harmful behavior and sometimes heinous crimes.
-
-
Good book, bad narrator
- By wlong on 09-17-10
By: Sam Harris
-
The Four Horsemen
- The Conversation That Sparked an Atheist Revolution
- By: Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and others
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Daniel C. Dennett, Sam Harris, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2007, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett filmed a landmark discussion about modern atheism. The video went viral. Now, the transcript of their conversation is illuminated by new essays from three of the original participants and an introduction by Stephen Fry.
-
-
Short
- By Cole Brandon Eckhardt on 03-22-19
By: Christopher Hitchens, and others
-
God
- The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction
- By: Dan Barker
- Narrated by: Dan Barker, Richard Dawkins, Buzz Kemper
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Originally conceived as a joint presentation between influential thinker and best-selling author Richard Dawkins and former evangelical preacher Dan Barker, this unique book provides an investigation into what may be the most unpleasant character in all fiction. Barker combs through both the Old and New Testaments (as well as 13 different editions of the "Good Book"), presenting powerful evidence for why Scripture shouldn't govern our everyday lives.
-
-
good, but not recommended for bible-aware atheists
- By Jared on 10-15-16
By: Dan Barker
-
The Selfish Gene
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands to rethink their beliefs about life.
-
-
Better than print!
- By J. D. May on 07-31-12
By: Richard Dawkins
-
Ten Things Christians Wish Jesus Hadn't Taught: And Other Reasons to Question His Words
- By: David Madison
- Narrated by: Seth Andrews
- Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For centuries the gospels have been cherished devotional literature, and under the guidance of preachers and priests, they’ve been understood as reliable depictions of Jesus. But even the most devout Christians stumble across sayings of Jesus that don’t sound quite right. In fact - if we’re honest - some of them are alarming. But the problem won’t go away, even if many of the faithful file these troublesome texts in a mental drawer marked “Too uncomfortable to think about”. In fact, the problem is much larger than many people suppose.
-
-
How dare you!
- By amanda on 09-22-21
By: David Madison
-
Godless
- How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists
- By: Dan Barker, Richard Dawkins - foreword
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Dan Barker
- Length: 19 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Part 1 of Godless, "Rejecting God", tells the story of how I moved from devout preacher to atheist and beyond. Part 2, "Why I Am an Atheist", presents my philosophical reasons for unbelief. Part 3, "What's Wrong with Christianity", critiques the bible (its reliability as well as its morality) and the historical evidence for Jesus. Part 4, "Life Is Good!", comes back to my personal story, taking a case to the United States Supreme Court, dealing with personal trauma, and experiencing the excitement of Adventures in Atheism.
-
-
good writing, irritating narration
- By Amazon Customer on 03-23-16
By: Dan Barker, and others
-
Letter to a Christian Nation
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Jordan Bridges
- Length: 1 hr and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Forty-four percent of the American population is convinced that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead sometime in the next 50 years," writes Sam Harris. "Imagine the consequences if any significant component of the U.S. government actually believed that the world was about to end and that its ending would be glorious. The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes this...should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency."
-
-
the examined life
- By Stanley on 12-20-06
By: Sam Harris
-
Armageddon
- What the Bible Really Says About the End
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff, Bart D. Ehrman
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Armageddon, acclaimed New Testament authority Bart D. Ehrman delves into the most misunderstood—and possibly the most dangerous—book of the Bible, exploring the horrifying social and political consequences of expecting an imminent apocalypse and offering a fascinating tour through three millennia of Judeo-Christian thinking about how our world will end. By turns hilarious, moving, troubling, and provocative, Armageddon presents inspiring insights into how to live our lives in the face of an uncertain future.
-
-
The best explanation I have heard in my 70 years on Revelations
- By Ian Huntington on 05-19-23
By: Bart D. Ehrman
-
Outgrowing God
- A Beginner's Guide
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 12 fiercely funny, mind-expanding chapters, Dawkins explains how the natural world arose without a designer - the improbability and beauty of the "bottom-up programming" that engineers an embryo or a flock of starlings - and challenges head-on some of the most basic assumptions made by the world’s religions: Do you believe in God? Which one? Is the Bible a "Good Book"? Is adhering to a religion necessary, or even likely, to make people good to one another? Outgrowing God is a concise, provocative guide to thinking for yourself.
-
-
No new ground is covered.
- By God(less) on 11-05-19
By: Richard Dawkins
-
The Moral Landscape
- How Science Can Determine Human Values
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this explosive new book, Sam Harris tears down the wall between scientific facts and human values, arguing that most people are simply mistaken about the relationship between morality and the rest of human knowledge. Harris urges us to think about morality in terms of human and animal well-being, viewing the experiences of conscious creatures as peaks and valleys on a "moral landscape".
-
-
Read it
- By Paul on 11-23-10
By: Sam Harris
-
Deconverted
- A Journey from Religion to Reason
- By: Seth Andrews
- Narrated by: Seth Andrews
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A former religious radio host raised in the cradle of Christianity, Seth Andrews, battled his own doubts for many years. His attempts to reconcile faith and the facts led him to a conclusion previously unthinkable, and this once-true believer ultimately became host of one of the most popular atheist communities on the internet.
-
-
A very good primer from one who knows the game.
- By Mark on 02-19-13
By: Seth Andrews
-
Fighting God
- An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World
- By: David Silverman, Cara Santa Maria - foreword
- Narrated by: David Silverman, Cara Santa Maria
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fighting God is a firebrand manifesto from one of the most recognizable faces of atheism. In his audiobook, Silverman - a walking, talking atheist billboard known for his appearances on Fox News - discusses the effectiveness, ethics, and impact of the in-your-face-atheist who refuses to be silent. Silverman argues that religion is more than just wrong: it is malevolent and does not deserve our respect. It is our duty to be outspoken and do what we can to bring religion down.
-
-
Eloquent as Always
- By Roswatheist on 12-02-15
By: David Silverman, and others
-
How Jesus Became God
- The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a book that took eight years to research and write, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman explores how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty Creator of all things. Ehrman sketches Jesus's transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus's followers had visions of him after his death - alive again - did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God.
-
-
Wishing for a bit more meat on the bones
- By Darwin8u on 04-09-14
By: Bart D. Ehrman
What listeners say about The God Virus
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- bigwaller
- 02-27-16
very good
im going to now buy paperback this was so good. Great connection of religion and viruses and good, researched info.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bbrown
- 03-03-20
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jimmie Sinor
- 01-28-20
So many truths
This book is a great eye opener. Explaining how religion manipulates the many people.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- chemguy
- 08-08-18
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Troy Chambers
- 03-14-15
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- micheal trenton stewart
- 04-15-20
love it
Dr Ray is amazing and his books changed my life. check out his other book sex and God.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tyler
- 03-27-15
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mummus
- 03-01-17
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Heather
- 06-08-15
Enlightening
An exceedingly good description and view of religion, the experiences and the methods used to infect the mind.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alvin Acton
- 11-20-20
Great Book
Highly enjoyed this book. Dr. Ray tells the truth of religious virus. Definitely will reread
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!