Book excerpt: Religion has been the biggest divisive force in history. This book examines the irrational and harmful beliefs of religious people, which lead to religion becoming a destructive force. Religion can be and has been a force for good too. What are the aspects of religion that make it meaningful? Does God exist? The book details the scientific and philosophical arguments adduced for God’s existence and how valid they are. In the last section, we look at five luminaries of science who either had close encounters with religious establishments or had strong views on religion and God. We look at the lives of Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Einstein and Hawking, not so much as scientists, but as human beings with their own kinks and idiosyncrasies. The author brings to this book his extensive knowledge of physics, philosophy, religion and the behavioural sciences.